SleepApneaExercise.com by a certain Marc MacDonald, a self-proclaimed, independent sleep apnea specialist, is a very interesting attempt at making money online.
The operation is built around the concept of oropharyngeal exercises for the treatment of sleep apnea, an approach which does indeed have some merit to it, as well as a few actual scientific studies backing it up. This is why all this is so tricky. One can’t just toss aside the concept on which this sales angle is based, because – to a certain degree – it is quite legitimate indeed. Even from a strictly common-sense perspective, such exercises make sense: after all, it cannot possibly hurt to activate and strengthen the muscles linked to the problem areas of sleep apnea.
Still, as suggested in the title above, there are at least 3 problems with this whole setup, problems which we shall expose below.
Is it really wise to advise sleep apnea sufferers to look clean past CPAP and weight loss?
Not by a long-shot. These smooth operators want to sell you their miracle sleep apnea “cure” which is actually based on a rather legitimate angle. Telling you to ignore CPAP and weight loss though – the two most efficient treatment paths, according to science – is a major mistake. By doing this, these guys may actually endanger your health. You see, these oropharyngeal exercises they peddle are far from being as efficient as they make them out to be. Using them in addition to “proper” treatment may indeed make sense. Using them instead of such treatment though is reckless and irresponsible.
Who is Marc MacDonald and why did he photoshop his picture over one showing a doctor’s office?
No one really knows who the person peddling this deal is, or if he is real at all. One thing is certain: on the site, his picture is photoshopped onto a stock picture of a doctor’s office – not exactly trust-inspiring in any shape or form. In fact, such practices are usually indicative of cheap scams.
Why would you buy this program?
While – as pointed out above – oropharyngeal exercises do carry a certain degree of legitimacy, they’re far from rocket science. In fact, all it takes is a bit or online research to learn everything that’s worth knowing about them. Long story short: they are available for free, yet these people are charging $47 and $77 for their program packages…it doesn’t really make any sense. Sure, they toss in a bunch of eBooks and various artifices, but the gist of the offer remains the same.
While the above are the most important and obvious problems we have found with this deal, they’re far from being the only ones. In fact, for the critical eye, nothing about the whole pitch really adds up.
What other glitches have we found? It is quite obvious that (at least) some of the pictures they use for their “client” testimonials are stolen from various sites and are not of the person they claim them to be of. This practice is quite common among scammers as well.
The site piles on a bunch of useless eBooks and various other perks on top of the base deal, having the audacity to claim that through these knick-knacks, it provides some $197 worth of free value. To call that highly questionable, would be a major understatement.
The SleepApneaExercise.com homepage also features a “certificate” of the sort often used by scammers everywhere, which is essentially a picture that anyone with the most basic photoshop skills can whip up in a matter of minutes.
In addition to all the above, the site has been reviewed scores of times, earning recommendations from various small-time sites, whose reviews are written in horrible English, and are obviously aimed at generating affiliate revenue for their owners.
The site does offer a 60-day money-back guarantee, but based on the above, we wouldn’t really put much faith in that.
Sleep Apnea Exercise Review Conclusion
While it is based on a relatively legitimate angle, SleepApneaExercise.com does not make a solid case in any way. In fact, it looks like a fairly run-of-the-mill scam operation, looking to get people to pay up to $77 for information that is available for free (here, for example). At the same time, it commits a major mistake, by dissuading people from following the scientifically established paths of treatment, thus potentially endangering the health of its “customers.” The bottom line: if you are into oropharyngeal exercises for the alleviation of OSA, by all means: go for them. Look them up and start doing them. Just stick to the treatment prescribed by your doctor too, and do not give these SleepApneaExercise.com people the satisfaction of pocketing your heard-earned money.
In any case, we would recommend consulting with a sleep expert for anyone who is suffering from sleep problems.