Americans spent $34 billion in a single year on alternative and complementary medicines. "Natural" products, not including vitamins and minerals, made up the bulk of self-care spending. This estimate was found in a recent survey sponsored by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. Almost $50 billion was spent on out of pocket for doctor’s visits and $48 billion on prescription medications. Compared to 10 years prior, overall visits to complementary practitioners dropped about 50%, but visits to acupuncturists increased significantly.
The biggest surprise was that chronic pain, especially back pain, was the most common reason for people to use alternative treatments. Without getting into the complicated reasons for chronic pain, one important issue that’s often ignored when it comes to this issue is the importance of good sleep. It’s been shown that lack of a good night’s sleep can lower your pain thresholds. In other words, you’ll sense pain a lot earlier and at more magnified levels than if you got a good night’s sleep. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what comes first. Once it starts, it’s a vicious cycle. This is why both the cause of the pain as well your sleep issues must be addressed simultaneously.
I’m going to address some of these issues on September 15th, when I interview Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, who’s a renowned expert in chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain and sleep. Check my Upcoming Events calendar for up to the minute registration information.
I wrote in a recent post that mandatory screenings for obstructive sleep apnea should be mandatory at certain milestones (school age, college, middle age). There’s lots of room for debate regarding the logistics, finances and implications of such a massive undertaking. However, there’s one group of people who should be tested, and these are our transit workers: pilots, bus drivers and train operators.
Many recent deadly accidents were attributed to possibly undiagnosed sleep apnea. A pilot of a commuter plane with 40 passengers fell asleep along with his copilot for at least 14 minutes. The number of train, bus and truck accidents are too numerous to mention.
Federal regulatory agencies have yet to enact rules to mandate screening for obstructive sleep apnea. They are, however, in discussions. In the long-distance trucking industry, certain large fleets have enacted their own screening programs, which has shown to dramatically lower accident rates and property damage.
With recent studies showing that reaction times with untreated sleep apnea being similar to being legally drunk, it’s surprising that mandatory screening has yet to be enforced with commercial pilots and drivers. Knowing that about 25% of the population has obstructive sleep apnea, of which 90% are undiagnosed, this is a frightening statistic. It’s much worse as one ages and becomes more obese.
A patient just happened to mention that her young daughter was found to have significant hearing loss during a routine newborn screening. She was thankful that this was even available, which has allowed her daughter to get the appropriate attention and support and to lead a relatively normal life.
This got me thinking about all the other screening tests that we do for conditions that occur about 1-2% of the time. Granted, these are potentially serious conditions if not treated quickly. However, knowing that significant obstructive sleep apnea occurs in about 25% of the population (much higher as one gets older), wouldn’t it make sense to have mandatory screening for sleep apnea at various milestones?
You could have one quick questionnaire or even a simple home study before entering school. This will pick up a lot of children with obstructive sleep apnea that eventually would have been diagnosed with ADHD. Have another one just before entering college. Depression and other mental disorders begin to rise in this age group. A significant number of young adults diagnosed with depression or anxiety will ultimately have untreated obstructive sleep apnea. Have another test for people in their middle-aged years, before the onset of cardiovascular disease.
Numerous studies have shown that treating obstructive sleep apnea can save a lot more money in the long run. Besides their sleep apnea treatments, they don’t have to go to the doctor as often or be treated for as many medical conditions.
Something to think about for our political leaders when it comes to health care reform: Screen for obstructive sleep apnea. It could save our country billions of dollars, as well as thousands of live every year.
Written by Steven Park · Filed Under Blog | 1 Comment
Join me on the next installment of my Expert Interview Series, where orthodontist and sleep disorder expert, Dr. William Hang, will discuss how pediatric orthodontics and palatal expansion can help your child breathe, sleep, and live better.
During this special event, you will discover:
• Why your child’s health problems could be caused by narrow jaws and dental crowding that could lead to sleep apnea or a host of other sleep-breathing disorders.
• How your kids can go from sleepless and fatigued to rested and energized after a couple of trips to the orthodontist.
•Even more alternatives to CPAP treatment of sleep apnea, like palatal expansion other orthodontic procedures.
These are just a few of the benefits you’ll gain by attending our live teleconference on Thursday, July 23, 2009 @ 8:30 to 9:30 PM called:
"Healthy Sleep, Happy Kids"
This is a rare treat for yourself, your children, or your loved ones who may be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), snoring, or anyone who just wants to sleep and live better. And between now and July 22nd, I’m making it SUPER easy for you to register for this live call.
