The world’s most popular blood pressure medicine is much less effective than comparable drugs and gives patients a false sense of security, researchers said Monday.

In a review of earlier studies, they found the drug, a diuretic, or “water pill,” called hydrochlorothiazide, lowered blood pressure by only about half as much as common alternatives such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.

“What this study says is that it is less effective than other medications such as ACE inhibitors or calcium channel blockers,” Goldberg said. 

Goldberg said blood pressure has to be reevaluated no matter what medication a patient is taking, and if you are taking hydrochlorothiazide, you may just need additional therapy.Goldberg also said it’s important to lower your salt intake, participate in aerobic exercise and increase the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains you eat. If you have high blood pressure and snore, get tested for sleep apnea, she said, as that can raise your blood pressure, and treatment lowers it. [ Read The Complete Post By FoxNews  ]

UAE Philips conducted an online Sleep Apnea Awareness campaign titled Do You Snore, to help build public consciousness about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in the UAE. Email invitations were sent out to fill out a short and straight forward survey to more than 200,000 recipients based in the country, targeting a sample group of the age 25 and above.

A high number of respondents showed positive results and are very likely to be suffering fromObstructive Sleep Apnea ( OSA). The potential patients were advised to print their report and seek further medical advice and diagnostic tests for sleep apnea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders worldwide. It is a condition that causes a persons breathing to stop repeatedly during the night, causing disruption in their sleep as they struggle to breathe. As a result, they never get the deep, restorative sleep that is needed. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can not only negatively impact a persons overall quality of life and productivity, but it can also potentially lead to serious health issues like increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythm, strokes and other conditions. Read the rest of this entry

BMI stands for Body Mass Index and is calculated using your height and weight, a screening tool to identify weight problems. BMI is a fairly reliable indicator of body fat for most adults, with the exception of athletes and the elderly.

The formula used is: [weight in pounds ÷ ( height in inches ) x ( height in inches)] x 703. An easier way to calculate is to go to an online calculator such as The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at: nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.

There are four categories to interpret BMI for adults 20 years and older:

· Underweight = less than 18.5

· Normal weight = 18.5 24.9

· Overweight = 25 29.9

· Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

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A Cornell University research study concludes that medical costs related to obesity are costing U.S. taxpayers $168 billion annually. This is a figure double the amount of the U.S. health care budget previously estimated.

The study was conducted by Chad Meyerhoefer, assistant professor of economics, in collaboration with John Cawley, associate professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell University. The data was taken over a five-year period from 14,000 adults.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity increases risk for coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, a variety of cancers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/- Atlanta, GA (Vocus) October 6, 2010/Snoring is a sleep depriving problem affecting 40% of men and 23% of women according to the National Sleep Foundation. Many couples sleep apart due to loud, habitual snoring. This can lead to a lack of intimacy and disharmony in the relationship. These problems lead many people to seek out snoring cures that are safe, effective, and permanent. These treatments and more are offered from the finest board-certified physicians in the country at the new location of the Atlanta Snoring Institute. Located in Stockbridge, GA, the new office is a twenty minutes drive from downtown Atlanta, conveniently offering snoring and sleep apnea treatment to residents living south of the metropolitan area. Read the rest of this entry

According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the average sleep apnea sufferer stops breathing and loses oxygen between five and 30 times a night. This lack of oxygen leads to a host of complications, including high blood pressure, vascular disease, an abnormal heart rhythm, or even a fatal cardiac event. Now, a team of University of Missouri researchers is exploring the changes in distinct brain regions that contribute to these symptoms in hopes of combating this common health issue.

Sleep apnea occurs when the muscles in the back of the throat relax during sleep, leading the airway to narrow or close. It’s estimated that 12 million Americans are affected by sleep apnea, but it’s widely believed that the issue is under reported. There are no blatant signs or blood tests to diagnose the disrupted sleep. Most cases of sleep apnea are discovered when a partner notices an increase in snoring, or when the sufferer indicates daytime fatigue and sleepiness. Read the rest of this entry

According to a research study results that appeared in the September issue of the journal Pediatrics, in the last 30 years, the prevalence of obesity in children has tripled, leading to children developing adult medical problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and sleep apnea.

“The California study gives us hope that while the childhood obesity epidemic is severe, we are seeing a decline in certain populations,” said Dr. Ashley Weedn, an OU researcher and clinical assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma’s Health Sciences Center. “It gives us hope that we can make a difference in Oklahoma too.”. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/- Atlanta, GA (Vocus) September 1, 2010/ Snoring is a sleep depriving problem affecting 40% of men and 23% of women according to the National Sleep Foundation. Many couples sleep apart due to loud, habitual snoring. This can lead to a lack of intimacy and disharmony in the relationship.

Snoring can be a sign of a serious medical problem called obstructive sleep apnea. Not everyone that snores has OSA; but everyone with OSA snores. People with untreated obstructive sleep apnea have a much greater risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and even automobile accidents. With the Pillar Procedure Atlanta Snoring doctors are able to effectively treat sleep apnea and snoring. Read the rest of this entry

Central Washington Sleep Diagnostic Center recently opened it’s second branch in Moses Lake at 2323 W. Broadway Ave., Unit 4.

The sleep center is here to help people experiencing sleeping disorders, as more than 70 million Americans’ sleep is currently affected. The affects of sleep deprivation include depression, brain fog, change in mental status, short-term memory loss, weight gain, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, traffic accidents, workplace accidents and injuries. Read the rest of this entry

If you have the disorder, you’re not breathing properly while you sleep because your airflow is blocked repeatedly throughout the night. Nearly one in four men and one in ten women suffer from it. (There are a couple of other varieties, but OSA is the most common.) And it goes hand-in-hand with type 2 diabetes. In a survey on the subject, Gary D. Foster, PhD, wrote that, “among all of the sleep disorders, OSA has the strongest association with type 2 diabetes.”  That’s even taking into account other risk factors, such as weight, sex and age.

The main risk factor for OSA is obesity. “Excess weight deposits extra fat around the thorax, reducing chest compliance and functional capacity, while increasing oxygen demand,” wrote Foster, a professor of medicine and public health and the Director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University. Read the rest of this entry

[Press Release]-Circadiance, the world leader in soft cloth nasal CPAP masks, has launched the SleepWeaver(R) in the European Union and will launch in Canada soon. The company has secured the right to apply the CE Mark after becoming ISO 13485 certified.

“Sleep Apnea affects tens of millions of people around the world,” said David Groll, Circadiance’s CEO. “We have already established distributors in several European countries in preparation for this launch, and we anticipate the same enthusiastic reception in these new markets that we have enjoyed in the U.S. Our soft cloth mask is the answer to uncomfortable hard plastic masks that foster noncompliance. This milestone is just another step in our effort to establish global distribution for our superior cloth CPAP mask technology.” Read the rest of this entry

Sleep apnea, a serious and potentially life-threatening disorder if left untreated, affects approximately 18 million Americans. During sleep apnea episodes, a person stops breathing for at least 10 seconds. Depending on the severity of the disorder, a person can have between 10 and 60 episodes a night. Sleep apnea treatment often involves a team of healthcare providers, including dentists, general physicians, surgeons and sleep specialists.

If you think you suffer from sleep apnea, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) recommends consulting with your dentist. Early detection is key because sleep apnea has been linked with irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.

There are three types of sleep apnea, including obstructive apnea (OSA), central apnea and a combination of the two. The most common type of sleep apnea, OSA, is caused when the muscles in the walls of your throat relax too much, causing the airway to collapse. Central sleep apnea is caused when the brain fails to signal the muscles to breathe. Read the rest of this entry