“Goodall-Witcher Medical Center in Central Texas is very pleased to be able to offer sleep studies locally.  Previously patients would have to travel to Waco or other distant areas for these services,” commented Clarence Fields, Jr., FACHE, President/CEO.  “Not only will Goodall-Witcher Medical Center be able to serve patients locally for these tests, but it will also service patients referred by physicians and providers located in surrounding areas,” Fields added.

“It is amazing how many individuals I see on a regular basis with sleep disorders,” said Dr. Kenneth Lowrance, APRN, FNP-BC, Family Nurse Practitioner/Vice President at Goodall-Witcher.  “Once diagnosed with sleep apnea, treatment has resulted in almost miraculous changes in many patients’ lives.  One cannot underestimate the value and importance of high quality sleep in optimizing one’s ability to function and in improving their overall quality of life.”

“Graymark Healthcare is honored to create an alignment with Goodall-Witcher Medical Center and Henderson Community Hospitals to provide sleep diagnostic and treatment services,” said Stanton Nelson.  “The Graymark Healthcare Comprehensive Care Model for Sleep Disorders including obstructive sleep apnea complement the care offered by hospitals and medical centers and allow them to provide state-of-the-art sleep disorder services in a high quality, affordable manner,” Nelson continued.

The management agreement between these Medical Centers and Graymark Healthcare become effective in July; the sleep centers will begin seeing patients in August.

Graymark Healthcare, Inc. is a diversified medical holding company that owns and operates diagnostic sleep centers that treat a wide range of sleep disorders; independent pharmacies that serve the needs of local markets; and a medical equipment company that provides both disposable and durable medical equipment. Graymark plans to continue its growth both internally and through strategic acquisitions within the medical industry.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements which are based on the Company’s current expectations, forecasts and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations, forecasts and assumptions. These risks and uncertainties include risks and uncertainties not in the control of the Company, including, without limitation, the current economic climate and other risks and uncertainties, including those enumerated and described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which filings are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

New professional guidelines have provided further support for what both Dr. Sullivan and his patients already know: oral appliances, which are similar in appearance to an orthodontic retainer or a sports mouthguard, are an excellent treatment option for patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea.

The practice parameters, which were created by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and published in the journal SLEEP, were written by an expert task force and were based on an accompanying review of scientific evidence. Although the parameters recommend continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) as the first line of treatment for patients with severe cases of OSA, they state that oral appliances may benefit a percentage of patients with more severe levels of airway obstruction. The task force also concluded that it is appropriate to use oral appliances to treat snoring patients who do not respond to behavioral interventions such as losing weight or changing sleep positions.

“These guidelines support what I have seen first-hand in my practice,” said Dr. Sullivan. “A professionally fitted oral appliance can be the best treatment option for many people who suffer from sleep-disordered breathing. Oral appliances are less expensive and more convenient than other available treatments, and they have a high rate of success in mild and moderate cases of sleep apnea.”

While snoring is common and often harmless, it can also be a warning sign for OSA, a serious medical condition that affects an estimated 18 million people in the United States. Dangers related to OSA include severe daytime sleepiness, an increased risk of high blood pressure, and higher rates of heart attack and stroke.

“Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the tongue and soft tissues in the back of the throat collapse and block the airway during sleep, which produces pauses in breathing that prevent air from getting to the lungs,” explained Dr. Sullivan. “These pauses can occur a few times or several hundred times per night.”

When worn during sleep, an oral appliance maintains an open and unobstructed airway in the throat by repositioning or stabilizing the lower jaw, tongue, soft palate or uvula. There are many types of oral appliances, with some designed only to treat snoring and others for both snoring and sleep apnea therapy.

The new practice parameters recommended that patients with mild to moderate OSA use an oral appliance when they prefer it to CPAP, which is the most effective treatment for sleep apnea. An oral appliance should also be considered by patients who are unable to successfully use CPAP or who fail surgical intervention. Patients with severe cases of OSA may also benefit from an oral appliance when either CPAP or surgery is unsuccessful.

