Have you lost your sense of smell due to a COVID-19 infection? Danielle Fleming may be able to help!

Danielle Fleming, Founder & CEO of Noteology, has dedicated her career to studying the psychological effects that aromas can have on our moods and behaviors while applying this knowledge to the perfumery and consumer goods industry. When people lost some or all of their sense of smell after a COVID-19 infection, they flocked to her for help.

“People ask me to make lots of products for them; from perfume for dogs to natural deodorant. But this request was very different. People were coming to me in tears. They couldn’t smell anymore. It ranged from not being able to smell at all, that’s what we call “anosmia”, to a partial loss of smell (hyposmia), all the way to “parosmia” (when smells smell different, generally worse, than usual) and phantosmia (phantom smells), when you smell something that isn’t there, like smoke or gasoline.”

“I just knew I had to do something to help. People were scared, and rightfully so. You don’t realize how important and valuable your sense of smell is until you don’t have it.” An entrepreneur by day, a researcher by night, she studied the literature, read the research, and developed The Sense of Smell Training Kit™ to help those that need it.

This kit is designed to assist someone in regaining their sense of smell due to a post-viral infection, like COVID-19. It provides them with step-by-step instructions on how to do Scent Therapy at home. It’s like physical therapy for your nose. For example, if you injured your leg, you would go to physical therapy and learn the steps to heal your leg. If you injured your sense of smell from post-viral infections, like COVID-19, you would do scent therapy to learn the steps to regain your sense of smell. 

The kit was developed based on the research of Professor Thomas Hummel of the Smell and Taste Clinic at the University of Dresen in Germany. In his 2009 study, he investigated whether repeated short-term exposure to odors over a twelve-week period would have any effect on the olfactory ability of a group of anosmia sufferers. He concluded that compared to baseline, training patients experienced an increase in their olfactory function. In contrast, olfactory function was unchanged in patients who did not perform olfactory training. These results indicate that structured, short‐term exposure to selected odors may increase olfactory sensitivity. Ms. Fleming used her background in psychology to enhance the kit with Scent Mantra cards to increase the connective pathways between smelling and olfactive recognition. “Your brain needs to learn how to smell again. In essence, you are retraining it by linking what you are smelling and how your brain recognizes and processes it.”

You can find the related research articles HERE. 

Local Partnerships & Mental Health

Ms. Fleming wants to help as many people as possible. With the help of The Scranton Area Community Foundation and Scranton Primary Health, economically disadvantaged populations will be able to access the kit free-of-charge. “Our community is the heart of our region. Being able to partner locally to make the kit accessible to everyone is an amazing testament to how much we care about the health and wellness of our community. Currently an English version is available with two translation versions being currently worked on for the Spanish and Gujarati populations.

Another reason Ms. Fleming wanted to partner with Scranton Primary Health is their holistic approach to heath and wellness. “There’s more to losing your sense of smell than you think. After some time, anxiety can creep in. You’re constantly trying to smell things to see if you can, and when you don’t, depression can settle in. You can get nervous about what you are missing, like what if I can’t smell smoke and my house is on fire. Or you miss the pleasure senses of smelling bacon in the morning or a hot dog on the grill in the summer. When you lose your sense of smell you are losing more than just the ability to smell things, you are losing your ability to experience pleasure and safety, and that can be devastating.”

With their partnership with Scranton Primary Health, clients will be able to also address any mental health issues they may have with their sense of smell loss. “It’s a win for our entire community”, states Ms. Fleming.

What is included in the kit? 

The Sense of Smell Training Kit™ includes everything you need to retrain your brain to smell again. 

• 4 Scent Jars 
• Sense of Smell Training Booklet with 4 Scent Mantra Cards
• Sense of Smell Tracking Sheet

Where can the kit be purchased?

The Kit can be purchased online at www.noteology.com (direct link to the kit https://bit.ly/senseofsmellkit) or by calling 570-343-2100 to place your order over the phone. The kits are made to order for optimal effectiveness. They are $45.99 with a portion of the proceeds being donated to The Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia where scientists at focus on interdisciplinary research on the senses of taste and smell.

Scranton Primary Health kits will be ready by early July. 

Want to learn more?  Visit our FAQ page HERE.