Breathe Better, Sleep Better, Live Better Podcast

I interview Mr. William Headapohl about his new book, Sleep or Die: Overcome Apnea Before It Overcomes You

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

Dr. Emerson Wickwire currently serves as Sleep Medicine Program Director at Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Associates in Columbia, Maryland. He also holds the rank of Assistant Professor, part-time, at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in sleep. Dr. Wickwire is board certified both in behavioral sleep medicine by the American Board of Sleep Medicine and in cognitive and behavioral psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is a pioneer in interdisciplinary approaches to sleep medicine and maximizing human performance.  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 u

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?

This month, I interview Dr. Christian Guilleminault of Stanford University, who is one of the pioneers in sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment. We’re going to focus on Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS), which he discovered. Here are some of the questions we covered: - Describe to us what UARS is and how it’s different from OSA? - Why is the AHI limited when it comes to picking up UARS. - How to diagnose UARS: Esophageal manometry vs. nasal cannula. - How UARS patients have intact nervous systems, whereas sleep apnea (OSA) patients have diminished nervous systems, and what may cause progression from UARS to OSA? - How do you treat patients with UARS? How is it different from treating sleep apnea? - What are the dental options for UARS? - How common is UARS in children and how can they be treated? - And much more…

In this program, I interview Dr. Robert Corruccini, anthroplologist and author of How Anthropology Informs the Orthodontic Diagnosis of Malocclusion’s Causes (Edwin Mellen Press). We’re going to talk about why modern humans have crooked teeth, and how this relates to smaller  jaw sizes and smaller upper airways. In particular, you’ll learn: - When did humans begin to experience a lot of occlusal problems? - What kind of genetic and environmental factors can cause malocclusion? - How does Dr. Corruccini’s work compare and contrast to Dr. Weston Price’s work? - Is it true that even a few hundred years ago, humans didn’t have as many impacted wisdom teeth? - What are some of the health consequences of crooked teeth? - Has modern dentistry helped or hurt our teeth and our health? - For those of use with dental crowding already, what can we do? What can we do for our children?

In this program, I interview Ms. Joy Moeller, an orofacial myologist, on how the way you use your mouth and tongue can profoundly affect the way  you speak, swallow, and breathe. Here’s what we discuss: 1. What is orofacial myology (also called myofunctional therapy)? 2. How is this related to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea? 3. What can you do to help TMD/TMJ patients? 4. How does myofunctional therapy help forward head and neck posture? 5. Why is this treatment not taught in medical or dental schools yet? 6. Can young children benefit from orofacial myology? 7. And much more…

Expert Interview with Dr. Dave Singh, who is the author of Epigenetic Orthodontics and inventor of the DNA appliance. We discuss: – What is Epigenetic Orthodontics? – How is Epigenetic Orthodontics different from conventional orthodontics? – Sleep apnea as a craniofacial problem – How the DNA appliance can help obstructive sleep apnea – How is the DNA appliance different from conventional oral appliances.

In this month’s Expert Interview, I interview Dr. Avram Gold, a pioneer in researching the link between upper airway resistance syndrome, chronic fatigue, and the functional somatic syndromes. Some of the topics will include: - What are the functional somatic syndromes and how are they related to sleep-breathing disorders? - What’s the relationship between central sensitivity syndrome and stress? - How is sleep-disordered breathing related to stress? - How is anxiety or depression related to functional somatic syndromes? - How is chronic fatigue syndrome connected to the this condition?

This month, we welcome back Dr. Raymond Silkman, who will finish his fascinating discussion on holistic dentistry. We continue with the following topics: - How modern orthodontics can ruin your sleep quality - How dental crowding can lead to nasal congestion - The real cause of TMJ (it’s not from grinding or clenching) - Why modern humans have more facial wrinkles - Describe the Advanced Lightwire Functional (ALF) appliance - and much, much more…

In this month’s Expert Interview, I talk with Dr. Mack Jones, neurologist, sleep physician, and author of the book, Deadly Sleep: Is Your Sleep Killing You? about some of the major neurologic complications of obstructive sleep apnea. In this fascinating and provocative discussion, Dr. Jones and I talk about: - How sleep apnea can cause Alzheimer’s disease - The link between multiple sclerosis and sleep apnea - How ADHD and autism can be caused by sleep-breathing problems - Seizures and sleep apnea - And much more….

In this Expert Interview, dietician Maria Alexandra Bella will talk to us about Good Nutrition for Sleep Apnea. We’ll discuss: 1.Ways to avoid becoming hungry if you stop eating  within 3-4 hours of bedtime. 2. Why is it important to eat a good breakfast? 3. Some common myths and misconceptions about food choices and nutrition 4. Practical tips on choosing healthy ingredients without paying too much? 5. Nutritional pitfalls to avoid during the holiday season.

For this Expert Interview, I’m honored to have Dr. Barry Krakow as my guest. Dr. Krakow is a world-renown sleep researcher, and author of numerous books, including Sound Sleep, Sound Mind, andInsomnia Cures. We’re going to have a fascinating discussion about: - complex insomnia (insomnia and sleep apnea) - upper airway resistance syndrome - post-traumatic stress disorder - and much, much more… If you or your loved one has either insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea or upper airway resistance syndrome, you don’t want to miss this.