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Sleep Disorders Can Be Serious: They Deserve Serious, Specialized Medicine.
Most physicians understand that sleep apnea is more serious than the snoring and that is often the first sign of a sleep-breathing disorder. Hypertension, cardio-vascular disease and even sudden death can be connected to sleep apnea. But that is just a tiny part of the whole story of sleep disorders and their potential impact on the health Ð and lives Ð of your patients.
Sleeping May Be The Most Dangerous Thing You Do Today
If you have trouble sleeping, snore or have excessive drowsiness during the day, you may have a sleep disorder that could be more hazardous than you think.
Narcolepsy: treating a sleepy sickness
The sight of someone dropping off to sleep in midsentence might seem humorous when portrayed in the realm of entertainment, but there is nothing funny about narcolepsy. In fact, after obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy is the second-leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness diagnosed by sleep centers, affecting one in 2,000 people.
Magnesium Levels Low in Depression
Antidepressant drugs are not always effective in treating major depression and some medications have been implicated in causing an increased number of suicides. Magnesium deficiency is known to cause disorders of the nervous system. Many people have low magnesium levels, in part because only 16% of the magnesium found in whole wheat remains in refined flour, and magnesium has been removed from most drinking water supplies. In magnesium deficiency, the nervous system's requirements for magnesium may not be met, causing damage to nerves which could manifest as depression.
Sleep Disorders Can Be Serious
Most physicians understand that sleep apnea is more serious than the snoring and that is often the first sign of a sleep-breathing disorder. Hypertension, cardio-vascular disease and even sudden death can be connected to sleep apnea. But that is just a tiny part of the whole story of sleep disorders and their potential impact on the health Ð and lives Ð of your patients.
Sleep Disorders Can Be Serious: They Deserve Serious, Specialized Medicine.
Most physicians understand that sleep apnea is more serious than the snoring and that is often the first sign of a sleep-breathing disorder. Hypertension, cardio-vascular disease and even sudden death can be connected to sleep apnea. But that is just a tiny part of the whole story of sleep disorders and their potential impact on the health Ð and lives Ð of your patients.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a disorder in which complete or partial obstruction of the airway during sleep causes loud snoring, oxyhemoglobin desaturation and frequent arousals. As a result, affected persons have unrestful sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness. Because many patients are not aware of their heavy snoring and nocturnal arousals, obstructive sleep apnea may remain undiagnosed; therefore, it is helpful to question the bedroom partner of a patient with chronic sleepiness and fatigue. Because OSAS often occurs in obese persons with comorbid conditions, its individual contribution to health problems is difficult to discern. The disorder has, however, been linked to angina, nocturnal cardiac arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, stroke and motor vehicle accidents. Because the disorder is associated with significant morbidity and even some mortality, family physicians need to be familiar with its clinical presentation and treatment. OSAS is more common than was previously thought. Reported prevalence rates vary widely, and asymptomatic OSAS is more common than symptomatic, clinically significant OSAS. Population-based studies suggest that 2 percent of women and 4 percent of men over the age of 50 have symptomatic OSAS. The patient with OSAS is often brought to the physician’s office by a family member or bedroom partner who is being disturbed by the patient’s loud snoring. Usually, the patient stops breathing and then gives a loud gasp or snort when aroused by the apnea. These episodes are further complicated after the patient drinks alcohol or takes sleeping pills, because the sedatives decrease pharyngeal muscle tone and can exacerbate OSAS. Common signs in patients with OSAS include disrupted sleep, loud snoring, witnessed apnea, nocturnal gasping or choking, daytime sleepiness, fatigue and crowded posterior airway.
Narcolepsy: treating a sleepy sickness
The sight of someone dropping off to sleep in midsentence might seem humorous when portrayed in the realm of entertainment, but there is nothing funny about narcolepsy. In fact, after obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy is the second-leading cause of excessive daytime sleepiness diagnosed by sleep centers, affecting one in 2,000 people.
Snoring Can Be More Than Annoying Ð It Can Be Deadly
Snoring, often laughed and joked about, can actually be a sign of a more serious condition. An estimated 10% to 30% of adults snore. Snoring indicates that your airway is not completely open and inhibits the transfer of air in and out of your lungs. The obstructions can occur at multiple sites throughout the upper airway, but often occurs behind the soft palate. As you fall asleep, muscles in your throat relax. For some individuals, this extra relaxation leads to the partial collapse of the upper airway. As the airway collapses it requires more effort to move air through the smaller passage creating a greater pull on the lateral walls of the throat leading to further airway collapse. This vicious cycle can lead to complete airway collapse and lead to a disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Hormone Balancing, Achieving the Possible
Did you ever wonder, could I feel better? Could I have more energy? Are these mood swings preventable? Is this weight gain in my hips, waist and thighs something that I have to just accept? Am I suffering from anxiety, irritability, water retention, breast tenderness, increasingly irregular or heavy menstrual periods, constipation, cold hands and feet, depression, dry skin, trouble losing weight, decreased sex drive, foggy thinking, depression, decreased stress tolerance, digestive difficulties, or hot flashes for a reason?
Hormone Balancing, Achieving the Impossible
Did you ever wonder, could I feel better? Could I have more energy? Are these mood swings preventable?
Mental Health
Dr. Gonzalo Araoz- Fraser gives tips on Seasonal Depression
It is the dead of winter. Sunlight is at a premium, making all too-brief appearances. Who wouldn’t be a little “blue” now and again? But the last couple of winters, have you struggled with persistent bouts of feeling low that just don’t seem to let up until the warm, sunny days of spring, in Alaska 9 months later?
Depressed?
Are GERD and Sleep Apnea Related?
Sleep Arousal May Result From Reflux, but Could Acid Reflux Result in Sleep Apnea?
What is SAD?
It’s the beginning of winter in Alaska and with the shorter days and longer periods of darkness, many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Samadhi means: Self-realization
There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands.
Mental health
It's the way your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors affect your life. Good mental health leads to positive self-image and in turn, satisfying relationships with friends and others. Having good mental health helps you make good decisions and deal with life's challenges at home, work, or school.
Headaches
Headaches are one of the most common physical complaints we suffer from. It is estimated that 57% of men and 76% of women report at least one significant headache each month. Headaches are so common that many people believe they are unavoidable and the only treatment is to self-medicate with over the counter Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID) such as ibuprofen or aspirin. Many people never seek treatment for their headaches and just “live with the pain.” When a person does seek treatment it is often because the headache has either become unbearable (affecting lifestyle) or worrisome (they think there may be a tumor), or there was some sort of head trauma. Fortunately, most headaches can be treated safely without drugs.
| A Mental Health Overview | | | Mental health issues are common in the United States. An estimated 22.1 percent of Americans ages 18 and older—about 1 in 5 adults—suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. When applied to the 1998 U.S. Census residential population estimate, this figure translates to 44.3 million people. Many of us will be confronted with a mental health issue at some point in our lives. |
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