According to Dr. Sullivan, the most common warning signs for OSA are frequent and loud snoring, daytime sleepiness, and waking up during the night with a choking sound or gasping for breath. Often it is the bed partner of a person with OSA who first recognizes these symptoms. Men and women who are obese are also at a higher risk for this sleep disorder. Medical treatment is necessary to prevent OSA from having a detrimental impact on an individual’s physical health.

“Anyone who suspects that he or she might have sleep apnea should consult a sleep specialist right away,” said Dr. Sullivan. “If testing reveals that sleep apnea is present, then the Northern California Dental Sleep Therapy Center can work with the sleep specialist to determine which treatment option is best for that person.”

Dr. Sullivan is a 1985 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Dentistry. After graduation Dr. Sullivan spent two years in the US Navy Dental Corps where he practiced all aspects of general dentistry. Dr. Sullivan has attended hundreds of hours of advanced postgraduate continuing education courses throughout the country. He has a special interest, expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of facial pain and TMJ disorders as well as in the field of sleep dentistry. He currently limits his practice TMJ disorder diagnosis and therapy and oral appliance therapy for Snoring and Sleep Apnea. He really understands your sleep apnea and snoring problems because he also suffers from obstructive sleep apnea.

The Full Breath Solution is a dental mouthpiece invented by Dr. Bryan Keropian. While continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is the most commonly recommended treatment for sleep apnea, some people find the machine to be very invasive—it uses a mask that can be obstructive for some individuals.

The dental mouthpiece, on the other hand, is worn by sufferers whenever they sleep and is said to be an effective solution for snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea.

“Rather than pulling the tongue forward by advancing the jaw, the Full Breath Solution works by utilizing a tail that restrains the tongue from moving upward and backward,” said Dr. Keropian. “The tail lightly depresses the tongue and prevents its movement backward, keeping the airway unblocked. The length of the tail is custom-fitted to each person [by] using advanced 3D dental imaging for precise diagnostics to ensure the most comfortable and effective placement.”

The device does not open the jaw of the individual wearing it, which removes most of the associated side effects of other devices.

Source: FleetOwner

The site contains articles on symptoms, treatment, surgery, equipment, and testing. An excellent overview of sleep apnea is included in the site. The public will continue to be educated with frequent blog posts and an ever expanding library of information on apnea related issues. Multimedia is included to enhance the user experience and transference of knowledge to the reader.

Dr. Michael Twery, director of the National Sleep Center on Sleep Disorders Research at NIH’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, OSA is caused by temporary obstructions in a person’s airway during sleep.

It is also linked to weight gain, because the airway becomes narrower among obese individuals.

When left undiagnosed and untreated, the condition can result in diabetes and heart complications. What’s worse is everyone is at risk, even children.

The most common treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) mask. This device blows air inside the throat to prevent airway obstruction. There are also other available treatments at sleep centers.

If you are experiencing sleep problems, get yourself checked at your nearest sleep center. Diagnosis is of utmost importance when it comes to sleep disorder solutions.

Source: techcombo

The facility aims to help people who have sleep disorders.

Sleep disorders are characterized by many symptoms, including depression, short-term memory loss, obesity, high-blood pressure, and heart disease.

“Moses Lake really needed a sleep lab,” commented Kelly Kane, marketing coordinator for the center. “The need was here, the demographic was here.”

Kane says that the opening of the center has been well-received by physicians and facilities.

The center will offer sleep studies to diagnose the patient’s sleep problem.

Source: Columbia Basin Herald

If you don’t know Paul, you can watch him sleep on Thursday.

The Ballard resident will be a sleep study subject on Thursday at the Swedish Medical Center’s Sleep Medicine Associates.

Doctors and sleep specialists will analyze Balcerak’s sleep patterns to determine if his condition requires treatment.

Viewers will be able to observe technicians as they analyze Balcerak’s sleep behavior, and they can even direct their questions and comments on the lab’s profile on Twitter.

“It’s definitely a little weird,” describes Balcerak about the set up. “I mean, I volunteered — so I can’t say I’m too weirded out by it.”

