Standard Podcast [17:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (343)

Insights into sleep, and sleep disorders - whether lack of, excessive or disturbed sleep. Part 4 of a 4-part series.

On this show: You’ll hear insights from sleep apnea patient Mr. Sam Frank for whom proper diagnosis and treatment of his obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) - especially the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during sleep - has dramatically changed his life for the better. There’s a good chance that Mr. Frank (prior to his treatment) typifies numerous OSA sufferers in your practice for whom sleep apnea remains undiagnosed and untreated.

Next week: The installment topic will be a surprise. We’re sure you’ll find that it’s interesting, timely and important neurology and medical news information. Hint: information technology (IT) for neurology reigns supreme.

Thanks for staying subscribed to STAT! — The Podcast of Neurology News and Medicine.

Flow Productions will be producing additional lines of podcasts based on cutting medical news and information. Click for demos: Audio magazine format and video (’enhanced podcast’). If you are interested in sponsoring one of the shows please contact info@flowproductions.org.

 

 Standard Podcast [18:49m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (327)

Insights into sleep, and sleep disorders - whether lack of, excessive or disturbed sleep. Part 3 of a 4-part series.

On this show: We conclude the 3 interviews with Sleep Medicine experts Dr. Michael Littner and Dr. Jay Puangco. How important is sleep medicine in the practice of neurology? Might we expect significant increases - or decreases - in the use of sleep labs, what with Medicare’s likely reimbursement for home sleep apnea studies? And finally: Dr. Littner and Dr. Puangco provide us with take-to-the-office clinical pearls we may be able to use to help our patients.

Next week: Part 4 of the 4-part series. Hear insights from sleep apnea patient Mr. Sam Frank for whom proper diagnosis and treatment of his OSA - especially the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during his sleep - has dramatically changed life for the better. PS: There’s a good chance that Mr. Frank (prior to his diagnosis and treatment) exemplifies numerous people in your practice who’s OSA remains undiagnosed and untreated.

Thanks for staying subscribed to STAT! — The Podcast of Neurology News and Medicine.

Sponsor: Flow Productions. Flow will be producing additional lines of podcasts based on cutting medical news and information. If you are interested in sponsoring one of the shows please contact info@flowproductions.org. Click here to see and hear an example of our next-generation video podcasts.

 

 Standard Podcast [21:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (319)

Insights into sleep, and sleep disorders - whether lack of, excessive or disturbed sleep. Part 2 of a 4-part series.

On this show: We continue our interviews with Sleep Medicine experts Dr. Michael Littner and Dr. Jay Puangco. Cardiologists regularly use home testing for arrhythmia detection on a relatively large scale. Is it time for neurologists and other physicians to do likewise for testing sleep apnea? If Medicare completes the final approval of payment for home testing for sleep apnea, this may provide access (to this extremely important testing) to a huge number of patients. But do you think you can become a sleep apnea expert - employing home apnea testing for your patients - after just a weekend certification course? Think again!

Upcoming 2 shows: On Part 3 and 4 (next two weeks) we’ll complete our 3 interviews with Dr. Littner and Dr. Puangco, and hear insights from sleep apnea patient Mr. Sam Frank for whom proper diagnosis and treatment of his OSA - especially the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during sleep - has dramatically changed his life for the better.

 

 Standard Podcast [22:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (322)

Insights into sleep, and sleep disorders - whether lack of, excessive or disturbed sleep. Part 1 of a 4-part series.

On this show: Interview with Sleep Medicine experts Dr. Michael Littner and Dr. Jay Puangco. We’ll have an overview of Sleep Medicine, and highlight the importance Sleep Medicine as a medical specialty. Also: what percent of the population is estimated to have sleep apnea? And what fraction of those may remain undiagnosed? Is ’snoring’ and ‘excessive daytime sleepiness” (EDS) on your history intake form? If not, maybe it should be! Would you be eligible for a sleep medicine fellowship? And finally: insights into formal training in Sleep Medicine, from neurologist Dr. Puangco who’s in the Sleep Medicine fellowship at UCLA.

Upcoming 3 shows: On Part 2 and 3 (next two weeks) we continue our interviews with Dr. Littner and Dr. Puangco discussing the new and revolutionary home testing technologies for sleep apnea. And we’ll address what’s probably the current hottest topic in Sleep Medicine. Hint: the topic is ‘hot’ because of potential for significant reimbursement for efficient diagnostics coming soon.

On Part 4 we’ll hear insights from sleep apnea patient Mr. Sam Frank for whom proper diagnosis and treatment of OSA has changed his life for the better.

 

 #93: Reap The Sleep, Installment #2 [33:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (253)

Insights into sleep, and sleep disorders - whether lack of, excessive, or disturbed sleep

Focus: restless leg syndrome (RLS)

Hear these RLS-related reports:

• Frequency and Pain of Restless Legs Should Guide Therapy

• Dopamine Agonists Aid Sleep in Restless Legs

Other reports:

• Vigilance is Impaired in Drivers with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

• Screen Arnold-Chiari Patients for Sleep-Related Breathing Problems

• Ramelteon Effective for Subset of Insomnia Patients

Weblinks: Sleep Research Model Based on Sleeping Drosophila Flies

Restless Leg Syndrome links:

• RLS is a Genetic Disorder According to New Research

• News May Have Exaggerated Prevalence Of RLS

• Prevalence of Clinically Significant RLS 3% in U.S. Population, according to Archives of Internal Medicine

• RLS Linked To Low Serum Iron and Poor Iron Uptake In Brain

Sleep Deprivation Links:

• Co-Morbidities:

• Doubles Risk Of Death From All Causes

• Linked To Hypertension, Especially In Women

• Linked To CVD, Stroke, Diabetes, Cancer

• Physiological Stress from Sleep Deprivation:
  • Activates The HPA Axis
  • May Increase Adrenergic Receptor Function
  • Linked To Increased C-reactive Protein (CRP)

Next week’s show: Theatre Of The Mind – Psychoneuroimmunology: Dynamics Between Psyche, Nerves, The Endocrine System And The Immune System (our second installment). Focus will be the science behind, and importance of…the placebo response. And we’ll touch upon questions like, ‘Homeopathy: The system of therapy based on highly dilute substances. Are they active substances or just placebos?’ And: ‘Are there substantive benefits from Aromatherapy?’

 

 #46 - Reap the Sleep - Insights into Sleep Disorders, with focus on obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia [31:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (492)

Our first installment of Reap the Sleep — Insights into Sleep Disorders, with focus on obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia.

Publication Date: 12/01/06.

Show Notes:

In this first installment of Reap the Sleep we cover effects of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on brain compensatory mechanisms as we age. Clinical studies demonstrate that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improves cognition in aged patients - and even in Alzheimer’s patients - who have OSA. We also explore the association between OSA and neurodegenerative/cardiovascular diseases, and we emphasize why early diagnosis and treatment of OSA are so important.

And on the high-tech behavioral therapy front: patients with insomnia may be able to fall asleep faster and sleep longer following a F.A.S.T. session. Listen and learn why.

And last but not least a ’sexy’ mishap had Medicaid patients calling a phone-sex line instead of the Medicaid office. That mistake probably led to sleeplessness for some Medicaid bureaucrats, and less sleep for some Medicaid patients!