Two Doctors Recommend the LoungAir for
CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Back Pain Relief
An Inexpensive Bed Alternative and More
Coping with back pain and getting a good night’s sleep is
never easy. The difficulty is often compounded when you must
deal with the migrating pains associated with Fibromyalgia
and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Arden Gifford, M.D. has found an inexpensive solution for
easing his back pain and improving his sleeping habits: a
LoungAir -- a multipurpose twin mattress that can convert to
a chair or lounger.
Dr. Gifford likes the convenience of the LoungAir. “It is
excellent for travel purposes,” he says, in part because of
its convenient carrying case with an easy-to-use drawstring
and heavy-duty strap. In a way similar to how he uses his
LoungAir at home, Dr. Gifford enjoys that comfort of home
when he stays in a hotel room because he simply places the
LoungAir on the floor “in a portion of the bedroom away from
the bed.”
When asked why he places his LoungAir on the floor, Dr.
Gifford said, “I use the floor [as a] back brace.” He
said it’s a continuation of the self-therapy he recommends
for patients with back pain in which he suggests that they
“lean against a wall or lie on the floor with knees bent to
remove the curve in the small of the back.” Dr. Gifford
further insists that “there is nothing at all wrong with the
floor. People before the 20th century slept on the floor all
the time; many still do. The bed is a 17th century wealth
concoction, [that resulted] from the same thinking as
McDonald's Hamburgers and other convenience and luxury items
in life: They are nice to show, and may taste or feel good,
but they are not good for you.”
Dr.
M. J. Gimeno (The Stress and Phobia Center, Clearwater,
FL) treats “a variety of patients -- some with panic
attacks, anxiety, chronic pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,
Fibromyalgia, depression, and other conditions.” He
“recommends the Loungair ... for patients who need to be in
a comfortable position for meditation, musical meditation,
and directed imagery.” He likes the LoungAir because “for
patients with chronic pain, it relieves a lot of pressure.”
For his patients with Fibromyalgia, Dr. Gimeno recommends
a program that includes a “Fibromyalgia diet and supplements
such as Co-Q10, Alpha Lipoic, [and] Benfothiamine as well as
daily relaxation [and] meditation.”
As for himself, Dr. Gimeno says, “I own a LoungAir that I
use to practice my own meditation to the sound of Mozart,
and as an extra bed/chair for visiting friends and
relatives. I like the flexibility that this unique item
provides. It is not an inflatable bed! It can be adjusted to
different positions and is easily transported from one room
to another. It provides relief by decreasing ‘weight
pressure’ on those sensitive trigger points.”
Dr. Arden Gifford also says he recommends the LoungAir
because it is “small, portable, convenient, flexible, and
medically and orthopedically sound in helping people sleep
well and combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.”
Dr. Gifford also recommends the LoungAir for GERD reflux
patients, in part because it is something they can take with
them when they travel.
Overall, Dr. Gifford likes the LoungAir because it’s
“simple to put away” and is comparable to alternative
options that can “cost two the three times as much.”
When I mentioned my frustration that putting the LoungAir
on my bed made it too high for me comfortably climb onto it,
he said, “The use I put to the [LoungAir] bed it not to put
it on the bed. I place it on the floor [for the] firm
underlying support; the sagging of the support of the bed is
one of the features of a bed that contributes to back pain.”
He also said that “the conformity of the air support is
better than water because it does not roll and make waves,
but simply supports with no pressure, unlike all other forms
of mattress products that I have used.”
According to Dr. Gifford, “about 80% of back pain can be
resolved by bed rest, but you have to have the right type of
bed; placing the [LoungAir] bed on the floor provides the
support. He said that putting the LoungAir “on another
mattress is self defeating,” adding that for those with
Fibromyalgia and muscle spasms, placing the LoungAir on the
floor “provides support for the spinal column with the
needed bracing to reduce spasms.”
Both doctors enthusiastically recommend the LoungAir.
When asked if he had anything more he’d like to say about
the LoungAir, Dr. Gifford said, “I use this Loungair
everyday, and everywhere I go. It is excellent for travel
purposes. ... This is not a temporary toy, or something to
stow in the closet until guests come; this is a real and
effective medical prosthesis for me in that I spend 1/3 of
my life in it and it makes me quite comfortable.”
Dr. Gifford added that he chose the LoungAir because
“other products were either too large, or only flat, or had
various other cumbersome features. The easy of use is that
you don't have a big bulky product that you have to struggle
with to get inflated. It is small, convenient, and easy to
use.” As his final endorsement, Dr. Gifford said, “The
fabric is soft and does not have the swimming pool air
mattress feel that sticks to your skin and is hot and
uncomfortable.”
Pictures of the LoungAir
In Search of a Better
Sleep and Relief from Fibromyalgia and Back Pain: A Review
of the LoungAir (Includes information on how to get the
LoungAir at a discounted price.)
Other related information:
Things to Help You Keep Better Sleep |
