Loss of smell and taste in patients diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia is one of the indicators of the diagnosis of new coronavirus, even more important than fever or cough. The patient began to feel that his sense of smell was diminished, and he might not easily appreciate the aroma of food as before. When family members were cooking in the kitchen, they might not smell any smell while sitting in the living room. Chinese medicine practitioners said that in the treatment of loss of smell and taste in Chinese medicine, intensive acupuncture and moxibustion will be given to activate the functions around the nasal cavity, and combined with drugs to improve physical fitness, the sensitivity of smelling food can be gradually improved.
Severe allergic rhinitis patients infected with new crown may cause smell disorders
Clinically, it has been found that in addition to the diagnosis of new coronary pneumonia, the cause of the loss of smell may also be traumatic damage to the olfactory nerve caused by car accident trauma, the infringement of viral or bacterial infection, or the compression of the tumor that affects the function of the olfactory conduction nerve and the olfactory bulb in the brain. Tu Yuwei, a Chinese medicine practitioner, said that clinically, he has also encountered patients with severe allergic rhinitis for many years, resulting in severe curvature of the nasal septum, or swelling of nasal polyps, causing nasal congestion and affecting the patency of breathing. Such chronic inflammation and swelling have occurred following the diagnosis of new coronary pneumonia. , will gradually affect the sensitivity of olfactory receptors, resulting in olfactory disorders.
Anosmia can be divided into: complete anosmia and partial anosmia
The olfactory disorder can be divided into: complete loss of smell and partial loss of smell, the severity of which reflects the degree of nerve damage and is also related to prognosis. Due to the timeliness of nerve repair, the longer the loss of smell, or the more severe the damage to the olfactory nerve, the more difficult the chance of recovery will be.
Olfactory disorders can be divided into complete anosmia and partial anosmia, the severity of which reflects the degree of nerve damage and is also related to prognosis.
Tu Yuwei, a TCM physician, said that there are two main methods for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of olfactory disorders in TCM. The first is to directly stimulate blood circulation and nerve conduction around the nasal cavity through acupuncture and moxibustion. Circulation of cerebral blood flow.
4 acupuncture points in traditional Chinese medicine to activate the functions around the nasal cavity
1. Yingxiang Point:
Located in the one-centimeter crease on either side of the nose. Yingxiang belongs to the large intestine meridian of Hand Yangming, which can disperse wind-heat and clear the nose.
2. Bamboo hole:
Located in the depression of the facial brow, when the supraorbital notch. Zanzhu acupoint belongs to the bladder meridian of foot sun, which can dispel wind, relieve heat, and improve eyesight.
3. Yintang Point:
The Yintang point is located on the forehead, between the eyebrows. Yintang acupoint belongs to the extra-meridian head and neck acupoints, which can relieve forehead pain, dizziness, rhinitis, epistaxis, cold and fever, etc.
4. Fengchi Point:
It is located in the depression between the upper outer edge of the trapezius muscle and the posterior edge of the upper end of the sternocleidomastoid muscle under the nuchal occipital bone. It belongs to the gallbladder meridian of Foot Shaoyang, which can expel wind, relieve external appearance, clear the head, and benefit the five senses and seven orifices.
In addition, some physicians will use the Quchi, Hegu, Zusanli and Kunlun points at the far end of the hands and feet to further adjust and dredge the qi and blood of the meridians to help restore health. If scalp acupuncture is added to the above-mentioned acupuncture stimulation to activate the cranial nerve, it can also help the conduction and repair of the olfactory nerve. For the maintenance of acupuncture points for ordinary people, they can use warm steam to irrigate their noses, first warm and moisturise the nose and face, and massage Yintang, Zanzhu, Yutou, Yuyao points in sequence with fingers in a circle, and move along the nose. Slide the side edge down to Yingxiang acupoint and massage for 5 minutes every morning and evening.
When cold pathogens invade the lungs and nose, use peppermint oil to massage near the nostrils, or directly drink peppermint tea or Houttuynia cordata as tea to relieve nasal congestion and loss of smell caused by wind-heat infection.
Diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia leads to nasal mucosal dysfunction, and Chinese medicine or diet therapy improves
In addition to acupoint therapy, Chinese medicine will also use traditional Chinese medicine or food therapy to treat nasal mucosal dysfunction caused by the diagnosis of new coronary pneumonia. In case of “loss of smell” caused by cold or bacterial infection, or long-term chronic rhinitis, it is necessary to first distinguish the patient as “lung suffering from wind-cold”, or the olfactory cells are affected by causes such as “damp-heat in the liver and gallbladder”, “wind-heat stagnant lung”, etc. Inflammation violation.
When cold pathogens invade the lungs and nose, consider a diet that warms the lungs and dissipates cold and clears the nose orifices. For example, often drink ginger fish soup, rosemary tea, citrus tea, etc. On the other hand, you can use peppermint oil to massage near the nostrils, or directly drink peppermint tea or Houttuynia cordata as tea to relieve nasal congestion and loss of smell caused by wind-heat infection.
If the damp-heat of the liver and gallbladder disturbs the head and face, which causes nasal suffocation and deafness, it should be combined with aesculus gallbladder and isatis root to clear the dampness and heat of the liver and gallbladder. For patients with nerve damage caused by car accidents or fractures, or cases of long-term chronic rhinitis infestation leading to decreased body function, the treatment should make good use of the principles of nourishing qi and nourishing blood, promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, and clearing orifices and activating collaterals. Warming meridian medicine, or using Guizhi, Astragalus and American ginseng tea to invigorate qi and blood, combined with the above massage methods, can provide nutrients and blood flow to the craniofacial nerves, and at the same time invigorate and activate the function of the nerves.
Since loss of smell involves the regeneration and repair of nerves, general nerve damage has its rapid recovery time. Therefore, once the loss of smell occurs following the diagnosis of the new crown, it is best to seek medical treatment as soon as possible to find out the cause, and then use drug treatment to recover. Nasal ventilation is combined with acupuncture to stimulate nerve conduction to activate olfactory conduction. However, if the cause of trauma, fracture or tumor involves serious damage to the olfactory nerve, which affects the golden period of repair time, more patient and intensive treatment is required to increase the chance of recovery of the damaged olfactory nerve function.
