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Stress Reduction Shot or Pacifier for the Sleepless, Angry Public?

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Vaccine: Choice or Mandate for the Future?

Governments worldwide are anxiously awaiting further tests on a new vaccine announced yesterday by Rachel Quigley in her Mail Online article from the UK. Dr. Robert Sapolsky, a professor at Stanford University, is “on the path to a genetically engineered formula that would remove the need for relaxation therapies or prescription drugs.” His studies on glucocorticoids, the hormones chiefly responsible for our fear responses, have led him to the vaccine which works on rats. He admits that human trials are years away. Will the strong-armed governments of the world, seeking to calm the sleepless and sometimes angry public masses controlled by them, allow the tests on humans to wait that long?

Glucocorticoids are essential for life. They are present in the cells of almost all vertebrates. Cortisol is the most important human glucocorticoid. It “regulates or supports a variety of important cardiovascular, metabolic, immunologic, and homeostatic functions.” Cortisol, along with adrenalin, works to assist the brain in remembering stressful and dangerous situations. Those memories stimulate the fear and flight responses to dangerous situations that may confront us in the future. It is vital to the survival of the species.

Dr. Sapolsky thinks that the human species produces too many glucocorticoids and that man cannot turn them off after stressful situations. He claims, according to Quigley’s article, the hormone “becomes toxic both biologically, by destroying brain cells and weakening the immune system, and socially, when people continue to snap at their friends or family hours after the original cause of tension has vanished.”

The “Sapolsky shot” utilizes a herpes virus carrying genetically engineered “neuroprotective “genes to “neutralize the rogue hormones.” The shot supposedly short circuits the brain’s natural response to stress. Claims are that “It would leave you fresher and ready to deal with another threat, so you can maintain your drive, but with more focused calm.”

How will the short-circuited brain remember the stressful situation? Will a future similar threat be ignored by the chemically altered passive brain? Research in this important area must be done before human trials are initiated.

The FDA, with its quick approvals of fluoride additions to water supplies, aspartame and acesulfame potassium addition to foods, drinks, and medicines, despite studies proving their harmful effects, does not inspire confidence. Headlines across the internet already shout the “brain-eating” and “lobotomizing” effects of the “Sapolsky shot” as well as the conspiratorial applications of this vaccine as a secret additive to government required vaccinations worldwide.

Billions of dollars are being donated by the wealthy “elite” of the world in efforts to control population growth through vaccinations. Some nations refuse the donated vaccinations because of an increase in sterility among their female populations following their widespread use. It isn’t much of a stretch to suspect the ever-reaching arms of big governments everywhere to promote the “Sapolsky shot.” They are no doubt dreaming about the future populations of calm and sleepy subjects, no longer stress-filled, sleepless, and angry about the loss of their freedoms. FDA approvals for human testing will be quickly forthcoming. The “Sapolsky shot” is coming to a clinic near you. It will be provided free of charge by your friendly government sponsor. There are no harmful side effects according to the Center for Disease Control, the FDA, and the Administration. The supply will be “unlimited” according to Health and Human Services Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius.

The stress-filled, sleep deprived masses are already lining up for their calm inducing injections. Yoga and meditation will become a relic of the past as our minds and bodies slumber into a passive stupor of paralytic responses. As our self-preserving survival responses to stress are neutralized the pandemic of sleep deprivation will probably disappear. At risk will be our doubting responses to the threats of government theft of our liberties.

Tags: brain, brain eating, Cortisol, FDA, future populations, glucocorticoids, governments, hormones, liberties, lobotomizing, memory, pandemic, paralytic, passive, public, Sapolsky shot, side effects, sleep deprivation, sleep deprived, sleepless, stress reduction, strong-armed, stupor, survival, tension, theft, threat, vaccinations, vaccine
Posted in Appearances are Deceiving, Dazed and Confused, Frozen in Fear, Our Amazing Brain, Sleep Deprived | No Comments »

Pakistan Air Lines President Blames Sleepless, Tired Pilots for Crash

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Smoking Hole in Pakistan. Courtesy of AP.

Yet another deadly “smoking hole in the ground” adds to the continuing trail of death left by sleepless and tired pilots being stretched beyond their limits by schedules designed to maximize profits for their employers.

The worst air crash in Pakistan’s history of Airblue’s flight ED-202 from Karachi to Islamabad killing all 152 aboard may be attributed to pilot fatigue according to the President of Pakistan Air Lines Pilots Association (PALPA). Captain Sohail Baloch told a private news channel “The pilot may be suffering from accumulated fatigue because they are not given adequate leaves.” He added that the pilot was not in a no-fly zone and speculated that the plane was off course due to bad weather. The pilot had to ”resort to visual queues for landing” because communication with the control tower had been lost due to the weather.

The Hindu.com reports that the pilot , Pervez Iqbal Chaudhry, “had 35 years of experience and had logged over 25,000 flying hours.” Airblue official Raheel Ahmed was quoted in the same article explaining that the Airbus A321 was ten years old, had been used by them for the past four years, and was fully serviceable with no technical faults. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the aircraft at 2600 feet was cleared to land when it rose up to 3000 feet for no apparent reason and then disappeared from the radar. “The (control) tower did not receive any SOS message or report of a technical problem before the crash,” Malik said.

Only nine weeks ago the world was mourning the loss of 158 people in an Air India crash in the Mangalore hills. That “smoking hole” left eight survivors. The experienced British pilot of that flight misjudged his landing so badly (2000 feet) that “senior pilots, including the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (IPCA) are already blaming pilot fatigue for being responsible for the major accident,” as reported in a China Post article. Two years before that “an Air India Express flight from Mumbai to Dubai overshot its destination by 350 miles after its pilots apparently fell asleep due to fatigue.” The ICPA in response to the Mangalore crash sent a letter to the Prime Minister complaining that “up to 78 percent of crashes were caused by fatigue-related human error.” Flight and Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) in India have not been changed since 1992 when they had no scientific basis for the regulations. Attempts were made in 2005 to change the FDTL but the rule changes were withdrawn under pressure from the “private operators.”

The flight and duty time restrictions worldwide reflect the lack of response from the FAA to the plethora of data now available regarding the effects of sleep deprivation upon mental and physical performance. Our rule changes were dropped in 1995 in response the airline industry’s complaints. Even the unions, strongly supported by then President Bill Clinton, wanted to drop the duty time hours from 16 to 14 hours. Andy Pasztor, in a Wall Street Journal article titled “Dispute Over Cost Delays Pilot Rules,” blames the delay in the rule changes on a dispute between the FAA and the White House Office of Management and Budget. Budget officials have told the FAA informally that “the proposal’s projected cost to airlines wasn’t justified by the anticipated safety benefits.” Since the FAA is controlled by former air line executives and Washington is still held in the firm grip of powerful airline lobbyists like Linda Daschle we cannot expect the “change” promised by our President in the flowered oratory of his campaign.

