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Kristie and Oprah -- from Dr. Mack Jones
"I feel badly about Oprah's and Kristie's continued struggle with their weight when there is a very good possibility that they both have OSA and do not know it. Treatment with an APAP machine could put an end to the weight struggle not to mention the multitude of other threats to their lives.
The most common cause of obesity today is OSA. Both have reached epidemic proportions. Repeated surges of cortisol with each airway obstruction is a large part of the reason for uncontrolled weight gain. It is part of the brain's emergency response to apnea; the "fight or flight" mechanism put in motion as part of the sympathetic nervous systems response to life threatening situations.
Oprah's feeling of being "unglued" and her "well has run dry" is exactly what happens when your body and brain has been beaten up over many years by repeated apneic events during sleep.
The vicious cycle of OSA causing weight gain and increasing weight worsening the OSA can be stopped in most by treating with an APAP machine.
Both Oprah and Kristie should undergo a sleep study to diagnose OSA. When it is determined that they have the disease, (which I am betting they have) treatment will give them a chance to get their lives back again."
from Dr. Mack Jones
The most common cause of obesity today is OSA. Both have reached epidemic proportions. Repeated surges of cortisol with each airway obstruction is a large part of the reason for uncontrolled weight gain. It is part of the brain's emergency response to apnea; the "fight or flight" mechanism put in motion as part of the sympathetic nervous systems response to life threatening situations.
Oprah's feeling of being "unglued" and her "well has run dry" is exactly what happens when your body and brain has been beaten up over many years by repeated apneic events during sleep.
The vicious cycle of OSA causing weight gain and increasing weight worsening the OSA can be stopped in most by treating with an APAP machine.
Both Oprah and Kristie should undergo a sleep study to diagnose OSA. When it is determined that they have the disease, (which I am betting they have) treatment will give them a chance to get their lives back again."
from Dr. Mack Jones
Views: 172
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Pamela Simmons on
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I have sleep apnea, hypothyroidism and early stage diabetes.....................wish I had you for a doctor as I am overweight also. Eat healthy too...................
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Permalink Reply by tushygalore on
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I'm happy to hear a doctor saying this, I've received so much flack from people saying that it's my own fault that I have apnea (because I'm fat) and of course in their minds I'm fat because I'm weak and lazy. I have long suspected that the two go hand in hand, each making the other worse.
I've been on a health kick for months now trying to improve energy and lose weight but the scale won't budge and I've been consistently exhausted! After much waiting and dealing with an incompetent medical supply company I'm finally sleeping with my CPAP mask! I'm still struggling to get used to it but now I'm at the point where it lulls me and just thinking about the mask makes me feel drowsy. :)
I'm still tired and needing to take very long naps during the day but I'm holding out hope that after my body catches up on sleep that I'll get some energy back and start dropping some weight!
It would be interesting to see if these two celebs follow this advice and get sleep studies done, can you imagine how much publicity they could bring to this disorder?!
-Elissa-
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Permalink Reply by Lisa Marie Cardillo on
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At the risk of sounding synical, I don't think Oprah has sleep apnea, I don't know about Kirsty because she does seem to drop off the face of the earth most of the time, she doesn't seem to have the stamina and the clear thinking so maybe she has apnea. But Oprah, don't get me wrong I love Oprah, but she would not be able to function like she does if she had this foul disorder, I myself can't seem to have a normal conversation with anyone without forgetting what I was saying, or not being able to form a complete sentence, let alone doing it on camera everyday and looking wide awake and peppy. Ya know where I'm comming from my apnea peeps? Someone please tell me yes, because I feel so alone lately, I am so sick of people around me saying, your tired again? you have another headache? when I say I have apnea, they just blow me off or roll their eyes, they just don't get it, they don't get how serious this is. I'm having trouble coping right now, sorry if I sound so angry, and I didn't mean to offened any of the docs who brought this up. Lisa
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Lisa, if you are still this tired and dragged out it is worth talking to your sleep doctor about!! That is what they are there for! You may have another sleep disorder along with OSA that he thought had a good chance of being corrected along w/the CPAP therapy. It may be that you need your pressure adjusted up or down. The pros can't help you w/your poor sleep if they don't know you are having a problem. It doesn't pay to be bashful about making your doctors aware of any problems you are having. You are the only one to suffer if you do, meanwhile your doctors are lulled into a false sense that you are doing well. Be fair to yourself and them and bring this to their attention!
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Permalink Reply by Mack D Jones, MD, SAAN on
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Lisa, I cannot say it any better than Judy. Your machine must not be doing what it's supposed to. Are you using it faithfully 100%? If not, then you should. Is it a CPAP machine? If so you could be caught in the "CPAP trap" in which the set pressure is not maintaining an open airway. When you see your doctor and that turns out to be the problem ask him/her to prescribe an Auto CPAP or APAP machine to adjust for each breath and a smart card so you can check its effectiveness. Learn everything you can about OSA. The more you understand, the easier it is to deal with.