Dr. William Hang is a renown orthodontist whose mission has always been centered on paying careful attention to the health of your airway, to give you a more balanced, attractive face, to keep your jaw joints functioning well and free of pain, and to provide you with straight teeth. In the process of achieving those goals, he does not extract permanent teeth or use retractive headgears. Many traditional orthodontists will tell you that Dr. Hang’s approach is "unconventional" and "out of the mainstream". He agrees.
During this live 60 minute call, Dr. Hang and I will be answering your questions LIVE. And you will have two options to access this event: online or on the phone. This is a special event we are offering to you for FREE for a limited time. Also, we only have a limited number of call lines available and we really want you on the call — So, whatever you’re doing, stop now and take a minute to register for this teleconference, today! But, if for any reason you won’t be able to make it that Thursday night, register anyway and a free recording of the interview will be in to your inbox a few days after the teleseminar.
After 5 long years, the American Sleep Apnea Association (ASAA) will re-start its’ AWAKE (alert, well, and keeping energetic) support group for people with obstructive sleep apnea. Ed Grandi, Executive Director of the ASAA will be there as Michael Goldman of Sleepguide.com. Restoration Medical Supply is sponsoring this event, and I’ll be presenting a short talk on sleep apnea. It’s a place to meet face to face, and there will be plenty of time for Q&A.
The New York Times recently produced an excellent audio-visual piece where they interviewed 6 patients who have obstructive sleep apnea. They underwent different treatment options, and all describe what it’s like to live with sleep apnea. The prevailing theme is that there are no stereotypes for sleep apnea and your choice of treatment for this condition differs for different people. If you know you have it and are either procrastinating in undergoing a sleep study, or if you’ve already been diagnosed, and are hesitant about trying various treatment options, I strongly urge you to listen to this program. Some of the comments are very poignant.
The recent untimely death of OxiClean pitchman Billy Mays due to a heart attack brought up memories of Tim Russert, moderator of NBC’s Meet The Press, and Reggie White, NFL Hall of Fame linebacker. They all died at a relatively young age. The sad thing is that after all the media coverage, people are not changing their health habits one bit.
One common situation that I see in anyone who had either a heart attack or a stroke at a relatively young age is the very high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea. It’s estimated that about 1/4 of all men will have at least some amount of obstructive sleep apnea, and that about 80% of these men are not diagnosed. Untreated sleep apnea can cause or aggravate obesity, hypertension, diabetes, depression, sexual dysfunction, heart disease, heart attack, or even stroke. Statistically, it’s highly probably that all three of the above mentioned celebrities had undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea. Actually, Reggie White had known sleep apnea, but was unable to use his prescribed treatment regimen.
Even young, thin women who don’t snore can have obstructive sleep apnea, but the condition becomes much more common as one gains weight. Superstar female talk show hosts are susceptible too.
Here’s an interesting new tax law: Oregon senator Jeff Merkley sponsored a bill that would create an income tax credit for "50 percent of the qualified breastfeeding promotion and support expenditures of the taxpayer for such taxable year." You can read more about it here.
While promoting breast-feeding is a worthwhile cause, I’m not sure Dr. Brian Palmer would agree with the basic principle of this proposed bill. He argues that the physical act of breast feeding is just as important as the breast milk itself. He’s spend his career showing how bottle-feeding can aggravate dental crowding and malocclusion. This is one of the main reasons for the development of obstructive sleep apnea. Listen to his interview here.
Many people who present to massage therapists who are seen for muscle tension and spasms tend to have upper airway obstruction. This is what a recent article states on massagetoday.com. The article was co-written by a dentist, who has clearly has an advanced understanding of upper airway anatomy and physiology.
What they imply is that many patients who present to massage therapists for various neck/shoulder/back tension or soreness will have some degree of upper airway narrowing, which forces poor head posture, leading to a chain reaction involving other various muscle groups. All this comes from constricted jaw structures. People who have constricted breathing passageways tend to jut their head forward or tilt it back slightly. These maneuvers will open the space behind the tongue significantly. Using Contour pillows or a log-roll type pillow will also open up your airway.
The point of the article is that massage therapists can be the first line people who can pick up any significant sleep-breathing problems.
The material on this website is for educational and informational purposes only and is not and should not be relied upon or construed as medical, surgical, psychological, or nutritional advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your medical regimen, exercise or diet program.
Steven Y. Park, M.D. 330 West 58th Street, Suite 610 New York, NY 10019 Tel: 212-315-9058 Fax: 212-315-9558
Rss
Email