The European Cockpit Association, a group of pilots unions with over 38,000 members, accuses the European Union (EU) of “ “endangering air safety by failing to act on the recommendations of experts who say cuts in flying hours are needed to curb pilot fatigue.” The Air Canada Pilots Association, with over 7,000 members, has been asking for changes to Transport Canada’s regulations for years. Dave Ross, of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing pilot unions at six regional airlines, says, “It’s money. If you can’t fly as long as you do today, then that increases your cost.”

The world continues to scream the alarms to the FAA. The FAA’s mission statement is “to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.” The FAA’s vision statement is “ to reach the next level of safety, efficiency, environmental responsibility and global leadership. We are accountable to the American public and our stakeholders.” The world waits, awake to the ever increasing danger of sleepless and tired pilots threatening our lives. The FAA, Congress, and the Administration continue to hit the snooze button while confined to the bedroom of the airline industry’s sleep inducing lobbyists.

The “smoking holes” of death and the smells of burning flesh are permeating the atmosphere of Obama’s flowery campaign rhetoric about cleaning up the halls of Washington. In 2007 newsmax.com reported on Mr. Obama’s lamenting the fact that “the disproportionate influence of lobbyists and special interest is a problem in Washington (and) in state capitals.” He admitted then that he was “swimming in the same muddy water” and that he knows the waters are muddy. He said “I want to clean it up.” The world is waiting for Mr. Obama, Mr. Babbitt (FAA Administrator), and Mr. LaHood (Transportation Secretary) to exit the bedroom of the airline industry’s sleep inducing lobbyists and go to work on new pilot fatigue regulations. The safety of millions flying the skies continue to see the smoke and to smell the burning flesh. The time has come for you to douse the flames.

Here’s a link to a very sad slide show of crash site photos, courtesy of AP and thehindu.com: http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article538554.ece

Another link to a related article from thehindu.com: http://www.thehindu.com/news/article540335.ece

Tags: air crash, Air India, Airblue, Babbitt, FAA, fatigue, LaHood, lobbyists, Obama, paralysis, pilot fatigue, regulations, sleep deprivation, sleep deprived, sleepless and tired, smoking hole
Posted in Appearances are Deceiving, Dazed and Confused, Frozen in Fear, Sleep Deprived, Sleepless and Tired, Worried and Stressed | No Comments »

Hollywood Sleeps in Obama’s Arms While Gulf Screams for Help

Monday, June 14th, 2010

One of the dead victims of the spill. Kemp's Ridley sea turtle was already endangered.

Now that their “messiah” from Chicago has been elected to the nation’s highest office, Hollywood is hypocritically silent. When Bush was in office, nary a week passed without our hearing passionate cries for his impeachment or vile insults upon his intelligence. Concerts, benefits, songs, commercials, and appeals for donations almost immediately followed worldwide disasters. The tribute to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attack, only ten days later, raised more than $100 million. The concert telethon for the 2004 tsunami victims raised millions more. The “Shelter from the Storm” concert raised $30 million for Hurricane Katrina victims. “Hope for Haiti” raised $66 million for Haiti’s earthquake victims. Eight weeks after America’s worst ever environmental disaster, one which Obama compared to 9/11 (to the consternation of more than 2000 victims’ families), we have not heard from our Hollywood celebrities. They appear to be resting comfortably in the arms of their “messianic” President, fearing to breathe a word that might bring harm to his already tanking numbers.

The environment has been a favorite topic for our Hollywood celebs. They love to espouse the global warming theme popularized by Al Gore, another of their political heroes. The BP oil spill will go down in the record books as the biggest environmental disaster in our history. Approximately 100,000 barrels of oil have been spewing into the gulf every day. That’s the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez spill every 2.4 to 3.5 days, according to Steven Wereley of Purdue University. Patrick Szabo says the oil is “destroying the Gulf of Mexico and its beautiful ecosystem.” Tons of species will be affected by this disaster. Some may soon be in danger of extinction. North Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, famous for the sushi our Hollywood friends are fond of, may be in danger since their spawning in the Gulf of Mexico occurs from mid-April to mid-June. “Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species live, migrate, and breed in the Gulf region,” says Julia Kumari Drapkin, writing for Global Post. Sharks, marine mammals (whales, porpoises, dolphins), brown pelicans, oysters, shrimp, blue crab, marsh dwelling fish, beach nesting and migratory shorebirds, and migratory songbirds are all in jeopardy. Where are the pictures of our Hollywood celebrities cleaning off the oil-coated brown pelicans dying on the beaches?

Fishing in the gulf accounts for a billion dollars of our nation’s GDP, with $13 billion more in tourism, and $11 billion in oil, according to Charles Colgan of the National Ocean Economics Program. Florida has no state income tax and its economy depends on tourism. Many of the Gulf States are suffering the loss of thousands of jobs as a result of Obama’s suspension of all drilling operations in the gulf. The Department of Economic Development in Louisiana estimates losing “3,000 to 6,000 jobs in the next two to three weeks, and as many as 10,000 Louisiana jobs within six months,” as reported in mcclatchydc.com. Even the fishing industries, devastated as they are by the BP spill, support the oil industry. Many boats tie to the rigs while dropping their lines. Grand Isle’s Dean Blanchard, one of the largest shrimp distributors in the country says, “We’re suffering enough without others suffering.” Governor Bobby Jindal is urging Obama to move quickly to remove the moratorium. Jeff Landry, running for congress calls the moratorium “nothing short of a domestic attack on our economy.”

People in the Gulf states are suffering and our President is not helping. Our Hollywood “friends” are hopelessly asleep in the comfort of his golf and basketball toned arms. Hollywood’s fundraising capabilities are unquestioned. Their successes have been well documented in the past. Today they dare not speak against their “messiah” …even if it means denying the screams of our American victims in the Gulf. The silence of Hollywood is deafening.

Tags: BP, celebrities, disaster, drilling, drilling moratorium, economy, Gulf, Hollywood, Hollywood sleeps, Obama, oil spill, screams, silence, victims
Posted in Appearances are Deceiving, Dazed and Confused, Worried and Stressed | 2 Comments »

Mattress Retail’s Comfort “Tail”: Pillow Top, Euro Top, or Plush Top?

