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Sleep Apnea? The Didgeridoo Can Help
A therapy you'll enjoy. No musical skill required!
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Watch this video about how the didgeridoo
works to relieve snoring and sleep apnea.
Just click on video at left to play.
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On this page you'll find everything about how the didgeridoo is used to relieve sleep apnea and snoring. There are links to all of the medical and news articles, plus an excellent BBC video featuring the lead researcher, Dr. Milo Puhan, and his colleagues. Let us introduce you to the didgeridoo, what it is, how easily it's played, and which kind of didgeridoo you should get for sleep apnea therapy.
The British
Medical Journal, PubMed, Science
Daily, ABC
News, Discovery and Men's
Health magazines,
as well as the Apnea
Support Forum have articles reviewing the health
benefits that playing a didgeridoo
can offer those suffering with sleep
apnea and snoring. Many were kind
enough to mention L.A.Outback as the place to go for didgeridoos,
and we're very appreciative. The original
article was on the Reuters news service, and here is how it read:
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What
is a Didgeridoo? |
The
didgeridoo is a wind instrument traditionally
made from the trunk of termite hollowed
eucalyptus trees from Australia (like
the one pictured below). They average
about 4 feet in length, and  are
played by vibrating your lips into
the top end of the instrument which
creates a deep humming drone.
The
didgeridoo is a rhythm instrument,
so you play "beats" instead
of melodic songs. Play at your own speed as well: quiet or loud, fast or slow... you'll develop your own style. There are no rules or complex memorization. This makes learning the instrument
very intuitive, so you don't need any musical training or years of
lessons to enjoy playing the
didgeridoo straight away. And there's no lung power needed as with other wind
instruments. The didgeridoo is played
with gently vibrating lips, voice, and tongue movement,
not lung power. You won't believe how quickly you can learn this and how much fun it can be.
"I live in an apartment. Will the sound disturb my neighbors?"
No dramas about the loudness of a didgeridoo, as you can play softly and quietly simply by relaxing your breath. You can also put a folded towel under the "bell" end of a didge to absorb some of the sound. You get the same therapeutic benefit no matter how loud or quiet you play. |
Get
a Didgeridoo and Start Playing! |
| Buying
a didgeridoo for a beginner |
Straight
away, demand quality! Think about
it this way... if you wanted to
get serious about learning to play
drums, would you shop for one at
a toy store because they're cheaper
than the music shop? How much joy
and encouragement would you get
from a toy drum? Same with a didgeridoo.
We know you can find cheaper didgeridoos
elsewhere, but you get what you
pay for, mate. Here at L.A.Outback you won't have to
stretch your budget that far to
get superior quality in sound, playability,
and artwork.
When
selecting a didgeridoo for a novice
there are three things to keep in
mind: ease of play, pitch and portability. While the word pitch is
the correct term for the soundwave
or drone of a didgeridoo, the word key has become the most
common expression among didgeridoo
players. Both words mean the same
thing. A didgeridoo has only one
pitch, so you play rhythm rather
than melody. The common pitch range
for didgeridoos is from high A to
low A. For ease of play, beginners should pick a didgeridoo
somewhere in the middle of this
scale, namely, C, C#, D or D#.
As
far as size goes, buying a large
didgeridoo because it's within your
budget may not be a bargain at all.
In fact, didgeridoos over 5 feet
long and/or heavy didgeridoos over
8 lbs could actually discourage
a beginner from practicing. The
pitch may be too high or too low,
and if it's very heavy, the instrument
will be left behind on camping trips,
a visit to friends, or a jam session
with other musicians. The size of
the player is much less
important, as even a six year old tin lid (Aussie for kid)
can pick up the basic sounds straight
away.
Authentic
eucalyptus didgeridoos
Our
specialty at L.A.Outback. For over
a decade we've earned a solid reputation
for hand selecting and importing
the best variety and highest quality
eucalyptus didgeridoos into the
U.S. Naturally, we'd like for you
to consider an Australian eucalyptus
didgeridoo with genuine Aboriginal
artwork, but there are other choices
below to fit most budgets. The eucalyptus
didgeridoos that we
have are naturally termite-hollowed,
properly crafted and hand selected.
They vary in price from $80 to over
$800 depending upon the quality
of sound, rarity of shape or size,
and how much time went into the
crafting and/or artwork. The average
cost for a great sounding unpainted
eucalyptus didgeridoo is about $179,
and the average price for a beautiful
Aboriginal painted didgeridoo is
around $269. We help support over
30 Aboriginal artists and crafters,
and on this website you will find
their photos, bios and information
about the Dreamtime artwork on your didgeridoo.
