Dr. Dylan Petkus

[rltarbu]

I have been noticing some youtube videos and a book on alternatives for treating sleep apnea by Dr. Dylan Petkus.  Wondered if anyone has any information on it?  Thanks.

[BoxcarPete]

Best Youtube doc I have seen so far on apnea stuff is Vik Veers based in the UK. He is an ENT who seems to have a really nuanced approach based on seeking understanding of individual needs and helping patients find what works for them, which tends to be sadly lacking among sleep specialists. Haven't heard of Dr. Petkus but I might check out some of his work.

[DaveL]

Good topic. Good response. I'll keep watching.
Dave

[rltarbu]

Yes I have watched some of Dr. Veers videos and thought they were excellent.  Only problem is finding someone in U.S. who takes the same approach he does.  So far, I have been very disappointed in the way things seem to be done here.  Little information is provided to patients and providers seem to take a very rigid step by step approach.  First try c-pap etc., and then months or years later if no progress is made think about progressing to other possible treatments like surgery or implantation.  Doesn't seem very nuanced based on individual needs.  Dr. Petkus is placing a ton of apparently recently made videos on youtube and may be worth looking into.  Sounds like he will provide a free consultation and then you can sign up for his services if you wish.

[jakespeare65]

Great topic!

Dr Petkus recently started showing up in my Youtube feed. He says if one can identify the root causes of their sleep apnea, they can potentially get off of CPAP. 

Pretty appealing message, even if CPAP therapy is giving you benefits, it's still cumbersome and challenging.

His videos are long, even the "short" ones are 20 minutes. While the titles of the videos often promise specific information, he's kind of rambling and discursive. I often find myself rewinding to see what I missed. He has a book to sell, and also offers consultations. He does share many intriguing concepts, but isn't telling viewers too many specifics. "Do breathing excercises to reprogram your brain to undo disordered breathing," is a lot of what he says. Or he'll explain how mitochondria work for 10 minutes. Still, there seems to be something there, and he seems well-meaning.

I was interested enough to schedule a consultation with Dr Petkus, over the phone. They run 45 minutes.

Here are my thoughts:

The intake form they use is mostly questions about how the consequences of Apnea make you feel. What would you do if you had more energy, at work, in relationships, etc. 

Very little information was collected about my therapy or history.

The amount of reminders his office sent was a bit excessive. 24 hours, 12 hours, 6 hours, 3 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes before all got a message. They told me to follow the included link to watch some specific short (20 min) videos on his site. 

The links didn't work - file not found. I realized I had already seen most of the content already on YouTube, but weird the links weren't active.

The call itself was not a consultation. It was a continuation of the "what would you do if," or "how does that make you feel," questions around CPAP/apnea. It started to feel as if I was just providing him with emotional levers to pull to overcome objections for what I then realized was the point of the call - some sort of sales pitch. 

The pitch is this: they offer a 12-week program (no details) at a cost of $12,000 US. But he'll knock it down to $10K if you pay all at once. I was a bit shocked at the price. Like I said, he never shared what the program would consist of in our call. Even if I had 10K laying around, I would need a lot more info. I said "send me the details and I will review. I need to know what exactly is included." 

He did send a link, here is some of what's included:

Pillar 1: 360 Health Profile - Pinpoint Your Root Causes

Dr. Petkus and the team work to uncover your root causes of sleep apnea comprehensively. We aim to ensure nothing stands in your way of deep, restful sleep without relying on surgery or a CPAP. And, we help you do this without having to drive out to an appointment, wait in the lobby, and have a long appointment. Everything is done virtually so that it easily fits into your busy schedule. 

Airway Assessment: 
When evaluating your airways, most doctors just look for a reason to give you a one-size-fits-all approach. That leads to you being stuck on a CPAP or getting surgery that doesn’t help. Instead, we identify your exact airway issues and create an individual approach for you. This helps you finally breathe easy, sleep soundly through the night, and wake up feeling refreshed and restored. 

We use questionnaires, photos, and videos to examine your upper airway and facial structure in detail. This allows us to identify the precise anatomical factors and “choke points” that are obstructing easy breathing during sleep for you. Dr. Petkus will personally review your information using his years of experience and pinpoint the biggest areas to improve. And, if you’re on a CPAP, he will also find what is keeping you stuck on that machine.

