Flower Dental, a clinic with advanced training in cosmetic dentistry, estorations and preventive care, announced an effective treatment for sleep disorders such as snoring and sleep apnea. Understanding that many people suffering from sleep disorders wear a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device and feel uncomfortable while sleeping, Flower Dental has started offering a new mouthpiece.This unique mouthpiece can keep the mouth and jaws in the correct position to ensure proper airflow, thus facilitating easy breathing and reliable relief from sleep apnea and snoring. The mouthpiece can also help prevent heart diseases, diabetes, high BP, stroke, depression, impotence and even chances of memory loss – conditions that are exacerbated by regular oxygen deprivation. All of the anti-snoring mouthpieces offered by Flower Dental are customized to suit individual requisites and are comfortable and affordable. Read the rest of this entry

Neurologists  specialize in the treatment of diseases and disorders of the brain,  spinal cord and nervous systems. In many cases, says UC Health  neurologist Jennifer Rose Molano, MD, these problems are closely  associated with sleep issues.

“I think that the field of  neurology in general is becoming more cognizant of the interplay between  sleep and neurological issues,” says Molano, an assistant professor in  the University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Neurology and a member  of the medical staff at UC Health Surgical Hospital’s Sleep Medicine  Center in West Chester.

“Insomnia, for example, is very common  and often can be seen in those with a neurological problem,” notes  Molano. “A lack of sleep can also trigger worsening of conditions that  neurologists frequently see, such as headaches and seizures.” Read the rest of this entry

Myotronics, Inc. announces the immediate release of a new Sleep Apnea brochure for the dental office to educate patients on the signs and symptoms of sleep apnea as well as the dangers of not treating this condition.

Patients often aren’t aware that their dental professional may be able to provide treatment for sleep apnea through new oral appliances. This brochure aims to educate the patient on this topic as well as provide insight on various treatment options provided by the medical and dental community.

While just about everyone knows someone who snores, few understand that snoring can be an indication of a serious health problem. Snoring is a common symptom of sleep apnea, a stoppage of breathing during sleep. Every apnea or ‘event’ of decreased oxygen intake, causes the brain to send a signal to rouse the body in an effort to resume breathing. This results in a low quality of sleep, producing daytime fatigue, irritability, and a whole host of other maladies. Gone untreated, sleep apnea may contribute to high blood pressure, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

The topic of sleep apnea has created much buzz in the public as of late. It has been a frequently discussed topic on many health forums and media outlets. The full color pamphlet, complete with graphics to illustrate this important message, addresses a whole host of questions surrounding this condition.

To learn more, please visit http://www.myotronics.com.

A recently concluded research study published in the April 1 issue of the journal SLEEP indicates that overall risk of death is more than two times higher in older adults who have sleep apnea and report struggling with excessive daytime sleepiness.

Results of adjusted proportional hazards modeling show that older adults with moderate to severe sleep apnea who reported struggling with excessive daytime sleepiness at baseline were more than twice as likely to die (hazard ratio = 2.28) as subjects who had neither problem.  The risk of death was insignificant in older adults with only excessive daytime sleepiness (HR = 1.11) or sleep apnea (HR = 0.74).

Participants had a mean age of 78 years at baseline, and about 55 percent (n = 160) died during an average follow-up period of 14 years.

“Excessive daytime sleepiness, when associated with sleep apnea, can significantly increase the risk of death in older adults,” said principal investigator and lead author Dr. Nalaka S. Gooneratne, assistant professor of medicine in the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia, Pa.  “We did not find that being sleepy in and of itself was a risk.  Instead, the risk of increased mortality only seemed to occur when sleep apnea was also present.” Read the rest of this entry

The Pillar Procedure helps you stop snoring or reduce your snoring.  The Pillar Procedure from Medtronic is a new way to tackle the global health problems related with sleep disorders like sleep apnea and snoring especially.

During the Pillar Procedure, a doctor places three tiny woven implants, which look like tiny soft pillars, into the soft palate using a sterile delivery tool. Over time, the implants, together with the body’s natural fibrotic response, add structural support to stiffen the soft palate and reduce the tissue vibration that can cause snoring. The implants also help reduce the tissue collapse that can obstruct the upper airway and cause obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Read the rest of this entry

A new study finds that a significant number of patients  with benign prostate enlargement (BPE) may have obstructive sleep apnea  (OSA), which may be the reason for their night awakenings and urination.  The study’s findings have been published in the Journal of the American  Board of Family Medicine.

The researchers, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU),  Israel, compared men between the ages of 55 and 75 who were randomly  sampled from primary clinics, diagnosed with BPE, and reported nocturia (or waking during the night to void) at least once nightly. The  comparison group had no BPE and one or no nocturia episodes per night.  Nocturia is a common BPE symptom.

The researchers found that more than half (57.8%) of patients with  enlarged prostates may in fact have the sleep disorder, and that the  awakenings that patients ascribed to their need to urinate at night may  be actually caused by their sleep disorders. Read the rest of this entry

According to research presented at the School of Medicine and the University of Navarra Hospital by Dr. Roberto Muñoz, a physician of the Neurology Service of the Hospital Complex of Navarra, those persons with serious cases of sleep apnea have more than twice the possibility of suffering an ischemic stroke, specifically, 2.5 times more.

