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Purpose

This study aims to assess the impact of brief digitally delivered breathing practice and guided meditation on post-Covid physical and mental symptoms in Long Covid Patients.

Conditions

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 18 Years and 70 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age between 18 and 70 years - Interested in attending the online Breathing and Wellness webinar. - Laboratory-confirmed (PCR) history of Covid-19 infection. - Long Covid condition diagnosis by a physician. - Able to read and comprehend English. - Currently residing in the United States.

Exclusion Criteria

● Any medically limiting diagnosis that prevents a patient from doing the intervention or completing the assessments as determined by the PI such as severe Major Depression (under medication), Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover Assignment
Intervention Model Description
Upon enrollment and randomization, the intervention group will be followed weekly for 3 weeks as well as on week 6. The waitlisted control group will be followed for 3 weeks as controls and will then learn the intervention and be followed for additional 3 weeks (total of 6 weeks).
Primary Purpose
Supportive Care
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
Experimental
Webinar-Based Intervention 		Breathing and Wellness Webinar: two yogic breathing practices (Simha Kriya and Naddi Shuddi) and a guided meditation (Isha Kriya).
  • Behavioral: Breathing and Wellness Webinar
    Simha Kriya : a 3-minute energizing breathing practice to expand lung capacity and improve immunity, to be practiced twice daily. Nadi Shuddhi - a gentle 4-minute breathing practice for creating mental balance and relaxation, to be practiced for a minimum of 4 minutes daily. Isha Kriya - a 15-minute guided meditation that incorporates the breath and the awareness to create mental clarity and health, to be practiced at least once (ideally twice) daily.
Placebo Comparator
Control 		This group will be asked to wait for 3 weeks before being introduced to the Breathing and Wellness Webinar intervention which includes two yogic breathing practices (Simha Kriya and Naddi Shuddi) and a guided meditation (Isha Kriya).
  • Other: Routine Daily Activity
    Participants in the control group are asked to perform routine daily activities until enrolled into the intervention arm.

Recruiting Locations

More Details

NCT ID
NCT05139979
Status
Active, not recruiting
Sponsor
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Detailed Description

Long Covid symptoms can last weeks to months after the initial Covid infection or can appear weeks after. It can occur in those with mild disease or asymptomatic patients. Most commonly reported symptoms of Long Covid are: - Tiredness or fatigue - Difficulty thinking or concentrating (sometimes referred to as "brain fog") - Headache - Loss of smell or taste - Dizziness on standing - Fast-beating or pounding heart (also known as heart palpitations) - Chest pain - Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath - Cough - Joint or muscle pain - Depression or anxiety - Fever - Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental activities To this date, nearly 180 million people have been infected with Covid19 and over 3 million have lost their lives worldwide. The increasing prevalence of patients with Long Covid symptoms and the lack of effective solutions to address their condition, creates an urgent need for non-pharmacological interventions that are effective and scalable and can be delivered online to accommodate for the limitations due to the Covid pandemic. Yogic Breathing and Meditation techniques have been shown to have various health benefits including improving pulmonary function and mental health. Prominent health institutions are recommending breathing exercise to their Covid patients to assist their respiratory recovery9. Meditation and breathing is also shown to help with Covid related stress and anxiety. This study is a waitlisted randomized controlled trial conducted in 2 phases: Phase 1: If participants are in the intervention group, they will be asked to learn and practices two Yogic Breathing practices (Simha Kriya and Nadi Shuddhi) and a guided meditation (Isha Kriya) for 3 weeks They will be asked to complete a set of questionnaires at baseline and the end of each week. Participants in the waitlisted control group will be asked to perform their regular daily routine as they wait to be enrolled into the intervention at the end of 3 weeks. The waitlisted control group will also be recruited for semi-structured individual interviews during this time. Phase 2: The waitlisted control group will begin the intervention at week 3 and continue until week 6. They will be asked to continue completing the questionnaires at the end of each week. The intervention group will be asked to complete a final follow-up questionnaire at the end of week 6. The intervention group will also be recruited for semi-structured individual interviews during this time. Focus group discussions with both the intervention and control groups are conducted at the end of the study to collect general information about the participant's general experience with the current study and what matters to them as a Long COVID patients.

Notice

Study information shown on this site is derived from ClinicalTrials.gov (a public registry operated by the National Institutes of Health). The listing of studies provided is not certain to be all studies for which you might be eligible. Furthermore, study eligibility requirements can be difficult to understand and may change over time, so it is wise to speak with your medical care provider and individual research study teams when making decisions related to participation.