Medical Reports: Stop Snoring

WSVN -- David Sturgis is a real rocker. As the lead singer of a local heavy metal band, he likes to make a lot of racket, but it wasn't his music making the most noise.

David Sturgis: "For years I have had this problem of literally waking up the neighborhood with snoring. It's been classified as a freight train coming down the track."

Not only was his snoring making it hard for everyone to sleep, it was also straining his voice.

David Sturgis: "I would feel like I had run a marathon all night. I couldn't talk. It would take half hour for me to get my voice back."

David tried everything from nasal strips to mouth pieces but nothing would mute the noise. Doctors even tried to give him this big CPAP machine to wear every night.

David Sturgis: "They wanted to give me a big machine and all that gear. I just wasn't interested in that."

What did interest him is a new treatment approved for snoring and mild sleep apnea called the Pillar Procedure.

Dr. Curtis Johnson: "The beauty of this is it's a procedure that's done in-office, under local anesthesia with a very quick recovery."

Doctors insert these three tiny implants into your soft palate.

Dr. Curtis Johnson: "This is the area of the soft palate, so the Pillar implants are placed right here. One, two, three."

The soft palate is the area in the back of your throat that vibrates, which causes the noise of snoring.

Dr. Curtis Johnson: "The implants actually stiffen the soft palate, so it reduces the vibrations that cause snoring."

Since you're numb from anesthesia, you don't feel anything during the 15-minute procedure, and, eventually, you won't feel those implants in your throat. It usually takes about six to eight weeks to stop snoring.

David had the procedure done six months ago and has seen a drastic improvement.

Now, he wakes up ready to rock.

David Sturgis: "I don't wake up with a sore throat. I can actually sing longer, and I think my vocal range has increased as well since I can breathe better."

Richard Lemus: "Insurance does not pay for the Pillar Procedure. It costs about $1,750, but some say that's worth a good night's rest."

For more information on the Pillar Procedure and Dr. Johnson you can visit: www.snoringfortlauderdale.com

Here are their office addresses and phone numbers. Feel free to use whichever one makes the most sense for the piece.

220 S.W. 84th Ave, Suite 101
Plantation, FL 33324
954-687-2710