The New York Times/The Athletic reported on the use of smelling salts in the NBA, featuring insight from Erin E. Manning, MD, neurologist at HSS.

Dr. Manning shared that no studies have shown that smelling salts improves performance. She said smelling salts have only been approved for fainting because of the temporary increase of blood flow to the brain, and increased heart and respiratory rates can wake a person up.

“There’s not really a medical basis behind it in that some people report that they feel more alert when they use it,” Dr. Manning explained. “But basically, all of the studies have really shown that there’s no effect on athletic performance by doing that.”

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