Recently a reader asked about a news article she had seen that explained the most common surgeries that many seniors have that actually should be avoided.

She asked about alternatives specifically to a procedure whereby a stent is placed in a narrowing artery near the heart to keep it open.

What caught her attention was the specific phrase “stable angina.” This means that the narrowing will cause pain or tightness in the chest with exertion like exercise, although with no acute danger like you’d see in a heart attack.

Several of my readers who have long suffered with daytime neck pain and nighttime snoring have commented about those funny travel-type pillows that are shaped like a horseshoe.

Some people hate them and some people love them, and as always when there are dissenting opinions on a topic I just have to nose in and find out what the benefits and drawbacks are.

Being a traveler myself, I see those pillows all the time.  Even before a flight takes off, usually someone in my area has whipped it out and is attempting to shut out the world and catch a few Zs.

I hadn’t considered the use of this kind of pillow in the regular bedroom setting, though.  As I surfed around the ‘Net looking for examples, I found many, many separate companies that market this product.

I can really relate to readers who have trouble sleeping due to severe pain. I couldn’t count all the sleepless nights I had when my neck was out (after literally being hit by a truck).

Of course, I assumed that my neck pain was keeping me up. This is exactly what many people suffering from Arthritis, neck, back, TMJ or other pain complain about.

You understand how it’s not possible to sleep when your joints are squeaking.

But there is a twist to this. It’s something I didn’t realize until my neck began to get better.