Sleep Thief

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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <hsiresearch

HSI e-Alert - Sleep Thief

Thu, 13 Oct 2005 07:00:00 -0400

HSI e-Alert - Sleep Thief

 

 

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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October 13, 2005

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Sleep apnea can mess up more than just a good night's sleep.

 

An HSI member named Michaele wrote to ask for alternative treatments

for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This disorder is characterized by

prolonged, heavy snoring, but the accompanying health issues far

surpass the annoyance that snoring causes.

 

The most common sleep apnea treatment is called nasal continuous

positive airway pressure (CPAP) in which a device supplies a stream of

air through a small plastic mask secured over the nose. This is

usually effective, but it's somewhat cumbersome and can be hard to get

used to.

And according to Michaele: " It has taken the romance out of my life. "

 

Two new studies show that Michaele may now have another effective

treatment option that just might put Cupid back in business.

 

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Don't hold your breath

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The word " apnea " literally means " without breath, " and that's a good

way to describe how almost 25 percent of all middle-aged men and 9

percent of women in America spend their nights. People with sleep

apnea actually stop breathing during their sleep, sometimes as many as

a hundred times per night, with each episode lasting a minute or

longer. So part of the reason a person with sleep apnea feels fatigued

during the day is because their body hasn't been getting enough oxygen

during sleeping hours.

 

But as serious as daytime fatigue can be (resulting in ineffectiveness

at work and accidents on the road), research shows that sleep apnea

can have far more serious consequences than just fatigue. A 2004 study

found that men who suffer from OSA are five times more likely to

develop cardiovascular disease, regardless of their age, body mass

index, blood pressure or smoking habits.

 

One tragic story concerning a sleep apnea patient hit close to home.

Two years ago, an HSI member named Marilyn wrote to tell us about a

surgical procedure her husband underwent to address OSA. This surgery

has been shown to curb snoring, but has produced poor results in

taking care of sleep apnea. When the snoring stopped, Marilyn and her

husband believed his OSA was under control, when in fact he was still

having breathing problems during the night.

 

Marilyn writes: " The specialist never admitted to us that the surgery

was only useful to stop the snoring - not the apnea. My husband died

from an extremely enlarged heart because we didn't know until too late

that the surgery is now considered worthless. "

 

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Patients & partners

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In the years since Marilyn's loss, a new minimally invasive surgery

for sleep apnea has been developed with promising results so far.

 

The surgery is known as Pillar Procedure and it recently received FDA

approval for mild to moderate OSA. With this method, three short

polyester strands are implanted in the soft palate on the roof of the

mouth. The strands are intended to give additional structure to the

soft palate and open the airway.

 

Last month, researchers from a Massachusetts clinic presented their

Pillar Procedure research at the annual meeting of the American

Academy of Otolaryngology. Twenty-five OSA patients and their bed

partners completed pre-procedure questionnaires to identify severity

of snoring, daytime sleepiness and other measures of the condition.

 

At one month and again at three months after the procedure, patients

reported no changes in speech, swallowing or pain. On average, snoring

volume was cut in half. Three out of four OSA patients reported

satisfaction with the procedure, and 90 percent of the bed partners

said they would recommend it. Within the 90-day follow up, three

implants partially extruded but didn't cause complications. No

bleeding or infection was reported.

 

In a similar trial of 53 OSA patients conducted in five clinical

centers across the U.S., the Pillar Procedure produced the same rate

of success: about 75 percent.

 

Although FDA officials have given this procedure their stamp of

approval, it remains to be seen if in the long run it's significantly

more effective than the surgery Marilyn's husband had. And according

to one report, the cost (around $1,700) may not yet be covered by

insurance companies.

 

You can find more information about the Pillar Procedure at the web

site for Restore Medical, Inc. (restoremedical.com).

 

 

 

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....and another thing

 

How did I miss this one? Could it be because it was barely covered?

 

I don't live in Scotland so I don't read The Scotsman newspaper. But

if I did, I'm sure that in the first week of August I would have told

you about a Scotsman article dated July 30, 2005, with this headline:

" Fears for Millions as UN says HRT Causes Cancer. "

 

I just happened to stumble across that article while doing some

research this week. And I was a little taken aback to read that the

United Nation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has

reclassified hormone replacement therapy (HRT) from " possibly

carcinogenic to humans " to " carcinogenic to humans. "

 

That's a phrase you definitely DON'T want to see on a medication

information sheet.

 

Specifically, the IARC singled out the combined use of estrogen and

progesterone, which is typically prescribed to women who have not had

hysterectomies. The treatments are combined to avoid uterine cancer (a

risk when estrogen is taken alone), but they raise the risk of breast

cancer. Estrogen taken alone carries a lesser risk of breast cancer.

 

I'm really not a wild-eyed conspiracy theorist, but what should we

make of the lack of coverage on this UN action?

 

A search of Reuters Health, MSNBC and The New York Times turns up

nothing. Apparently these news outlets ignored the item. Meanwhile,

3,000 miles away, folks in Scotland got the news - no problem.

 

So is that a rat I smell, or was July 30th just such a busy news day

that these major outlets didn't have time to cover the UN announcement?

 

And once again I have to apply the " what if " measurement. What if an

alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms - such as natural

progesterone yam cream - was classified by the UN as carcinogenic to

humans? How long do you suppose it would take for us to hear about it

- or for the FDA to ban all yam cream products?

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

 

 

 

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Sources:

 

" Pillar Procedure Safe, Effective for Snoring, and Bed Partner

Recommended " Newswise, 9/20/05, newswise.com

" Implant Treats Obstructive Sleep Apnea " Ivanhoe Newswire, 9/26/05,

ivanhoe.com

" Fears for Millions as UN Says HRT Causes Cancer " Even Harrell, The

Scotsman, 7/30/05, news.Scotsman.com/uk

 

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