ANYONE READING THIS THINKING OF SURGERY FOR SNORING: Visit emptynosesyndrome.org, sleepquest.com, sleepnet.com, read “The Sinus Cure” by Grossan and “The Promise of Sleep” by Dement before you put yourself under a knife or laser to treat snoring, sleep apnea or nasal obstruction. Learn what a wholistic MD has to offer, and keep an open mind about dental appliances, and devices such as Grossan’s hydropulse and the Acapella.
OK. So.,
In response to Dave, the “sad fact” here is that you can’t don’t know what the medical community has to offer by talking to just one doctor. One doctor means one opinion, and depending on the doctor’s education, perhaps only one lousy suggestion of a valid treatment. However, in the case of Dave’s example of exposure therapy, Doctors (md’s) who use homeopathic methods offer, at least in the US, a type of exposure therapy that relies on air-based exposure, not needles, and the therapy takes weeks, not years. I actually read that in the paper here recently, I’m trying to track down the article.
Also, many MD’s are wholistic practitioners, so they consider adjunct treatments such as hypnosis, biofeedback, homeopathy, lifestyle change (such as losing weight or changing sleep position) to be potentially helpful, and even recommend such treatments to their patients. The advantage of getting a doctor’s diagnosis, particularly a well-chosen specialist’s diagnosis, is that the specialist can check for different causes of snoring (for example, a swollen soft palate versus nasal obstruction), and tailor their treatment recommendations to it. The same information can help those offering adjunct treatment (for example, New Code practitioners asked to treat snoring who actually need to treat evening drinking) as well.
Unfortunately, careful selection of a doctor matters a great deal. The patient ends up setting a course by their own research or with second or third doctor’s opinions. Buying doctor’s books, visiting forums such as sleepnet to hear from people who tried medical treatments or know of alternatives, those approaches are better than the alternative.
Consider what happens to someone who is diagnosed with nasal obstruction and refered to an ENT for surgery. The ENT may remove the patient’s turbidites, leaving them with a side-effect that is utterly debilitating, namely, empty nose syndrome. Thereafter, the patient will suffer a constant sensation of air hunger, gasping for breath, 24x7, forever. Well, actually, there is hope (check emptynosesyndrome.org and other resources). Empty nose syndrome can start up to 5 years after a turbinectomy, and sufferers are labeled psychosomatic by many US ENT’s, but some M.D’s are aware that the syndrome is real. Obviously, knowing who those MD’s are (e.g., Dr. Steven Houser at Mayo Clinic), learning about alternative treatments and tidbits like nasal cilia (e.g., google acapella, Grossan’s hydropulse, isotonic solutions, nasal cilia) and doing your own research could save you from an underreported side effect of a frequently recommended surgery. A good example from the soft palette side is available on sleepnet.
Eleanor Criswell, a long-time researcher in the US biofeedback community, wrote an interesting book called “Biofeedback and Somatics”. It contains technical sections on biofeedback technology and its applications, but it also contains elements of Thomas Hanna’s red light, green light model (“red light”, “green light” refer to somatic states rather than a biofeedback machine) and even classical NLP or Ericksonian hypnosis. Criswell distinguishes biofeedback clinical research from biofeedback therapy practice. She suggests that biofeedback therapy be employed with unconditional positive regard for the patient, careful use of language, and awareness of one’s self as your patient’s model of successful treatment. In contrast, she suggests that biofeedback research be conducted with careful recording, without adjunct therapies, and without overriding concern for your patient’s treatment outcome.
Her distinction applies to New Code therapy situations that give the New Code therapist opportunity to guide her client’s treatment options. Of course you’re not supposed to do that, at least not officially, but if you do, consider what wholistic MD’s might have to offer to help you help your client. And if I could offer one last suggestion: NLP New Code practitioners place their client’s well-being above their own research interests.
