From rose & lavender to musk, fragrance expert helps Covid patients learn to smell again
Some smells can trigger memories and emotions.
By Reuters | Updated:
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To begin the process of helping people learn to smell again, the expert sets up an array of 18 custom-blended fragrances.
NEW YORK: After 13-year-old Sahil Shah lost his sense of smell to COVID-19 in November, his parents looked everywhere for help.
"We met with neurologists, neurosurgeons, ENT specialists, and all of them said if it was supposed to come back, it would have come back by now," said Sahil's father, Pratik Shah.
But six months later, the teenager from Chicago still had no sense of smell or taste.
The family sought help from an unlikely source - New York fragrance expert Sue Phillips. She has helped develop and market perfumes for Elizabeth Arden, Lancome and Tiffany & Co, and now runs her own company, Scenterprises.
"So let me tell you, first of all, I am not a doctor. I'm not a scientist. I'm not even a chemist," Phillips told a client at her boutique on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
To begin the process of helping people learn to smell again, Phillips sets up an array of 18 custom-blended fragrances. Starting with the lighter notes such as rose, lavender and mint, Phillips hands one scented blotter strip at a time to her client.
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Perfumer Sue Phillips works with her client Josh Goldenberg, who lost his sense of smell as a result of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in her studio in New York City, U.S., May 14, 2021. If there is no response, she uses more robust scents, such as spice and musk.
"What's been happening is we're training people to, I like to say, smell with your brain... I can see almost the fog lifting. And then they can start to smell again. And it's really amazing."
After visiting Philips, Shah's father said Sahil's smell is now at about 25%. "It's better than zero."
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A panel of experts recommended in a paper published in January in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology that COVID-19 patients who lost their sense of smell receive a form of "smell rehab" known as olfactory training.
Harvard University neuroscientist Venkatesh Murthy said some smells can trigger memories and emotions and Phillips may be on to something.
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"By trying various different fragrances, maybe for a particular person, you hit upon one or two things that the leftover sense of smell is able to perceive," he said, adding there was no harm in trying to use scents to restore smell.
10 Must-Have Accessories to Host The Ultimate Wine Evening
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It is the season of festivals and celebrations, and what better way to do it than opening a bottle of your favourite wine.
There are a few things that you should have in your bar to have an altogether different experience.
Dipesh Sinha, Mixologist and Wine Enthusiast, Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, and Sweta Mohanty, Wine and Spirits Trainer, Aspri Spirits, list some accessories that can help you serve your guests in style in your next cocktail party.
(Text: IANS)
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A perfect glass is what makes all the difference to how your wine will taste.
An excellent French vino might end up tasting horrible if poured and served in a beer glass.
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Invest in some simple inexpensive Ice Buckets.
They are the crux to your wine tasting and it would be so when the wine is chilled to the perfect temperature.
An ideal temperature to chill your wines is- Sparkling Wine: 6-8 degree Celsius; White Wine / Rose: 8-12 degree Celsius; Red Wine: 14-18 degree Celsius; Sweet Wine: 6-8 degree Celsius.
Also, make sure you store your wines very carefully in a cool dark place where there is no direct sunlight.
Wines with cork should always be placed horizontally so that the cork is in constant contact with the wine and does not dry up.
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Though I am not a huge fan of mulled wine, I however prefer to stack a set of nice and designer Mulled Wine Glasses for my guests.
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A bottle holder not only adds beauty to the entire collection but also ensures your wine bottles are stored at a perfect angle to keep the cork hydrated and prevent wine from oxidation.
Look for a holder which holds the bottle between 50 degrees to 60 degrees.
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Wines are best enjoyed when served at perfect temperature. Hence keeping a wine chiller handy helps.
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Once opened, finish the bottle should always be the mantra. However, if there is wine left in the bottle, having a good wine stopper helps.
You can put the stopper to the bottle and keep it in the refrigerator for a day without it going bad.
Post that though it becomes vinegar. Use it in cooking.
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