Dexter D
Luther/Midelfort Mayo Health System, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA.
Wis Med J. 1997 Mar;96(3):35-7.
Snoring and the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome are common and chronic ailments with potentially serious medical complications. There are several accepted treatments, but these can be uncomfortable, inconvenient, and expensive. A number of alternative treatments have been reported to be beneficial in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. They are advertised in magazines, on the radio and television, and on the Internet. The lay press is reporting about the effectiveness of these treatments without the benefit of clinical trials or scientific studies. Among the therapies currently being promoted for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea is biomagnetic therapy. Unlike many of the other treatments which have not undergone scientific evaluation, biomagnetic therapy has been evaluated in the past. In fact, the evaluation of biomagnetic therapy is one of the first controlled scientific investigations found in the literature. This report showed that magnet therapy had no medicinal value. Despite this clear evidence, magnetic therapy continues to be utilized today and currently is being promoted for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea. At out Sleep Disorder Center, we have had the opportunity to evaluate a patient with severe obstructive sleep apnea both before and after treatment with magnetic therapy, as well as with conventional therapy. Our study clearly indicates there was no benefit from magnetic therapy in this case. While alternative therapy may be helpful in the treatment of certain medical conditions, extreme care must be exercised to prevent inappropriate treatment or undertreat-ment of significant medical problems. Close clinical follow-up and controlled studies are important in determining the effectiveness of therapies.
打鼾和阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征是常见的慢性疾病，可能会引发严重的医学并发症。目前有几种公认的治疗方法，但这些方法可能会让人不舒服、不方便且费用高昂。据报道，一些替代疗法对阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停和打鼾的治疗有益。它们在杂志、广播、电视和互联网上做广告。大众媒体在没有临床试验或科学研究支持的情况下报道这些疗法的有效性。目前正在推广用于治疗打鼾和睡眠呼吸暂停的疗法中包括生物磁疗法。与许多其他未经科学评估的疗法不同，生物磁疗法过去曾接受过评估。事实上，生物磁疗法的评估是文献中最早发现的对照科学研究之一。该报告表明磁疗没有药用价值。尽管有这一明确证据，磁疗如今仍在使用，目前还被推广用于治疗打鼾和睡眠呼吸暂停。在我们的睡眠障碍中心，我们有机会在一位严重阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停患者接受磁疗以及传统疗法治疗前后对其进行评估。我们的研究清楚地表明，在这个病例中磁疗没有效果。虽然替代疗法可能有助于治疗某些疾病，但必须格外小心，以防止对重大医疗问题进行不恰当的治疗或治疗不足。密切的临床随访和对照研究对于确定疗法的有效性很重要。
