Author Archives: drrjv

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About drrjv

👴🏻📱🍏🧠😎 Pop Pop 👴🏻, iOS 📱 Geek, cranky 🍏 fanatic, retired neurologist 🧠 Biased against people without a sense of humor 😎

Best Sleep Tracker

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TL: DR My two favorites: Autosleep on iPhone and Sleep as Android

In today’s fast-paced world, getting a good night’s sleep is more important than ever. To help you monitor and improve your sleep patterns, there are numerous sleep tracker apps available. My recommendations are Autosleep for iPhone and Sleep as Android. In this blog post, we’ll compare these two sleep tracker apps, highlighting their features, user interfaces, and overall performance to help you make an informed choice for tracking your sleep.

Autosleep

Autosleep is a dedicated sleep tracking app exclusively available for iOS devices. Developed by Tantsissa, it offers a user-friendly interface and a robust set of features tailored for iPhone and Apple Watch users.

Automatic Tracking: Autosleep uses advanced algorithms to automatically detect when you fall asleep and wake up, eliminating the need for manual input.
Sleep Score: The app calculates a Sleep Score based on the quality and duration of your sleep, providing insights into your sleep patterns.
Sleep Rings: It visualizes your sleep data in a ring format, making it easy to understand at a glance.
Detailed Sleep Analysis: Autosleep provides in-depth statistics about your sleep cycles, heart rate, and more.
Integration with Health App: The app seamlessly integrates with the Apple Health app, allowing you to centralize your health data.
User Interface: Autosleep boasts an intuitive and visually appealing interface, making it easy for users to navigate through their sleep data. The Sleep Rings feature is particularly engaging and informative.
https://autosleepapp.tantsissa.com/home

Sleep as Android

Sleep as Android is a versatile sleep tracking app available for Android devices. Developed by Urbandroid, it offers a wide range of features and is known for its extensive customization options.:

Comprehensive Tracking: Sleep as Android tracks your sleep cycles, snoring, and even your sleep talk to provide a holistic view of your sleep quality.
Smart Alarms: The app offers smart alarms that wake you up at the optimal time within a set time window, reducing grogginess.
Integration with Wearables: It supports various wearables and sensors, allowing you to use devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers for sleep tracking.
Sleep Notes: You can add custom notes about your sleep, which can help identify patterns and triggers affecting your sleep.
Captivating Sleep Charts: Sleep as Android generates detailed sleep charts and graphs for in-depth analysis.
User Interface: While Sleep as Android offers a wealth of features, some users may find its interface less intuitive compared to Autosleep. However, its customization options make it suitable for those who prefer to tailor their sleep tracking experience.
https://sleep.urbandroid.org

Summary

Both Apps are excellent sleep trackers. Autosleep happily does not require a subscription and only costs $5.99, a worthwhile investment. Autosleep works much better if you have an Apple Watch. Sleep for Android requires a subscription or initial $40 one time payment and also works much better if you have a wearable device.

US FDA identifies recall of ResMed’s respiratory devices as most serious

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Please contact your DME supplier if you have a ResMed Mask.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday classified the recall of certain respiratory masks made by ResMed (RMD.N) as most serious as their use could cause major injuries or death.

ResMed was recalling some models of its continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks, AirFit and AirTouch, due to possible magnetic interference with certain medical devices and implants which might disrupt their function or position and cause serious harm or death, the FDA said.
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-identifies-recall-resmeds-respiratory-devices-most-serious-2024-01-11/

Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy show no link with suicide

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A preliminary review of side effects from popular drugs used to treat diabetes and obesity shows no link with suicidal thoughts or actions, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. 

But the agency also said officials cannot definitively rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that they’ll continue to look into reports regarding more than a dozen drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. Patients taking the drugs should report any concerns to health care providers, the FDA said.
https://apnews.com/article/wegovy-ozempic-obesity-suicide-thoughts-fda-fbe7b158e78c199f8f8d3a551dcaa60d

COVID is not something to blow off as benign, can age your brain 20 years!

