How was the Velumount method developed?
How it all began
Me, Arthur Wyss, slim, athletic and already spending the nights with a breathing device (CPAP) at the age of 45? - That was not an option for me:
Being professionally familiar with medical-technical devices, I set out to find a simpler solution to my sleep problem myself. Many years ago, I was observing a yoga artist in India. This experience helped me 20 years later to develop a small instrument preventing me from snoring and guaranteeing me a clear air channel during sleep.
The path to a satisfactory result was paved with countless self-experiments in the specially equipped sleep laboratory, with film recordings inside the throat during sleep in various positions and countless discussions with specialists from various fields.
The Velumount method, which I personally developed, has proven its effectiveness against snoring and sleep apnoea in several scientific studies. I am particularly pleased that our original Velumount method has contributed to an improvement in quality of life for many sufferering from snoring and/or sleep apnea.
Arthur Wyss - the inventor of the Velumount method against snoring
Velumount became famous thanks to SRF editor Christian Breitschmid. Read his report on the 15th anniversary of Velumount:
From journalist to anti-snorerer
It all began with the topic on “snoring” in a Swiss television program, Puls. A sympathetic man from Bern presented his own invention. After the program, the phones were ringing off the hook. Everyone wanted the ingenious anti-snoring brace.
from Christian Breitschmid
Like many great inventions, the discovery of the Velumount® is based on a mixture of personal affliction, an alert inventive spirit and the favor of the hour. Fifteen years ago, I was a producer and editor at Puls, the health magazine on Swiss television. At the beginning of 2005, we wanted to focus on the topic of snoring and sleep apnea. So I threw myself into the research. I was surprised at how many anti-snoring products were available on the market. I was even more amazed at how many people fall for more than questionable promises of salvation and lose a lot of money in the process. In the Swiss television archives, I found an earlier Pulse program that dealt with the operation of the soft palate and the uvula. This program featured a sympathetic man from Bern who had his operation filmed in order to report on the success or failure of the procedure. This man was Arthur “Türu” Wyss. As surgery could not cure his snoring and sleep apnea, Türu began to experiment on his own.
I was determined to have this man on my show
The trained technician quickly discovered that he could only get to grips with his fluttering soft palate and airway obstruction mechanically. He developed an aid that is simple and functional, consisting of a fine surgical wire encased in anti-allergenic silicone supporting the soft palate with gentle tension preventing it from flapping. II was determined to have this man on my show. So I invited him to test his “Velum tractor” against other anti-snoring gadgets in the sleep laboratory. The success of his method can be heard and seen in the Puls program from January 24, 2005 under the title “The popular sport of snoring”.
No one involved would have expected what happened after this broadcast: Swiss television and Türu Wyss had their phones ringing off the hook. Snorers and sleep apnoeics from all over Switzerland came forward, desperate to get their hands on the anti-snoring brace. Overnight, the modest inventor from Bern had become a well-known inventor throughout Switzerland. To meet the huge demand, Türu Wyss and his wife, Monika Müller, began offering workshops. At the end, Türu named his Velum tractor Velumount®, the name that is registered today.
In the program Puls, I also reported on these workshops. In the program on June 13, 2005, I showed how people suffering from snoring were taught how to use the simple anti-snoring brace by Türu. During this filming, I realized once again that something great was happening here. This brilliant man with his big heart and alert mind had not only made a wonderful invention, he also had the gift of treating people like people and not like patients or even numbers. It is also this direct and relaxed approach to people that makes Türu Wyss a credible and winning conversationalist.
Meanwhile, there are a few thousand people worldwide who can sleep snore-free and even without breathing interruptions thanks to Velumount®. One of them is myself. It all started a few years ago. At first it was just a few remarks from my wife: “You saw a lot tonight...” Then it became increasingly common for her to shake me awake at night because of my snoring. Eventually I realized that there was only one person who could help: Türu Wyss. So we got together again. This time no longer as a journalist and interview partner, but as a client and anti-snoring expert. The reporter became a sufferer and, thanks to Türu's help, quickly became an anti-snorer. Today, I can recommend the use of Velumount® with full conviction based on my own experience.
Scientific studies prove the effectiveness of anti-snoring braces
It is understandable that the Lung League and many medical specialists who earn money from the rental of expensive CPAP devices are not happy about the success of Velumount®. However, it becomes hypocritical when such specialists demand scientific studies but then do not support them or prevent their publication. I praise my former colleagues from television who, for example in Kassensturz (SF, 4.4.2006) or Reporter (“Der Entschnarcher”, SF, 15.6.2011), clearly show that a good idea can prevail, even against the resistance of envious people. The “Entschnarcher” continues to tinker. Türu Wyss and his Velumount® impress with their connection to people.