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American Heart Association Gives OSA Patients the Finger

I have personally approached the marketing/ communications director of the American Heart Association to work together with the NYC AWAKE group to spread OSA awareness, and she essentially told us to pound sand because the connection between OSA and heart disease was not sufficiently proven. Outrageous, huh?

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99 said:
its like asking a methodist what method they use
Or asking what a Protestant is protesting about?
99 said:
its like asking a methodist what method they use
Or asking a Catholic what catheter they use?
99 said:
its like asking a methodist what method they use
Or asking an Episcopalian...

Hmmm.

Better skip Episcopalian.
I once asked a Seventh Day Adventist on which day do they observe the Sabbath.
Henry Ford Sabbtage that one

Banyon said:
I once asked a Seventh Day Adventist on which day do they observe the Sabbath.
cnn reports July 13th, 2010

Adults with sleep apnea often have more heart trouble than those who sleep soundly, new research from the American Heart Association finds. Unfortunately 90 percent of the people with sleep apnea have never had an official diagnosis, so if a loved one says you gasp for air as you sleep, don't ignore the news.

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which breathing becomes shallow or stops altogether during sleep. It can result in extreme fatigue .

Researchers looked at almost 4,500 adults 40 and older who were free of heart problems when the study began. All adults were tested for sleep apnea and then for the next eight years researchers kept track of the differences in the heart health of those with the condition and those without.

"Men with severe obstructive sleep apnea were 58 percent more likely to develop new congestive heart failure over eight years of follow up compared to men without sleep apnea," says Daniel Gottlieb, study author and associate professor at Boston University's School of Medicine.

The researchers also discovered that men under the age of 70 were at much higher risk of developing coronary heart disease, a condition in which fat deposits clog blood vessels, which can lead to chest pain, blockages or a heart attack. This is different from congestive heart failure, which is a continued weakening of the heart, leaving it less and less able to pump enough blood to keep the body going.

Women in the study didn't suffer from these heart and vessel problems and researchers aren't sure whether it's because women as a group have less sleep apnea than men or because of other factors. Gottlieb says more research is needed to understand the differences in the sexes.

Researchers suspect the connection between sleep apnea and heart trouble all begins with the shutting off of air as you sleep. Patients gasp for breath as their throats narrow or collapse preventing the flow of air into the lungs. The lack of oxygen sets the body into a type of panic raising blood pressure, stressing the heart, and pouring sugar into the blood.

Gottlieb says those in the study with severe cases had an average of 30 breathing interruptions per hour lasting at least 10 seconds.

About 70 percent of patients suffering from the condition are obese and it's believed added fat in the upper airway may be partly to blame. Sleep apnea is more common in those with diabetes and high blood pressure.

Fortunately getting treatment can make a great difference. Therapies include using a device to keep the airway open during sleep, or an oral appliance that is worn at night, and in some cases surgery.

"Sleep apnea is a very treatable condition and it appears that treatment may prevent the adverse health consequences of sleep apnea including heart disease, heart attack, stroke and congestive heart failure," explains Gottlieb.

Dr. Richard Stein cardiologist and spokesperson for the American Heart Association says weight loss through diet and exercise may help those battling the condition.

He adds, "If you are obese, hypertensive or diabetic, if your partner in bed says you are snorting or snoring, if you're waking up unrested, you should go to your doctor and ask if you have sleep apnea."
just to piggy back on Heather's sentiments here, I am a huge believer in Rock and his contributions to this forum and to the patients he sees day in, day out in his professional life. If all of our doctors and health care professionals had a small measure of the commitment and humanity that Rock brings to his work, we'd all be much, much better off. i hope that SleepGuide can remain what it has always been - a place where patients and professionals alike are comfortable to share their views however strongly held and debated they are, while staying aware that we the people who are thinking through the issues and debating them all deserve credit for giving a crap.

Heather Dent said:
Rock.......forget Carl. He's the only person trying to make you defend yourself. All the rest of us recognize that you spend you personal time answering our questions. We know you are qualified/certified and have a wealth of experience, which you are willing to share. We respect and appreciate that. There sits Carl, critical of the home study and on-the-job training you have had, and the knowledge you continue to seek (high altitude and in Alaska where it is always night for 6 months of the year). Carl on the other hand is unable to even realize that no educational institution (college or university could replicate the number of sleep labs necessary to train a class of PSGT students). Looks to me like Carl thinks he knows more than you and more than everyone else on this forum (sounds like Carl has thought that about every person he has ever met, regardless of their field of endeavor). Methinks Carl is jealous of the high esteem you are held in, by the people who frequent this forum. And if he can piss you off and make you leave, then maybe he can take your place. Don't bite on that bait. We'll all disappear off this forum if ALL we are left with is Carl trying (in vain) to take your place. Just think of Carl as a "slinky".......not much good for anything, but it brings a smile to your face when you push it down a flight of stairs.

And Carl, you have nothing to offer here. We have seen you for what you are, your attitude sucks BIGTIME. So take a hike Carl.
Soo if the media (and aha) is only interested in" Reality Shows" We have each other .What can we do with what we already know to help us and the public whom are in the dark still gasping?
Thanks Mike that means alot.
That's crazy. But that's bureaucracies.

In our Heart Support Group, the Nurse Practioner who runs it said HALF the heart failure patients in her practice are on CPAP.

And the other half should probably be checked. I'm convinced many of us wouldn't have developed heart disease if we had healthy overnight oxygen levels and restful sleep.

Here is a thought -- don't deal with the marketing director. Find someone over her in the food chain, someone who may use CPAP. Look for another executive, probably a chubby guy, age 50 or so. Instead of asking for help -- convince him he will look like a genius and gain status for helping you.
You may fare better with the Heart and Stroke Association... non-compliant CPAP users ARE linked to increased risk of stroke. There are also studies that show that non-compliant/untreated OSA and the associated SpO2 desaturations and blood pressure spikes are very unhealthy to the performance of the body's major organs.
Yesterday the inimitable Walter E. Williams wrote some wisdom about nonprofits: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williamns092210.php3

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