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

The Tail's Meaning

Now that you are in the market for sleep, the challenge posed by the retail mattress world is a difficult one. There are so many choices that most shoppers will be easily confused. Confusion is a valuable ally to the mattress retailer. The sea of white is intimidating. They look similar, but they are very different. Many have the same name, but have different “tails.” The “tails” are your guides to the comfort challenge. The “tails” refer to the tailoring and the layering of materials on top of the support system in the mattress. “Pillow top, Euro top, and plush top” are the tails that follow the model names. An example of a name and tail would be the “Bristol Pillow Top,” the “Bristol Euro Top,” and the “Bristol Plush Top.” Your challenge is to find the style (“tail’) and the comfort level that best suits you and how you sleep. A fourth “tail,” intentionally omitted, is the “firm” or “tight top.” The firm versions are meant for people who are looking for a flat, hard surface. They are not looking for comfort.

“Comfort” can be defined as a “state of ease or well being;” “relief from affliction;” or “something that affords physical ease and relaxation.” Our stress filled world is more sleep deprived than ever. Most people admit to an average of 6 to 7 hours of sleep per night. If those hours are spent tossing and turning and trying to get comfortable, then you are sure to become a sleep deprived victim of your mattress set. The incredible costs and dangers of sleep deprivation have been noted in a prior article. The keys to your comfort challenge are to find a mattress that keeps your spine straight and one that does not create pressure points. Answering the spinal alignment question requires a test of both the spring system or foam support layers (in a foam only mattress) and the top comfort layers to see whether the mattress keeps your spine in a straight line. This can be done with a simple visual test while in the bed. Ask your partner to tell you whether your spine is straight from your neck to the base of your spine. If the hip area sinks, the mattress is too soft. If the hip area angles skyward, then the mattress is too firm.

The pillow top and the euro top can be easily recognized by two distinct tape (rope-like) edges running along the top sides of the mattress. The extra tape edges allow for more layers to be placed on top of the mattress support system. These layers are your main comfort layers. They may contain memory foam, latex foam, convoluted foam, natural fibers such as wool or silk, space age temperature regulators such as cool max, and ticking (fabric) woven with cotton, silk, or bamboo. A single tape edge sewing down all of those layers would create a definite “roll off the edge” feel which would limit the effective sleeping area of the mattress. The difference between the pillow top and the euro top is that the pillow top has a distinct indentation between the tape edges. The euro top (sometimes called a box top) does not have an indentation between the tape edges. Its side panel is a very neatly tailored “box.” The euro top is often much thicker than the pillow top and may contain additional edge support to eliminate the “roll off” effect. Keep in mind that these thick mattresses will require deep or extra deep pocketed sheets. Some are so thick that a queen mattress will require king blankets and spreads in order to cover their sides when made.

The pillow top and the euro top are designed for maximum comfort and minimum pressure point stress. The pillow top or the euro top would be a good choice for a lighter person, for a side sleeper, or for a person plagued by pressure sensitivity problems at the shoulder, the hip, or the arm. Memory foams and latex foams offer excellent contouring to the body without creating pressure. Heavier people may find that these pillow tops will allow their hips to sink into the mattress too far. A v-shaped kink in the line of the spine will cause muscles to pull, creating discomfort, soreness, and a restless tossing and turning at night. Heavier people will be better advised to consider the plush top mattresses.

Plush top mattresses have only one tape edge. They are not as thick as the pillow tops and the euro tops. They do not contain layers as thick as the other two, but they often contain the same foams, fibers, and ticking. The comfort advantages you find in the pillow tops and the euro tops are still available in the plush tops, but you will notice a slightly firmer feel because you are closer to the support system in the mattress. If you are heavier, your spine will stay straighter in a plush top mattress. A lighter person may experience the “hip in the air,” kink in the spine effect which will cause problems with pulling muscles and with pressure points. The plush tops offer money saving advantages to the budget conscious since they usually cost quite a bit less than the pillow tops and the euro tops. If body impressions are a concern for you, plush tops are much less prone to noticeable impressions than their brethren, although some imprinting is normal in all mattresses.

Hopefully this “tail” will assist you in your shop for sleep . May your happy ending be a “good night’s rest.”

Tags: challenge, comfort, decision, euro top, good night's rest, mattress, pillow top, plush top, pressure, retail, sleep, sleep deprivation, straight spinal alignment, support, tails
Posted in Dazed and Confused, Shop for Sleep | No Comments »

Sleepless and Tired Pilots Given Okay for Antidepressants on the Job!

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

Northwest Crash

In an unbelievable reversal of policies, the FAA is now allowing the already sleepless and tired pilots to take antidepressants on the job. The new policy takes effect on Monday, April 5^th. The announcement in CBS News from the Associated Press today, April 2^nd, had to have been delayed a day to avoid the April Fools tradition that would have had no one believing it! Our stress filled world has been plagued by many catastrophic tragedies that have been linked to sleep deprivation. Now, we can look forward to pilots, suffering from “mild to moderate depression,” under the influence of prescription medications like Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro, and their generic equivalents.

The FAA officials said that “the old rule was based on outdated versions of antidepressants that could cause drowsiness and other side effects.” The FAA Administrator, Randy Babbitt, now considers the side effects much less of a risk than they once were. The new policy is meant to encourage the pilots to report their use instead of keeping their use a secret. The threat of losing their licenses, until now, has kept the pilots from the disclosure. Babbitt says, “We need to be able to change the culture and remove the stigma associated with depression. Pilots should be able to get the medical treatment they need so they can safely perform their duties.” The stipulation of the new policy is that they have to have been treated successfully “for a year without side effects that could pose a safety hazard in the cockpit.”

The critical question here is how these pilots can be judged to be free of those side effects. All four of these drugs, and their generic equivalents, have the same dangerous side effects listed in all of their disclosures as well as on drugs.com:

Drowsiness, dizziness, tired feeling
Mild nausea, stomach pain
Fast or uneven heartbeats
Overactive reflexes, hostile, aggressive impulses
Mood changes
Concentration problems, confusion, hallucinations
Insomnia
Suicidal thoughts

All of these are also extremely dangerous when combined with alcohol, blood thinners, and secondary antidepressants.

Who is going to determine whether these side effects have ever been experienced by the pilots? Who is to say that if they have not been experienced before they will not happen in the future? Our psychiatrists and our psychologists have done a great job of keeping the criminals off our streets and the pedophiles away from our children, haven’t they? Many reports are written to affect the viewpoint desired by the responsible party, similar to our legal system today. Every major criminal trial today is muddled by opposing proof from differing psychiatrists and psychologists. Who determines the accuracy? Here there will be no judge and no jury. Mr. Babbitt and his competent staff at the FAA will be their judges. And we will become the victims?

