Our Story
How It All Began
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Anders, our CEO, became interested in this problem through clinical immersion while earning his Master of Science in Medical Device Innovation at the University of Minnesota in 2017. He was shocked to learn some troubling facts:
- 80% of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) patients are undiagnosed
- Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP), the gold standard in OSA treatment, only has a 60% compliance rate
In other words, far too many people are not getting the help they need to breathe better, sleep better, stop snoring and enjoy other benefits of improved airway health.
Anders put together a team after his Master’s program to determine how best to solve the unmet need of so many people suffering with airway problems. One study that piqued the team’s interest used playing the didgeridoo as a method of reducing apnea-hypopnea index and improving sleep quality.
This led to further research into studies that used oropharyngeal exercises to strengthen the muscles of the mouth and throat. These exercises seemed like the most natural approach to addressing one of the main root causes of the problem, the tongue falling back in the throat and cutting off breathing (apnea, hypopnea) and/or causing tissue vibration (snoring).
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Hear From Anders
Drinking Water as Myofunctional Therapy for Improved Airway Health
In June 2019, the team transitioned from studying the anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology and oropharyngeal exercises to developing a solution. The team heavily utilized human-centered design practices to develop a device that people will actually want to use. A novel, simplified therapy was developed, but...
How do you deliver it in a way to get people to exercise their mouth muscles every day?
During one of the team’s brainstorms, a crazy concept emerged. What if you could eat something healthy while also exercising the muscles in the correct way? It wasn’t until a couple of months later when one of the team members was looking at their dog’s peanut butter Kong (a dog toy that you put a treat or peanut butter in and they lick it out) that everything clicked!
A Tool for Individuals and Professionals Alike
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As knowledge of our product has grown, it has become a tool many healthcare professionals recommend to help their patients improve airway health. A 2020 usability study revealed extremely positive results from participants. In just one example, 93% of snorers reported noticeable improvement after only one month of using the REMplenish nozzle.
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New research is currently underway, funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, to further validate how our product improves airway health and contributes to better sleep, reduced snoring, more energy and other prime benefits.
Continue exploring our website for more information about the REMplenish Myofunctional Therapy Nozzle and its benefits, or order yours today!
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Meet The Team
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Anders Olmanson
CEO
Anders is a passionate medical innovator who spent 9 months traveling and studying healthcare in Asia and Africa to understand health needs around the world. Previously, he worked as a mechanical engineer at Medtronic and has an MS in Medical Device Innovation and a BS in Biomedical Engineering.
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Jennifer Rooney
SALES
Jennifer is passionate about improving lives through advances in health care with a BS in Dental Hygiene and more than 30 years of dental hygiene experience. Previously she worked in private dental practice, served as an assistant clinical instructor at the University of MN and as the National Sales Manager for The Canary System.
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Molly Isham
MARKETING
Molly has a BS in Community Health Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She is passionate about research in healthcare, education, and disease prevention. Her focus is on collaborating within the healthcare community to promote, and advocate for health education. Molly comes from a dental family; her father and sister are practicing general dentists in Minnesota. She has worked in sales, marketing and spent years within a clinical dental practice which has inspired her focus in dental health and now airway education.
These are the amazing professionals who back our products and advised us during our research and prototyping.
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Bob Grider
M.S./C.C.C.-SP
Bob has been a medical speech pathologist in private practice for over 30 years. He holds a masters degree in speech pathology from Eastern Illinois University. He has completed continuing education in voice evaluation and care, fluency disorders, oral myofunctional disorders, myofascial evaluation and care, and oral motor speech evaluation and therapy. He has continued an avocational study in areas of brain science, learning science, behavior and muscle function.
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Gunnar Hodnefield
CPO
Gunnar is an experienced innovator in the healthcare world. He’s worked in enterprise strategy where he has been responsible for bringing new products and services to market as well as evaluating external partnerships and M&A opportunities. Gunnar believes in a human-centric approach to innovation, ensuring that his work makes the lives of his customers easier.
