CAN HOMEOPATHY BE A "REMEDY" FOR LOSS OF SMELL AND TASTE IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21776/ub.mnj.2022.008.02.2Keywords:
Homeopathy, remedy, smell, taste, COVID-19Abstract
Background: Homeopathy is applied as a supportive in the treatment of viral infections and in relieving their symptoms.
Objective: To create an awareness that effective remedial results can be obtained by homeopathy in patients with loss of smell and taste in Coronavirus Disease 2019.
Methods: A prospective, cohort and randomized study was conducted. The main inclusion criterion was the loss of smell and taste for at least one week. Homeopathic remedies were also applied as supportive therapy. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the loss of smell and taste perception before and after treatment.
Results: A total of 30 patients, 32.17±10.25 years, were included in the study. The mean pre-treatment VAS-smell perception of the patients was 0.67±1.24, while the mean VAS-taste perception was 2.57±3.01. After the treatment, the mean of VAS-smell perception was 8.67±1.92, while the mean of VAS-taste increased to 9.43±1.22. There was a strong positive correlation between ΔVAS-smell perception and ΔVAS-taste perception (r: 0.563, p: 0.001). There was also a strong negative correlation between ΔVAS-taste perception and the level of ferritin (r: -0.552, p: 0.002).
Conclusion: The present study on the effective improvement via homeopathy treatment in patients with loss of smell and taste in COVID-19 that “has spoiled the taste of life and living” should be supported by further studies.
References
Kalliantas D, Kallianta M, Karagianni CS. Homeopathy combat against coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Z Gesundh Wiss; 2020:1-4.
DOI: 10.1007/s10389-020-01305-z
Şenel E. Evolution of homeopathy: A scientometric analysis of global homeopathy literature between 1975 and 2017. Complement Ther Clin Pract; 2019. 34:165-73. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.11.018
Dossett ML, Yeh GY. Homeopathy use in the United States and implications for public health: A review. Homeopathy; 2018. 107(1):3-9. DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1609016
Lian J, Jin X, Hao S, Jia H, Cai H, Zhang X, et al. Epidemiological, clinical, and virological characteristics of 465 hospitalized cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from Zhejiang province in China. Influenza Other Respir Viruses; 2020. 14(5):564-74. DOI: 10.1111/irv.12758
Li LQ, Huang T, Wang YQ, Wang ZP, Liang Y, Huang TB, et al. COVID-19 patients' clinical characteristics, discharge rate, and fatality rate of meta-analysis. J Med Virol. 2020;92(6):577-83.
DOI: 10.1002/jmv.25757
Nicola M, O'Neill N, Sohrabi C, Khan M, Agha M, Agha R. Evidence based management guideline for the COVID-19 pandemic - Review article. Int J Surg; 2020. 77:206-16. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.04.001
Sieswerda E, de Boer MGJ, Bonten MMJ, Boersma WG, Jonkers RE, Aleva RM, et al. Recommendations for antibacterial therapy in adults with COVID-19 - an evidence based guideline. Clin Microbiol Infect; 2021. 27(1):61-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.09.041
Ita K. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Current status and prospects for drug and vaccine development. Arch Med Res; 2021. 52(1):15-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.arcmed.2020.09.010
Whitcroft KL, Hummel T. Olfactory dysfunction in COVID-19: Diagnosis and management. JAMA; 2020. 323(24):2512-4. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2020.8391
Kern RC, Conley DB, Haines 3rd GK, Robinson AM. Pathology of the olfactory mucosa: Implications for the treatment of olfactory dysfunction. Laryngoscope; 2004. 114(2):279-85. DOI: 10.1097/00005537-200402000-00018
Rutten AL, Stolper CF, Lugten RF, Barthels RW. A Bayesian perspective on the reliability of homeopathic repertories. Homeopathy; 2006. 95(2):88-93.
DOI: 10.1016/j.homp.2006.01.001
American Academy of Otolaryngology Head 455 and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS): Anosmia Reporting tool. Available from:
https://www.entnet.org/content/reporting-tool-patients-anosmia-related-covid-19. (Accessed 20 Apr 2020).
Marinone C, Bastard M, Bonnet PA, Gentile G, Casanova L. Effectiveness of preventive treatment by Influenzinum in the winter period against the onset of influenza-like illnesses. Therapie; 2017. 72(4):465-74. DOI: 10.1016/j.therap.2016.12.011
Basu N, Das BC, Tandon S. Interim management of COVID-19 by repurposed homeopathic medicines. Homeopathy; 2020. 109(3):182-83. DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1713004
Tramontana A. COVID-19 Pneumonia: A potential role of homeopathy. Homeopathy; 2021. 110(1):70-1. DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1721063
Topaloğlu U, Tatar O, Saz A, Küçük M, Gür A, Eren E. COVID-19 tanılı olgulardaki koku ve tat kaybının tedavisinde homeopati bir umut olabilir mi? Journal of Anatolian Medical Research; 2020. 5(2):23-6. Available from:
https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/jamer/issue/56275/777244
Mao L, Jin H, Wang M, Hu Y, Chen S, He Q, et al. Neurologic manifestations of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in Wuhan, China. JAMA Neurol; 2020. 77(6):683-90.
DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.1127
Meng X, Deng Y, Dai Z, Meng Z. COVID-19 and anosmia: A review based on up-to-date knowledge. Am J Otolaryngol; 2020. 41(5):102581.
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjoto.2020.102581
Giacomelli A, Pezzati L, Conti F, Bernacchia D, Siano M, et al. Self-reported olfactory and taste disorders in patients with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 infection: A cross-sectional study. Clin Infect Dis; 2020. 71(15):889-90.
DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciaa330
Lechien JR, Chiesa-Estomba CM, De Siati DR, Horoi M, Le Bon SD, Rodriguez A, et al. Olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions as a clinical presentation of mild-to-moderate forms of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A multicenter European study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol; 2020. 277(8):2251-61.
DOI: 10.1007/s00405-020-05965-1
Klopfenstein T, Kadiane-Oussou NJ, Toko L, Royer PY, Lepiller Q, Gendrin V, Zayet S. Features of anosmia in COVID-19. Med Mal Infect; 2020. 50(5):436-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.medmal.2020.04.006
Orsucci D, Ienco EC, Nocita G, Napolitano A, Vista M. Neurological features of COVID-19 and their treatment: A review. Drugs Context; 2020. 9:2020-5-1. DOI: 10.7573/dic.2020-5-1
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Malang Neurology Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.