Ask Dr. Etingin: Regenerative farming; Anosmia; Sudden cardiac death vs. heart attack
What is “regenerative farming”? I’ve heard this term used in discussions about climate change.
Regenerative farming or regenerative agriculture is a method of producing food. Proponents of this method claim that it has fewer, or even net positive, environmental and/or social impacts than other production methods. Regenerative agriculture has been in the spotlight recently due to the attention it has received from food producers, retailers, researchers, and consumers, as well as politicians and the mainstream media. However, at this time, there is no legal or regulatory definition of the term “regenerative agriculture.”
Researchers who wanted to determine if there is a common, widely-agreed-upon definition reviewed more than 220 journal articles and 25 websites. They discovered that the numerous definitions and descriptions of regenerative agriculture are based on methods and processes, such as the use of cover crops and the reduction or elimination of tillage, as well as outcomes (for example, improving soil health and increasing biodiversity). Other terms commonly used when describing regenerative agriculture are “water resilience,” “nutrient density,” “food security,” “reverse climate change,” and “carbon sequestration,” which refers to storing carbon in the soil and preventing it from being released into the air in the form of carbon dioxide.
What is anosmia? Is it related to the COVID-19 virus?
Anosmia is a loss of the sense of smell. It is a symptom commonly associated with COVID-19, but it also may be caused by nasal congestion, a cold or the flu, hay fever or other allergies, a sinus infection, nasal polyps, or a deviated septum.
Losing one’s sense of smell may not sound very serious, but the senses of smell and taste are closely linked, and lack of smell greatly reduces one’s ability to taste foods. For people who are underweight, especially the elderly, a loss of taste may result in decreased appetite and malnutrition. Anosmia also makes it difficult to detect airborne environmental hazards, such as a gas leak or smoke, or food odors that can warn you that the food is unsafe to eat.
Anosmia is one of the COVID-19 symptoms that may last for a month or longer after the initial infection has passed. Some research has shown that about 90 percent of people who experienced a partial or total loss or smell and/or taste from COVID-19 had significant improvements within eight weeks, but another study found that more than 12 percent of people with COVID-19 experience an ongoing total or partial loss of smell for more than three months.
Another possible long-term symptom is a change in smell and/or taste; for example, some people report that things have a “weird,” “strange,” or “bad” smell or taste after having COVID-19. Changes in tastes of certain foods have been described as bland, metallic, sweet, or salty.
If a total or partial loss of smell and/ or taste persists for several months after a COVID-19 infection, report it to your doctor; you may be able to “retrain” your sense of smell with the help of a therapist.
Is sudden cardiac death the same as dying from a heart attack?
Sudden cardiac death occurs when there’s an electrical malfunction in the heart, which produces an abnormal heart rhythm. Dying from a heart attack is usually caused by a blood clot that blocks a coronary artery. However, a heart attack can do damage to the heart that may, in turn, cause sudden cardiac death.
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