Abstract
We present two cases of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in which one of the subjects was managed with virtual scanning, which is a computer interactive diagnostic and therapeutic technology, and the other was treated with nutrition. We propose an oxidative stress concept as the biochemical basis of the two management options. It is important to consider the validity of virtual scanning Technology (which can be used to manage sleep apnea noninvasively) and to determine whether oxidative stress is the biochemical basis for this technology. It will be beneficial to develop a framework for integration into clinical practice.
Introduction
Nutrition in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
OSA affects blood oxygen levels. People wonder whether there is anything nutrition-wise sufferers can do to improve the condition of their blood or to make sure the little oxygen in their blood is used appropriately and maximally. According to Jeffries, 3 anemia and blood sugar levels are important factors to consider. When a person with OSA is anemic, there will be reduced capacity of erythrocytes to bind and carry the limited oxygen in such patients' blood. These patients should be counseled to eat food with the mental intention to keep blood sugar level steady to avoid the obvious effects of hyperglycemia. To achieve this effect, foods that are rich in iron and fiber are imperative.
Another factor is keeping the body appropriately hydrated. During inadequate levels of hydration, blood becomes hyperviscous and harder for the heart to pump around the blood vessels. That is, the limited oxygen may not be adequately delivered to tissues. To manage this effect, patients should be counseled to drink ample amounts of water. Herbal tea should also be recommended, but the concept or mechanism of the effect of herbal tea on OSA has yet to be elucidated in detail. 3 However, hyperviscosity as a cause of cardiovascular complications in OSA has been associated with reduced erythrocyte deformability, which, in turn may be influenced by oxidative stress arising from poor glucose metabolism. 4 –6
How Virtual Scanning Technology Works
Principle
Bernard had suggested that the internal environment of an organism vis-a-vis its physiologic state is constant with the existence of control processes designed to achieve such constancy, and further envisaged a possible mathematical modeling application. 7 The progress in mathematical modeling, as achieved by Grakov, has been published. 2,8,9
Diagnostics
The practical diagnostic methodology of virtual scanning technology, includes an interview with a patient, asking the patient to use a computer system to solve a standard task involving memorization of colors and answering questions subsequently. The computer then processes the information that the patient has entered and shows the results on the screen. 2
Each condition is presented as a pairing of blue and red signals. 9 The red signals report the extent of any existing pathology, whereas the blue signal reports the extent of the body's natural compensatory response to that pathology. The scale and balance of pathology and compensation enables the practitioner or researcher to distinguish between any acute and chronic conditions the patient may have.
Therapeutic
The diagnosis procedure ends with a recommendation of a treatment strategy, and the standard therapy involves the following three basic steps
2
: The area (organ or system), where correction is necessary, and features, subject to correction, are identified. The course or dose and sessions of flashing light are determined. One session of treatment takes an average of 30 minutes, and one course comprises an average of 15 sessions. The healing signals (i.e., the flashing lights) are sensed by the computer, as the patient's system (vision) responds.
Virtual scanning light therapy involves presentation of unique, person-specific color selections at delta frequencies, which are transmitted to the patient's autonomic nervous system by the computer through his or her eyes. The principle is that as the individual performs a given color cum computer-based exercise to reproduce a required characteristics of color matrices, the person's brain establishes synchronized neural functioning—and hence synchronized functioning of the body's autonomic nervous system and physiologic systems—thereby restoring the body's normal physiologic stability and functions. 2 The principle is referred variously as brain-wave coherence, brain-wave entrainment, or photic stimulation among other terms. 10,11
Case Presentations
We present two cases of sleep apnea that have been managed with different alternative therapies. The objective is to suggest investigation regarding whether there is a relationship between reduction of oxidative stress and the virtual scanning technology.
Case 1
A 58-year-old Caucasian man, who weighed 12 stone (168 lbs)and measured 67.3 inches, attended an alternative and complementary clinic. This patient had a known diagnosis of OSA since 2000. He was self-employed. He neither drank alcohol nor smoked cigarettes. His other health history included back pain since 2000 (he listed degenerative disease as a problem during initial intake); occasional but recurrent stress since 2005; recurrent high blood pressure (BP) since 2005; a slightly enlarged prostate; and slight deafness. He was not on any medication for another disease condition, and used a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) breathing machine to relieve his sleep apnea only.
The patient reported that he felt sleepy at the wheel while driving and hence had to restrict this activity, which threatened his livelihood. He was falling asleep unpredictably. The doctors had him on CPAP, and so, when he went to sleep in the evening, he would wear a mask. Upon consultation at the complementary clinic, he was treated with virtual scanning (version 7G) flash light therapy. Now, he is completely free of his sleeping problems. Virtual scanning therapy enabled this patient to recover without further need for the CPAP machine. He is fit and well, and continues to work (self-employed) delivering pet food to private clienteles.