Lisa Marie Cardillo said:At the risk of sounding synical, I don't think Oprah has sleep apnea, I don't know about Kirsty because she does seem to drop off the face of the earth most of the time, she doesn't seem to have the stamina and the clear thinking so maybe she has apnea. But Oprah, don't get me wrong I love Oprah, but she would not be able to function like she does if she had this foul disorder, I myself can't seem to have a normal conversation with anyone without forgetting what I was saying, or not being able to form a complete sentence, let alone doing it on camera everyday and looking wide awake and peppy. Ya know where I'm comming from my apnea peeps? Someone please tell me yes, because I feel so alone lately, I am so sick of people around me saying, your tired again? you have another headache? when I say I have apnea, they just blow me off or roll their eyes, they just don't get it, they don't get how serious this is. I'm having trouble coping right now, sorry if I sound so angry, and I didn't mean to offened any of the docs who brought this up. Lisa
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I have been using CPAP for 4 months and feel more focused and at peace, but still tired. I think I had more energy before the diagnosis, however, I always felt on edge and stressed. I use it an average of 6.5 hours a night and my sleep specialist advised that I needed to be on it 7 - 7.5 hours a night. I am wondering if I have a hypothyroid condition. A blood test done ~ 6 months ago was within normal parameters. My nails are more brittle and hair has changed. One huge pluse - morning hypertension has definitely improved. I would like to drop 10+ bls. but that is not happening regardless of exercising. I still have the sensation that I am being gently choked. Wondered if that was due to loose soft palette or thyroid issues. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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i also consider myself a trenches guy. I am on the front lines as a patient advocate I carry the Burden Of Proof.
Jim Nadolny, BS, CRT said:I think that Oprah should at least have a sleep study done. Maybe she has, and just fell into that large group of noncompliant patients who are in denial. What a boost it would be to OSA awareness if she were diagnosed, treated and lost a ton of weight (keeping it off) by using her cpap. In my experience, I have seen multiple patients regain their energy and loose weight due to compliant cpap use. Dr Jones and Dr Park both seem to understand well enough the implications of such weight loss to ones health. I consider myself a trenches guy, down at he equipment end of things. I would like both of these Doctors to see my blog http://cpapcritic.com and comment on the content. I feel that my posts help new cpap users to understand the equiptment better, and maybe helping them to become more compliant with their therapy.
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What came first the weight or the apnea, the apnea or the weight?
tushygalore said:I'm happy to hear a doctor saying this, I've received so much flack from people saying that it's my own fault that I have apnea (because I'm fat) and of course in their minds I'm fat because I'm weak and lazy. I have long suspected that the two go hand in hand, each making the other worse.
I've been on a health kick for months now trying to improve energy and lose weight but the scale won't budge and I've been consistently exhausted! After much waiting and dealing with an incompetent medical supply company I'm finally sleeping with my CPAP mask! I'm still struggling to get used to it but now I'm at the point where it lulls me and just thinking about the mask makes me feel drowsy. :)
I'm still tired and needing to take very long naps during the day but I'm holding out hope that after my body catches up on sleep that I'll get some energy back and start dropping some weight!
It would be interesting to see if these two celebs follow this advice and get sleep studies done, can you imagine how much publicity they could bring to this disorder?!
-Elissa-
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Here is how you answer the question: Which came first, the weight or the apnea?
In most cases the apnea came first and the weight gains made it worse. To prove it, lose the weight down to a normal BMI and see if the apnea remains, if so then the apnea caused the weight gain. On the other hand if after losing down to a normal BMI, the apnea is gone, then the excess weight caused the OSA.
So lose weight and find out. You may be able to donate your CPAP or AutoPAP machine to your next door neighbor. Unfortunately, experience has shown that most will find that the apnea persists even after successfully getting their weight down to an ideal level. Of course their AHI will be much improved, not to mention their overall health.
The incidence of OSA in Asia is 24%, a surprising number. Why the high incidence? It's not obesity. They have congenitally small mandibles and small upper airways.
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In my experience you are the exception. Most people successfully treated on the PAP machine lose weight, frequently without even trying. I would question whether the CPAP machine is correcting your apneas. Do you have hypothyroidism,
Cushing's Disease of Polycystic ovaries, etc? Check with your doctor. And make sure you are not caught in the "CPAP trap" in which the airway pressure is not opening your airway as it should.
Margaret Epperson said:I have been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea over five years ago now. I have used my CPAP machine all those years and it has not helped me to lose any weight period. If anything I have gained. I exercise and have went to nutritionist and dietician and they all say I eat right. So I doubt if this will help Oprah or Kristy to lose weight. Well if anyone can come up with a better way to help lose weight let me know.
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Permalink Reply by bonesigh on
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What I'd like to know is...how many people on this forum have lost weight after therapy?
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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good question. i moved it to new thread on how many lost weight with cpap
bonesigh said:What I'd like to know is...how many people on this forum have lost weight after therapy?
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