He continues: “To tell you the truth, the whole social media aspect of it is pretty cool.”

A spokesperson for Sleep Medicine Associates explained, “It’s a public health issue that really doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves. Sleep disorders are a little more serious than just snoring.”

Source: Seattlepi.com

The drug is restricted to treating narcolepsy because its risks outweigh the benefits of the medicine for other uses.

According to the European Medicines Agency, doctors and patients should not use medicines that contain modafinil—which is an active ingredient of Provigil—for treating sleep disorders other than narcolepsy.

Cephalon will request a re-examination from the regulator.

Cephalon representatives say that the restriction of Provigil’s application will have minimal impact on the company’s earnings.

Analysts say that Cephalon will still meet its forecast for the year.

Loud snoring not only is a major sign of sleep apnea but also disrupts the sleep of your partner. Do not foolishly ignore loud or disruptive snoring – it may be a warning sign of this serious and dangerous disorder that can cost you your health or even your life!

Learn more about the dangers of sleep apnea at http://www.ihatecpap.com/sleep_apnea_dangers.html.

Sleep apnea is defined by repetitive episodes where breathing stops causes an arousal from sleep and then the cycle starts again. It is common for patients with sleep apnea to deny they have a problem. This is often observed by the bed partner who sees pauses in breathing followed by gasping for breath.

CPAP, the standard medical treatment for sleep apnea, is one of the greatest success stories in medicine. It can be effective in treating almost every patient with obstructive sleep apnea, snoring, hypopnea and upper airway resistance.

CPAP is also one of the greatest failures in medicine not because it isn’t effective but because it is not used. The failure to utilize an effective medical treatment is called non-compliance. Non-compliance is the typical result when CPAP is prescribed. Medicare has recently taken a serious look at the costs of CPAP to the taxpayers and realized that there was a poor return on investment. It is for this reason that Medicare will no longer pay for CPAP that is not used at least four days a week for four hours a night. This is an incredibly low standard for usage but the savings to Medicare will be enormous.

Medicare is dead wrong! The real savings for Medicare comes from decreased medical expenses for strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, dementia and numerous other disorders that are improved when apnea is well treated. Even poor treatment is better than no treatment. Of course, treatment that is used all night every night is ideal and only one in four CPAP users achieve that goal. Oral appliances (http://www.ihatecpap.com/oral_appliance.html) are much better tolerated by patients who usually report using them all night long.

A recent study showed that 60% of patients abandon CPAP treatment completely. That means only 4 in 10 patients use their CPAP machines. Even patients who do use their CPAP machines average only 4-5 hours of nightly use, not the recommended 7 1/2 hours. One in four utilize it all night so the rest of patients have only minimal actual usage.

I believe that Medicare and patients with sleep apnea would be much better served if Medicare paid for CPAP based on the percentage of time it was actually used. 100% usage would be 7 hours a night, 7 days a week. The actual time CPAP was used in the first full year of treatment could then be used to determine Medicare payments – i.e. 50% usage would receive 50% payment.

The reason most patients give for not wearing their CPAP is that they “hate CPAP”. They hate the CPAP mask, they hate the noise, they hate the hose. I HATE CPAP! LLC and the website www.ihatecpap.com took its name from the passion of these patients. Why is such a successful treatment such a phenomenal failure? CPAP is not a failure but it does fail the majority of patients. It is still a $4 1/2 billion a year industry. Approximately 25% of patients love CPAP from the first time they use it and they use it faithfully forever. I HATE CPAP! was founded by Dr Ira L Shapira, a Chicago dentist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep (D, ABDSM). He is a charter member of the Sleep Disorder Dental Society (SDDS), which evolved into the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM). He is a founding member of DOSA, The Dental Organization of Sleep Medicine and a member of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Patients who love CPAP from the start are the exception. Studies have also shown that patients who do embrace CPAP treatment early on rarely become successful CPAP users in the future.

