This month, Dr. Ted Belfor gives a presentation on “Developing the Face and The Airway with a Removable Dental Appliance: The Homeoblock”.

 In this interview, Dr. Wickwire shares his wisdom about comprehensive approaches to managing sleep apnea, including cognitive-behavioral treatment to maximize success with CPAP .

 Some of the questions include: 

 What are cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT)?

 Have cognitive-behavioral treatments been applied to sleep disorders?

 What is the psychology of sleep apnea?

 What factors influence PAP use?

 What are Wickwire’s Four Pillars of CPAP Success?

 What is a PAP adherence risk profile?

 What CBT interventions have been tested to improve PAP adherence?

 And much more…

This month, I have as my guest Ms. Lois Laynee, CEO of AZ Sleep Apnea Center, and founder of Restorative Breathing Method. She will give a talk titled: 

“Restoring Breathing for a Good Night Sleep”

In this program, Lois reveals:

- The physiology and biomechanics of optimal breathing
- Why exclusive nasal breathing is a must
- Ways to open up your  nose without prescription medications
- How to receive a free brochure on Restorative Breathing techniques
- And much more…

This month, I interview Ms. Nicole Garrison, Clinical Specialist for Philips Respironics, to answer your questions about your most common CPAP problems. She answers the following questions:

#1.  What can I do about skin irritation/breakdown on my nose/face?

#2. How can I stop the pressure leaks, & are there options for mask discomfort?

#3.  I feel like I cannot exhale against the pressure, what can I do?

#4. Do I have any options if I cannot tolerate the pressure during inhalation and exhalation?

#5.  Why am I waking up with my mask off next to me?

#6.  What can I do about dryness/dry mouth?

#7. What if I do not feel better, even with wearing CPAP every night?

And many more…

This month, we’re privileged to have with us Dr. Shelby Harris, who answers your most pressing questions about sleep hygiene. Dr. Harris has been quoted numerous times in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and the New Yorker. She has also appeared on the Today Show, World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America Health, ABC7-NY’s Eyewittness News and ABC’s Primetime: Live.

Some of the topics and questions she covers are:

• “If I sleep in on the weekend, does it make up for the lost sleep over the week?”
• “I’m so tired when I’m on the couch at night, but when I hit the pillow, my mind starts racing and I can’t fall asleep. Why?”
• The importance of scheduling in time for sleep as well as wind-down time beforehand
• Proper timing of exercise to help with better sleep
• Misuse of alcohol as a sleep aid
• Smoking – effects on sleep
• Caffeine – how/when to use it and when not to
• And lots more

Dr. Brian Palmer is an internationally recognized expert on dental malocclusion, infant feeding habits, and its’ relation to obstructive sleep apnea.

Topic: The Evolution of Malocclusion & Sleep Apnea

Guest: Dr. Brian Palmer

Length: 1 hour, 17 min

Download PDF of slides (part 1)

This month, I’ve invited Stanford University’s sleep surgeon, Dr. Robson Capasso to talk to us about his institution’s philosophy on sleep apnea surgery. Here’s a short list of questions that are answered on the program:

1. What’s the success rate for sleep apnea surgery?

2. Can you wait until someone is asleep to image the site of obstruction? 

3. What is the progress in getting UARS recognized as a real condition?  How is it diagnosed and managed at Stanford?

4. How do you decide whether to recommend surgery or an oral appliance in a CPAP intolerant patient?  

5. Can you explain the different techniques for performing the MMA, and how successful these are for reversing OSA?  Is it possible to achieve an AHI of zero after an MMA?

6. Do you recommend adult jaw development as an alternative to surgery?

7. Is sleep apnea surgery covered by insurance?

….and many more.

In this month’s program, I’ve invited Buteyko breathing instructor Patrick Mckeown to talk to us about how this breathing technique can improve symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea.

In this Expert Interview program, Ms. Lisa Brateman will talk to us about the psychology of obstructive sleep apnea. This is an important topic that affects not only those of you with sleep apnea, but also your loved ones, your friends, and family members.

In this Expert Interview, I talk with Mr. Eric Cohen and Mr. Jake McCabe of National Sleep Therapy on how their company achieves an 89% CPAP adherence rate. 

Besides revealing their secret to getting very high adherence rates, here are some other questions we covered:

 - Define compliance or adherence, and medicare criteria
- What’s the national CPAP adherence rate average?
- Being compliant or adherent doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re sleeping better, right?
- How does the patient, doctor, and DME work together to raise adherence rates?
- How long do you stay with the patient?
- Do you have any special tools to help the patient?
- What would you say are some of the top things patients can do?