Can Snoring Kill You?

Some people who snore while sleeping may have a health condition call obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or just sleep apnea for short. Often people take this condition for granted, but if you or a loved one has this condition that is not being treated it can cause very serious health problems.

Facts About Sleep Apnea

1. Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a collapsing of the upper air passages during sleep, causing a blockage of air to the lungs.
2. The blockage of airflow to the lungs causes the oxygen in the blood to be too low and disrupted sleep.
3. The snoring in people with obstructive sleep apnea is caused by the air trying to squeeze through the narrowed or blocked airway.

Testing and treatment
Obstructive sleep apnea is easily diagnosed by undergoing a painless test called a polysomnography or simply a sleep study. This test is performed at night in a qualified sleep lab by a trained technician. The results of the sleep study are read by a doctor who specializes in sleep disorders.

The treatment goal in sleep apnea is to keep the airway open so that breathing does not stop during sleep. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most likely first treatment for obstructive sleep apnea in most people. CPAP is delivered by a machine while wearing a tight-fitting face mask.

Lifestyle changes that may relieve symptoms of sleep apnea in some people (in mild cases of sleep apnea):

1. Avoiding alcohol or sedatives at bedtime, which can make symptoms worse
2. Avoiding sleeping on the back may help with mild sleep apnea (some people have sewed a tennis ball in the back of a t-shirt to keep themselves off their back while sleeping)
3. Losing weight may decrease the number of apnea spells during the night

Again, if you or a loved one has a few of these symptoms, talk to your health provider about having this serious and debilitating condition diagnosed and treated. For more helpful information on obstructive sleep apnea, visit the National Sleep Foundation Web site at www.sleepfoundation.org.

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How to Quit Smoking

Cigarette smoking causes many health problems. I don’t believe that thereis a single person in America who does not know that smoking is bad for theirhealth. Simply put, I think there are very few people who are smoking because they truly want to smoke. For most people, I think that there are complexphysical and psychological reasons for them to continue to smoke despite theoverwhelming evidence of its dangers.We will now explore some deeper reasons why people continue to smokein spite of convincing evidence of health dangers and available methods of quitting.

The Hard Facts About Smoking

If you smoke, you have a good reason to worry about its effects on your health, the health of your loved ones, and the health of others. Cigarette smoking tops the list of major risk factors for heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. In fact, almost one-fifth of deaths from heart disease are caused by smoking. Unfortunately, by smoking you could become one of more than 438,000 annual smoking-related deaths in the U.S. Smoking also harms thousands of nonsmokers exposed to cigarette smoke, including infants and children.

The need to smoke may be deeper than you think. Many studies have shown a strong relationship between smoking and depression. These studies suggest that people may smoke cigarettes to self-treat the blue feelings of depression. The nicotine found in cigarettes works in the brain in a similar way as some antidepressant medications do. In some people, the successful treatment of depression needs to happen at the same time they quit smoking, or even before they do. If you think depression may play a role in your smoking habits, I recommend that you speak to your health care provider about being evaluated for depression and treatment options.

Motivation and Help for Quitting

The fact is, it is never too late to quit. When you quit, you reduce your health risk tremendously. Here’s the great news:

• No matter how much or how long you’ve smoked,
• when you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease and stroke starts to drop.
• Believe it or not, in time your risk will be about the same as if you’d never smoked!

There are many products that can help you quit. Several nicotine replacement systems are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help you quit smoking. All of these medications will more or less double your chances of quitting and quitting for good:

Certain people should avoid these medications and find other ways to quit. If you fit any of the following descriptions, talk to your healthcare provider before taking a nicotine-replacement medication:

• You are pregnant or trying to become pregnant
• You are a nursing mother
• You are under age eighteen
• You have a medical condition

Crucial Questions before You Quit*

Although the reasons to quit smoking are compelling, the decision to quit is not an easy one. Here are a few questions to think through before you try to stop smoking.

1. 1.   Why do you want to quit?
2. 2.   When you tried to quit in the past, what 2. helped and what didn’t?
3. 3.   What will be the most difficult situations for you after you quit? How do you plan to handle them?
4. 4.   Who can help you? Your family? Friends? Health care providers?
5. 5.   What pleasures do you get from smoking? What ways can you still get pleasure if you quit?

I also recommend that you ask your healthcare provider some questions before you quit.

1. What medication do you think would be best for me and how should I take it?
2. What should I do if I need more help?
3. How does smoking withdrawal feel?
4. Add your own questions to ask your health care provider here:

Five-Step Plan for Quitting

Step 1: Get Ready by Setting a Quit Date

• Perhaps your quit date can be on your birthday or anniversary. Mark it on your calendar.
• Give yourself at least a month to prepare.
• Pick a week to quit when your stress level is likely to be low.
• For a few days before quitting, each time you smoke, || write down the time of day, how you feel, and how important that cigarette is to you on a scale of one to five. This will give you an idea of when you smoke the most and how you feel during these times.
• Expect challenges and plan for them.
• Review your past attempts to quit. Think about what worked and what did not.

 

Step 2: Get Rid of Temptations and Reminders of Smoking

• By your quit date, get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and place of work.
• Throw away all matches and lighters.
• Change your routine. Use a different route to work. Drink tea instead of coffee. Eat breakfast in a different place.
• Ask others not to smoke in your home.
• Once you quit, don’t smoke—NOT EVEN A PUFF!

Step 3: Get Medicine to Help You Quit

• Ask your health care provider about the medicines discussed in this chapter.

Step 4: Get Help Because Quitting Is Hard

• Tell your family, friends, and people you work with that you are going to quit and ask for their support. Support means cheering you on and not lecturing you to stop.
• Get together with other people who are trying to quit. You can get online or call a hotline (1-800-227-2345 for the American Cancer Society) to be in touch with other people. In many states, counseling is offered by telephone help-lines. Ask your health care provider for this information.

