The patented, all-natural herbal
remedy that helps control sleep apnea.
NOTE: Steven R. Frank is a noted scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BSEE degree in Biomechanical Engineering and started his career in medical equipment design, focusing on experimental therapeutic devices. Over the years, his work – and 18 U.S. patents – have contributed to advances in microbiology, electronic medical systems design, antisepsis technology, and for the past two decades herbal and natural medicine. After realizing the importance of natural health products for maintaining his family's well-being, he also became a certified Master Herbalist, combining his deep knowledge of human physiology and medical science with the expertise required to identifying medicinal plants and prepare effective herbal remedies.
This is the story of how – and why – Steve created S.A.R.
While I’m normally a very private person, I'd like to tell you about my personal journey into the world of sleep apnea and the search for a solution. I hope it will help you understand why I was so motivated to create a new approach to controlling this sleep disorder, and the scientific rationale behind an all-natural way to control it.
While I’m normally a very private person, I'd like to tell you about my personal journey into the world of sleep apnea and the search for a solution. I hope it will help you understand why I was so motivated to create a new approach to controlling this sleep disorder, and the scientific rationale behind an all-natural way to control it.
As you can probably guess, my passion for sleep apnea comes from painful experience with this debilitating condition. I suffered from sleep apnea so severe it ultimately came to disrupt my sleep every minute and a half. The fatigue was almost unbearable, and I became so irritable that colleagues and loved ones would avoid my presence. More critically, sleep apnea is a serious disorder that poses significant health risks when left untreated, including:
Hypertension: Sleep apnea can cause or worsen pre-existing high blood pressure due to frequent nighttime awakenings that stress your hormonal systems.
Heart Disease:The intermittent hypoxia(low oxygen levels) that occurs duringepisodes of sleep apnea can contribute tovarious heart problems, including heart attack,arrhythmia, heart failure, and stroke.
Type 2 Diabetes:Sleep apnea is common inpeople with diabetes, and lack of qualitysleep due to sleep may increase the risk ofdeveloping this disease.
Metabolic Syndrome: This condition includes high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, high blood sugar, and increased waist circumference, all of which can be linked to heart disease – and may be worsened by sleep apnea.
Mental Health Issues: Over time, sleep apnea and the resulting sleep deprivation can contribute to difficulties in concentration, depression, and mood changes.
Liver Problems: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, characterized by abnormal liver tests and liver scarring, appears to be more common in people with sleep apnea.
Accidents: Daytime fatigue caused
by sleep apnea increases the risk of
accidents, such as car crashes.
My own experiences aside, almost any medical professional will tell you that sleep apnea is not a condition that should go untreated. But that can be a challenge.
As you can probably guess, my passion for sleep apnea comes from painful experience with this debilitating condition. I suffered from sleep apnea so severe it ultimately came to disrupt my sleep every minute and a half. The fatigue was almost unbearable, and I became so irritable that colleagues and loved ones would avoid my presence. More critically, sleep apnea is a serious disorder that poses significant health risks when left untreated, including:
Hypertension: Sleep apnea can cause orworsen pre-existing high blood pressure dueto frequent nighttime awakenings that stressyour hormonal systems.
Heart Disease:The intermittent hypoxia(low oxygen levels) that occurs duringepisodes of sleep apnea can contribute tovarious heart problems, including heart attack,arrhythmia, heart failure, and stroke.
Metabolic Syndrome: This condition includeshigh blood pressure, high cholesterol levels,high blood sugar, and increased waistcircumference, all of which can be linked toheart disease – and may be worsenedby sleep apnea.
Type 2 Diabetes:Sleep apnea is common inpeople with diabetes, and lack of qualitysleep due to sleep may increase the risk ofdeveloping this disease.
Mental Health Issues: Over time, sleep apneaand the resulting sleep deprivation cancontribute to difficulties in concentration,depression, and mood changes.
Liver Problems: Non-alcoholic fatty liverdisease, characterized by abnormal liver testsand liver scarring, appears to be morecommon in people with sleep apnea.
Accidents: Daytime fatigue caused
bysleep apnea increases the risk of
accidents, such as car crashes.
My own experiences aside, almost any medical professional will tell you that sleep apnea is not a condition that should go untreated. But that can be a challenge.
After devoting my career to medical technology and the search for better treatment methods, I’m certainly not opposed to conventional “allopathic” treatments that provide good patient outcomes. But as I looked at what was available, in my opinion there simply was not a satisfactory allopathic solution for treating sleep apnea. Consider:
While generally effective, around 60% of people who begin using a CPAP can’t bring themselves to continue. There are many reasons: Having air forced into your lungs is simply uncomfortable. Trying to sleep with a mask strapped to your face can make you claustrophobic. The constant whooshing noise from the machine can be unnerving. Worse, if not meticulously cleaned and maintained, mold can develop in the CPAP machine leading to congestion, eye and skin irritation, respiratory problems, even pneumonia.