Case 2
A 59-year-old Scandinavian woman attended a clinic on September 2004. She had a body–mass index of 33.9 kg/m2. She was a fulltime housewife, never smoked cigarettes, or drank alcohol. Her family had a history of high BP. Her brother and mother snored heavily, but had not been tested for OSA. His father died in his sleep at age 62. There was also a family history of diabetes, but she did not have this condition. Clinical notes on her case indicated heart palpitations and pain in her left arm. She was diagnosed with asthma at age 16 and OSA at age 53, and used CPAP to manage the latter.
In 2005, oxidative stress tests at our screening laboratory were positive, with erythrocyte-reduced glutathione and malondialdehyde being, respectively, lower and higher than reference control average levels. Further laboratory results showed normal whole-blood viscosity and dyslipidemia. She changed her diet drastically, ate ample amounts of fruits, nuts, seeds, and raw vegetables, but did not consume animal products. She remained on this dietary regimen for a year. It is noteworthy that fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants. 12,13 She also started to exercise by walking 3.72 miles every day. She had weighed 211.6 lbs, but reduced her weight to between 154.3 and 160.9 lbs. She stopped using the CPAP machine when her mask got too loose (as a result of her weight loss). Instead of changing the mask, she tried sleeping without the machine and found that she slept well. Her husband told her that she was not snoring. Her breathing problems did not recur. Thus, she maintained her diet and weight consuming meat and margarine only occasionally. She had a heart attack on July 26, 2007, but had started paid employment in the cleaning industry—an occupation that involved hard work—since February 2008.
She is on medications since her heart attack. These include: Coversyl (5 mg/day in tablet form), Diltiazem (180 mg/day in capsule form), and aspirin (100 mg/day in tablet form) in the mornings; and and Lipitor t (20 mg/day in tablet form) in the evenings. She also drank 2 L of filtered water every day, and last reported that she felt healthier than she had ever been, and attributed this change to her antioxidant-conscious nutrition and more active lifestyle.
Discussion
Oxidative stress exacerbates sleep apnea by free radical-induced muscle dysfunction. Maintaining adequate levels of endogenous antioxidants have been suggested to be an important therapeutic measure for managing OSA. 1 It is known that intermittent hypoxia in OSA is associated with different proinflammatory pathways, oxidative stress, and neurodegenerative diseases. 14 OSA could give rise to problems in cognitive functions. 15 The first case highlights the therapeutic use of a computer-based virtual scanning technology for treating sleep apnea.
Antioxidant activities, which involve emission of ultraweak light, 16 are increased in patients with OSA. 5 These emissions, measurable as bioluminescence, can be used as an index of oxidative stress. 17 These cases draw attention to the fact that oxidants contribute to exacerbation of OSA, particularly with respect to cardiovascular complications. 1,5,6
Thus, antioxidant activities are implicated in OSA, 5 generate measurable emissions, 16 are capable of affecting cognitive functions, 15 and are susceptible to light therapy. 15 Whether this may be the biochemical basis for the signals employed by virtual scanning technology is a subject for investigation.
In addition, conscious dietary habits that include foods rich in antioxidants helps maintain the body's antioxidant potential. Although this area of research is controversial, it is -common knowledge that antioxidant nutrition is the mainstay of oxidative stress management. 3,10,11,18,19 We propose that this nutritional management explains the improvement experienced by the patient described in second case.
The limitation in this report is that these two cases are anecdotal. However, the value of the cases are: (1) a reaffirmation of nutrition as a valid alternative therapy for OSA and (2) virtual scanning technology may be an alternative and complementary medicine option for managing OSA. This report provides a potential for health care professionals who wish to evaluate and integrate these therapies into patient care protocols.
Conclusions
This report presented two anecdotal records of alternative management of OSA. We propound oxidative stress as probably one of the central factors in sleep apnea and that virtual scanning is another alternative nonpharmacological management option to investigate. Elucidation of the biochemical basis of the signals employed in virtual scanning will be beneficial.
Footnotes
Acknowledgments
The first case presentation section was paraphrased from the patient's written perspective provided to Dr. Elena N. Ewing. The second case presentation was one of Dr. Ezekiel U. Nwose's research participants at Charles Sturt University, Albury, New South Wales, Australia.
Disclosure Statement
Mr. Graham W. Ewing and Dr. Elena N. Ewing are the directors of Montague Healthcare, a company devoted to the commercialization of Virtual Scanning and hence to the diagnostic and therapeutic use of Virtual Scanning. Dr. Ezekiel U. Nwose has no competing interest to declare.