Sleep Apnea surgery vs. CPAP: a recent FOX News interview provides some colorful commentary on the battle unfolding between proponents of either treatment option. During the interview, FOX News interviews Dr. Jennifer Walden, a doctor who is presented to us without any information other than she is affiliated with New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. The topic of the interview is one which we have reported here, that Sleep Apnea kills. So far, so good: an interview with a trained medical professional about the scary consequences of untreated Sleep Apnea.


But about 1.5 minutes into the interview, the interview derails into something other than an objective overview of the dangers of untreated Sleep Apnea. Here, Dr. Walden introduces treatment options, mentioning positive airway pressure as an alternative only to quickly dismiss it as some sort of impossible option because, in Dr. Walden's view, it's "very big and very cumbersome" and looks "like an elephant's snout." Ok, that's a little insensitive and surely overstated, but here's the kicker: according to Dr. Walden, CPAP doesn't "really" treat Sleep Apnea at all. Why? Because, Dr. Walden says, using CPAP, Sleep Apnea isn't "going to go away." Dr. Walden's solution? Losing weight and surgery are "more definitive ways to treat the problem." Now that goes beyond insensitive and is just plain inaccurate. Hmmmm. Why would a doctor ever want to give inaccurate information to a national viewing audience which is otherwise clueless about Sleep Apnea and hungry to do something, anything, not to die from it? A quick Google search reveals Dr. Walden is a plastic surgeon. I'll let our readers draw their own conclusions. More on this FOX News report to come tomorrow. Stay tuned...