How many of our lives will now be endangered because the FAA and Mr. Babbitt feel that our need to “change the culture” is more important than the safety of millions of Americans flying the skies. Sleep deprived pilots have been a problem in the past and they will continue to be a problem due to their grueling schedules. Now we can look forward to our pilots being sleep deprived and “under the influence.” How many new disasters and lost lives will be required before this “culture changing” and naive policy is replaced by the “common sense” approach of the past?

Please feel free to comment below and/or rate this post below.

Tags: antidepressants, depression, drugs, FAA, insomnia, medications, pilots, prescription, psychiatrists, psychologists, side effects, sleep deprived, sleepless and tired, stress
Posted in Dazed and Confused, Frozen in Fear, Sleepless and Tired, Worried and Stressed | No Comments »

Mattress Retail and the Naming Conspiracy: How to Shop and Compare

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Conspiracy

Unlike most branded retail products, the mattress retail business uses model names without numbers and, because of the totally unrelated names, it is almost impossible to compare and shop models from one store to the next. This “conspiracy” makes it very difficult for the consumer to take advantage of the price guarantees offered at virtually every mattress retailer. The most common question heard by salespeople in the business is, “How can I compare models and shop for best price when the names are different everywhere I go?” The complaint that usually follows is “The price guarantee I see everywhere is worthless. It’s a joke. Comparisons are impossible.”

Accurate comparisons of like models are essential to the effective utilization of the price guarantee advertised by most mattress retail dealers. A typical price guarantee might read, “We’ll beat anyone’s price by at least 10%.” Some retailers will specify that it must be the same brand and model. With the model names being different everywhere, those retailers are able to exempt themselves from ever honoring their advertised guarantee. Some retailers require that the price be an advertised price, but most retailers don’t advertise the model names in their ads, and that pretty much let’s them off the hook. Consumers cannot shop ads if the model names are not in them, and shopping the competition is extremely difficult in person when the names are different everywhere. It doesn’t take long for the consumer to realize that there is a “conspiracy” in place to defeat the use of the “advertised gimmick” called the “price guarantee.” The frustration turns quickly to irritation and the consumer is left with nothing but mistrust for the mattress retailer and his sales staff. I don’t know how many times a day I had customers tell me, “you guys are just like used car salesmen.”

The mattress manufacturers would love to have the model names standardized amongst retailers, but the retailers will never let them do that. The manufacturers would save a lot of money, since they have to pay people to come up with new names for every model, every year, for every retailer. They have to tweak the different models in very minor ways in order to keep them slightly different. Those minor differences cost the manufacturers a lot of extra money in modifying the production runs. The retailers want to keep the consumer confused. They want as many different specifications, different fabrics, different tape edges, different stitching patterns, and, most certainly, the different names. The confusion virtually negates the price guarantee because the salesperson can say that the models are different. “This one has a foam encased edge and the one you saw at the department store does not. I can’t beat the price, but I can match it.” The retailer I spent most of my career with allowed us to beat prices “as long as the models were fairly close.” We had to spend a lot of time shopping the competitors to become extremely familiar with the similarities and the differences between the brands and the models in our market area. Unfortunately, that is not the norm for mattress retailers and their staff. Most retailers do not require their staff to shop the competition. The poorly educated staff is forced to “wing it” or to lie to the consumer in order to protect the price points. Some lies can be detected by the consumer and the salesperson loses. Some are so well camouflaged that the consumer cannot detect them and, in that case, the consumer loses. When the consumer loses and discovers the truth later (and he or she usually does) the retailer loses, the salesperson loses, and the industry develops a bad reputation. Trust presents a huge obstacle to overcome. The customer becomes afraid to make that purchase in the future, and the salesperson has a very difficult time getting past the inherent mistrust now permanently entrenched in the customer’s psyche. Retailers wonder why the consumer usually takes three years to make that purchase…three years after he knows his mattress is no longer providing a “good night’s rest“? The simple answer for mattress retailers would be to modify their game plan and to allow for easier comparisons through the naming process. That change will probably never come.

The consumer needs to take charge. Comparisons are actually easier than you might expect. Once you have found a mattress you feel comfortable in and one which supports your spine properly, take notes on the following ten items:

Brand name
Model name
Basic Appearance (firm or tight-top, plush or softer top, or pillow-top)
Coil count (queen is the standard used now for quoting purposes)
Independent coils or tied together coils
Wire gauge (the lower the number, the heavier the wire)
Special foams (memory foam or latex foam)
Edge support (heavier gauge on the edge or foam-encased)
Regular price
Sale price

These ten items, once noted, and taken with you when you shop the competition, will give you everything you need to find the “comparable” model at other retailers. The ”cold white sea” of mattresses staring at you as you enter the store adds to the confusion. They all look pretty much the same, but items 1, 3, and 9 on your list will lead you directly to the correct area. The brand name will match, the basic appearance should be very similar (tight-top, plush, or pillow-top), and the regular price should be pretty close or within two to three hundred dollars (in most cases). The mattresses are usually displayed with the most expensive in the front of the store and the least expensive to the rear of the store. Brands are almost always grouped together.

By the time you have approached the correct area, a salesperson will probably have arrived to greet and assist you. If you haven’t already noticed signage announcing a price guarantee, ask your salesperson whether they have one and how it works. Bring your notes out and tell your representative that you are looking for ______ brand and ______ model that you saw at _____ store. Indicate the one that looks most similar to the one you selected at the other store and detail the specifications from your notes. Ask which one most closely matches the one you are looking for. If your salesperson tries to deflect you toward other product at this point be wary. Take charge and keep him or her on track. Don’t be afraid to say that you are “locked in” to that particular brand. Ask your salesperson to check the specs to make sure that you have matched items 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Lie down to make sure that this mattress feels comparable to the one that you liked in the other store. If it feels the same after spending at least 15 minutes on it, then ask your salesperson to beat the price as guaranteed in their advertising or printed policies. Be sure to utilize the “apples to apples” final price including delivery, set-up, pick-up of the old set, and tax in your price beat. Be careful of high pressure add-ons to recoup the retailer’s lost margin dollars.

If your mattress retailer does not honor the price guarantee for one reason or another, you should ask for the manager to do it for you, or move on to another mattress retailer who will gladly accept your business.

Unfortunately, mattress retail dealers are not likely to change their imbedded (excuse the pun) naming “conspiracy.” Nor are they likely to alter their “loss leader” advertising that is damaging their image, integrity, and standing in the eye of the consumer. The only solution to this dilemma is a more informed, a more detail-conscious, and a more demanding consumer. Shop with confidence, take charge, take notes, make the comparisons, and claim the price guarantee. Your shop for sleep is easier than your fear allows.

