takes several forms:
of evaluation and treatment of patients with taste and smell dysfunction
at the Taste and Smell Clinic,
specific methods and techniques have proven useful in caring for patients
with these symptoms.
- If your taste and
smell dysfunction is a symptom of an underlying disease process, after
this process is diagnosed, treatment of the process will usually correct
your symptoms. For example, patients with hypothyroidism may have taste
and smell dysfunction as the major symptoms of this process; through
use of diagnostic tests this process can be determined, hormone treatment
instituted and the taste and smell dysfunction corrected.
- If your taste and
smell dysfunction is related to some other disease process the diagnostic
procedures employed at The Clinic will determine which of several biochemical,
metabolic or other pathologies initiated your symptoms. Following discovery
of this pathology a specific treatment protocol will be made for you
to correct your symptoms. Treatment includes usually requires oral drug
therapy to correct the pathology. These drugs are safe and effective
for treatment of these conditions and include various growth factors,
drugs to enhance growth factor function, drugs to increase gene function,
and drugs to enhance CNS function. Electrophysiological techniques are
also used to correct your symptoms. Each treatment modality is effective
only after obtaining a specific diagnosis of the cause of your symptoms.
you may live at a distance from The Clinic you can feel assured that your
treatment will be continued until your symptoms are corrected. While at
The Clinic you will be instructed to use an established quantitative technique
to monitor your progress. You will communicate with The Clinic at specified
time periods by, e-mail, fax or telephone and a specific evaluation of
your status made. Changes in treatment will be instituted to continue
your improvement. As necessary, return appointments to The Clinic may
be made, but these are kept to a minimum and only at critical choice points
in your treatment protocol.