Boston Medical Center's ReCOVer Clinic offers a referral-only breathing retraining program to those seeking recovery from Long COVID. The rehabilitation program - which is available to all eligible patients, regardless of their ability to pay - combines self-regulation strategies with a variety of breathing techniques to improve symptoms and support healing.
Program Overview
Dysfunctional breathing is common in patients with post-acute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (PASC), or “Long COVID.” One study found that it was present in 88 percent of Long COVID patients with unexplained dyspnea (Mancini et al., 2021). Dysfunctional breathing might contribute to and aggravate symptoms such as breathlessness, chronic fatigue, anxiety, and brain fog.
Through breath work and appropriate breathing techniques, a patient in the program can learn how to restore functional breathing and increase breathing efficiency, stamina, and their sense of well-being. They can also learn to consciously control their heart rate, calm down their nervous system's "fight or flight" response, regulate their immune systems, and improve the health of their lungs. This can potentially restore physiological balance, improve related symptoms, and support overall healing.
The program includes:
- An initial evaluation session (in person)
- A 6-week program of 1-hour group sessions (on Zoom), with weekly home practice handouts and recordings
- A re-evaluation session (in person)
- Additional individual sessions as needed
- Email support
- Option to participate in a biweekly Long COVID Support Group (on Zoom)
Program Director
Hadas Golan is a Speech and Language Pathologist and an Integrative Breathing Therapies practitioner. She has been working with breathing therapy and retraining in her clinical practice for more than fifteen years, helping people with various conditions. She uses a range of evidence-based breathing therapies, including the Buteyko Breathing Technique, resonance frequency breathing, resistance training breathing, mindful breath and movement, and more.
Patient Stories
Claire’s Story
When Claire became sick after traveling in March 2020, she suspected COVID-19 after testing negative for flu and strep. COVID tests were hard to get, and when she was finally tested a month later, it was negative. But her symptoms did not improve for months.
"I had a lot of trouble breathing, and would get winded just talking," she says. "I also had random chest pains, a fever of 99-100 degrees every day, and really intense muscle pain and fatigue."
Whenever Claire had a good day and tried to do any exercise, even a short walk, she'd have a relapse of symptoms for 2 to 4 days. This went on for nearly a year.
"They were doing lots of tests, but everything came back normal. And I was still having symptoms. I was really frustrated." After seeing a slew of specialists, she was referred to a speech-language pathologist at another Boston hospital. "The therapist was having me do vocal exercises, but they were making me out of breath," says Claire. Finally, the therapist referred her to speech-language pathologist Hadas Golan at BMC. "She told me Hadas was the best person for this, and she could help me get my breathing under control.'"
Claire met with Hadas in January 2022, and after working one-on-one for a few sessions, was invited to Hadas' weekly Zoom breathing group. "The idea is to reteach our bodies how to breathe using different exercises," says Claire. "Hadas told us that a lot of people with long COVID had to hyperventilate to cope. For me, it meant really slowing down my breathing."
Claire started noticing improvements a few weeks after joining the group and was so excited, she wanted to jump right back into her pre-COVID exercise routine. "I have a tendency to push myself too much, and Hadas had to remind me not to do that and to be patient."
Eventually, her patience paid off. "I was able to do a pretty challenging hike in the White Mountains. That was a huge achievement for me," she says.
Claire hopes that others with long COVID can also find help. "I want people to know it's not in your head. Trust what you know about your body. I know it can be hard to find help, but if you can, see Hadas or join her group. It makes such a big difference."
Clare’s Story
After testing positive for COVID-19 in March of 2020, Clare was sick for nearly two years. "Just as my initial symptoms began to improve, the symptoms of long COVID started to set in, and I've been on a roller coaster ever since," she says. "I've had post-exertional malaise, shortness of breath, digestion issues, brain fog, and disrupted sleep cycles."
She worked with her PCP to try to control her symptoms. While she did find some relief, she was still struggling. In January 2022, Clare was referred to Hadas Golan, a speech-language pathologist at BMC who offers breath retraining to people with long COVID symptoms. "As someone who is very interested in holistic care, Hadas' approach really appealed to me," says Clare.
After meeting with Hadas one-on-one for a few sessions, Clare also joined her Zoom breathing group. "Hadas' group really accelerated the rate of my improvement," said Clare after her second group session. "She really tailors the program to her patients' needs. Plus, it's great to be able to meet with someone once a week to talk about your health and emotional state. It's so validating. You can tell Hadas really cares about us and how we are doing. It's really rare to get that type of care."
Clare noticed many of symptoms improved shortly after she started working with Hadas. "Her recommendations helped almost immediately, and nothing had really helped before that," she says. "Almost right away I started to have more restful sleep and my digestion improved. It's been a game changer."
Although Clare still has problems with fatigue, she's noticed improvements in this area, too. "It's very rare that I have a total sick day now, though I do need to take breaks after certain activities." For now, she can manage taking a walk. "I'm learning to control my breathing while walking, and hope to build on that to start doing more strenuous activity."
Still mostly housebound, Clare also appreciates the social aspect of the group. "Having long COVID is really isolating, but you don't feel quite as alone when you can meet with other people also going through it. It's nice to see friendly faces every week."
Shauna’s Story
Before contracting COVID-19, Shauna's days started with a 3-mile walk with her dog and a workout. Since having COVID-19 and being diagnosed with long COVID, Shauna rarely has enough energy to leave the house. "I've been very healthy my whole life, so I had never imagined COVID would affect me this way," she says.
The 34-year-old ASL interpreter caught COVID-19 in July 2021, despite being vaccinated. After two weeks of cold-like symptoms, she started having more serious symptoms, like fatigue and severe brain fog. "I began struggling to maintain even part-time work," she says. By late 2021, her symptoms were so severe she was forced to stop driving, then working.
"I didn't have the cognitive ability to interact with people. My speech was mostly unintelligible and trying to follow a conversation was exhausting. It felt like my personality was fading," she says. "I reached out to a number of health professionals, and they told me I had deconditioning and anxiety and needed to do more." But every time Shauna tried to get more physical activity, her symptoms worsened.
In February 2022, Shauna spoke to Faye Huang, a nurse practitioner at the ReCOVer Long COVID Clinic at BMC. “She referred me to multiple specialists, and one of them was speech-language pathologist Hadas Golan. That’s when I finally stopped declining.”
Shauna was so weak during her first visit with Hadas, she used an ASL interpreter to communicate. "Hadas told me to stop and just rest-she saw how much I was hyperventilating. She told me to stop forcing myself to do things, and to prioritize my breathing."
Hadas began working with Shauna on breathing techniques to raise CO2 and inflate her collapsed alveoli, and Shauna began to feel better. “Meeting Hadas was definitely a turning point for me,” she says. “I’ve had slow but steady Improvement, retraining my brain and body to breathe correctly. The hyperventilating has been the cause of so many of my symptoms.”
Shauna has also joined Hadas' breathing group for long COVID patients. "It's been helpful to connect with others who share my experience. I always believed I would I get better, but I needed to find the right pieces of the puzzle. Hadas helped me with that."
Location and Contact
Long COVID Breathing Group
Fax: 617.414.4953
By appointment only. Patients will need a referral from a licensed healthcare provider stating indication for a speech evaluation and therapy. If you are a referring provider, please call or fax and include "Long COVID symptoms" or "Hadas Golan" in the referral text.