Good night and sleep well!

Tags: confusion, consumer, fear, good night's rest, integrity, mattress, retail, shop, sleep, sleep deprivation, trust
Posted in Appearances are Deceiving, Dazed and Confused, Frozen in Fear, Shop for Sleep | No Comments »

Insomnia, a Symptom of the Pandemic: Are Drugs the Answer?

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Insomnia, as defined by Wikipedia, is “a symptom which can accompany several sleep, medical and psychiatric disorders, characterized by persistent difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep despite the opportunity.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in the year 2007 that “approximately 64 million Americans regularly suffer from insomnia each year. Insomnia is 1.4 times more common in women than in men.” Most all of us have, at one time or another, suffered the effects of insomnia. One can hardly watch an hour of television nowadays without being bombarded with ads for Paxil, Zoloft, Ambien, and Lunesta. The market is huge and ever growing as we suffer the effects of the Pandemic of the 21st Century: Sleep Deprivation.

According to the National Prescribing Service “data from 2006-08 shows medication was prescribed for 95.2 per 100 insomnia problems*, however research from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the US has shown non-drug therapies have comparable effectiveness to hypnotic medicines.” With the increasing stresses of today’s unemployment rate, the faltering economy, and the crippling effects of sleep deprivation everyone wants a “quick fix.” The “quick fix” does not come free. The consequences of sleep medications are many, and they are fraught with many dangers. Consider the following dangers listed by Helpguide.org:

Drug tolerance. You may have to take more and more of the sleep aid for it to work, which can lead to more side effects.

Drug dependence. You may come to rely on the medication to sleep, and will be unable to sleep or have even worse sleep without it.

Withdrawal symptoms. If you stop the medication abruptly, you may have withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating and shaking

Side effects. There are several side effects to sleep medications, such as drowsiness the next day, confusion, forgetfulness and dry mouth. These side effects can be severe.

Drug interactions. If you are taking other medications, sleeping medications can interact with them. This can worsen side effects and be dangerous with medications like prescription painkillers and other sedatives.

Rebound insomnia. If you need to stop the medication, sometimes the insomnia can become even worse than before.

Masking an underlying problem. There may be an underlying medical or mental disorder, or even a sleep disorder, that if treated would provide more relief from insomnia.

The big question is whether the reward is worth the risk. The drug companies want you to believe that the answer is a big “yes.” After reading the 32 pages of warnings provided by Sanofi, the makers of Ambien CR, I would have to wonder:

Need to evaluate for co-morbid diagnoses: Revaluate if insomnia persists after 7 to 10 days of use (5.1)

Severe anaphylactic/anaphylactoid reactions: Angioedema and anaphylaxis have been reported. Do not rechallenge if such reactions occur (5.2)

Abnormal thinking, behavioral changes, complex behaviors: May include “sleep-driving” and hallucinations. Immediately evaluate any new onset behavioral changes (5.3)

Depression: Worsening of depression or, suicidal thinking may occur. Prescribe the least amount feasible to avoid intentional overdose (5.3, 5.6)

Withdrawal effects: Symptoms may occur with rapid dose reduction or discontinuation (5.4, 9.2)

CNS depressant effects: Use can impair alertness and motor coordination. If used in combination with other CNS depressants, dose reductions may be needed due to additive effects. Do not use with alcohol (2.3, 5.5)

Elderly/debilitated patients: Use lower dose due to impaired motor, cognitive performance and increased sensitivity (2.2, 5.6)

Patients with hepatic impairment, mild to moderate COPD, impaired drug metabolism or hemodynamic responses, mild to moderate sleep apnea: Use with caution and monitor closely (5.6)

Those dangers should not be taken lightly. My research on this subject took me to an excellent article, which I have been given permission to reprint in full. Gayle Greene, PhD, author of “Insomniac“ and author of the popular blog, sleepstarved.org published “To Med or Not to Med” in Psychology Today. Her article is informative and well researched:

Ambien

To Med or Not to Med

How to sort through the hype and hysteria around sleep medications

Published on December 13, 2009

As someone who’s struggled with insomnia all my life, I face this question on a nightly basis, whether it’s better to reach for a sleep med or tough it out without sleep. Advertising assures us that there’s little danger from sleep meds, but the scare stories of Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger suggest otherwise. How to sort through the hype and hysteria?

As the author of “Insomniac“, a first person account of living with insomnia, I spent six years researching sleep meds, and concluded that these are not demon drugs, but neither are they harmless. They require thought and attention. No sleep med on the market today is problem-free. None gives deep, natural sleep through the night and keeps on working indefinitely. All interfere with the structure of sleep, so that if we take them continuously, we may be robbing ourselves of the restorative benefits of sleep. Most have adverse effects on memory and coordination. Some may be addictive.

I say, turn to medications as a last resort, after you’re tried everything else, as a final line of action rather than a first. But since I find living on the 2-4 hours sleep that’s my usual lot is just too terrible, I turn to them-quite a bit.If you decide to go this route, find a doctor who will work with you- no mean feat, since doctors are caught in the same hype and hysteria that infects so much thinking about medications. There’s the pill-happy doctor, on the one hand, who whips out a prescription pad before you’ve stopped talking, and sends you out of the office with a drug that may or may not be right for you; and there’s the censorious doctor, at the other extreme, who makes you feel like a junkey for asking for a sleep aid. It may help to know that hypnotics, as FDA-approved sleep meds are called, are regulated in a way that makes many doctors shy away from them; if your doctor seems irritated with your request, it may have more to do with these regulations than with you. Hypnotics are regulated by the Controlled Substances Act, which categorizes substances according to their medical uses and potential for abuse and dependence. They’re “schedule IV” drugs, which is less restricted than I, II, or III, but still, these are controlled substances, under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. FDA guidelines suggest limiting the use of most hypnotics to seven to ten days up to a maximum of a month, yet many of us take them for much longer. Prescribing them for more than a month may put the doctor at legal risk.

Antidepressants -which include the older drugs like Elavil, Deseryl (trazodone), and the newer SSRIs, Paxil, Zoloft- are not “controlled substances,” which may be one reason they’re so often prescribed for sleep. They don’t work for me: they fog my brain, speed my heart, and don’t help my sleep. But they do work for many people. No two people react to a drug the same way-even antihistamines, the staple of most over the counter sleep remedies and of cold medicines like Benedryl, are unpredictable, acting like a soporific for some people and like speed for others. Someday, perhaps, a doctor will be able to take a blood test, assess your DNA, and with this information, be able to tailor a prescription precisely to you. But for now, no doctor can guess how a drug will work for you-only you can be the judge of that. You have to be willing to come back and say, can I try something else? And for that, you need a doctor who’s willing to trouble shoot.

