Back in March 2021, we shared a story detailing how singing was being used as a method of improving symptoms of Long Covid.
Long Covid includes a range of long-lasting symptoms that Covid sufferers continue to experience, and you can read more about the React Study which has been researching these effects while also questioning why so few sufferers have reported their condition, as reported on BBC News website here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57666620
As a follow up to the article from March however, it is encouraging to read in a report found in the American website ‘Physician’s Weekly’, that singing has been a source of both physical and emotional relief from these long-lasting symptoms. Such things as fatigue and shortness of breath have been helped by the process of singing, along with the well-being benefits of social engagement, whether in-person or via ‘Zoom’.
The article mentions ENO’s ‘Breathe’ programme, highlighted in the article from March, and that most participants reported ‘improvement and a drop in anxiety’.
Read the full article here: https://www.physiciansweekly.com/a-break-from-breathlessness-how-singing-helped-me-through-long-covid/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
This comes a week after another BBC article focused on ‘Social Prescribing’, where health professionals refer patients to support in the community, in order to improve their health and wellbeing. And the NHS knows the value of the arts in this area, as it has increased social prescribing over the last decade. For every £1 invested in the arts, £4-11 cost savings are made across the National Health Service and social care, as reported here: https://www.culturehealthandwellbeing.org.uk/resources/social-prescribing
So we find another reason why singing can contribute so positively to health and well-being, both in the after affects of Covid, but also in a more general holistic way.