June 12, 2024
Welcome to The Climb, your weekly journey with Lifecycle Sherpa, where we explore Parkinson’s Disease, its symptoms, treatments, tips, techniques, and build a supportive and knowledgeable community.
This week’s trail leads us to…changes in smell and taste.
Question: What happens to smell and taste over time? Why does it happen? What can I do about it?
Answer: Both smell and taste lessen over time which leads to decreased appetite and interest in eating. This can quickly cause malnutrition and should be addressed.
It happens as a result of degeneration of the anterior olfactory nucleus and olfactory bulb, one of the first brain areas to degenerate in Parkinson’s Disease. Interestingly, this occurs only in Idiopathic Parkinson’s and not commonly with Secondary Parkinsonism.
Tip: While there are no treatments for these symptoms, in order to keep food tasting flavorful, I recommend increasing the herbs and spices in foods and finding new and exciting recipes to make in order to keep food fun. This does NOT mean adding a ton of salt.
We always encourage feedback, as it helps us enhance our community. Feel free to reach out regarding future topics you want to learn about, or how we can improve your experience.
See you next week!