Oral appliances are very well accepted by patients who love both the comfort and convenience but are most pleased to not have to deal with masks, hoses compressors, humidifiers, noise air leaks and other annoyances associated with CPAP. 95% of patients offered a choice between CPAP and Oral Appliance Therapy chose the oral appliances. In countries like Sweden where the national health insurance offers patients their choice of treatment, oral appliances are the primary treatment modality. Only a small percentage of patients chose CPAP when offered a choice.

Oral appliances and CPAP are both considered first line approaches for treating sleep apnea by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. CPAP is still considered the only first line therapy for severe obstructive sleep apnea but studies have shown that Oral Appliances can also treat many cases severe sleep apnea very successfully. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine recognizes Oral Appliances as an alternative to CPAP for severe sleep apnea when patients do not tolerate CPAP.

The National Sleep Foundation has declared that “oral appliances are a therapy whose time has come”.

CPAP will probably always be the primary first line treatment for the morbidly obese patients and with patients who have obesity-hypoventilation syndrome.

The reason is based on the different ways the CPAP and oral appliances use to treat sleep apnea. First you must understand what actually happens during snoring and sleep apnea. The easiest way to understand this condition is to use Dr Shapira’s garden hose analogy. Normal breathing is like a garden hose where a lot of water passes with very little disruption. Simple snoring would be like placing your thumb over the hose to water your garden. There is now a lot of disruption to the flow but the total amount of water flowing is the same. When breathing this disruption would be loud snoring.

Obstructive apnea would be like kinking the hose so no air passes. Apnea could then be described as suffocation followed by awakening from sleep and then gasping for life-saving air. The apnea index is how many times you suffocate and then awaken to gasp for air per hour. This repetitive awakening and gasping for air is extremely stressful for the heart and creates an underlying stress disorder as it creates continual stimulation of a fight for your life scenario that creates stress hormone release.

Hypopnea is a partial apnea. It can be described as almost suffocation and there is at least a 4% drop in oxygen levels. It is more annoying to the bedmate as you can snore very loudly with hypopnea but it still leads to a gasp.

Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS) or Respiratory Effort Related Arousals are when it is hard to breathe and disturbs the patient’s sleep but the event does not meet the criteria definition of apnea or hypopnea.

CPAP works by stenting the airway with air pressure much the way some “buildings” are held up by blowing air. Oral appliances work by bringing the airway forward which increases the size of the airway. In severe obesity the large amount of fatty tissue surrounding the airway may not be stented or opened by an oral appliance but CPAP can be turned up to a very high pressure to blow past the obstruction. The actual airway collapse is not merely passive but rather inspiration creates a negative pressure or vacumn that causes the airway to suck closed. While oral appliances alone may not be successful in treating the morbidly obese they will allow CPAP to be successful at much lower pressures.

The TAP appliance (Thorton Adjustable Positioner) is leading the field of Dental Sleep Medicine in creating combination therapy that improves compliance and efficacy of CPAP by combining CPAP and integrated Oral Appliances. The TAP 1 appliance is one probable the most successful appliance in treating severe sleep apnea due to the handle that allows advancement of the jaw after the appliance is in the mouth. The TAP 3 appliance can now be fitted with a similar handle. The TAP 3 is also ideally suited for combination therapy with a TAP-PAP combination.

If patients are comfortable utilizing full face masks than any dental oral appliance can be used in combination with CPAP. The Somnodent Appliance by Somnomed is one of the most comfortable appliances available. The SUAD Appliance by Strong Dental is one of the most robust appliances for patients with severe bruxism. The Myerson EMA appliance is a very comfortable and compact appliance.

Dr Ira L Shapira has been treating patients with sleep apnea with oral appliances for over 28 years and stresses how important it is that practitioners be familiar with a wide variety of oral appliances. Many courses are taught by appliance manufacturers but patients may suffer if the doctor only has a single appliance he is familiar with using. Dr Shapira teaches an in depth course to small groups (six or less) dentists and their teams to insure that each doctor thoroughly understands the numerous intricacies of both sleep medicine and dental sleep medicine. To insure that his doctors provide the highest level of service and quality he works with each doctor on a monthly basis to solve problems and help interpret sleep studies. He limits his class to six new doctors to insure that learning is personalized and that there is sufficient time for follow-up consultations. Many of the doctors Dr Shapira have mentored have seen dental sleep medicine become a major percentage of their practice.

