Health news: A new method to cure snoring and how eating dates may prevent heart attacks



Health stories from around the world this week include a new method to stopping snoring, how eating dates may prevent heart attacks and using insulin spray to beat depression.





£3 jab in your mouth can stop snoring



A simple £3 injection in the mouth could significantly reduce snoring. The jab works by stiffening the floppy tissue at the back of the mouth, which stops it vibrating and causing the snoring sound.

An estimated 15 million people in Britain snore. The problem is often caused by breathing through the mouth. As air is breathed in, the pressure causes the tissue at the back of the mouth (part of the soft palate) to vibrate.

Being overweight or obese makes the problem worse, as the extra fat around the neck means the airway is compressed more than normal when you lie down.

Rest easy: A new pain free treatment for snorers is available in Britain

Over a prolonged period, snoring can lead to health problems.

Regularly taking in less oxygen increases the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and heart conditions.

Snorers often use over-the-counter devices, from plastic clips to stick-on nasal strips, to open up the airways.



But these can fail because they can't reach the lower part of the soft palate - the uvula or the small piece of flesh you can see hanging down at the back of the throat - which vibrates and causes the noise.

Doctors can use a laser or scalpel to trim the uvula so it doesn't vibrate, but recovery is extremely painful and can take weeks. It makes eating and drinking difficult for some time afterwards.



The operation costs around £2,000 privately and doesn't always work.

Now a new pain-free treatment - pioneered in the U.S. six years ago - is available in Britain. It involves injecting the soft palate with chemicals to 'burn' the tissue. As it heals, it forms scar tissue that can't vibrate.

The technique was discovered while diagnosing patients before surgery. Patients would have the chemicals injected into their soft palate to confirm this as the source of snoring before undergoing more invasive surgery to treat the problem.

Surgeons found that in many cases the liquid created sufficient scar tissue to reduce snoring significantly without the need for surgery.

Now doctors at Southport and Ormskirk District Hospitals are using the liquid, a hardening agent called Fibro-vein, to treat snorers.

The two-minute procedure - known as snoreplasty - is done under local anaesthetic. Patients can go home immediately and eat and drink half an hour later.

In an initial trial of 60 patients given a single dose injection, 40 showed significant improvement. For many, the snoring disappeared completely.

An esimated 15million people in Britain snore

In half the patients, the effects lasted a full year until the scar tissue healed. Those who need more frequent treatment can have up to three injections a year.

'The operation is cheap and effective, so could save the NHS large sums of money,' says Hadi Al-Jassim, the consultant ear, nose and throat surgeon using the treatment.

'It could help elderly people who are not fit enough for surgery, and younger people who simply can't afford to take weeks off work.

'But patients need to be selected carefully, because there are many causes of snoring and this wouldn't work for everyone, such as people with sleep apnoea (where the upper airway becomes totally blocked).'



• A new bedside lamp is said to help wake sleepers at the best time to prevent grogginess.

The Zeo lamp is wired up to a headband worn during sleep. This contains sensors that the developers claim can measure brain activity.

It is known that waking up in the middle of a deep sleep cycle can leave you feeling groggy.

This device apparently detects when you move from deep to light sleep, a natural waking point, and then triggers an alarm to wake you up.

• For more information on sleep disorders, contact the British Snoring and Sleep Apnoea Association, www.britishsnoring.co.uk www.myzeo.com



Could eating dates prevent heart attacks?

Eating dates every day could cut the risk of heart attacks and strokes dramatically.

Though in Britain we tend to eat dates only at Christmas, research suggests eating them regularly could produce significant health benefits. This was the finding from a small study in Israel. A group of ten healthy adults were given a couple of handfuls of dates a day for a month.

At the end of the study, blood tests showed the volunteers had a 15 per cent drop in fats called triglycerides, implicated in heart disease and strokes.

The scientists also found that dates reduced oxidation. This is a damaging process that increases the amount of cholesterol absorbed by the artery walls.



A spray of insulin up the nose may beat depression

An insulin spray squirted up the nose is being tested as a treatment for depression.

In a clinical trial, patients with severe depression will undergo the therapy for eight weeks.

Researchers believe the hormone - which usually works to manage blood sugar levels - can also affect mood and memory. Some of the effects may kick in just an hour after treatment.

The Toronto University trial comes in the wake of previous research showing insulin's benefits.

One study at the University of Lubeck in Germany found that nasal insulin taken for two months increased feelings of well-being. It also reduced feelings of anger, and improved word recall and memory.

This may be because insulin boosts levels of fatty acids in the blood. These are important for the production of the brain chemical serotonin - too little can cause depression.