Then, find out what you’re putting in your body. Read the package insert, get on the web and find out all you can about it. Know what category of drugs the medication belongs to, the effects it’s likely to have. (There are user-friendly, reliable Web sites that have information on drugs, listed below, and also sites like Sleepnet and TalkaboutSleep and Sleepstarved.org -my own site-where people talk about their experiences with drugs.)

The longer acting drugs, the benzodiazepines (Ativan, Valium, Restoril), are more likely to get you through the night, but may also leave you hungover the next day, since they hang around the system longer, and may also be more addictive. The shorter-acting, so-called non-benzodiazepines (Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata), may be out of your system so fast that they don’t get you through the night. But at a low dose, these may help you get back to sleep when you wake up after a few hours. (That’s how I use Ambien. But if you use a med in the middle of the night, be sure you’ve left time for the effect to wear off before you have to swing into action the next day.)Then, if you continue taking a med for any length of time, keep tabs on yourself. Make sure it’s not affecting your personality or mood. If you begin to feel not yourself, consider that it may be the med. Ambien, though it agrees with me, can have some pretty weird effects: people waking up to find candy bar wrappers and crumbs in their bed, having telephone conversations they don’t remember, driving with no recollection of it. Sometimes this happens because they’ve taken too much of the drug, or have taken it over too long a time, or have mixed it with alcohol, or because they took it before they left the office or the party and drove home. (Never take a sleep med anywhere but in bed, when you are about to go to sleep!) Sometimes it happens simply because they have a bizarre reaction to this drug. “These drugs do things we do not understand,” as Daniel Kripke says, whose website, The Dark Side of Sleeping Pills, may put you off them forever.

So try around to find out what works, then monitor yourself-then manage the drug. Take as little as you can to get by with, even if the bottle tells you to take more. The smallest dose is always the best dose. Drugs lose their effect over time, and if you start at a high dose, you’ll habituate faster -and be more likely to become dependent. Try taking a break from the med; consider alternating it with another type of drug, say, a short-acting non-benzo with an antihistamine. Make sure the dose doesn’t creep up. Beware of creative combinations: that’s what did in Jackson and Ledger.The good news is that there’s a wider choice of drugs than there used to be: the several kinds of antidepressants, the older and newer benzos and non-benzos, the over the counter antihistamines-and this increases the likelihood of your finding something that works. The bad news is that nobody knows what any sleep med does over time-none of these medications has been tested for long-term effects. Only two FDA approved sleep meds, Lunesta and Rozerem, have been okayed for indefinite use, and even these have not been tested for anything like the duration many of us take them.

We’re between a rock and a hard place, when it comes to meds. Lack of sleep is bad for mood, health, and memory; sleep meds may be bad for memory, health, and sometimes bad for mood. Only you can do the risk benefit calculations to decide whether the risk is worth the benefit to you. But if you’re careful, and lucky, you may find a med that turns some wasted, wakeful hours into sleep.

The answer to this critical question is deeply personal and the answer must be explored in conversations between you and your doctor. The risks and interaction dangers are too complicated for anyone to answer without professional advice.

I thank Gayle Greene for her excellent article and recommend further exploration of her blog and her book. Future articles on this topic are in the works.

Thanks for listening. Good night and sleep well.

Tags: Ambien, cognitive performance, confusion, depression, drowsiness, drug therapy, hypnotic medicines, insomnia, medications, sleep, sleep deprivation, stress, suicidal tendencies
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Most Critical Factors to Test for in Your Shop for Sleep

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Today’s consumer in his shop for sleep steps into a retail mattress world clouded by deception and obscured by confusion. Much of the deception and confusion is intentional. The presence of both leaves the consumer in a frightened and helpless state. He is much more dependent on the salesperson than anyone wants to be. The salesperson and, or, the retailer may be honest and straightforward. One or the other might just as easily be a liar and a thief, just looking to line their pockets. The two most critical factors to examine when shopping for a mattress set and a good night’s sleep are straight spinal alignment and comfort in your most common sleeping position. Keeping your focus on those all important factors should help you avoid the stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and the budget havoc resulting from the feared wrong decision.

The “how do you sleep” question asked by any skillful salesperson should be answered directly. No joking or evasive answers should be given to this most important question. No matter how much you dislike qualifying questions, or how much you dislike disclosing personal information, this information is critical to your finding a mattress set that will provide you with the rest that you are seeking. If you don’t know what position you spend most of your time in, ask your partner to look at your position in the morning when he or she wakes up before you do. If you sleep alone, think about the position you crawl from when you have to reach over to turn off the alarm in the morning. The position you wake up in is the position you spend most of your time in. The longest period of REM sleep is the one before waking. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is the period of sleep when you dream and when memory and learning functions of the brain are most affected. This position will most likely be different from the position you fall asleep in. The position you spend most of your time in is the position you want to do most of your testing in.

Comfort is critical to a good night’s rest. If you feel any pressure points when you are in your favorite position, that pressure will eventually affect blood flow to the affected area. Typically, a side sleeper will be prone to pressure points at the shoulder, arm, and hip areas. A back sleeper will be sensitive at the shoulder and hip areas. A stomach sleeper will be sensitive at the facial and the hip areas. Once that pressure affects your circulation, your brain will initiate a toss or a turn response to restore circulation to the affected area. The more tossing and turning you do, the less rested you feel in the morning. If you wake up from a deep sleep, it will be 90 minutes before you return to a deep sleep. The sleep cycle then restarts with the shortest periods (10-15 minutes), then gradually increasing in duration as the night progresses. Sleep deprivation’s affects are most noticeable when deep sleep and REM sleep are shortened.

When testing a mattress for comfort, start out in the position you usually fall asleep in. Close your eyes and imagine yourself getting into bed. Take a couple of deep breaths, and allow your muscles to totally relax. Give yourself about 5 to 10 minutes in this position, keeping your eyes closed and your body relaxed. Do you feel any pressure? If you do, the mattress is too firm. If you do not, change position now to your most favored position, the one you wake up in. This position is even more important than the last, so you need to give this one even more time. 10 to 15 minutes would be good. Do not let your salesperson rush you. Don’t be afraid to ask him to leave you alone for a few minutes. This is an extremely important decision for you and you need to take your time. Do you feel any pressure points in this position? Pressure after 5 to 15 minutes indicates that the mattress you are testing is too firm. Go to a softer one now and proceed with the same tests you just did.