Step 5: Prepare for a Relapse or Difficult Situations

• Most relapses occur within the first three months after quitting. If you make it past three months, you’re virtually there.
• Try to distract yourself from urges to smoke. Talk to someone, go for a walk, or get busy with a task.
• Don’t give up if you give in to temptation and || smoke. Simply set a new date to get back on track.
• Minimize drinking alcohol and avoid being around smokers.
• Keep a positive attitude.
• Many smokers will gain weight when they quit, usually less than 10 pounds. Combat this by eating healthy and staying active.
• Remember, most people try several times before they quit for good.
• Usually people make two to three tries or more before finally being able to quit. DON’T STOP TRYING.

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Am I Having a Heart Attack?

Symptoms of a Heart Attack:

1. Chest Discomfort – Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest. It may last more than a few minutes or the discomfort can feel like one or more of the following:

• Pressure
• Squeezing
• Fullness
• Pain

1. Upper Body Discomfort – Symptoms of a heart attack can include pain or discomfort in one or more areas:

• One or both arms – typically the left arm but not always
• The back – chest pain radiating to the back
• Stomach
• Neck or jaw

1. Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort. In particular, women may have no chest pain but have shortness of breath as their only symptom.

2. Other Symptoms:

• Breaking out in a cold sweat
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness

1. All of the Above Symptoms May Come and Go!

What to Do if You Have Symptoms of a Heart Attack?

1. Call 9-1-1 immediately – within 5 minutes!!! Treatment options that can save your life and minimize the damage to your heart work best if given within 1 hour of the start of warning signs.
2. Take one regular strength Aspirin (325mg) or four baby Aspirin (81 mg) – unless your doctor has informed that you shouldn’t take aspirin. Only do this AFTER you’ve call 911!
3. Remember, if you are having a heart attack, every minute you wait heart muscle is dying.

How can you take action NOW to lower your risk of having a heart attack?

• Stop  smoking — A smokers’ risk of developing coronary artery disease is 2–4 times that of nonsmokers. People who smoke cigars or pipes seem to have a higher risk of death from coronary artery disease (and possibly stroke) but their risk isn’t as great as cigarette smokers’. Exposure to other people’s smoke increases the risk of heart disease even for nonsmokers.
• Lower your high blood cholesterol – Do this through diet and exercise and take medicine if you need to.
• Address your high blood pressure — High blood pressure increases the heart’s workload, causing the heart to thicken and become stiffer.
• Get more physical activity — An inactive lifestyle is a risk factor for coronary artery disease. Regular, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity helps prevent heart disease. The more vigorous the activity, the greater your benefits. However, even moderate-intensity activities help if done regularly and long term.
• Control you weight — People who have excess body fat — especially if a lot of it is at the waist — are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke even if they have no other risk factors. Excess weight increases the heart’s work.  By losing even as few as 10 pounds, you can lower your heart disease risk.
• Control your diabetes — Diabetes seriously increases your risk of developing coronary artery disease. Even when blood sugar (glucose) levels are under control, diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, but the risks are even greater if blood sugar is not well controlled. About three-quarters of people with diabetes die of some form of blood vessel or heart disease.
• Reduce your stress levels – The best way to reduce stress is to do something that you love, because while you’re doing it you wont be stress out about anything else. You must find a way.
• Don’t drink too much alcohol — Alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause heart failure and lead to stroke. The risk of heart disease in people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol (an average of one drink for women or two drinks for men per day) is lower than in nondrinkers. It’s not recommended that nondrinkers start using alcohol or that drinkers increase the amount they drink.

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10 Money-Saving Tips for Prescription Medication

Consider these additional tips to save money on your prescriptions. Most of these helpful suggestions will work for anyone—in other words, no need to qualify to make most of these tips work for you.

1. Talk to Your Doctor. Tell your doctor if paying for prescription medication is a problem. He or she may have free samples or can tell you about other resources available.
2. Stop Taking Redundant Medication. Talk to your doctor to see if you still need to take all of the medications you are taking. Stopping a medication that is no longer useful is better for your health. It also saves you money.
3. Buy Generic. The generic version of a medication is usually a lot cheaper. In 2004, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores reported that the average price of a generic prescription drug was $28.74, while the average price of a brand-name prescription drug was $96.01—that’s three times more expensive! Be sure to discuss this with your doctor to find out if a generic version of your medication is right for you.
4. State-Sponsored Drug Assistance Programs. Check to see whether you are eligible for drug assistance programs in your state. Go to NeedyMeds.com to see what programs your state has at http://www.needymeds.com/ state_programs.taf
5. Senior Citizen Discounts. If you are a senior, be sure to ask your pharmacy for any senior discounts available.
6. Organizational Discounts. If you belong to an organization (like AARP), be sure to ask your pharmacy for any discounts available.

Additional Resources for Saving Money
The Web sites listed here all offer valuable information to help you find ways to save money on your prescription medications.

1. www.crbestbuydrugs.org/ This site contains important information from Consumer Reports about saving money on prescription drugs.
2. www.needymeds.com This site lists information about state programs, discount drug cards, federal poverty guidelines, and patient assistance programs and also includes copies of the forms.
3. www.helpingpatients.org This site has resources for patient assistance programs run by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Written by: Jeffrey B Brown, MD. FACP

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A List of Free Health Care Resources

Click on this link to go to page of free health care resources list: http://www.jeffreybrownmd.com/free-health-care-resources

Most of the health resources provide free health-related information, education, and support. The majority of the contacts have toll-free numbers and click-able Web addresses.

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