This was confirmed in an study undertaken for his doctoral dissertation among 394 subjects aged 70 or more.  “After studying the quality of their sleep, we tracked the volunteers over the course of six years.  After which, 20 of the  study subjects had suffered a stroke”, explained this native Pamplonan.  Furthermore, he confirmed that in addition to the fact that sleep apnea affects above all persons of middle and advanced age—it is estimated that 5% of all adults suffer from it—this prevalence may significantly increase with age.

In addition, the new Ph.D. in Medicine noted that sleep apnea “can appear in childhood, although with different causes and characteristics”.  Among the predisposing factors for suffering this disorder, the expert emphasized obesity: “Therefore, one of the measures for avoiding the problem is losing weight.  In fact, there are patients who have been able to make their sleep apnea disappear simply by reducing their weight”. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/OKLAHOMA CITY/ Graymark Healthcare, Inc. , the nation’s second largest provider of diagnostic sleep services and an innovator in comprehensive care for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), reported financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010.

Net revenues in 2010 increased 30% to $22.8 million from $17.6 million in 2009 (as adjusted for the discontinued operations of the company’s retail pharmacy business). The annual increase is primarily attributable to realizing a full year of operating revenue amounting to $6.7 million from the Somni and Eastern acquisitions completed in August and September of 2009, respectively. Read the rest of this entry

The National Institutes of Health estimates one in 10 adults over 65 (a total of 18 million Americans) suffers from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a disorder in which obstruction in the upper airway can lead to interrupted breathing and sleep.

In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the tongue and other tissues of the throat obstruct the airway during sleep, blocking breathing for sometimes up to a minute. These events can occur multiple times throughout the night and severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked with increased risks for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke and accidents resulting from daytime drowsiness.

This spring, two UC researchers are collaborating in an international, multi-center trial on an investigational device for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Read the rest of this entry

Victoria Wofford, 54, admitted stealing a stunning $17 million from American Express through fraudulent charges on  defunct business travel accounts.

And she  swiped another $8 million from a defense contractor by systematically over billing them for travel booked through her company.

“I’m not sure what I was thinking at the time, it may have had something to do with the undiagnosed sleep apnea that I apparently suffered from for many, many years,” Wofford told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus before he sent her to prison.

It was not clear if the self-described “workaholic” has since been diagnosed or is being treated for the disorder that causes a person to periodically stop breathing while they sleep and can leave them drowsy and confused during waking hours. Read the rest of this entry

A recent study conducted at the Columbia University has claimed that the overweight mothers and kids underestimate their actual weight. Inaccurate estimates about weight can lead to health problems both in mothers and kids.

About 82% of obese women involved in the study underestimated their actual weight.

Nearly one-third of the kids in United States are now overweight or obese which puts them at a risk of a number of diseases including type II diabetes, sleep apnea and heart disease. A healthy diet and lifestyle can help the people in reducing their weight. Performing various exercises, playing, and running could also be helpful for the kids.

Kids who munch on junk food or high- fat and high-sugar food are more likely to become overweight. Parents are advised to make sure than their kids eat plenty of real, fresh foods and vegetables so that they can maintain a healthy weight.

Experts suggest the parents not to buy sugary juices, pop, processed foods and fattening snacks for their kids. Healthy and conscious food choices will significantly improve the health of whole family.

“Snorers never get restful sleep,” says entrepreneur David Hernandez, “but neither do the people who love them. In fact, men are twice as likely to be snorers than women. That means it’s a constant ‘battle of the sexes’ every night – a nudge here, a poke there – but VitalSleep ends the war some wives get a good night’s rest.”

Hernandez went about creating the VitalSleep stop snoring device when his dentist prescribed a mouthpiece that allows more air to flow freely to stop snoring. The problem is the device came with a huge price tag of $3,000. He asked his doctor for a more economical solution, but there wasn’t one, so that’s when Hernandez went to work. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ DALLAS, TX – /  Attorneys for The Snoring Center, the nationally renowned Dallas-based clinic for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea, are noting that the Sereno Center for Snoring Solutions in San Francisco is no longer claiming to be the world’s largest provider of the Pillar Procedure or the first practice of its kind. Sereno also has altered its website and advertisements to remove claims of being the world’s first exclusive provider of clinical treatments for snoring, sleep apnea and related disorders.

The Snoring Center filed a federal lawsuit against Sereno in November 2010 based on allegations that the company’s owners fraudulently obtained The Snoring Center’s proprietary information and made false advertising statements to promote its clinical practice. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring is a common sign of sleep apnea, a disorder that increases the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease? Sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder, affecting nearly 20 million Americans.

To address this problem, Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital is expanding services for diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea and other sleep disorders. Last month, the IU Health Ball Memorial Sleep Disorders Center moved to 6004 Kilgore Ave. This new facility offers convenient parking and entry, new equipment, an innovative diagnostic computer system, and twice as many beds (an increase from six to 12) for diagnostic testing.

After being referred by their physicians, patients are asked to spend a night in one of the Sleep Disorders Center’s 12 rooms designed for optimal sleep comfort. Read the rest of this entry

A new sleep medicine practice, Sleep HealthCare of Connecticut, is providing the latest treatments for insomnia, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders that can seriously harm overall health.

Sleep HealthCare of Connecticut was founded by three health professionals in the field — A. Joel Papowitz, M.D., Medical Director; Edward B. O’Malley, PhD, Managing Director; and Derek Guice, RPsgT Technical Director.

The practice offers techniques, including neurofeedback — to promote natural, drug-free sleep – in a comfortable, spa-like setting. It departs from the traditional approach to treating sleep disorders, recognizing that they are chronic — rather than acute — problems that require longer term management. Read the rest of this entry