Photo: English National Opera [ENO].
Participants in an ENO Breathe live Zoom session.
An incurable disease from mouse droppings may be hogging the headlines right now, but don’t forget that we’re still figuring out how to treat Covid — especially “long Covid.” (See the Harvard Gazette on recent long Covid research, here.)
Today’s story shows how different fields can learn from one another. Just to go to work, opera singers, for example, needed to overcome Covid-generated breathing challenges. Today they are sharing what the’ve learned.
Hattie Fisk writes at the Stage, “English National Opera’s program to support people suffering from long-Covid continues to deliver clinically measurable improvements, according to a new study.
“ENO Breathe is a free, live six-week online course developed in collaboration with clinicians from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and uses singing techniques with a particular focus on lullabies from around the world. It was initially developed in 2020 to support people recovering from Covid-19.
“Supporting more than 4,829 participants since its launch in September 2020, the program has expanded to take referrals from 85 NHS partners nationally.
“Published in the Lancet Digital Health, a new study looked at 1,438 of these participants and found that 80% reported improved levels of breathlessness, with 61% having achieved clinically important improvements in breathlessness.
“Of the participants, 87% said that it had a positive impact on their general well-being and 73% reported improved anxiety levels.
“These findings build on earlier data published in April 2022 from the program’s initial randomized controlled trial and provide evidence for potential further integration of the program in NHS services, the study said.
“Recent participant of ENO Breathe Janardhan Rao called the program ‘transformational.’
“He said: ‘As a doctor who contracted Covid-19 early on, in my line of work, the lasting effects of the disease have been devastating. I had to stop working as I had real difficulty catching my breath. I could not speak for any length of time and was continuously exhausted. … I was breathless all the time, but with the weekly program of mindful breathing exercises and simple lullabies, I found that I could speak in sentences again. As my breathing improved, I found that I had the energy to go back to work. I am so grateful for this program,’ he continued.
“Beth Warnock, ENO director of Engage, added: ‘Research such as this continues to show the powerful role the arts can play in healthcare, particularly when delivered in close partnership with clinicians. We are incredibly grateful to our partners at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for their expertise and collaboration in both developing and rigorously evaluating ENO Breathe. Building on this evidence, we now look forward to expanding ENO Breathe further to support people living with COPD and asthma.’ “
More at the Stage, here.
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