Parosmia: What Is It And How Is It Treated?

For most of us, our sense of smell can provide some of the most memorable sensory experiences in everyday life.

Whether it’s the smell of your favorite meal wafting through the air, or catching a hint of your most loved perfume, stopping to savor these scents can bring joy to even the smallest moments in our day.

However, for individuals who suffer from a severe loss of smell or serious smell disorientations, these daily moments can be a source of extreme distress.

But what’s the cause of these unwanted smell-destroying conditions, and how can we help those coping with them find joy in their favorite aromas again?

Here’s what you need to know…

What is Parosmia?

Parosmia is a condition that causes our sense of smell to become greatly distorted, causing us to detest the scents we once loved and preventing us from enjoying our daily life.

And because our senses of taste and smell are intrinsically linked, parosmia symptoms can also cause a strong aversion to certain foods, making it difficult to maintain good eating habits.

Often confused with anosmia, which causes you to lose your sense of smell entirely, people who suffer from parosmia can still smell most things around them.

Rather, these scents begin to smell “foul” or “off”, causing the sufferer to struggle with unpleasant smells, no matter what the source of the scent is.

What causes Parosmia?

While it can be difficult to find the source of parosmia, there are a few underlying conditions that may be to blame for this unwanted phenomenon.

The most common causes of parosmia are…

• Covid-19 Infections
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Brain Tumors
• Upper Respiratory Infections
• Viral Infections
• Smoking
• Sinus Infections

In nearly all of these conditions, the neurons in the nasal passageway can be significantly damaged, leading to parosmia and other symptoms.

These neurons are what allow your brain to identify and distinguish between different types of smells, and without them, your system struggles to process the countless aromas you encounter throughout your day.

How is Parosmia treated?

Depending on the cause of your symptoms, parosmia treatment can vary greatly between patients.

In cases where the parosmia was caused by a viral infection, such as Covid-19, the condition will likely clear up on its own within several weeks or months.

But if severe damage has occurred, you may need to seek the help of a medical professional to help you regain your sense of smell for good.

What are Stellate Ganglion Blocks and how can they help?

No matter what the root cause of your parosmia symptoms is, there is a faster, more effective way to regain your sense of smell and taste that won’t force you to wait months before feeling normal again.

Stellate Ganglion Blocks are a type of regenerative medicine injection that acts as a “reboot” for the delicate links in our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, which allows the brain and body to communicate more efficiently.

And because parosmia is a condition that stems from a lack of connection between the brain and the physical senses, these innovative injections can reignite the chain of communication that helps your brain distinguish smells.

In other words, Stellate Ganglion Blocks are the missing link between what you sniff and how your brain processes the sensation.

Just like with other forms of regenerative medicine, these injections come with minimal side effects and can be administered in as little as 30 minutes, so you can get the treatment you deserve and get back to smelling the flowers fast.

Final Thoughts

Suffering with parosmia is more than just a frustrating experience, it can also hinder your ability to eat the foods that keep your body going.

Thankfully, with the help of our world-renowned regenerative medicine specialists, you can streamline your recovery process and support a healthy brain and body connection in just a few short sessions.

Learn more about how Got Pain Arizona is revolutionizing the parosmia treatment process today.