Health
Some sleep apnea patients see improvement with new breathing tool
A new solution may be on the horizon for the 30 million people in the U.S. who suffer from sleep apnea.
In a Finland study, a new breathing device showed promising results in reducing symptoms of the disorder, according to researchers.
The device, called WellO2, uses resistance training to strengthen throat muscles and steam breathing to humidify airways.
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In the small study conducted by University of Turku’s Sleep Research Center, 25 participants with mild to moderate sleep apnea used the device at home twice a day for three months, breathing in and out 30 times per session.
At the end of the study period, the participants reported increased respiratory muscle strength, reduced nighttime breathing interruptions, improved sleep quality and decreased insomnia, according to a press release.
Snoring occurrences were also reduced.
The findings were presented on June 5 at the Nordic Lung Congress 2024 in Helsinki, Finland.
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The study will now be peer-reviewed by the scientific congress, then will be published later this year, according to the researchers.
“Currently, there are no available technologies or medications to treat sleep apnea,” lead author Dr. Usame Al-Rammahi, a doctoral researcher of pulmonary diseases and clinical allergology at the University of Turku, told Fox News Digital.
“Our first data suggest that respiratory muscle training may be the answer that not only alleviates symptoms, but also addresses the underlying cause of OSA by strengthening muscles.”
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CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is currently the most common treatment for sleep apnea — but about a third of patients struggle to adapt to it, Al-Rammahi noted.
WellO2 is designed to be used as an add-on therapy with CPAP.
“Even though CPAP should be used as needed, WellO2 training can be used as an additional therapy, since it addresses underlying reasons and may lessen CPAP adverse effects by moistening the airways,” Al-Rammahi told Fox News Digital.
Limitations of the study
This is a preliminary report and research is currently ongoing, Al-Rammahi said.
The study also did not include a control group.
“There is no quick fix for respiratory rehabilitation.”
“Nonetheless, given that the study compared their results to each participant’s personal findings, those persons were the controls,” Al-Rammahi said.
“Despite the lack of a control group, the findings remain important. Qualified questionnaires were used, and polysomnography (PSG) was a thorough and trustworthy procedure that provided substantial results.”
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Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, a neuroscientist and sleep specialist at Wesper in New York, was not involved in the study but commented on the device’s potential.
“Sleep apnea is primarily caused by obstructions in the upper airway that block the flow of oxygen into the lungs,” she said.
“This device is designed to strengthen the muscles of the upper airway and reduce these obstructions from occurring,” she also told Fox News Digital.
While the device was shown to offer “some improvement” when tested in a small population of patients, Rohrscheib noted that use of the device was only correlated with “moderate improvement” in the number of respiratory events.
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“That means it’s not guaranteed to work for every patient or to completely eliminate your sleep apnea symptoms,” she said.
“Further, the device was not tested in patients with severe sleep apnea — thus, patients should not rely on this device alone for treatment for their sleep apnea without the guidance of a sleep physician.”
Katri Lindberg, a respiratory specialist nurse in Finland who works with WellO2 as a breathing expert, said she recommends WellO2 training regularly for individuals who want to stop snoring or for whom CPAP devices are not suitable for treating sleep apnea.
“The research results are only preliminary findings from a small study, but they provide strong indications that we have found a rehabilitation tool that can now rehabilitate the symptoms of a large group of people worldwide, rather than merely alleviating them,” Lindberg told Fox News Digital.
“The study also indicates that there is no quick fix for respiratory rehabilitation. To remove symptoms and keep them at bay, regular, although relatively small, amounts of respiratory training are needed.”
Health
Doctors express concern about Biden’s apparent cognitive issues during debate: 'Troubling indicators'
The first presidential debate of 2024 left many Americans and even some traditional Democratic allies wondering about President Biden’s mental fitness for office based on what appeared to be his unclear train of thought at times and his raspy voice on Thursday night.
The White House responded to these concerns, claiming that the president, who is 81, was fighting a cold, but some doctors said they perceive the health issues go beyond the sniffles — with one noting that “it is an issue of fitness, not of age.”
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon who specializes in cognitive function, told Fox News Digital on Friday about his concerns.
