And tips for stimulating salivary glands…

From a friend who has shared what worked for her…

A little over a year ago I had a severe adverse reaction and lost my sense of smell. For someone like me that’s a VERY serious loss. It impacted my taste (pretty much zero) and honestly made me severely depressed for about a week. I had no idea how impactful sensory loss was. Long story short I did this training and it WORKED for me! Definitely helped that I had all the supplies at my disposal .

Loss of taste and smell is a current hot topic for many people I know right now so wanted to share what I did.

How to try smell training at home

You will need:

• four essential oils – rose, lemon, clove and eucalyptus. You can sub the rose (or another floral like Joy/Palmarosa/Geranium) but has to be a full blown floral aroma. These are specifically chosen because they hit all the anosmia buttons.
• The precise choice of oils represents 4 distinctly different categories.
  • eucalyptus = woodsy
  • lemon = citrus
  • clove = spicy
  • rose = floral
• a supply of cotton wool pads (or perfume-testing strips, if you can get hold of some)

1. Start with one oil – it doesn’t matter which – and put a few drops on the pad.

2. Let the aroma develop for a couple of minutes, then bring the pad to within an inch of your nose and breathe naturally through your nose. Don’t try too hard and inhale sharply – if you do, you’re unlikely to smell anything.

3. Move the pad away, then bring it back up to your nose and inhale again. Do this several times with the same oil.

4. Then take a break for five minutes before repeating the process with the next essential oil.

5. Aim to do the training twice a day, in the morning and evening.

Don’t be discouraged if you can’t smell anything at first. Anecdotal evidence from anosmia sufferers who’ve tried the technique suggests that it may take at least a week before you get a hint of any fragrance.

For best results, researchers recommend that you follow the smell training for six months. Buy these recommended items (plus 1 from the tips below)

Note from Lori:

Since symptoms of a zinc deficiency also include loss of taste/smell, there are a few other considerations I should mention:

• Research your zinc intake/levels and consider talking to a medical professional about how to determine the appropriate amount for you.
• pH of the body will determine if Zinc (or any other minerals for that matter) are being assimilated. We can take in more zinc, but unless our pH is within a certain range, our body won’t actually be utilizing it.
• Research foods rich in zinc and see if you can increase, if needed.
• YL has a few supplements with zinc present: Aminowise, Pure Protein, Master Formula, Powergize / Cardiogize / Endogize.

One more quick tip, if you also suffer from a loss of taste, I can recommend orange essential oil to stimulate the salivary glands. Here’s a few tips on how to utilize it:

• Put a drop of two of orange essential oil on a hot/wet washcloth and wash hands / face with it before eating. The aroma of orange is known to stimulate the glands.
• Put a drop of orange essential oil in a small cup of lukewarm water and drink just prior to eating.
• Historically, Laurus Nobilis was used (both the leaves and the black berries) to alleviate indigestion and loss of appetite.
• Or smell essential oil from a cotton ball / lid of the essential oil bottle.

If I can answer any other questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you don’t have these oils on hand – grab them ASAP!