Out of the many symptoms of COVID-19, the loss of the sense of smell, condition known anosmia is very common. Losing the ability to smell is the most mysterious symptoms of the coronavirus. The book “Restore your Olfactory sense after COVID-19” written by Creezy Courtoy, historian and anthropologist specializing in perfume and olfaction brings to light many interesting facts about the olfactory sense.
Is your perfume strangely missing its rose fragrance? Does everything suddenly smell like nothing? Is your food tasteless?.
According to researchers in Europe, more than 85% of coronavirus sufferers experience the problem.
Most of these patients also experience a loss of the sense of taste, a condition known as dysgeusia. This is logical, since olfaction plays an important role in the sense of taste. In fact, as much as 85% of taste can be dependent on olfaction.
When losing their olfactory sense, some people may experience depression, feelings of abandonment or insecurity.
The objective of this book is to provide a better understanding of the importance of a little-understood sense: the olfactory sense. This sense has been neglected and rejected by our society since the 19th Century more focused on the senses of sight and hearing considered more “intellectual”.
How, starting from a chemical molecule in our environment by an ailment, a flower or a fragrance, do we succeed in creating in our brain something called « a smell » which is linked to taste, memory, emotions but also to well-being and physical health.
This book brings hope of renewal, putting back the olfactory sense next to sight and hearing to balance all of our senses. How a trauma, a cancer or a viral infection like COVID-19 could be altering this olfactory sense?
And finally, what treatments are available based on olfactory training? Creezy has discussed these aspects in her book. This book brings hope of renewal, putting back the olfactory sense next to sight and hearing to balance all of our senses. During her research, the author spent a lot of time with gorillas to study the sense of olfaction.
She has also created « Les Ateliers des Petits Nez » Workshops for Little Noses is an educational program teaching how to preserve the olfactory sense for babies, to develop it for children and to restore it for adults. Smelling and well-being: this will be the heritage and gifts we leave to our children and the next generations.
Creezy Courtoy is also the Founder and Chair of the non-profit International Perfume Foundation who’s mission is ‘Putting back flowers and plants in Perfume’
This book is available online in Spanish, English, French
This book was launched at the Barcelona Olfaction Week (BOW), held in Barcelona, Spain from June 29 to July 4, 2020. BOW was born with the vision of projecting the world of perfumer and its special historical relationship with Barcelona, gastronomy and art. Perfume, olfactory science and culture will coexist in different sensory, knowledge and informative activities that will take place online.
