The speaker at the spring support group meeting was Dr. J. Julian Zaka from the Respiratory Medical Group and the Contra Costa Sleep Center. He spoke on “Sleep Apnea and Your Heart.” (Ed note: In the following I will use the term OSA to mean untreated Obstructive Sleep Apnea). Dr. Zaka opened his talk by […]
REVIEW: iPHONE APP ‘Sleep On It’ One of the most popular of the sleep-related apps (applications) for iPhone, ‘Sleep On It’ works by tracking your movements during the night in order to time your morning awakening. What are the pros and cons of this app? ‘Sleep On It’ relies on your iPhone’s accelerometer to monitor […]
DR. CHEUNG SPEAKS ON “SLEEP & AGING” Dr. Karin Cheung spoke at the Fall meeting of the Support Group on the subject of “Sleep & Aging” and had the rapt attention of the group (except during the 8:16PM small earthquake). She is a specialist in Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, is in private practice in Walnut […]
WHAT WAS NEW AT THE “VENDOR FAIR” The annual Support Group “Vendor Fair” was held in July and was well attended by members and the medical equipment supply community. The CPAP manufacturers were represented by; Respironics and Fisher & Paykel. Representatives from the Contra Costa Sleep Center and from the Durable Medical Equipment supplier, OxygenPlus, […]
For any number of reasons your CPAP mask has gradually been getting out of fit. It’s pretty normal since people’s body and faces change occasionally if not from time to time. This really is nothing to be alarmed about since it is pretty normal for every CPAP mask user. If you are finding that your […]
In use in Europe for sometime, and in the U.S. since 2004 as a treatment for snoring, the Pillar® procedure for palatal implants was given FDA approval in February 2004 as a treatment for mild to moderate cases of sleep apnea. However, a wide range of opinion exists in the medical community concerning its long-term […]
SCIENTISTS TO ZAP TONGUE TO STOP SLEEP APNEA (from AP 12.28.10) Scientists are testing whether an implanted pacemaker-like device might help Sleep Apnea patients keep their airways open by zapping the tongue during sleep. As one of the main causes of obstructive sleep apnea is that the tongue and throat muscles relax too much during […]
ANNUAL VENDOR FAIR SHOWS WHAT’S NEW! Once again the summer support group meeting was devoted to the annual vendor fair showcasing what’s new in CPAP equipment. This year Matt Chirco of Oxygen Plus led the meeting. Three vendors were present this year; ResMed, Philips/ Respironics and Fisher & Paykel. ResMed Laurie Messerling from ResMed provided […]
Q & A AT APRIL SUPPORT GROUP MEETING Dr. Fred Nachtway, a Pulmonary Disease specialist in the John Muir Physician Network led an evening of Questions & Answers at the Spring (April) Support Group meeting. One of the advantages of the Sleep Apnea Support Group is interfacing in an informal setting with specialists in the […]
CPAP AND A STUFFED UP NOSE (some research by the editor) One of the most frequent complaints of CPAP users is of nasal congestion during, or immediately after, using CPAP. An examination of this problem proved it is far more complex as to the cause and solution than first imagined. There have been only a […]