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Post-COVID cognitive deficits

“Persistent cognitive deficits even in those without clinical neurological complications. When compared to normative age-matched data, these deficits were equivalent in magnitude to ageing from 50 to 70 years of age (1). This study indicated cognitive deficits were associated with the severity of the initial infective insult, post-acute mental health status, and a history of #COVID-19 associated #Encephalopathy, with strong concordance between subjective and objective deficits.”

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3818580/v1

From my favorite doctor on Covid

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Opinion: The U.S. is facing the biggest COVID wave since Omicron. Why are we still playing make-believe?

“The pandemic is far from over, as evidenced by the rapid rise to global dominance of the JN.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2. This variant is a derivative of BA.2.86, the only other strain that has carried more than 30 new mutations in the spike protein since Omicron first came on the scene more than two years ago. This should have warranted designation by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern with a Greek letter, such as Pi.”

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-01-04/covid-2024-flu-virus-vaccine

The Cough That Doesn’t End

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All of New York is hacking. We sent Rachel Sklar on a mission to find out what can help—if anything.

I was at a long-awaited panel discussion at my friends’ private home, listening to Senator Kristen Gillibrand speak about paid leave and reproductive rights with women’s health entrepreneurs Priyanka Jain and Alessandra Henderson, when I first heard it: The Cough.

Henderson, the founder of a women’s health company called Elektra Health, coughed discreetly from the makeshift stage. Then she coughed again. It was dry and quick and frequent. Every so often, she would turn her head, raise her hands, and behind the swishy curtain of her chic blonde bob, cough. A woman stole over and slipped her a cough drop. Gillibrand had warmed up and was on a tear about TikTok. (Not a fan, by the way.) And still, discreetly but certainly not imperceptibly, coughing. Henderson did not otherwise seem sick. She was a power woman on a panel with a Senator, in peak form, but what can I say: these days, you notice the cough.

https://www.thecut.com/2024/01/how-to-treat-a-cough-that-lingers.html

Vaccination Dramatically Lowers Long Covid Risk

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“A growing consensus is emerging that receiving multiple doses of the COVID vaccine before an initial infection can dramatically reduce the risk of long-term symptoms. Although the studies disagree on the exact amount of protection, they show a clear trend: the more shots in your arm before your first bout with COVID, the less likely you are to get long COVID.”

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccination-dramatically-lowers-long-covid-risk/

The Cough That Doesn’t End

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“When I asked friends if they’re noticing coughs more or suffering themselves, they regaled and horrified me with their coughing fits. One had COVID-triggered asthma and an eight-month cough (under control now, thanks to two inhalers and a trip to the pulmonologist). Another was  a lifelong mucous-heavy cougher whose tips included “Chest Physical Therapy” which uses gravity and chest/back percussion to get phlegm to loosen and drain (she lies prone hanging over her bed while “banging her back”).”

https://www.thecut.com/2024/01/how-to-treat-a-cough-that-lingers.html

Merry Christmas from CNMRI

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Happy Holidays to you and your family!

This season, while filled with joy and celebration for many, can also bring challenges. If you find yourself needing support, here’s a list of essential mental health resources available during the holidays. Don’t hesitate to seek help if needed.

(Thank you Lisa Blount Rochester for this helpful list!)

Interesting study based on a lot of data from the Migraine Buddy App

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Simultaneous Comparisons of 25 Acute Migraine Medications Based on 10 Million Users’ Self-Reported Records From a Smartphone Application

TL:DR
Medication Effectivenes

Triptans (in order of effectiveness but all close.)

  1. Elettriptan (Relpax – about $50 per Rx)
  2. Zolmitriptan (Zomig $20)
  3. Sumatriptan (Imitrex $15)
  4. Rizatriptan (Maxalt $10)

NSAIDS/OTC’s

  • Diclofenac Potassium 50 mg (Cataflam $15) slightly more effective than Naproxen Sodium 550 mg (Aleve or Anaprox DS $10),  Excedrin or Tylenol
  • Kerotolac 10 mg (Toradol $15) slightly more effective than Diclofenac (Kerotolac may have more side effects than Diclofenac.)

Forest Plot of the Odds Ratios and 95% CI of Medications From Canada (CA), the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (USA) in Country-Specific Analysis

https://www.neurology.org/doi/full/10.1212/WNL.0000000000207964