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| The
BEST starter didgeridoos and their cost |
 We
have awesome modern
didgeridoos from $39 to $98.
These instruments play so well that
many advanced players and professionals
own them. In fact, you'll hear one
of our modern didgeridoos in the IMAX film, Coral
Reef Adventure. These are light
in weight yet nearly indestructible,
and it won't matter if they get
wet, stressed, or left in your car on a hot summer day. They have also become the most popular choice for use in sleep apnea therapy.
Other
choices include bamboo
didgeridoos starting
at $89. These have a lustrous, non-toxic,
clear resin coating to prevent them
from cracking, unlike cheaper bamboo
didgeridoos found elsewhere. Think
about it, do you want a stick
from Indonesia for thirty dollars that cracks
and becomes unplayable, or do you
want a solid musical instrument that
will last a lifetime? Our bamboo didgeridoos
are hand crafted by Tyler Spencer
and available exclusively here at L.A.Outback.
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| Learning How to Play the Didgeridoo |
 If you live in southern California or are planning a trip here we offer FREE didgeridoo classes for beginners (see photo at right). To find out when the next class is scheduled simply give us a ring on 1-800-519-1140, or check our Didgeridoo Event Calendar.
Our Didgeridoo
Video Course is an excellent way to get started and learn at your own pace. At
60 minutes in length this video
includes: Choosing a Good Didgeridoo,
Making a Mouthpiece, Achieving
a Clear Tone, Varying the Tone,
Making Animal Sounds, 3 Steps
to Circular Breathing, Basic
Rhythms, Advanced Rhythms and
more. Read all about the video and place one in your shopping cart using this link: Didgeridoo
Video Course. |
| You
may also want to add a didgeridoo
music CD to your order, both for encouragement
and inspiration. We have the biggest selection of didgeridoo music on the internet, and you can hear MP3 sound
samples for every CD from our Didgeridoo Music pages. |
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| Didgeridoo
mouthpieces and your health |
 You
won't find mention of this on most
other didgeridoo websites (although
they should). A concern about clean
didgeridoo mouthpieces began with
my very first trip to Australia.
I had gone there to suss out contacts
with Aboriginal artists and didgeridoo
crafters from the Central Desert
to far NE Arnhem Land. I also found
gift shops filled with low quality souvenir didgeridoos, and
folks were always trying to play
them, including me! I started carrying
disposable alcohol wipes, and then
did some research about germs, viruses
and antigens just to educate myself
and our customers.
Truth be told, most folks rarely clean their
mouthpieces
and never get sick by sharing them. Still, we disinfect all of our mouthpieces with a product we call Didgeri-Clean. It contains tea tree oil (a natural
antiseptic) and lavender oil, so
your new didgeridoo will arrive
clean, fresh, and ready to rumble! You can
also purchase Didgeri-Clean from this website on our Didgeridoo Gear page. |
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| We're
always here to help |
Please
feel free to contact us if you want
help in selecting a didgeridoo from
our website or shop, or if you have
a question about any of our products
or services. We can play the didgeridoos
for you over the phone, and give you
advice about an instrument that perfectly
suits your needs and your budget. |
Our
toll free number is 800-519-1140 or in California you can ring us on
818-985-8359. If you prefer to email
us simply click on this link info@laoutback.net. |
Your
mob at L.A.Outback,
Mark, Barry, Pablo, Jorge, and
Dingo
Los Angeles, California |
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Ethical
didgeridoo buying and what to look
out for: Avoid instruments manufactured in
third world countries like India and
Indonesia. Healthy teak trees are
being harvested for wood didgeridoos
in Indonesia and plastic didgeridoos
that look like wood are being made
in India. Many folks out there have
already bought these types of didgeridoos
believing that they were made by Aboriginal
people in Australia. Sellers of these
sticks may intentionally lie or "talk
around" the issue while a few
honestly admit where they are made.
If it doesn't feel right, don't bite.
The Aboriginal people of Australia
sustain their culture through their
arts, crafts and community tourism.
Help us help them. And thanks for
listening. |
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Medical Disclaimer: We (L.A.Outback) are not medical professionals or experts on sleep apnea syndrome. Our specialty for 10 years and growing is the didgeridoo, and we are responding to the proof of principal results published in the British
Medical Journal. It is our express concern that you consider didgeridoo playing only as a supplemental therapy to compliment your CPAP or any related therapies as prescribed by your doctor. |
There is no cure for sleep apnea, and while the clinical results of didgeridoo playing are promising, you should not decrease or discontinue your CPAP regimen without consulting your physician. |
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Questions?
1.800.519.1140
Please
don't hesitate to ring us with questions
about any of our products or services. |
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