The second critical factor for examination is straight spinal alignment when lying on the mattress. Before you shop have your partner look at your spine when lying on your current mattress. More than likely your spine is going to be kinked into a V shape in the hip area. A broken down mattress will not be able to support the heavier hip areas as well as it does the lighter areas of your body. Your hip area will be into the mattress much deeper than it should be. A kink in your spinal alignment will cause the muscles of your spine to pull, attempting to straighten the spine. Pulling muscles are working muscles, and the purpose of sleep is to allow your muscles to relax, to rest, and to be ready for the next day’s work. A mattress that is too firm will position your spine in such a way as to elevate the hips, and to position the spine into an inverted, upside down V shape. This is probably worse than the V shape because you would be also feeling a lot of pressure in the hip area.

Now that you have checked for spinal alignment in your current mattress, you have no doubt confirmed that you need a new mattress set. Your spinal alignment was probably a definite V shape. The same test needs to be applied in the mattress store, and it would certainly be best if you bring your partner with you to check each other’s alignment. Do not depend on a salesperson to check for you. He or she may have self interests and motivations of their own that may be contrary to your best interests. Check first in the position you fall asleep in. If you feel as though your hips are sinking lower than your shoulders and your knees, the mattress is too soft. If your hips feel elevated from your shoulders and knees, the mattress is too firm. Now check the mattress while on your side. Here is where you need your partner to look at your spine from the other side of the bed while standing next to the bed. Ask whether a straight line can be drawn along your spine from your neck down to your lower back. If the answer is yes, and you don’t feel pressure after 10 to 15 minutes in this position, you have found a mattress that is correct for you. Have your partner test the mattress set now, and you do the visual examination, while he or she does the testing.

Once you have found a mattress set that satisfies both the comfort test and the spinal alignment test, you need to decide how much money you want to invest for the bells and whistles: the branding, the foams, the fabrics, and the features that may or may not be important to you. The two most important factors to quality sleep, comfort and straight spinal alignment, have been satisfied. Chances are very good that you will be a deep sleeper and your deprivation days will be over. You can look forward to:

Increased alertness
Longer attention span
Quicker reaction times
Better judgment
Better decision making
Improved memory
Decreased irritability
Increased productivity
Enhanced motivation
Decreased forgetfulness
Increased safety while driving

For more information on how to shop for sleep and how to save money doing it, visit: “Shop for Sleep and Survive the Bite”

“Shop for Sleep and Survive the Bite” now available in paperback at Amazon.com

Tags: anxiety, budget, circulation, comfort, consumer, critical factors, deception, dream, good night's rest, learning, mattress, memory, muscles, position, pressure, REM, retail, shop, Shop for Sleep, sleep, sleep deprivation, spinal alignment, stress, tossing, turning
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The Retail Mattress World and Integrity

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

The retail mattress world is a bit different from most other retailing operations. It provides the consumer with a commodity we cannot survive without. We cannot live without sleep. Experiments have been done on sleep deprivation and some of them revealed that mice begin to die after three days without sleep. Sleep deprivation has become a pandemic in today’s world. More and more fatal accidents are occurring daily due to the lack of sleep. Because the retail mattress world promotes a product line where one item looks similar to its neighbors, because the names are different from one place to another, because the specifications are often hidden, because the prices are often negotiable, and because used mattresses are available everywhere, the consumer demands and rightly expects his retailer to operate with the highest degree of integrity. The consumer has almost no idea on how to shop for sleep. Since integrity is a major contributor to success in the business world, I found a great article called “The 7 Principles of Business Integrity” written by Robert Moment. I was given permission to reprint his article below. After the article I will relate it to the retail mattress world, to the consumer, and to his ultimate quest for a “good night’s rest.”

The 7 Principles of Business Integrity

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters. — Alan K. Simpson

If I were to ask you what attribute is the most influential in regard to the success of a business, would you know
immediately which one is the most important? Based on my many years as a business owner and entrepreneur, I have
discovered that at the very top of the list is the distinguishing quality of integrity. Without integrity at the helm of a company, a business is usually short-lived. In fact, when business integrity is present throughout the deepest layers of a company and not just at its surface, it becomes the heart and soul of the company’s culture and can mean the difference between a company that succeeds and a company that falters.

The Internet’s Immeasurable Impact on the Marketplace!

The importance of integrity has always existed among the business community, but in recent times has been shown as
falling short. It is the Internet’s immeasurable impact on the global marketplace that is now making the expression of
integrity, reliability and credibility extremely important. Furthermore, the consequence of global competition means
that customers will simply not consider a company that shows any less than the highest level of integrity. Since there is a wealth of competitive companies easily available and accessible via the Internet, there is in fact no need to accept anything less than the best.

Where Does Integrity Start?

In an effort to build upon a foundation of integrity, the first requirement would be to establish excellent rapport
with clients. Based on many years of study, the best and most practiced method for achieving rapport is by way of
Relationship Marketing. Just as it sounds, Relationship Marketing is founded on the single and most critical
characteristic, known as “Integrity.” However, achieving true integrity with clients often leaves many an
entrepreneur bewildered, grasping for techniques and strategies that guarantee their futures. But integrity is
not something that can be grasped and then simply used. Integrity in its essence must be so ingrained within the
nature of an individual, its company and the team members, that it remains steadfast no matter what. Without question,
others sense it and find it very attractive.

The True Nature of Integrity!

Now you are probably asking yourself, what is the true nature of integrity? There are in fact some very basic
principles that surround the qualities of business integrity. At its core, integrity begins with a company leader who understands the qualities of integrity which then filters down throughout the company into every department
and every member’s approach and attitude.

In recent research performed by the Institute of Business Ethics- an organization which is among the world’s leaders
in promoting corporate ethical best practices, it was found that companies displaying a “clear commitment to ethical
conduct” almost invariably outperform companies that do not display ethical conduct. The Director of the Institute of
Business Ethics, Philippa Foster Black, stated: “Not only is ethical behavior in the business world the right and
principled thing to do, but it has been proven that ethical behavior pays off in financial returns.” These findings
deserve to be considered as an important tool for companies striving for long-term prospects and growth.

The following 7 Principles of Business Integrity are the basics of integrity and a good starting off place to
consider. By integrating each of these principles within a company environment, the result will be nothing short of a
major rebirth of the enterprise.

Principle #1: Recognize that customers/clients want to do business with a company they can trust; when trust is at the core
of a company, it is easy to recognize. Trust defined is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or
truth of a business.

Principle #2: For continuous improvement of a company, the leader of an organization must be willing to open up to ideas
for betterment. Ask for opinions and feedback from both customers and team members and your company
will continue to grow.

Principle #3: Regardless of the circumstances, do everything in your power to gain the trust of past customer’s and clients,
particularly if something has gone awry. Do what you can to reclaim any lost business by honoring all
commitments and obligations.

