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Anosmia- the loss of smell, a path to the root of Long Covid?

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(created with nano-banana AI by Troy Roach, March 5th 2026) Due to the complexity of Long Covid and the tragic nature of the debilitating symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, POTS, etc I have not spent much time digging into the effects of low-dose nicotine on anosmia. The lack of smell and/or taste in many people is met with such varied responses; some feel that their life has been greatly impacted, but nobody has mentioned it as being more important than the most debilitating symptoms. Even a chef who depends on smell and taste for their work would not be able to function without first dealing with fatigue, brain fog, gut issues, etc. However, the loss of the sense of smell can be devastating to some people who don't suffer any other major symptoms after an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. While investigating this symptom, I find that the complexity is a great "microcosm" from which to explore and understand the other 200+ symptoms from this devastating disease. In The Nicotine...
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Nicotine Risk-Benefit Analysis with Low-Dose Patches

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Created with Gemini AI by Troy Roach -- 28, Sept 2025 Risk-Benefit Analysis in Long-COVID and other complex diseases -- Hope vs Innaction Each person needs to know the risks and benefits of any intervention. I appreciate the concern for safety — it’s important, especially in a community where people have already endured so much medical neglect. But I think your stance of taking zero risks is missing the other side of the risk/benefit equation. Yes, nicotine is vasoactive (although it increases bloodflow to the brain and other major organs). Yes, we should be cautious with anyone who has underlying cardiovascular disease. But the blanket framing of “this could go bad fast” doesn’t reflect the actual data we now have. We published an N=231 study on nicotine use in Long COVID and ME/CFS . This isn’t just scattered anecdotes anymore. The majority of participants reported sustained improvement in symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog, orthostatic intolerance, and post-exertional malaise. ...
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Nicotine as part of the treatment for Botulism?

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  https://www.biorender.com/template/botulinum-toxin-a-effect-in-neuromuscular-junction?utm_source=chatgpt.com Can Nicotine Help with Botulism? Note: I am not a doctor, just a citizen scientist researcher Short answers: 1. Nicotine is worth experimenting with since it might have indirect benefits even if it doesn't have direct effects on the bacterial infection. 2. Any release of bacteria can cause a Herx. Lymph drainage and hydration are essential. 3. The problem is that botulism affects the release of acetylcholine (presynaptic), while nicotine acts on the post-synaptic side of signalling. However, it could still have effects on the presynaptic side -- if the scant animal studies are relevant in human cases. 4. Go slow with dose increases and don't go past what you can handle, Herx-wise.  5. Track data daily because you might not see the changes if they are not tracked. Here is a link to the deep dive from "Chatty" Chat GPT's deep dive: https://chatgpt.com/s/t_...
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A nasal antihistamine stops Long Covid in an acute infection!

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Image created by Gemini AI by Troy Roach (August 2025) This is HUGE if true! Data is impressive in a randomised trial ! TLDR summary: 1. Use the nasal spray daily... especially if you feel run down or like you are getting sick. 2. Definitely use it two times a day during and after an acute infection. 3. It might help with Long Covid and MCAS by reducing histamine, but it is probably not a cure. 4.  Azelastine might be a useful alternative to chlorpheniramine. In a quick search, I see many options for  Azelastine but strange pricing, but only one oral (not nasal) option for  chlorpheniramine. 5. Both of these drugs have been around for decades so they are cheap and there is good safety data on them. 6. I have been using a different class of nasal spray the second half of my LC journey called Avamys (Flonase). These two can be used together and do different things. Flonase reduces inflammation while the studied spray is an antihistamine. If true, regular use ( many infecti...
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Bitter Taste Receptors on the Skin and in the Gut -- Nicotine Effects

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(Credit: <a href="https://www.vecteezy.com/free-vector/bitter">Bitter Vectors by Vecteezy</a>) Watching this video on the history of Bitter taste receptors that are also present in the gut and on the skin got me thinking.... More questions than answers. Let me know if you have any of the answers so I can update this post! Some background to follow my thinking: Nicotine is bitter . About 10% of those who use low-dose nicotine patches ( according to our current research ) experience skin irritation . Low-dose nicotine collects at high rates in the gut when it comes from a patch -- as much as 80x compared to the amount in the bloodstream. Thus the digestive side effects even in smokers when the dose of patches is too high. Bitterness is not always bad, but evolution taught us that bitterness = danger. This is dying out in humans. The bitterness receptors in the gut don't connect with the brain directly like in the mouth. Their reaction is more local. This m...
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