Olfactory and gustatory disorders
symptom
Last year, around the same time I received the COVID-1 vaccine, I caught a cold and suddenly developed a loss of smell. Over the past year, I've been able to smell things a few times, but it was only for a moment and only a handful of times.
I can't distinguish between bitter and sweet tastes. I can distinguish between sour, spicy, and salty. When I'm feeling well, I can smell cigarette smoke.
In terms of smell, I can only slightly detect irritating things like mint, and I dislike things that I perceive as sweet, such as miso soup, natto, and white rice.
For the past year, I've been going to private ENT clinics and general hospitals, but to no avail. I was told that "the nerves in my nose are dead," and I had almost given up hope.
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Visitors
Male
50's
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Period
February 2022 - March 2023
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Visit Frequency per week
1
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Number of Visits
8
Treatment and progress
I had severe neck stiffness and had always had difficulty looking upwards.
Therefore, we performed treatment to improve neck stiffness and extension movement.
After the first treatment, the extension movement was reduced by half, and I was able to distinguish the smell of alcohol swabs, which I hadn't noticed before the treatment.
After repeating the process a second and third time, I became able to distinguish between spicy foods, and by this time my sense of taste had fully recovered.
By the sixth session, the patient could even smell natto (fermented soybeans), and the condition no longer interfered with daily life. By the eighth session, the patient could smell coffee, and the treatment was concluded.
Acupressure points used
Summary
The treatment focused on releasing tension in the neck and improving its movement.
The nose is located on the front of the neck, where the stiffness was most severe. Through repeated treatments, the airflow through the nose improved.
Although the patient did not experience shoulder or neck stiffness, I believe that focusing on movement—something we could share—in addition to objective findings, led to positive results.
Staff in charge
Kazuhiro Suzaki
Acupuncture clinic for the case:Sunosaki Acupuncture and Osteopathy Clinic
