U.S. Health Cost Problem and Solution?

[roster]

Reference: http://www.medpagetoday.com/PublicHealt ... re/dh/6135

"For 2,951 adults with four common conditions -- hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke -- there were significant differences in both Part B (P<0.001) and Part A (P<0.001) expenditures and in total expenditures (P=0.02)."

Is sleep apnea the number one root cause of these four conditions?

I maintain that the costs of Medicare Part A and Part B could be reduced by more than 50% if we achieve a thorough diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea throughout the entire U.S. population.

[Sergey45]

Yes, but by doing so we will significantly reduce earning of all those cardiologists, endocrinologists, and general physicians who is treating SA patients from secondary symptoms.

[Slinky]

Well, there's still our distorted, mangled food supply and American eating habits ......

And the smokers ....

[roster]

Yes, but by doing so we will significantly reduce earning of all those cardiologists, endocrinologists, and general physicians who is treating SA patients from secondary symptoms.

Good point Sergey. Let's go for it!

[goose]

There's lots of ways that the "government" could save on it's expenses!!! But the magic word is "wanna"......They gotta wanna, and it's apparent they don't wanna....
Just the numbers on the xPAP machines is a perfect example. They'll pay $1600-$1800 for a common low end/mid range CPAP machine (APAP's are billed at the same rate which is why the DME's don't want to supply them). Got to cpap.com -- you'll find the same machine for about $450-$500.....That's an obscene margin, but that's our government at work.

Also don't want to confuse Billed rate with Payed rate.....

It's really frustrating as a taxpayer to see the way they waste our $$$ (I really don't mind paying taxes -- it's the cost of living here.
That said, I really don't like to absorb the waste and put up with the slimeballs that don't end up paying anything at all due to the loopholes).....

Oh well...........

gg

[geoDoug]

Yes, but by doing so we will significantly reduce earning of all those cardiologists, endocrinologists, and general physicians who is treating SA patients from secondary symptoms.

DINGDINGDING!!! We have a winner! This is why often I refer to our "sick care system" or at best our "medical care system" but never our "health care system."

The US seems to have this mindset of, "You go to the see the doctor when you're sick." The result is that what gets treated are symptoms, not the root cause of problems. ("Take two aspirin and don't call me on the morning.") This forum is an excellent example of the hell we have to go through to actually address the root cause of problems.

Doug.

[Snoredog]

Another area of study you might find interesting (from effects of untreated OSA), is Hypoxia and the role it plays in/with chronic inflammation. Why is that important?

Chronic Inflammation leads to Arteriosclerosis (Atherosclerosis) and/or what we know as hardening of the arteries.

Since we know that untreated OSA leaves a patient in a hypoxia condition and the national average is about 7 years before one finally clues in on a OSA diagnosis, there is plenty of time for the patient to be under this hypoxia condition and this inflammation to get started and be present.

There is now a simple blood test to measure that level of inflammation called the CRP (C-Reactive Protein) test to determine your level of arterial inflammation.

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcen ... irdCat=568

Once you understand how this inflammation gets started and its modalities, you'll have a better understanding of how untreated OSA can impact your overall health.

Next, understand our bodies response in the presence of that inflammation of the arterial system once started and you'll better understand the role of cholesterol plaques, platelets and how they aid in the repair of that arterial system and how some of those repair processes can increase your risk of stroke and heart disease.

Why is it they are finding more and more patients that have heart failure due to clogged arteries also have untreated OSA?

Here are just a few links about on Arteriosclerosis (Atherosclerosis):

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medical ... wsid=30001

http://medweb.bham.ac.uk/http/depts/pat ... ronic.html

http://etherweb.bwh.harvard.edu/researc ... poxia.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/arteri ... is/DS00525

http://www.arteriosclerosis.org/

http://atvb.ahajournals.org/

So my theory and approach to this is quite simple:

I don't look at OSA treatment as allowing me to sleep better, that is only secondary, I use it because research has taught me:

- CPAP (at nearly any pressure) stops or prevents this hypoxia condition from occurring, well known to be the root cause of chronic inflammation of the arterial system.

- By elimination of the hypoxia condition your red blood cells return to a nice round shape much more healthy than before where they can carry more oxygenated blood on to your vital organs like the brain and heart and the arterial system itself.

- By elimination of the hypoxia condition (use of machine) you remove the factors that contribute to this chronic inflammation, this may even help lower cholesterol levels naturally. Why take a pill to have your liver turn that off? Get to the root cause of that inflammation and the liver will control that itself on its own.

Niacin or Niaspan (http://www.niaspan.com) is about the only thing clinically shown to reduce that plaque build-up from your arterial system walls.

I think OSA is a natural way to kill us off, we can't live forever.

[oceanpearl]

Thirty years ago no one had ever heard of sleep apnea.

[roster]

SnoreDog,

Thanks for the info - so true. Also,

........

I think OSA is a natural way to kill us off, we can't live forever.
......

I often wonder about this. OSA doesn't seem to incapacitate or kill many people until they are well beyond 40 years old. Since we can reproduce in our early teens this gives us plenty of time for child bearing and raising to adulthood.

Would an evolutionist say the genetic predisposition to OSA flourishes because it doesn't prevent anyone from successfully continuing their family line?

DreamStalker can probably answer that.

[DreamStalker]

SnoreDog,

Thanks for the info - so true. Also,

........

I think OSA is a natural way to kill us off, we can't live forever.
......

I often wonder about this. OSA doesn't seem to incapacitate or kill many people until they are well beyond 40 years old. Since we can reproduce in our early teens this gives us plenty of time for child bearing and raising to adulthood.

Would an evolutionist say the genetic predisposition to OSA flourishes because it doesn't prevent anyone from successfully continuing their family line?

DreamStalker can probably answer that.

Nope I wouldn't know the answer to that. First of all let me just say I have only had one undergraduate course related to evolution (paleontology and it was not my favorite core curriculum course) and that was over 20 years ago.

I think the human lifespan has averaged around 40 years since we evolved to our current status (~ 200,000 years ago) and only around the 1900's did it begin to climb up over into the 50's and 100 years after that is now into the 80's. Many factors combine to form evolutionary changes within a species. My guess is that those evolutionary changes have not had time to catch up to how modern technology has increased our lifespan. In other words … once we reach our early 40’s, we basically start living on borrowed time (which puts me about 7 years into debt ).

[goose]

Holy moly.....that puts me 17 years on borrowed time......

[Guest]

LOL @ all the conspiracy theorists.

[nightingale]

I am reading a new book (2006) "Stop Being Your Symptoms and Start Being Yourself" which addresses social and cultural forces, the profit motive, "medicalizing" nondisease states, media impact, etc., affecting health and health care. I purchased several copies from Amazon.com pretty cheaply. Is written specifically for folks suffering from chronic symptoms, and is very interesting.

Nightingale

[ozij]

I think OSA is a natural way to kill us off, we can't live forever.

And cpap, as someone said on another thread, is the fountain of youth....


Immortality can be found at the end of glorified leaf blower.

.

[Julie]

Is it only me who wonders if OSA isn't simply a by-product of all those other conditions, one that just wasn't realized until recently as existing, let alone mattering? While Cpap may help regulate OSA, and make us less hypoxic, keeping us alive somewhat longer than untreated patients, isn't it possible that it's just another symptom, or accompanying condition, and not the cause of other things?