The Chin-Up Company

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Contact Us in Atlanta at 1-888-835-4563

Inventor's Story

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Dale Miller, JD - Inventor of Chin Up Strips® for use with Cpap.

I have used Cpap with nasal pillows and a Chin-Up Strips® since 1995.

dmiller176@aol.com

Dale D. Miller, JD - Chin-Up Strips® Inventor's Personal Story

Simply Helping the World Sleep since 1999.

 

Over 9 million shipped to sleep centers, resellers, snorers & CPAP users.

 

I did not sleep well for many years. I woke up congested and tired in the decade of my 40's. My wife and children told me I snored loudly every time I fell asleep. Relatives and friends joked about my snoring the same as we had joked about my Father's snoring before he died in his sleep in November 1983. I am sure my Father would have lived longer with today's advances in sleep medicine.

 

In the late 1980's I became involved, as a personal injury trial attorney, in two auto accident cases where drivers fell asleep driving during the daytime! People died and others were seriously injured. Those sad cases convinced me to schedule my first sleep study at St. Joseph's Hospital Marshfield WI 1993.

I was 50 yeas old in 1993. My RN wife told me for years that I stop breathing during sleep. After my first hospital sleep study, Dr. Honsotia informed me that I am a nocturnal mouth breather suffering with a serious condition called sleep apnea.  My respiratory disturbance index (RDI) was 22. I would stop breathing, for 10 seconds or longer, 22 times per hour!

 

Dr Honsotia prescribed Cpap therapy for me. Cpap (continuous positive airway pressure) machine changed my life. I had more energy, but dry mouth and jaw pain from the Chin Strap that jammed my upper and lower teeth together was a problem. During a follow up doctor visit, I asked if mouth breathing could be the cause of my snoring and sleep apnea and dry mouth. Dr. Honsotia said: "I wish we had a tolerable cure for mouth breathing. That would help you."

 

After that doctor visit, my RN wife and I worked on coming up with a simple way to keep my mouth closed during sleep. We laughed about how difficult it may be to find a tolerable device to keep an attorney's mouth closed, even when sleeping.

 

On December 21, 1995 I returned to St. Joseph's Hospital for a second full night sleep study using no device the first half of the night and using only our original Chin-Up Strips® the second half of the night. Dr. Honsotia indicated the first half of the night, I snored and experienced numerous sleep apnea events. The second half of the night, using only our Chin-Up Strips®, my snoring was reduced significantly and my Respiratory Disturbance Index dropped to 5 which was in the normal range.

 

Dr Honsotia said: "Attorney Miller you need to get a patent on your Chin-Up Strips® device as soon as possible! There are millions of people who would benefit from using your simple device to control mouth breathing."

 

Dan Cohen, MD, the founder of CNS – The Breathe Right nasal strip Company– was very helpful in recommending where to manufacture and market our Chin-Up Strips®. 3M Medical Specialties supplies medical grade tapes which are die cut into Chin-Up Strips®. We offer 3 different shaped strips to satisfy our customers around the world.

 

Hospital sleep centers have been our best source of referral customers. I have been a speaker at hospital sleep support groups around the U.S. (A.W.A.K.E.) since 1999.

 

Since 1999, DKSH in Japan and British Snoring and Sleep Apnea Association have been ordering more than 200,000 strips per year in bulk 1000 count rolls. We also ship individual customer orders world wide from our website using stamps.com. FDA cleared Chin-Up Strips® for mouth breathing and oral venting with Cpap in 2004. Chin-Up Strips® and Breathe Right strips have not been cleared by FDA to treat Sleep Apnea, alone or together. Use as accessory with Cpap therapy.

 

FDA cleared "Indications for Use" - 510(k)

 

1. Chin-Up Strips® support the chin during sleep, thereby promoting and enhancing nasal breathing, by reducing mouth breathing and oral venting.

 

2. Chin-Up Strips® promote and enhance nasal breathing to help Breathe Right nasal strips reduce or eliminate snoring.

 

I have used Chin-Up Strips® to limit my nocturnal mouth breathing since December 1995. Simply getting older was not the reason I had low energy & daytime sleepiness during my late 40's. The primary cause was mouth breathing and sleep apnea which have been treated with Chin-Up Strips® and Cpap since December 1995. I am very grateful to the experts in sleep medicine who have helped me.

 

At time of this update, I continue to use my Cpap with AirFit P10 nasal pillows and Chin-Up Strips® which control my mouth breathing. They have allowed me to enjoy an active life into my 74th year now.  Virginia and I married in Milwaukee 10/31/1964.