Dr Bill Blatchford is the leading dental practice management consultant in the United States and he regularly refers his clients to Dr Shapira because he has seen such positive changes in the practices of dentists who have had this training. Dr Shapira lectured on sleep apnea and dental sleep medicine at a “Purple Cow” seminar that Dr Blatchford presented several years ago. Hundreds and hundreds of dentists have viewed his lecture on DVD and become involved in the treatment of sleep apnea and snoring as a result.

The individual small group learning experience and long term follow-up is key to striving for excellence in Dental Sleep Medicine. In the 1990s Dr Shapira was a frequent lecturer at the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) and a lecture he gave in 1998 on Anti-Aging Dentistry was printed as a chapter in a medical textbook on Anti-Aging Medicine.

Dr Shapira was one of the first dentists to lecture to physicians on the oral health connections of gum disease and overall health and on Dental Sleep Medicine. He also has a passion for the treatment, prevention and elimination of migraines and headaches utilizing Neuromuscular Dentistry. His research as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Rush Medical Schools Sleep Disorder Center in the 1980s showed hat there were numerous similarities between male sleep apnea patients and female patients with TMJ disorders, Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute later issued a report “The Cardiovascular and Sleep-Related Consequences of Temporomandibular (TMJ) Disorders”.

I Hate Headaches LLC is a new company created by Dr Shapira and Page 1 Solutions to expose the public to neuromuscular dentistry and the unique role it plays in treating and eliminating chronic headaches and migraines. The website http://www.ihatecpap.com is a leading resource for information on headaches and TMJ disorders and the value of neuromuscular dentistry in alleviating these problems and improving the quality of patients’ lives.

Patients that live in the Chicago or Milwaukee metropolitan areas or anywhere in Northern Illinois or Southern Wisconsin can contact Dr Shapira at his office.

Call Today: 1-8- NO-PAP-MASK or 1-800-TM-JOINT or contact Dr. Shapira through his websites:

http://www.delaneydentalcare.com

http://www.IHateCPAP.com

http://www.IHateHeadaches.org

Dr. Shapira is currently searching for a New York qualified sleep apnea dentists to join his I Hate CPAP program and neuromuscular dentists to join his I Hate Headaches program.

Dr Ira L Shapira is an author and section editor of Sleep and Health Journal, President of I HATE CPAP LLC, President Dato-TECH, and has a Dental Practice with his partner Dr Mark Amidei. He has recently formed Chicagoland Dental Sleep Medicine Associates. He is a Regent of ICCMO and its representative to the TMD Alliance. He was a founding and certified member of the Sleep Disorder Dental Society which became the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, a founding member of DOSA the Dental Organization for Sleep Apnea. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, a Diplomat of the American Academy of Pain Management, a graduate of LVI. He is a former assistant professor at Rush Medical School’s Sleep Service where he worked with Dr Rosalind Cartwright who is a founder of Sleep Medicine and Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr Shapira is a consultant to numerous sleep centers and teaches courses in Dental Sleep Medicine in his office to doctors from around the U.S. He is the Founder of I Hate CPAP LLC and http://www.ihatecpap.com Dr Shapira also holds several patents on methods and devices for the prophylactic minimally invasive early removal of wisdom teeth and collection of bone marrow and stem cells. Dr Shapira is a licensed general dentist in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Carolyn Schur, a sleep expert, told the Vancouver Sun that proper diagnosis is necessary and sleep disorders can be caused by trauma, abuse, and anxiety.

Schur said that most doctors tend to deal with insomnia as if it was one entity.

“We’re starting to understand that the symptoms of not being able to sleep, not being able to stay asleep, and waking early are the criteria by which you diagnose insomnia,” explains Schur.

Sleep disorders are becoming a growing concern. These conditions are not only linked to heart problems and diabetes, it is also linked to vehicular accidents.

Source: SilentNight.co.uk