Survived being hit by a car -- but lost the ability to taste and smell anything

A reader asked “Doctor Roach” whether stem cells or other treatments could restore an 82-year-old husband’s smell and taste after a 2024 car strike that caused a spinal compression fracture and head trauma. The doctor explained that loss of smell often leads to a subjective loss of taste, and that after head injury the outlook is worse than with temporary causes like sinus infections (an issue seen during COVID’s 2020 first wave). Olfactory training can help—there was some benefit in the case—and some human stem-cell trials weren’t found. Platelet-rich plasma studies were listed as “not yet recruiting,” with limited dramatic results so far.