 

Have 4 children 8 grandchildren. We still sleep in the same bed! Lucky Me!

 

  • End dry mouth and oral venting with CPAP
  • Reduce loud mouth snoring the first night
  • Safely limit mouth breathing comfortable

 

Dale D. Miller, JD – Inventor – Enjoy More Good Nights and Great Days.

dmiller176@aol.com – Revision 2 - August 2016 – Atlanta GA office 1-678-482-8508

 

 Sleep Support Group Speaking References

Call 1-888-835-4563 to schedule a speaking date.

 

Kristina St.Peter, RPSGT - Neurodiagnostic Supervisor

Parrish Health Care Sleep Disorders Center (321)268-6408

Kristina.Stpeter@parrishmed.com

 

Robby Beauchamp: (813) 844-7537

A.W.A.K.E. Email: wbeaucha@tgh.org

 

Tampa General Hospital Sleep Disorders Center

 

Dr.William Finley: (828) 275-7550
Email: nhewwf@MSJ.ORG
Mission St. Joseph Sleep Center - Asheville, NC

 

David Campbell: (650) 573-1455
Stanford University Sleep Center - Palo Alto, CA

 

Al Reichert: (650) 367-5188
Sequoia Hospital Sleep Center - Rewood City, CA

 


 

30 Minute Presentation Outline:

 

Sleep Support Group - 30 Min. Presentation Outline for Attendees.

 

“Tolerating Cpap with Chin-Up Strips® 17 years after my first sleep study.”

 

Dale Miller, J.D. - Simply Helping the World Sleep – www.chinupstrip.com

Dale Miller, Inc. - The Chin-Up Strips® Company - Atlanta GA.

1-888-835-4563 - Fax: 678-298-9988 - dmiller176@aol.com

 

  1. This is where I was in 1994.
    1. Defense mechanisms: Fear of dying did not motivate me in the beginning.
    2. “We can’t handle the truth.” A Few Good Men – Jack Nicholson.
  2. Auto accidents motivated me to have a hospital sleep study.
  3. Cpap therapy prescribed for me in 1994. I was 51 years of age.
  4. Formed good relationship with Dr Honsotia at Marshfield Clinic in WI.
  5. Dr. Honsotia asked me to look for and appreciate the small improvements.
  1. Improvement in my daily life occurred the first week on Cpap.
  2. Immediate improvements for me were not small. They were significant.
  3. More energy, clear nasal passages, stopped snoring, happy spouse!
  1. Then I had to deal with problems to maintain Cpap Therapy
  2. Bridge of nose hurt from nasal mask pressure.
  3. Dry mouth – still mouth breathing during sleep and oral venting.
  4. Air leaks – pressure to high – waking up to whistling sounds.
  5. Chin strap issues – teeth jammed together – sore jaw muscles
  1. This is how I got here. Mouth breathing – Cpap Compliance.
  2. Chin-Up Strips® idea born and developed 1995. Second Sleep Study 12-21-1995.
    2. Chin-Up Strips® hospital patient sleep studies at Columbia Hospital in Lexington KY.
  1. This is where I am now.
  2. I believe in the power of support groups – Personal and Professional help free.
    2. Invite a friend or relative to a sleep support A.W.A.K.E. meeting in your area.
  3. Doctors can be heroes, but we must help them as they help us enjoy life.
  4. People working in Sleep Medicine are my heroes! They make life better.
  1. Accept the truth about your condition - Accept responsibility for your health
  2. That includes requirement of restful sleep and compliance with prescribed therapy.
  3. We can separate ourselves from past history of snoring, sleep apnea and sleepiness.
  4. Closing Comment: We need  Ideals to shape our life.
    1. Direct your attention on what really counts. (People Like Us – Movie)
    2. Ideals direct us to focus on what really counts.
    3. Focus on the joy of being in the present on your journey through life.

 

Inventor Notice:

Use Chin-Up Strips® to treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea with
prescribed CPAP therapy or as prescribed by your doctor.

 

FDA NOTICE:

"Neither Breathe Right nasal strips nor Chin-Up Strips® have been shown to be effective in treating sleep apnea, either alone or in combination."

 


 

Indications for Use - FDA.

      1. Chin-Up Strips® support the chin during sleep thereby promoting and enhancing nasal breathing by reducing  mouth breathing and oral venting.
      2. Chin-Up Strips®  support  the  chin  during  sleep, thereby enhancing nasal breathing to help Breathe  Right nasal strips reduce or eliminate snoring.