Sleep Wellness + DC = The New
Chiropractic Frontier
Don Petersen
Publisher, Dynamic Chiropractic
Moderator
Dr. Kenna Ducey-Clark, DC
Wellness Practitioner and Sleep Wellness Specialist
Presenter
Dr. Kenna S.Ducey-Clark,DC
 Palmer College of Chiropractic West graduate
 Mills College graduate BA
Communications/Sociology
 Post graduate training in diverse areas ranging from
sports medicine, nutrition, pediatrics, Bio-Mechanics,
to Functional Medicine
 Esteemed Board member of the Medical Advisory
Board for DANI’S Foundation
 Advisory Director-Sleep Wellness for intelliBED
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Dr. Kenna S.Ducey-Clark,DC
 Integrative Clinic based out of Denver, CO
 Sports Medicine focused with a Functional Medicine
emphasis
 Foundation of care to support patients’ health and
wellness is based on the focus of five core principles
of basic human needs: Breathing, Hydration,
Sleeping, Nutrients and Exercise
 Highly successful “boutique” like practice, referral
based, catering to patients truly invested in bettering
the quality of their health
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Healthy Sleep
What We Don’t Know?
 Damaging to our health & wellness
 Signs are everywhere, but the data has been
purposely withheld
 Modern mattress = Poor support
 synthetic, off-gassing foams have taken over our
beds...assaulting our senses
 Government is hurting, not helping
 mandatory fire blocking
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What Can We Do?
 Do the research & get the facts
 Advise patients about sleep wellness issues
 back support
 value of deep, healing sleep
 off-gassing, toxic fumes risk
 which sleep products to buy
 There is no “go-to” professional for sleep wellness

the DC can be that professional
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Poll Question #1
How many of your patients do you suspect are
suffering from an undiagnosed sleep problem?
a. less than 10%
b. 10-25%
c. 25-50%
d. more than 50%
Please answer poll
question on your right ▶
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Sleep Wellness+DC
 Huge opportunity
 everyone sleeps & needs a bed
 almost everyone has sleep issues
 almost everyone is on the wrong sleep surface
 Easy to implement
 patients are confused and already asking us for advice
 patients don’t need to change behavior, just buy the
right product
 The new frontier for Chiropractic
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Sleep Wellness Defined:
Sleep IS Essential to Wellness. Without It, We Die
Sleep: The THIRD side of the
Wellness Triangle
Wellness
Sleep
Sleep Problems at Epidemic Levels
• Problems are worsening, not getting better
• Among many wellness professionals, it’s #1 health concern
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Poor Sleep: An Epidemic in
America
 Studies show that a lack of stage 3-4 sleep contributes
to (and may be the leading cause of) such disease
states as:
 fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity
and many “auto-immune” diseases
 Hinders healing and impedes our immune system
 70 million suffer from sleep-related pain
 60 million sleeping aid prescriptions written in 2008
(modern medicine’s method to deal with the problem)
(National Geographic article on sleep)
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Sleep Crosses Medical
Disciplines Boundaries
 Medical schools don’t teach sleep
 Understanding sleep is a complex issue
 alignment/support = DC and Orthopedic MD
 sleep levels = sleep disorder MD
 sleep safety = allergist, oncologist, toxicologist,
respiratory specialist, immunologist
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Dr. Robert Troell, MD
 Quadruple board certified physician: Stanford trained in
both Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and Sleep
Medicine.
 Clinical professor for seven years at the first sleep clinic in
the U. S.: the Stanford Sleep Disorders Center.
 Where he worked with the fathers of modern sleep
research, Christian Bernard & William Dement
 The first surgeon board certified in Sleep Medicine in the
US.
 Practices in Las Vegas, NV and Laguna Beach, CA.
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Stages of Sleep
(W. Dement, R. Troell, MD’s)
 REM (Rapid Eye Movement)
 Non-REM (4 stages)
 Stage 1, Cycle between wakefulness and light sleep
 Stage 2, Light sleep
 Stages 3, 4 Deep Healing
“During the deep stages of NREM sleep, the body repairs and
regenerates tissues, builds bone and muscle, and appears
to strengthen the immune system.”
WebMD.com
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Most Common Sleep Disorders
(Dr. Robert Troell)
 Insomnia: Taking longer than 20-minutes to fall
asleep, or awakening after the onset of sleep and not
being able to fall asleep again.
 Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The pathology in the upper
airway collapses during sleep (24% of adult men and
9% of adult women)
 Insufficient Sleep Disorder: One receives less sleep
then genetically required. Sleep deprivation.
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Most Disorders Undiagnosed
 95% of those with sleep disorders go undiagnosed
 If you have a minor sleep disorder, there is a 19
out of 20 chance you will never get yourself
checked out.
Most people won’t realize, or admit, that they have a
real problem with sleeping.
 We think it is just a fact of life that comes with
modern day living or with aging.
