RCT of Mind-body in Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (MILES)

May 5, 2026 updated by: University of Alberta

Mind-Body in Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Study (MILES): A Patient-Centred RCT

We are studying the effect of a mind-body treatment for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) with or without Long COVID (LC). Our team recognizes that ME/CFS and Long COVID are serious, debilitating, biomedical conditions.

ME/CFS can affect many different parts of the body, such as the nervous system, immune system, and metabolism. It is hypothesized that central sensitization (i.e., when nerves get too excited) may influence these complex conditions and may make symptoms worse.

This study explores a mind-body program called the Dynamic Neural Retraining System™, or DNRS™.

Mind-body interventions (MBIs) focus on how the brain, mind, body, and behaviour interact to improve health and well-being. These techniques help people become more aware of themselves, take better care of their health, and boost mood, quality of life, and coping skills. MBIs use the brain's ability to change (neuroplasticity) by reinforcing certain thoughts, feelings, or behaviours that support changes in biology and function. MBIs may influence physical health by affecting how the brain and body communicate through chemicals such as hormones and neurotransmitters. Objective fMRI evidence shows that practising MBIs can change brain structure and function. This makes MBIs a potential good fit for people with chronic illnesses like ME/CFS and LC, which involve complex interactions between the brain, immune system, and hormones.

There is no rigorous peer-reviewed evidence that DNRS is effective. Our study will address this question using subjective and objective measurements in a multiple-methods wait-list randomized controlled trial.

The objectives of this study are to: 1) examine the effectiveness of the DNRS program for individuals diagnosed with ME/CFS with and without Long COVID, compared to a treatment-as-usual wait-list control group on a range of patient-reported outcomes including health-related quality of life, fatigue, pain, anxiety and depression and objective measures including daily steps, heart rate variability, and sleep; 2) quantify metabolic changes through untargeted serum metabolomics profiling, 3) determine if metabolomics screening can predict treatment responsiveness to DNRS; and 4) identify the microbial signatures of large bowel microbiota in Long COVID patients pre and post MBI.

A descriptive qualitative study will also be conducted in a sample of participants to learn more about their experiences during the trial.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18 years or older;
  • Individuals diagnosed with ME/CFS, according to the Institute of Medicine (2015) criteria, for more than six months.

Exclusion Criteria:

Individuals who: 1) are too ill to participate; 2) lack reliable internet; 3) cannot communicate in English; 4) Presently have or ever had inflammatory bowel disease; and/or 5) Have been prescribed or used an oral or systemic (infusion) antibiotic in the past one month-;; 6) are participating in a concurrent study; 7) are participating in a concurrent mind-body intervention during the study period including

  • Art Therapy
  • Autogenic training
  • Biofeedback/neurofeedback
  • Breathing exercise
  • Cognitive restructuring
  • Dynamic Neural Retraining System
  • Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT)
  • Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
  • Guided imagery
  • Hypnotherapy/self-hypnosis
  • Meditation (mindfulness, mantra, guided, transcendental)
  • Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
  • Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
  • Music therapy
  • Neurolinguistic programming
  • Psychological flexibility
  • Qigong
  • Relaxation therapy (relaxation response, progressive muscle relaxation)
  • Tai Chi
  • Visualization
  • Yoga and/or starting any other new treatment during the study period, including any mind-body therapy, psychotherapy, prescription medication, over-the-counter medication, etc; 8) have any active medical condition (untreated/uncontrolled) that may explain the presence of fatigue including:
  • untreated hypothyroidism (including Hashimoto's disease)
  • hyperthyroidism
  • diabetes mellitus
  • iron deficiency anemia
  • other treatable anemia
  • iron overload syndrome
  • adrenal insufficiency
  • Cushing's syndrome
  • anorexia nervosa

  • iatrogenic conditions such as side effects or interactions of medication(s) or supplements

    • Rheumatological disorders:

  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • lupus
  • polymyositis
  • polymyalgia rheumatica
  • Sjogren's Syndrome

  • Ehlers Danlos Syndromes [Hypermobility type]

    • Other heritable disorders of connective tissue:

  • Marfan syndrome

  • Stickler syndrome etc.

    • Multiple sclerosis
    • Celiac disease

  • Note: Patients with celiac disease can present without gastrointestinal symptoms

    • Immune disorders

  • such as HIV/AIDS

    • Sleep disorders

  • including obstructive sleep apnea

    • Prior illnesses may relapse or may not have completely resolved during treatment.

  • Examples are certain malignancies
  • leukemia

  • infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and chronic hepatitis

    • Active primary psychiatric disorders

  • eating disorders
  • alcohol
  • substance use disorder

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: DNRS intervention group
Other: Dynamic neural retraining system
Description: The DNRS program includes the following components: 1) cognitive-behavioural therapy; 2) mindfulness-based cognitive restructuring; 3) emotional restructuring therapy; 4) neural linguistic programming; 5) incremental training; and 6) behaviour modification therapy. DNRS offered in this study includes a 14-hour online course followed by a 12-week online "LIVING DNRS" group support program. The 14-hour online course includes a variety of exercises, instructional videos, and a workbook. Upon completion, participants are offered a 12-week LIVING DNRS Group Support program which provides individuals with support in how to best implement DNRS into their daily lives with the help of a trained facilitator as well as peer support.
No Intervention: Wait-list control group
The waitlist control group will complete the experimental intervention after 4 months. During the waiting period, they will continue to receive usual care and will be asked to not participate in any other new treatments.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Physical functioning
Time Frame: Difference in changes from baseline to post intervention/post waiting (within 4 weeks of completing the DNRS program or waiting period)
Physical functioning of health-related quality of life (HRQL) as measured by the Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36) (V1)
Difference in changes from baseline to post intervention/post waiting (within 4 weeks of completing the DNRS program or waiting period)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Alberta

Collaborators

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Sunita Vohra, MD MSc FRCPC FCAHS, University of Alberta
  • Principal Investigator: Eleanor Stein, MD FRCPC, University of Calgary

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

July 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

April 15, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 15, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

April 18, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 5, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • Pro00138185

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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