Do you snore loud enough to keep your neighbors awake — not to mention your bed partner? Though it is the subject of many jokes, snoring isn’t something to take lightly. Loud snoring is one of the main symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, where the airway is repeatedly blocked during sleep. Breathing becomes shallow or even stops during the brief moments of silence between the snorer’s gasps and gurgles. Apnea means cessation of breathing and sufferers can have as many as 250 episodes a night. In addition to disrupting sleep and leading to exhaustion for the snorer and everyone else in hearing distance, sleep apnea can ultimately increase the likelihood of problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and heart attack. In fact, complications of sleep apnea are thought to have played a role in the 2004 death of Reggie White, one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.
Mild cases of sleep apnea may be helped by behavioral changes such as losing weight or turning over to sleep on your side. However, when sleep apnea is moderate to severe, patients are often advised to wear a device called a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask. It looks like something out of a Star Trek movie, with a clear mask that fits over the nose, connected via tubes to a machine that blows air through the mask and into the nostrils. This forceful air keeps open the soft palate between the back of the nose and mouth and is an effective treatment for apnea problems. But the mask is awkward and can be uncomfortable enough that many people who need it simply won’t use it.
DREAMING OF AN EASIER SOLUTION?
Those dreaming of a better way will be interested to learn of a new study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, that reports on an easier-to-tolerate alternative. Coauthored by Hartmut Schneider, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center in Baltimore, MD, the study demonstrated that a simple device called a nasal cannula — a small, flexible plastic tube with two short prongs placed in the nostrils through which a steady flow of warm, humidified air is delivered — can bring relief to patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
The nasal cannula is less cumbersome, costs far less and delivers a gentler stream of air than the CPAP mask, says Dr. Schneider. That makes the treatment more comfortable but also means it may not be forceful enough to solve the problem for patients with more severe apnea. According to Dr. Schneider, the nasal cannula would work as effectively as a CPAP mask for about a third of people with sleep apnea.
FIND A STUDY NEAR YOU
Not yet FDA approved, treatment with this device is still in its early stages. Dr. Schneider anticipates fewer adverse effects than CPAP, especially in children.
But if you’re concerned about your snoring — or you suffer from sleep apnea but have been unable to tolerate a CPAP mask — consider speaking to your doctor about this study. If it is appropriate for you, he/she can refer you to a sleep clinic where you can enroll in a trial of the treatment. For more information, and to find a sleep center near you, visit.

Source(s): ??Hartmut Schneider, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
 

He has shown this quality of being the Commander in Chief through his ability to take the pot shots that the McCain campaign threw at him. He was able to see beyond, and help others see beyond the old politics as usual processes that his opponent was using for their campaign.

Obama has shown the country and the world the power of forward thinking and brought together a new mass of young, internet savvy people into politics. By creating a large group of new registered voters that have become excited about the process of politics has not happened in a very long time. He has shown that the process of campaign or policy information distribution has changed through the transforming power of the internet and viral marketing efforts that his staff understands.

Change happens, always. Most people are uncomfortable with change, as it is the unknown. But what has transpired now is that we have a new leader that is able to hold the vision of change for the country to take it on.

You are the last person I would ever want to bring grief to. But because you are who you are, I know that you understand my need to do this. I have no death wish. You have given me reason to believe in life again.

Thank you for understanding.

Anonz

I’d try to talk you out of the removal of the protection fr Mischa and Maddie but I know you won’t listen. I am concerned about your safety there but you do what you must.

I cannot say more, I was in mid-celebration today and now I’m not…

I wish you the best.

Luv, Zen Lill