ZHT for Sleep Apnea, Snoring and More

ZHT- Zhou's Hypoxicology Technique, named after the developer, is an exciting new drugless and machine-free approach to improving sleep apnea and associated conditions. Dr. Benson is one of the first half-dozen doctors in the country to be trained to a clinical level in this amazing technique.

How would I know I have this problem?

The first sign that your tissues might not be getting the oxygen they need could be snoring. This is a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a closing down of the upper airway during sleep. If you don't think you snore, but someone close to you says you do, you do. By definition, you're completely asleep, and wouldn't know. Better relationships at home by correcting snoring might be enough to justify ZHT care, but there's so much more.

If you wake up tired every morning, or consistently wake with headaches, you're almost certainly not breathing properly through the night. If your clever body isn't getting the air it needs, it may frequently send out the signal to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, just to get you up and moving and breathing!

Is it 'just' snoring, or something more serious?

In order to be sure, it is necessary to monitor blood oxygen levels throughout the night as you sleep. The diagnostic 'gold standard' is an overnight sleep study done at a hospital or clinic. These studies are quite expensive- our patients report that the copay alone for a study can be over $1000.

Dr. Benson offers an overnight screening test that costs $100, and is done in your own home. A wrist monitor with finger sensor is put on at bedtime. It records pulse rate and blood oxygen levels every second through the night. This is the same type of sensor used in emergency rooms to monitor oxygen levels in real time. The monitor is returned to our office, and you get a printed report of your oxygen levels and pulse rate throughout your sleep cycle. Dr. Benson will explain the results to you. If your oxygen levels are OK, you can decide whether to treat the snoring alone. If they dip dramatically through the night, you are at risk.

Why should I worry about this stuff?

National Institutes of Health studies have associated apnea with increased risk of stroke and heart attack and increased likelihood of motor vehicle accidents. Low tissue oxygen has been linked with a host of chronic diseases, including diabetes, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, metabolic syndrome, and many others- the list grows daily.

If you have already consulted your doctor about these or other related conditions, you may have had a sleep study, and been prescribed a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine because of the many health issues associated with sleep apnea. If you are one of the many people who can't tolerate CPAP, or would like to get off the machine, ZHT care provides an alternative.

ZHT can help with vocal cord dysfunction. A whispery, 'strangled' voice indicates a problem with the vocal cords and upper airway which can be improved with ZHT. The technique also resets the autonomic nervous system, the controller of basic body functions like blood pressure, sweating, and core temperature.

Like cutting off air to a fire, low tissue oxygen can prevent your body from burning fat efficiently. If exercising more and eating less isn't effective in reducing obesity, low tissue oxygen may be the missing key.

How can Dr. Benson help? 

The technique includes learning a series of exercises that can be performed in six minutes twice a day as well as physical, hands-on manipulation by the doctor of the muscles and structures of the upper airway. The protocol consists of ten sessions over a period of eight weeks. The sessions currently cost $60 each, for a total of $600, and this cost is not covered by insurance.

At each session, I supervise performance of the exercises- it is important to do them just so- and modify them as necessary in your particular case. The exercises work to stretch and tone the upper airway and strengthen the muscles used in swallowing, speaking, and breathing. They also specifically reset the autonomic reflexes that keep oxygen and carbon dioxide within optimal limits.

Similarly, the hands-on work to correct the upper airway structures is modified to take into account your needs and issues. I diagnose what you need with my hands, and work accordingly.

Much more on the research behind ZHT, and patient experiences with it, can be found at www.SleepApneaUSA.net.

To begin ZHT care, call (360) 779-9957 or email today!