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requently Asked Questions

What causes snoring?

• The noises of snoring are generated within the breathing passages.

  The sounds are caused by the vibration or flapping of the soft palate and uvula resulting from turbulent air.

  The noisy breathing is produced from high velocity air moving in a narrowed passageway giving the hissing noise.  The fast moving airflow in a narrowed airway also draws the soft palate and uvula into the airway to further blocking the airflow.  Snoring is the sound produced from the vibration of the soft palate and uvula. 

  The tongue may fall back into the airway narrowing the airway and at times causing blockage. This may also contribute to the snoring noise.

  It is most important to stress that snoring, in most patients, is due to multiple factors, each playing some part in the snoring process. Factors which are important in this regard include narrowing or blockage of the upper airway passages through anatomical or injury reasons as well as factors contributing to congestion of the soft tissues of the airways, e.g. smoking, alcohol, acid reflux from the stomach affecting the throat tissues, obesity, ageing and hormonal factors.  Only the SnorØ Terminator®
  using the Myorehapy can neutralize these factors to mitigate snoring.

Is Snoring Dangerous?

• For years snoring was regarded as a mere social annoyance.  Recent research has shown even an occasional snoring is dangerous to your health.  Snoring has been link to some of the most fearful diseases such as stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.  Where snoring is accompanied by significant sleep apnea, additional health risks may occur.

Is there any non-surgical help for snoring?

• Snoring may be assisted by certain dental devices which bring the jaw forward.  This may appeared to help initially but as the muscles in the throat area continue to get weak, this appliance will lose its effectiveness and snoring returns.  Another dental appliance called tongue retention device used to trap the tongue in a compartment so that the tongue cannot slide backward. 

  Any dental device is quite uncomfortable to wear in sleep.  It has been proven that Nasal appliances do not assist with snoring although they may give slight assistance with nasal airflow.  There are also exercises claimed to help snoring but none of them developed by a physician who understands the nature of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.

What operations reduce snoring?

• There are several surgical procedures thought to reduce snoring.   The procedure would be recommended after a diagnostic workup.  This usually involved spending sometime in the sleep laboratory, evaluation by a sleep specialist, scoping of your throat, and other tests deemed necessary to obtain the cause of your snoring.  Surgery may include nasal, palatal or tongue and neck surgery. The surgical procedure will depend on the location of the tissues contributing to snoring.

  Nasal surgery may include improving the nasal airway by straightening the nasal septum (mid line nasal cartilage partition), shrinking the lining tissue of the nose, particularly where this has been troubled by allergy or by the removal of nasal polyps. Previous nasal injury involving the external nose and the nasal septum may require correction.  However, this surgery had not proved valuable to reduce snoring.

  The flapping of the soft palate in snoring may be partially removed by palatoplasty involving either high frequency radio wave or C02 laser surgery. Newer procedures for more severe forms of snoring including radio wave shrinkage of the back of the tongue as well as procedures to bring the tongue tissues forward.

  The removal of excess neck fat through liposuction or liposhaving techniques has been used to treat snoring.

How effective is surgery?

• Before you consider surgery, you must understand 2 facts:  Risks of surgery and expected outcome.  Surgery risks for patients who have snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is much more dangerous than others.  The reason is the anesthesia insult on the already weakened throat musculature.  The anesthesia literally paralyzes the throat muscles to the point of total collapse.  Closing off the airway. 

  The surgical outcome is not only determined by the success of the surgery, but the success of eliminating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.  One vital factor to determine the success of eliminating snoring and obstructive sleep apnea is identifying precisely the causative factors.  It is almost improbable to determine the exact cause due to the dynamic changes in response to the sleep stage and position of sleep.  This is the reason for such low success rate.

  Surgical success varies with surgical procedures.  Some reported at best 57% in short term success, long term success fared far less.  Others reported no significant change.

What is obstructive sleep apnea?

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is an advanced stage of snoring.  The upper airway is temporary completely closed choking off air going into the lungs.  It is a serious and dangerous condition.

How do I know if I have obstructive sleep apnea?

• If you wake up several times during the night for no apparent reason, are tired in the morning, and have daytime sleepiness.  Chances are high that you have sleep apnea.  The only reliable way to detect sleep apnea is by conducting a sleep test in the laboratory.

Can sleep apnea be cured?

• Other than the SnorØ Terminator®
  , there is no reliable treatment to cure this condition.  Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be managed only by the use of CPAP breathing apparatus. In patients who are unable to tolerate this, then in certain instances nasal and oral pharyngeal surgery may be recommended

How effective is the SnorØ Terminator®?

• Because the SnorØ Terminator®
  addresses the exact cause of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, it is amazingly effective.  Every patient used this therapy actually noticed the improvement overnight.  This is not an exaggeration.

How does the SnorØ Terminator® work?

• The SnorØ Terminator®
  uses the patent-pending process call Myorehapy
  targeted to specific muscle group to re-educate, re-strengthen, and re-balance these muscles to support the structures in the airway.

How long will it take before I see improvement?

• Due to its highly effective therapy, it only takes one treatment to notice the immediate improve.  Everyone used this therapy reported at least 50% overnight decrease in snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.  There is no other therapy have this kind of success.

Will this totally cure my snoring and sleep apnea?

• Unlike other therapy, you will immediately notice the improvement.  Most patients found that their snoring and obstructive sleep apnea disappeared within one month. 

Is this treatment therapy difficult to learn?

• The unique thing about the SnorØ Terminator®
  is extremely simple and yet very effective.  Anyone can learn this in just a few minutes.  Dr. Fong will make sure that you know how to do this therapy and do it properly. 

Does this treatment cause any discomfort?

• The only discomfort is the feeling of fatigue and very mild soreness in the muscles that you just exercised.  It is just like any exercise, the muscles getting the workout will feel just a slight soreness after the workout.

How long does it take to do each day?

• It takes about 10 minutes each time 2 times a day.  The best thing about this therapy is that you can do it anytime and anywhere.  You can even do it while working or driving. 

If you don't find your questions answered here, feel free to email us anytime.