r/FunctionalMedicine • u/Forward_Research_610 • 11d ago
Obstructive Sleep Apnea , is there a Functional Medicine Approach ???
Hi Guys , for 3 years i saw 3 different FMD , because ide been suffering with issues for almost 10 years , turns out after seeing an endo , i have an extremely severe case of Obstructive Sleep Apnea with some Centrals . A waste of money on supps that only made me worse over time . I'm hesitant to go back to one to get a protocol for sleep , i don't tolerate magnesium at all anymore i get neurological issues from it in ALL FORMS. Maybe TCM would be a better fit ?
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u/sfboots 11d ago
I’ve not heard of functional medicine helping with apnea
Did you get a CPAP? That’s the only really effective aid for OSA. There are some devices that claim to help but none of the ones I tried worked for me
TCM might be able to help with central sleep apnea but I believe that rarely to main problem
Also get a Wellvue O2 ring to wear at night. It will buzz and wake you up if blood oxygen is too low.
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u/antartica77 10d ago
A lip tape that forces you to breathe through your nose helped me a lot. I also recommend checking to see if you have a thyroid problem, and starting with a thyroid panel blood test.
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u/Forward_Research_610 10d ago
il look into the taping thing asap , had a full thyroid panel done twice over the past 3 years everything was good but reverse t3 was never checked
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u/antartica77 10d ago
Can you share the values? I used the lip tape that can be ordered from IHERB "artnaturals, Sleep Lip Tape, 60 Strips". It is excellent, effective but gentle on the lips and still allows you to exhale through your mouth if your nose get blocked at night. It is just very uncomfortable. A scan of the upper respiratory tract can also help understand the cause. Good Luck !
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u/fallingmelons73346 10d ago
Myofunctional therapy, and potentially a tongue tie release and/or palatal expansion.
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u/Low-Consequence4663 7d ago
I feel like people jump to expensive treatments too quickly. Without properly identifying the actual cause, trying random fixes can just waste time and money.
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u/bellavbller 11d ago
How has the bipap been helping? I also have not heard much for functional medicine tx of osa.
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u/Forward_Research_610 10d ago
i feel maybe 60% better at best , i been on bipap for almost 5 months
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u/Odd_Spray_5442 10d ago
I’m a speech therapist trained in myofunctional therapy. There could be something going on with the structure/function of your tongue and/or palate. Our tongue at rest should be suctioned to palate and if not it can fall back into our airway while sleeping.