Page 18 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 25, 2024 MUSINGS | FROM PAGE 6 course toting a 240-pound cylinder in each hand. Oh vey!! Dan is retired from the strongman competition these days and is a fulltime father and iron worker but looks like it would not take him long to get back into strongman shape. • I remember Dan as a precocious 12-year-old (a very large precocious 12-year-old). On Sunday mornings he sold Globes in front of the Dunkin’ Donuts on Highland Avenue. I would pull up on my moped with my headband on (yes, I drove a moped y io and wore a headband – this was the 1980s, after all), and young Dan would greet me with “Hey Rambo, wanna buy a newspaper!?” – every Sunday morning. A gentle giant at 12, a gentle giant at 45 years old. • Dan Ford update... “Coach Bubba” can be spotted on occaavvya yavvy eniiooravvy S iorn or vy oiori by Jim Miller Best CPAP Alternatives for Sleep Apnea Dear Savvy Senior, I’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea and have been trying to use a CPAP device for the past six months but can’t tolerate it. Are there any alternative treatment options you can tell me about? Sleepy Sam Dear Sam, I’m sorry to hear your CPAP mask is keeping you awake at night, but I’m happy to hear that you’re addressing your obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) problem. Left untreated, OSA is linked to daytime sleepiness and an increased risk of anxiety, diabetes, hypertension and stroke. For those whose aren’t familiar, OSA causes your breathing to pause during sleep because something blocks your airway, like your tongue or relaxed throat muscles. Losing weight, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol can all help ease obstructive sleep apnea symptoms such as snoring. The primary treatment for people with moderate or severe OSA is a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine, which keeps your airway open by pumping air through a mask you wear over your mouth and/or nose when you sleep. But many people, like yourself, have diffi culty tolerating CPAP and don’t stick with it. But CPAP machines have become smaller and quieter, with more comfortable options available. And for some people with mild to moderate OSA, less invasive alternatives to CPAP may be worth considering. Here are several to ask your doctor about. Dental device: This is designed to move the jaw so that the tongue shifts toward the front of the mouth to help keep the airway open. It’s one of the primary alternatives to CPAP and can also be used with CPAP to help make severe obstructive sleep apnea milder. A dentist who specializes in sleep medicine (fi nd one at dentalsleep.org) will be able to customize its fi t to help your breathing without causing harm to your bite or teeth. These custom-made oral appliances can cost between $2,000 and $4,000 but may be covered by insurance. There are much cheaper options available online to treat snoring, but experts say these may not help with OSA, and could move teeth out of place or cause jaw issues if they’re not properly fi tted. Position therapy: For some, sleeping on the back can make obstructive sleep apnea dramatically worse. In these cases, switching to side sleeping – perhaps using pillows or a tennis ball attached to a shirt back – can sometimes help. Tongue trainer: In 2021, the Food and Drug Administration approved a tongue-stimulating device for mild sleep apnea called eXciteOSA (exciteosa.com), which people wear for 20 minutes a day for six weeks and then 20 minutes a couple of times a week indefi nitely. It costs $1,650 and is not covered by insurance. Surgery: Those who can’t tolerate CPAP could have upper airway surgery to reduce the size of their soft palate or other tissue in their throat. But such options don’t always work, have serious potential complications, and cannot be reversed. So, in general, they should not be fi rstline treatments. A newer option is a surgically implanted device called Inspire (inspiresleep.com). Approved in 2014, it stimulates a nerve that moves your tongue to keep your airway open. Inspire can be removed if it is not tolerated, but it should also be tried only if someone is unable to use CPAP, and it is not an option for everyone. Drug therapy: A new study, recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that tirzepatide – the main ingredient found in type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro and weight loss treatment Zepbound – helps reduce symptom severity by almost two-thirds in adults with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. Ask your doctor about this option. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. sion at the Italian American Citizens Club with his pops George and is at Malden Catholic fulltime assisting the football program, which is on a renaissance of sorts with a 4-0 record out of the gate. His son Hayden is a star in the making at MC, and Coach Bubba wants to make sure he is there for all the fun! Best of luck, Coach Bubba! • On another side note, Coach Bubba, my grandson Christian (Falzarano) is on the freshman team playing the safety position. Please ensure that nobody hits him too hard or hurts him. I will be eternally grateful and promise to buy all your Globes next time I see you at DD on Highland Ave. Insert smiley face. • Also, Assistant Athletic Director Bailey Chiccuarelli! Your dad (City of Malden Human Resource Director Anthony Chic) told me I could count on you to also ensure Christian doesn’t get hit too hard. We good? LOL. • Apropos of absolutely nothing... MC Football coach Joe Gaff has done a boff o job at MC since being hired. Helps that he married a wonderful Edgeworth girl and 1975 MHS graduate, Nancy DeCesare. • Christian has already met MC hall monitor John “Pops” Ruelle but, of course, had no idea that Pops was one of the best athletes in Malden, back in the day. John had speed, would catch anything thrown to him and could work a count from the left side like nobody’s business. Class of 1975 along with other outstanding athletes, such as Paul Coleman, Russ Garland, Steve Carpenter, Bobby Foley, Jack Freker, Mike Scibelli, Jon Crannell, Dave Angelo, Steve Carlin, Mike Souza, Mark Burns and Jeff Sullivan. • Chris “Keeper of the Linden Flame” Moro is Facilities Engineer at MC by day and aspiring freelance journalist by night (he of the best words). The fi rst two episodes of his “Linden USA” to this column were smash hits – with the third installment scheduled to see the light of day by the holiday season. Chris always has your back and is one of the good ones in Malden. A full-fl edged Lancer these days – and proud of it – he follows in the very large Chuck Taylor’s of his big brother Steve “Steph” Moro (another standup/legendary Malden guy). • Speaking of MC... Edgeworth guy Roberto Di Marco has sat on the Malden Catholic Board of Trustees since 2016. Rob is lifelong Malden, graduated MC in ’91 and attended Brown University and Northeastern School of Law. Yeah, this guy is like wicked smart! I got to know Rob well over the past 10 years or so from our Edgeworth connection, and all I got to say is that my life is a lot richer for it; another Malden guy with a heart of gold and love of neighborhood. • And of course, MC’s most famous son, since 2013 the junior Senator from Massachusetts – straight outta Townsend Street – our very own Ed Markey. Last time I spoke with Ed, big bro Joe and I were power walking the old neighborhood, and who do we run into also power walking his old stampin’ ground? Malden’s most celebrated son, “Eddie the Ice Cream Man.” Ed loved my column on Don Roach and wondered how Donny fl ew under his radar all these years. Ed’s the best! A walking, talking Malden history book. Fun fact told by Ed... Malden’s fi rst hoop court back in the late ’50s–early ’60s was right there at Boy’s Catholic High School on Charles Street. Yes, MC was on Charles Street in the beginning (1936) and, according to E Mark, play on the court was ferocious. I’d love to schedule some time with Eddie to get some Malden history down on paper for future generations – but I know he is busy with one of the most important presidential elections in this country’s history just a few short weeks away. Maybe after the election, Eddie, we sit and talk Malden? Keep up the great work! As Peter Falk’s iconic TV character Columbo would say, “Just one more thing, sir” – I am very happy to report that the elderly couple I chronicled a couple years back are still strollingForest Dale Cemetery and looks like just as in love. Also, walking at as fi ne a clip today as they were when I fi rst noticed them. With that said, I’d like to revisit what I wrote: “The elderly couple were bundled up for the early morning chill. Holding hands tightly as they walked. Embracing as if they were starry eyed teenagers. Releasing each other only to pull out a set of fi eld glasses. A quick glance at yet another feathered MUSINGS| SEE PAGE 19
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