Pillar 2: Personalized Protocol - Your Roadmap to Restorative Sleep
Strategic Nutrition Guidance for Deep Sleep and Less Inflammation 
We know completely overhauling your diet can feel daunting and unsustainable. So we take a tailored approach to make simple yet strategic nutritional tweaks. These small upgrades begin to balance your metabolism and lower inflammation.
Pillar 3: Foundational Knowledge
In our 12-week program everything that is included: 

• Airway Assessment 
• Metabolic Assessment 
• Personalized Protocol covering nutrition, supplements, routines, environment, nervous system, and optimized breathing.
• Foundational Knowledge Base: Online video modules and essay-to-read guides 
• 4 Private Health Coaching Sessions 
• Doctors’ Office Hours: Monday through Friday access to our Doctors for in depth conversations and troubleshooting 
• On-Demand Access: Message us directly to get what you need as quickly as possible 
What You Really “Get”
In 1-2 months, your renewed energy will empower you to conquer projects without constantly pushing through. You'll feel that old spark of passion ignite as you take life head-on again. At home, you will start to be fully present with your loved ones again, engaging in conversations and experiences with your full attention.
In 3 months, your improvements will be undeniable.  Your productivity and performance can get back to how you used to be. You'll share meaningful moments with loved ones. Activities that light you up will call your name, inviting you to rediscover passions of the past or newfound interests.
You’ll get a clear understanding of what’s structurally causing your disrupted sleep so that we can identify how to address it with the right exercise plan. Instead of doing endless general exercises, you will get a customized list that will lead to the biggest improvements for you. 


Holistic Metabolic & Lifestyle Assessment: 
Unlike the traditional model of simply prescribing CPAP machines, our holistic approach aims to get to the core. We do that by addressing the root lifestyle and metabolic factors. These drive inflammation, narrow your airways, and worsen your sleep. That’s why we'll tackle the problem at its core to help you rise above sleep apnea once and for all.

We accomplish this by using a questionnaire to identify metabolic imbalances and to design your blueprint. Over the years, we’ve developed this and determined how it correlates with metabolic imbalances. So no need to get more labs done. If you exhibit a certain set of symptoms, that tells us that certain pathways are off. For example, if you have a poor appetite in the morning, then that tells us you are deficient in certain nutrients and adjust our plan accordingly.We also check your lifestyle, stressors, and environmental factors. We do this to identify and address other metabolic issues. And, we also take into account how sleep apnea may have impacted your health over the years. Sleep apnea can worsen conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and cognitive decline. By understanding these effects, we can help target other bothersome issues as your apnea is addressed.

With both of these assessments, we can craft your Personalized Protocol to overcome sleep apnea as quickly as possible.
Based on the comprehensive assessment, we develop a personalized protocol based on your unique needs. It provides targeted solutions and step-by-step guidance optimized to your specific needs. 

We also prioritize your action-steps for you. This allows us to determine the optimal sequence of steps tailored specifically for you each week. You can start by tackling the most important factors that drive your sleep apnea first. This helps you get progress right away while reducing overwhelm. 

In our approach, we use a holistic approach from the most powerful angles: 

1. Nutrition 
2. Supplements 
3. Routines 
4. Environment 
5. Nervous System 
6. Airway Optimization


It looks like the supplements are something they sell you - more $$$ not just advice on what to take.

I can't afford $10K so it's a no for me. I am disappointed at the high cost and the pressure sales tactics. I've been seeing a myotherapist, who charges $200 per session and addresses both anatomical and breath angles. It's like PT for your tongue and airway. 

TLDR: Dr Petkus is asking $10K for a 12-week program and it makes me question his motives.

[OpalRose]

Hey folks,
I say... run as fast as you can from Dr Petkus!

[SarcasticDave94]

Sounds like he may have some relatives selling things too, 3 cousins Dewey Cheatum and Howe and his brother Takeu Foraride.

[BoxcarPete]

Yes, I watched one or two of his videos and felt the same way, really long-winded for the minimal amount of information you actually leave with. Just never gets around to the point.

I have heard that diet and inflammation can be tied to apnea, so there's probably something there, but $10-12k is damn expensive to get a doc to look at some photos of your neck and then tell you what to eat.

[rltarbu]

It would be helpful if he offered some patient testimonials or if someone who has tried his course reported on the outcome.  This must be a relatively recent program so may not be much out there as of yet to assess.  The price seems rather daunting but I assume many would be willing to pay it if the program actually succeeded in getting off a machine.  I do intuitively think that breathing has something to do with sleep-apnea (specifically central apnea) and breathing exercises or yoga may help. Would be interested in hearing if anyone thinks they have benefited from yoga for example.

[DaveL]

After a hospital procedure I returned for a 6 month "heart recovery program". One of the volunteers caught up to me as I left one day, and offered to set me up to do "chair yoga". Turns out she was also a breathing coach. My medical history (sleep apnea) made me a contact.

I won't be signing up for the good Dr's program.