Treatment could help stop snoring

A new treatment for snoring is gaining popularity in Iowa. Dr. DouglasHoisington of the E-N-T Clinic of Iowa is one of three Iowa doctors whopreforms somnoplasty. He says somnoplasty changes the size of the palate toreduce snoring by reducing vibrations in the throat.Those vibrations are what cause most of the noise in snoring. However,there are other reasons such as drinking too much alcohol before going to bedand a family history of snoring. Hoisington says it wasn’t until recentlythat people considered snoring a real problem.Hoisington says somnoplasty is an outpatient procedure with very littlerecovery time needed.The procedure is so painless over-the-counter medicines take care of anydiscomfort.The only problem…insurance doesn’t cover somnoplasty. Treatments rangefrom four-hundred to 12-hundred dollars.