Procedures like uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP), maxillomandibular advancement (MMA), or hypoglossal nerve stimulation are expensive options that only work for about 50% of patients – but necessitate taking on all the risks associated with surgical procedures and anesthesia. I personally know someone who went through the ordeal of surgery, spent a significant amount of money, endured a lot of pain, and still didn't find relief.
These tend to be somewhat impractical and marginally effective, as they don't directly address the issue and could potentially lead to other problems.
After looking at what was available, I decided to apply my engineering and problem-solving skills to explore potential alternatives. It was actually deeper than that: I made it my mission to develop innovative and effective solutions for sleep apnea to help individuals like myself reclaim their restful nights and lead healthier, happier lives.
To start gaining a better understanding of the root causes of sleep apnea, I conducted a series of tests on myself, sleeping with monitoring equipment connected to a laptop on my nightstand gathering critical data. I had studied sleep in college as part of my biomechanical training, and knew how to analyze the information being recorded. I observed that my breathing would gradually become shallower until it stopped altogether – and this tended to occur during the stage two transition of the sleep cycle.
In stage two, a phenomenon known as “reduction of muscular tonus” occurs: your body suppresses some signals from your brain to your skeletal muscles. This helps prevent you from physically acting out your dreams so that, for example, if you dream of playing the piano, your hands don't move, or you don’t sleepwalk while dreaming of walking.
When you have sleep apnea, this diminished signal between the brain and skeletal muscles extends to the muscles of the diaphragm, which are essential to your breathing. During stage two sleep, the weakened signals can actually cause you to stop breathing, depriving your body of essential oxygen. After a short period, the brain detects elevated carbon dioxide levels in the body and responds by prompting a sudden, rapid inhalation – in essence, a big, loud snort. It disrupts the transition to stage two sleep, and sends you back into stage one drowsiness.
The cycle keeps on repeating: stage two sleep leads to diminished breathing, then a snort that returns you to stage one – and you never get to feel the deep, relaxing sleep your body craves. For some, this cycle may occur every four or five minutes; for others – like myself – it can repeat as often as every 90 seconds.
Why is all this important? Because you need to understand that the disruptive snort is not caused by factors like obesity or minor allergies. These are just aggravating conditions. The primary cause of sleep apnea is the interruption of breathing due to weakened signals between the brain and diaphragm during stage two sleep.
Armed with a better understanding of the root cause of sleep apnea, I realized that if I could maintain shallow breathing without having it stop completely, I wouldn't be jolted awake by my own snorting. My sleep would remain undisturbed, allowing me to transition through stage two sleep and enter REM, delta, and theta sleep stages finally gettin a good night’s sleep.
My goal at that point was clear: find a natural way to enhance the signal from my brain to my diaphragm without intrusive mechanical or surgical interventions. After a great deal of trial and error, I discovered that certain medicinal plants such as cramp bark could effectively improve this connection, especially when combined with herbs such as thyme and lobelia known to support respiration. After compounding these herbs, I tried them on myself and for the first time in years experienced an uninterrupted night's sleep. After a few more nights of relief, I knew I had discovered something that could help countless others who wanted to once again experience a good night’s sleep.
As a scientist, I took a variety of steps to confirm the effectiveness of this herbal blend – first, by experimenting on myself. For example, I alternated nights with and without the herbs to see the effect, and the pattern was clear: the herbal blend was crucial to my restful sleep. At that point, I started to validate its effectiveness on other sleep apnea sufferers. All told, I tested the herbal blend on hundreds of people and observed consistently positive results.
I had found a combination of herbs that could maintain the brain-to-diaphragm signal and increase lung efficiency, providing more oxygen with each breath. Although this treatment doesn't cure sleep apnea – no treatment will – it has been effective for me over the past 17 years. If I ever forget to take a capsule, I’m reminded how well it works because I quickly realize that I'm not sleeping well. I applied for, and received U.S. Patent #9,226,944 B2 for the unique herbal combination in S.A.R. Sleep Apnea Relief because I believe it offers a needed alternative to CPAP machines, surgery, and dental appliances. If you struggle with sleep apnea, I want you to realize that there are effective and natural alternatives available to treat this condition. You can find relief – you just have to try it for yourself.
To your health
Steven R. Frank
Lobelia is used to support the respiratory system. When taken before bed, it promotes the respiratory system to maintain safe blood oxygen levels. Thyme has traditionally been used to enhance pleural activity and makes an excellent contribution to maintaining sufficient respiration. When Chamomile and the less-well-known Cramp Bark are added, it promotes relaxation within the musculoskeletal system. Using these in conjunction with Meadowsweet boosts the digestive system to enhance absorption in the stomach.
These statement have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