Principle #4: Re-evaluate all print materials including small business advertising, brochures and other business documents
making sure they are clear, precise and professional; most important make sure they do not misrepresent or
misinterpret.

Principle #5: Remain involved in community-related issues and activities thereby demonstrating that your business is a
responsible community contributor. In other words, stay involved.

Principle #6: Take a hands-on approach in regard to accounting and record keeping, not only as a means of gaining a better
feel for the progress of your company, but as a resource for any “questionable ” activities; gaining control of
accounting and record keeping allows you to end any dubious activities promptly.

Principle #7: Treat others with the utmost of respect. Regardless of differences, positions, titles, ages, or other types of
distinctions, always treat others with professional respect and courtesy.

While it is most certainly an integral and positive step for a small business to recognize the significance of integrity
as a tool for achieving its desired outcomes, that is only the beginning. What must truly be recognized for true
success is that while certain precise universal principles lead to business integrity, it is in the overall mindset of
the company and the unfailing implementation of these key elements that an enterprise is truly defined. A small
business that instills a deep-seated theme of integrity within its strategies and policies will not only be evident
among customers, associates and partners, but its overall influence cannot help but to result in a profitable,
successful company. By recognizing the value of integrity, and following each of the aforementioned 7 principles for
achieving integrity, your success cannot be far off.

“Without integrity at the helm of a company, a business is usually short-lived.” I have seen many retail mattress operations fail during my career. Certainly a lot more have lost valuable ground through a high rate of employee turnover, word of mouth negative experiences, and a general loss of trust in the consumer’s eye. Some of these are due to a lack of integrity from the top management on down and some are due to inadequately supervised and overtly dishonest sales staff. The retail mattress trade seems to be plagued by both, but thankfully, the larger more successful retailers have become large because of their integrity. The smaller retailers popping up in every other strip center become the victims of their own lack of integrity. They are usually out of business within one to five years and that is a good thing, but many consumers are left holding an expensive (relative to their budget) piece of junk that affects their entire quality of life. They may not be able to afford a replacement for another few years. Their sleep deprivation problem grows each and every night. That debt cannot be repaid.

Some suggestions to improve your retail mattress image, your integrity, and therefore your success:

Trust starts at the top. Training needs to emphasize the need for honesty and openness. It begins at the top, so upper level management has to walk the walk and not just talk. Ask for feedback and act on it.

Accounting and record-keeping must be detailed and constantly on the lookout for red flags. Clear and straightforward pay statements for sales staff. Don’t make it difficult for them to track their earnings in confusing blind alley tracking. Watch for employees selling too many “used” products at unseemly high prices. Are they properly “disclosing?” Timely bill paying and responsible vendor relationships matter.

Over-promising and under-delivering will lead to bad word of mouth. Do not promise what you cannot deliver just to get the sale today. The consumer, once decided on a new mattress set, wants and needs it as quickly as he can get it.

If you are selling “used” mattresses, be sure that your sales staff is disclosing properly: “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” A comfort exchanged mattress is not the same as a “floor sample.” A manufacturer’s second is not a “used” mattress. A warranty defect is not a comfort exchanged mattress. A missing law label does mean a loss of warranty. A floor sample does not have a manufacturer’s warranty.

Brochures and signage need to reflect your policies. If you don’t do refunds, post it clearly at the sales counter. If you do comfort exchanges, fully explain the details, including the costs of the exchange. What are the other stipulations? Do they have to buy your mattress protector, and why?

Make it easy for consumers to contact you. Provide a legitimate headquarters mailing address, phone number, email, and website contacts. Don’t insist on contact through sales staff or website.

These suggestions will be insulting to some of the reputable retailers out there, and to those I might only suggest taking a second look at yourself from top to bottom through an independent shopping service. To the little guys out there trying to make the quick buck, I know you already laugh me off and probably heard the word “integrity” and closed the page. To the novice consumer, you are probably amazed that these practices exist in the marketplace today. To the disappointed victims of the unethical retailers out there, I would encourage you to spread the word about your negative experiences.

Thanks for listening, and thanks to Robert Moment for his fine article.

Tags: accidents, commodity, disclosure, good night's rest, integrity, marketplace, mattress, pandemic, quality of life, retail, retail mattress, shop, sleep, sleep deprivation, trust
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Miracle Anti-Snore Pill to Remedy Sleep Apnea and Sleep Deprived Victims?

Monday, February 8th, 2010

A miracle pill may be on the horizon to help sleep apnea victims. The pill could offer the solution to a good night’s rest for both the sleep apnea patient and their sleep deprived partners. If this pill proves to be as successful in future studies as it has been in a recent six-month study it will become the “holy grail of snoring therapy.”

According to Pat Hagan, writing in MailOnline, “the once-a-day pill slashed snoring rates by almost 70 per cent in a small U.S. trial.” Approximately three million people are affected by sleep apnea in Britain. The U.S. has approximately thirty million victims. During an Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) episode the throat actually closes and air passage to the lungs is blocked. These episodes can last anywhere from ten seconds to two minutes. The victim’s life is saved by waking up. The brain, realizing that breathing has stopped, sends a signal for airway muscles to contract again, opening the airway and waking the victim “with a jolt and a snore.” This death defying cycle can occur hundreds of times a night.

The result of these frequent interruptions of sleep for both the victim and his partner is severe sleep deprivation. The usual symptoms then appear during the day: tired and exhausted feelings, confusion, depression and irritability, reduced sex drive, heartburn, headaches, high blood pressure, and possibly heart problems. The consequences of these symptoms can result in heart attack, stroke, or fatal accidents.

“The new drug, called Qnexa, was developed as a weightloss medicine. It contains a mixture of a stimulant drug called phentermine and an anti-epilepsy drug called topiramate.

Researchers noticed an added benefit when they tested volunteers to measure the effects on sleep apnea.

Over the course of the trial, which involved men and women aged 30 to 65, the number of times their sleep was disrupted by snoring-related problems dropped from an average of 46 times an hour to just 14.

At the same time, they lost an average of 10 per cent of their body weight and saw a significant drop in blood pressure. Vivus Inc, the California drug firm that developed Qnexa, says it hopes to get it licensed to treat sleep apnea.”

The 70% cut in snoring rates looks very promising. More extensive testing is being done as we speak. Qnexa may be the next miracle drug to help millions of people get the “good night’s rest” we all deserve.

Tags: accidents, anti-snore pill, confusion, depression, good night's rest, heart attack, high blood pressure, Qnexa, sleep, sleep apnea, sleep deprivation, sleep deprived, snoring, stroke, therapy
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