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Role of the Mattress:
 “Human beings sleep lying down. The bed where the
body resides can have a profound impact on the quality
of sleep and the musculoskeletal system. When
musculoskeletal pain exists or when the bed is
uncomfortable, there are many changes that occur:
 delayed sleep onset (insomnia), more superficial nonREM sleep, reduced delta sleep and less REM sleep,
increased arousals with sleep fragmentation and
overall lowered sleep efficiency. These sleep
changes from normal result in excessive daytime
sleepiness, decreased cognitive function and a
reduced state of well being, which lowers work
efficiency and increases the risks of automobile and
work related accidents.” (Dr. Robert Troell)
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Modern Sleep Surfaces
 Mattresses have moved away from cotton & steel
springs to synthetic foams
 less support, new off-gassing, less durability
 Pillows are full of synthetic foams
 more off-gassing
 Mattresses become allergy pits
 sloughing skin....dust mites, bed bugs
 allergens
 moisture
 THESE PRODUCTS UNDERMINE WELLNESS
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Pillars of Healthy Sleep
I. Alignment (back) Support
Hips should not “hammock” into the
mattress which is the leading cause
of back pain and lower back joint
instability.
Recessed curves (side, back and
neck) should be supported properly.
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Pillars of Healthy Sleep
II. Pressure Relief (comfort)
Excessive pressure causes tossing and turning, and
hip or shoulder pain. Robs us of deep sleep where
healing and regeneration of our immune system
occur.
 Peak pressures occur on the hips and shoulders
 Common to see peak pressures above 250 mmHg
 Capillary closure occurs at 32 mmHg. Built-in defense
mechanism that wakes you up to turn over
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Pillars of Healthy Sleep
III. Safe, Non-toxic Materials
 Materials used should not off-gas harmful materials.
We spend 1/3 of our life breathing in these materials.
Ongoing effects are difficult to quantify, but they do
pose a risk worth considering
 For more information on synthetic foams and sleep
products go to www.chem-tox.com
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Pillars of Healthy Sleep
IV. Durability of Materials
 Premature breakdown of synthetic foams cause the
mattress to lose its support and comfort
characteristics.
 A 20-year warranty makes us think the mattress
should last that long.
 The mattress industry recommends we replace our
mattress every eight years.
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Anatomy of the Modern
Mattress
The modern mattress has a support layer for back
support and cushioning layers for comfort.
Primary Cushioning Layer
Secondary Cushioning Layer(s)
Common materials include polyurethane
foam, memory foam, gelled memory
foam, latex foam.
Support Layer or Core
Common materials include innersprings,
polyurethane foam, latex foam, air and
water.
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Three Classes of Retail
Mattresses
 Innerspring/Pillow-Top: use a steel spring system for
support layer (75% of all mattress sold are innerspring
based*)
 Foam-core: use foam in place of steel springs for support
 memory foam most popular, also new gelled memory
foam and latex mattresses
 Air/water-core: uses water or air chamber in place of steel
springs for adjustable support (adjustable firmness air
bed)
*Leggatt & Platt
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What Else is Wrong with FOAM?
Off-Gassing
A much bigger problem than most think
 Symptoms include headaches, nausea, allergic
reactions
 Google: Polyurethane foam off gassing
 Go to www.chemtox.com
 Many “fire retardants” are known carcinogens (boric
acid, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony)
 Thought to be a leading cause of SIDS
(http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/bedding.asp?
a=1&r=1&e=1&q=sids+crib+mattress )
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Sleep Wellness Mattress –
Co-Polymer Gel Basic Construction
Co-Polymer Gel
Advanced Cushioning Material
Co-polymer gel replaces almost all the
foam. Co-polymer gel is the best
invention for cushioning ever
developed! Curing bed sores in
hospital beds.
Secondary cushioning and glue layer
Support-Coil Innerspring
Innerspring the best invention for back
support. Most resilient support layer.
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100% Co-Polymer Gel
A True Breakthrough in Cushioning
 Column buckling – vastly superior
pressure relief
 hospital tested to cure bed sores
 Up to 80% better pressure relief*
 Loses less than 5% of its
*medical pressure mapping
**Leggatt * Platt Rollator testing
***Gaymar Industries clinical testing
resiliency**
 100% Hypo-allergenic and nontoxic***
 Recyclable
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Poll Question #2
Do you think sleep wellness is an important area
for DCs to include in their practice?
a. Yes
b. Not sure yet
c. No
Please answer poll
question on your right ▶
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Step1: Do Your Homework
 Learn the language of sleep
 Study the research
 Determine which kind of Sleep Practitioner you want
to be
 practitioner/expert
 referrer
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Integrating Sleep Wellness
 I’m visible and passionate about sleep
 discuss it with patients
 include it on my in-take form
 I have posters about sleep on my walls
 I have sleep wellness on my card
 I have sleep banners on my web site
 I have sample sleep products in my clinic
 I have sleep research on display
 I sleep on the products I prescribe
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Things to Consider
 Find vendors and products that can support your
efforts with patients and that you can trust
 you will be judged by the products you prescribe
 you need a vendor that operates as an adjunct to your
clinic
 Providing Better Sleep is a true Win-Win!
 your patients see better results
 your patient satisfaction levels grow
 your practice revenue grows
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Wellness Quality Mattresses, Pillows and Just
Gel Baby! Crib Mattresses for the home exclusively featuring
hospital tested intelli-gel®
For additional information contact:
Shawn Clark
(435) 513-5295
sclark5604@aol.com
www.intellibed.com/dcprogram
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