Portion of trascript from her broadcast on July 9, 2007

GRACE: They said that Johnny Grunge -- Mike Durham -- he wrestled under the name Johnny Grunge, very, very well-known -- died of sleep apnea. Please. Stop. That`s basically snoring, and you know, not breathing for a few seconds periodically through the night. You don`t die of sleep apnea. That is complete BS.

If this sort of comment bothers you... please let the folks at CNN know:

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5c.html?24



Last edited by sleepapnea_ed on Sun Jul 22, 2007 9:53 pm; edited 2 times in total
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Grrrrrrrrr.....
Thanks for the link. I never liked listening to her controversy for its own sake, black and white according to Nancy Grace point of view. Even when she is sometimes right, you wish she was wrong. She is the kind of person you wish supported the other guys so you can be glad that she's not on your side. This is just one more helping of "foot in mouth" for her. She must like the taste. I sent them a letter letting them know how I felt just the same.

John


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Thank you for the link.  I did post a comment and hope others will too!

Connie

Ed, thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Ignorance comes in many shapes and forms, under many guises. I went to the site and posted my opinion on her ignorant and potentially harmful comments.

Thanks again.

Jean

I put in my two cents also on the site.  I encourage others to post also:

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5c.html?24


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mesocosm

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Just posted to the site as well. Isn't it just like some one who does not have a problem to deny it's consequences or even it's existience.


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Nancy Grace is an idiot and I doubt many people take her word for anything.

And I also sent a complaint to CNN. It's ridiculous for someone in her position to spout false information like that.



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leobruni wrote:

   .... Isn't it just like some one who does not have a problem to deny it's consequences or even it's existience.

So true.
But it's worse what she did.  Being ignorant or having certain opinions is no crime ..... except if they are presented publically like this.
Her remarks could hurt people, by keeping them from seeking the diagnosis and treatment that could very well save their lives.
The reason she is so irresponsible with this is that she could well hurt people.
And because it's media, remarks put out there can't truly be retracted.  Even if a media person says something potentially hurtful and later retracts, it's too late -- the damage is done.  Not everyone who tunes in is around to hear the retractions.  So as a result, the people believing these words won't hear the correction and may well be convinced into not getting checked out.  It's a lose lose situation.  And yes, what a shame.


Linda


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Linda,

Very well put!  I agree whole-heartedly!  Words (especially from the media) are like a bag full of feathers set free into the wind.   They are easy to set free, but very difficult to recover.

-Paul


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mesocosm

OSA / PLMD / Atrial Fibrillation

I, too, sent my two cents to Ms. Grace.  I hope that she does take it to heart that apnea is very much associated with a number of conditions.  I truly believe that we have thousands of misdiagnosed and non-diagnosed sleep apnea sufferers in this country.  Until the media understands the condition and alerts their communities of the importance of taking it seriously, we will continue to have people die from associated conditions, and their families will never know that sleep apnea was at the root of the problem.

Having worked in TV for over 15 years and knowing how some egoists react behind the scenes (I have no knowledge of how Nancy is behind the scenes) I took a little different approach.

Portion of trascript from her broadcast on July 9, 2007

GRACE: They said that Johnny Grunge -- Mike Durham -- he wrestled under the name Johnny Grunge, very, very well-known -- died of sleep apnea. Please. Stop. That’s basically snoring, and you know, not breathing for a few seconds periodically through the night. You don’t die of sleep apnea. That is complete BS. END QUOTE

I can only tell you what my sleep specialist told me.  "You have an AHI of 82.  That means that you stop breathing about every third breath for a minimum of 12 seconds each time and the longest time was 45 seconds.  Your oxygen saturation levels were from 79% to 84% during these times.  Basically, you have the kind (of apnea) that kills."

This is a direct quote from my sleep doctor.  If my doctor says it, and the medical establishments have a consensus that sleep apnea can kill, then it is safe to say that the above quoted comment from Nancy is incorrect.

I'm not here to dwell on that.  The BEST thing that Nancy can do is feature a full hour on sleep apnea, its causes, to what it contributes, how to treat it, what the symptoms are, during a Monday-Thursday night airing.  Friday night is low audience night.  Promo the snot out of it.

According to several US sleep foundations and associations there are literally millions of Americans who have Obstructive Sleep Apnea, but go undiagnosed because they are unaware.

Please consider this carefully.  You could make lots of Americans aware of a problem which potentially could be their demise if left untreated.

Thank you,


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Marcopolo

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Nancy's gig, if I remember correctly, is that she is a former prosecutor. She is in love with debate, and it's way of making you go to extremes to make your point. No middle ground. Everyone is either innocent or guilty as hell. She broadcasts on Court TV so it makes sense to do things that way from a certain point of view. So she makes gross exaggerations and goes into many topics completely one-sided to force the speaker to convince her otherwise. If she agreed with the speaker, I doubt she would ever acknowledge that unless that was her position from the get-go.

Mucho attitude and emotion. Not afraid to talk right over you, and browbeat you like John McLaughlin of the McLaughlin Group -- which now that I think of it is entirely like her show, but she has a different group of people for every show, and she sticks to one topic for hours on end. Fiercely loyal to her friends from what I have seen. As much as I saw of her back during my last vacation to visit my father (he loves watching her, so I had to watch her, lol) I still can't say if she really believes the stuff she says, or if some of it is just making for good TV.

Her being dismissive of sleep apnea is just her habitual way of scoffing at anything.... to encourage someone to contradict her.. to create a synthesis of ideas if done correctly. Thing is, with no one there to debate her on it, all she did is give the entirely wrong message.

John


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I put in my two cents' worth, too.  I don't understand how anyone who has the least amount of intelligence can make erroneous statements, statements that could result in serious illness or death, just for the sake of argument.  

Thank you, Ed.  

Sleepytime

dunetraveller wrote:

I still can't say if she really believes the stuff she says, or if some of it is just making for good TV.

Say anything long enough and you will believe it!

Sleepytime,

Its just ego and pride.  The subtext in the mind of a lot if not most broadcasters is that "what I'm saying is true because I say it.  What I say counts!"  Its as simple as that.  I have met too many local and national broadcasters.

Man!  This is a topic I could have a field day with!  But on to the topic at hand...Nancy needs to retract her statement and educate her audience.  I doubt that she will do that since her show is not geared to the topic of sleep apnea; it is geared to the topic of the day.


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Marcopolo

ResMed S8 Autoset II APAP w/ Humidaire 3i
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Thank you for the notice and the link. I posted a comment today with quotes and links shown below:

“How serious is sleep apnea? It is a potentially life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. The risks of undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea include heart attacks, strokes, impotence, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure and heart disease. In addition, obstructive sleep apnea causes daytime sleepiness that can result in accidents, lost productivity and interpersonal relationship problems.  The severity of the symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe.â€�
Source: Stanford University –
http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/apnea.html  


“What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood. “
Source: Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital  http://www.rwjuh.edu/health_information/adult_men_apnea.html


“Sleep apnea is a disorder in which a person stops breathing during the night, perhaps hundreds of times, usually for periods of 10 seconds or longer and sometimes for as long as a minute. These gaps in breathing are called apneas . Apnea literally meaning absence of breath.�
Patient Education, University of Maryland Medical Center http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_sleep_apnea_000065_1.htm

Guest MJ