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“President Biden’s performance in [Thursday] night’s debate reignited longstanding discussions about his cognitive abilities and his overall leadership capacity,” Osborn told Fox News Digital.
“Throughout the evening, Biden struggled to maintain a coherent narrative, often losing his train of thought mid-sentence, and providing vague, rambling and undecipherable answers to highly critical questions,” said Osborn, expressing his professional opinion.
“His frequent pauses, stumbling over words and reliance on notes underscored concerns about his mental acuity,” Osborn added.
“Biden struggled to maintain a coherent narrative, often losing his train of thought mid-sentence.”
These seeming signs of cognitive decline highlight a “growing inability” to manage the complexities required by the job of the presidency, according to the neurosurgeon.
“His difficulty in articulating clear, concise responses and his apparent disorientation during the debate were seen by many – including his own constituents – as very troubling indicators of his overall health and an obvious decline in his cognitive function,” Osborn said.
“President Biden lacks the mental sharpness required for the highest office in the land … especially amid [today’s] current national and international crises.”
The neurosurgeon, who has not treated Biden personally, also mentioned the 46th president has undergone multiple surgeries for brain aneurysms.
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There is a famous saying in neurosurgery, Osborn noted: “When the air hits your brain, you’re never the same.”
The surgeon surmised, “The odds have been stacked against him for years, long before his presidency.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, physician, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, also spoke with Fox News Digital about concerns from his end.
“The debate is, in a way, a psychiatric or cognitive stress test,” he told Fox News Digital.
Although Biden was able to respond to questions and seemed to be spatially aware, according to Siegel, the president did display “frequent disorientation” and had “problems with spontaneity or redirecting,” the doctor said.
He has not personally examined Biden.
Siegel described Biden’s speech as “meandering,” noting that he ended sentences in different places than intended, and “often mixed up ‘trillions’ and ‘billions’ and ‘millions.’”
Siegel confirmed that a physical illness, even with a cold, can bring out cognitive issues “even more.”
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“Even so, it’s hard to believe this is all from a cold,” Siegel told Fox News Digital. “Either way, we need someone who is sharp despite a cold.”
The NYU Langone physician noted that cognitive issues “wax and wane,” so they won’t always present the same way.
While the age of both candidates has been raised as a concern, Siegel countered that what’s important is a president’s physical and mental fitness.
“It is an issue of fitness, not of age,” he said. “It is an issue of mental acuity, which is especially important if there is a crisis.”
While Biden is 81 (he turns 82 in November), Trump is 78 years old.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” on Friday morning, Siegel also spoke about the possibility of cold medications impacting Biden’s performance.
“It is an issue of fitness, not of age. It is an issue of mental acuity.”
“None of the medications that he would be taking for a cold, except something that might make him drowsy, would be relevant here,” he said.
“And I don’t think they would give him something that would make him drowsy before a debate,” he said.
He added, “We’ve been watching this a long time. This is something progressive.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden campaign and to the White House press office for comment.
Earlier this year, concerns emerged about Biden’s age and memory after the release of a special counsel’s report. The report described the Democrat’s memory as “hazy,” “fuzzy,” “faulty,” “poor” and having “significant limitations,” the Associated Press noted at the time.
The report indicated that Biden could not recall certain milestones in his own life, such as the date his own son Beau died of brain cancer, as Fox News Digital reported at the time. (Beau Biden passed away on May 30, 2015.)
“My memory is fine,” Biden responded afterward from the White House.
“A person with growing problems of memory and judgment is frequently the last to acknowledge it.”
The New York Times editorial board and others have called on Biden to step out of the race after his debate performance.
Vice President Kamala Harris acknowledged that Biden had a “slow start” to the debate, but she defended his performance overall and his record during his time in the White House.
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Said Dr. Siegel in a New York Post opinion piece that ran in the publication on Saturday morning, “This isn’t a question of age. Cognition varies widely with age, and it isn’t fair to say that executive function is automatically impaired at a certain point in life. But it’s a sad medical fact that a person with growing problems of memory and judgment is frequently the last to acknowledge it.”
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