An NHS doctor whose coronavirus breathing technique video took the internet by storm after JK Rowling claimed it helped her recover from Covid-19 has revealed he got the idea from treating his own mother over FaceTime.
Dr Sarfaraz Munshi, who works as an urgent care lead at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, had been helping his mother as she battled the deadly infection when he discovered a breathing technique which allowed oxygen deep into her lungs.
Today, the doctor whose video has since gone viral, said he decided to carry out the simple exercises after noticing that his mother, who had contracted Covid-19 more than ten days ago, was ‘so weak’ that she lay on the couch for long periods.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Show, he said: ‘I’m not someone who is on social media so it really wasn’t for the mass public but essentially my mother and father had Covid for the proceeding ten days and dad recovered quite well but unfortunately mum started deteriorating.
Dr Sarfaraz Munshi, who works as an urgent care lead at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, shared a coronavirus breathing technique video online and soon went viral
‘She became so weak that she was laying on the couch for long periods. So the day before my brother, who is also a doctor, and I were FaceTiming and remotely accessing her pulse and temperature and mum’s oxygen levels weren’t picking up.
‘We did some simple respiratory exercises based on simple medical knowledge like she’s getting mucus plugging and something called basal atelectasis. Initially we were panicking but when oxygen levels came up we were reassured.’
Following the respiratory exercises, the doctor spoke with his colleague Sue Elliot, a director of nursing, who relies on the technique to help her patients in intensive care every day.
He continued: ‘On the basis of that the next day I spoke with my colleague, fantastic lady to work with Sue Elliot and she said ”why don’t you make a quick video”. Well actually I asked her to go on the video and she said ”you go on the video”.
During the video, the doctor told viewers to take five deep breaths and asked them to end the sixth deep breathe with a cough.
He explained: ‘Once you have an active infection, you need to be getting a good amount of air into the bases of your lungs.
After seeing the doctor’s video, author J.K Rowling claimed the technique had helped to relieve her respiratory symptoms
‘The only way you are going to achieve that is having a technique which Sue has kindly shared with me during her time in ICU. Being a nurse they were doing this on a more daily basis whereas as a doctor I probably didn’t pay as much attention.
‘Nonetheless I’m going to go through the technique as Sue has shown me and I want you guys to start doing this if you have the infection right from the beginning.
‘If you want to do it before you even pick up the infection, good idea.’
After recording the video, the doctor said that he sent the clip to four WhatsApp groups and his family but did not intend for it to reach the mass public.
He continued: ‘I initially just sent it to four WhatsApp groups and my family group and the purpose of it was purely I’m helping my mum and I can’t describe to you the level of anxiety and concern that I had throughout the whole of this with the experience in particular with my mum. My dad recovered quickly.
‘The purpose for this not to go out to the mass public was that it’s not formal advice but it’s a simple breathing technique that you can use that can help to oxygenate the lungs and open up the small airways because this is my understanding as a doctor.
‘I’ve seen people laying down in bed for a day or two with influenza but my mum was like this for 7-8 days.
The novelist took to Twitter to share the doctor’s video and said she was now ‘fully recovered’
‘So this is now a prolonged period and she’s laying on her back so I realised that she is not oxygenating her lungs and then you get something called mucus plugging and you get secondary infections and that was just my opinion.’
Now, thankful that his mother’s respiratory symptoms have improved, the doctor went on to stress that while the technique could help oxygenate the lungs it was far from a cure.
He added: ‘Mum has certainly improved and that’s why I’m smiling that’s why I’m on radio today but I’m hoping she’s listening.
‘She’s a fantastic woman and she’s still very weak but the respiratory symptoms have certainly improved but I just want to clarify this is in some way a cure. It’s far from it. There are many breathing techniques.’
The doctor’s video, which has since received more than 23,000 retweets on Twitter, was praised by the author J.K Rowling who claimed it had helped her recover from a suspected case of the coronavirus.
The novelist took to Twitter to share the video of the doctor and write: ‘Please watch this doc from Queens Hospital explain how to relieve respiratory symptoms.
‘For last 2 weeks I’ve had all symptoms of C19 (tho haven’t been tested) & did this on doc husband’s advice.
‘I’m fully recovered & technique helped a lot.’
During his video, Dr Munshi also advised viewers to carry out the breathing technique twice before lying flat on the stomach and breathing deeply for ten minutes.
He said: ‘The majority of your lung is on your back, not on the front. By lying on your back your closing off more of the smaller airways and this is not good during a period of infection.
‘[It can] lead to atelectasis. This can then lead to a secondary pneumonia. It’s very important that you guys understand this.’
Atelectasis is a complete or partial collapse of the entire lung. It occurs when the tiny air sacs, called alveoli, become deflated or filled with fluid.
Dr Munshi went on: ‘The most important thing is laying in bed for prolonged periods, on your back, is going to close off the small airways.
‘[It will] increase your risk of secondary pneumonia, that can make your condition deteriorate much further – bearing in mind the patients that are deteriorating are deteriorating because of respiratory problems.’
Doctors place critically ill patients on their front, in a technique called ‘prone positioning’, to improve outcomes.
Lying on the stomach also helps with fluid drainage, preventing the lungs getting sticky from infection, and boosts blood flow
WHAT IS THE BREATHING TECHNIQUE?
The routine shared by Dr Sarfaraz Munshi, who works at Queen’s Hospital in Romford, involves taking five deep breaths, and each time holding that breath for five seconds.
On the sixth deep breath, take it in and do a big cough while covering your mouth, and repeat twice.
Dr Munshi said: ‘While you have an active infection you need to be getting a good amount of air into the bases of your lungs. The only way you are going to do that is by having a technique.’
After doing the cycle twice, the doctor advises viewers to lay flat on their front with a pillow to support them and to take deeper breaths for the next ten minutes.
He said: ‘The majority of your lung is on your back, not on the front. By lying on your back your closing off more of the smaller airways and this is not good during a period of infection.
‘[It can] lead to atelectasis. This can then lead to a secondary pneumonia. It’s very important that you guys understand this.’
Dr Munshi highlighted the importance of laying on your front because there is more surface area in the lungs at the back.
He said: ‘The most important thing is laying in bed for prolonged periods, on your back, is going to close off the small airways.
‘[It will] increase your risk of secondary pneumonia, that can make your condition deteriorate much further – bearing in mind the patients that are deteriorating are deteriorating because of respiratory problems.’
