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Though this page is a bit long please bear with us and read it all!!
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I may not be able to guess my way into a winning lottery ticket, but I’ll bet I can guess what you and I have in common. If you’ve come to this site then you’re either on the producing or the receiving end of an ongoing snorefest. Either way somebody is awake and the fun is quickly disappearing from your relationship.

My wife and I have been married for 25 years this year, 2006. Of those many happy years, there have been many, many, unhappy, sleepless nights … mostly for her. Tossing and turning her way through a few hours of sleep each night, often with a pillow over her ears, and sometimes even resigning her self to the couch. My sleep too has been mostly restless and less than refreshing.

Many a relationship has broken up over snoring. Those that have endured are truly a testament to the couples’ love and tolerance for each other. Most, like us, have tried all manner of snore-suppressing gadgets such as throat sprays, nasal strips, electrical shockers, head and mouth bands, oral inserts and even surgery. Some of these items do seem to work and some work only for a while; some are very uncomfortable … and most are very expensive.

Our Qi RING is the indirect result of a quest and desire to aid my wife with another personal, unrelated, health issue. After mainstream doctors had given up on her, we turned to acupressure and reflexology in an attempt to help her. Our success has been amazing and she is coming along very well. It was during our learning phase of these ancient eastern healing doctrines that we both began wondering if they also held some sort of key to help suppress and control snoring. We weren’t surprised to find that they in fact do.

We’ll try and keep this short and simple: According to ancient Chinese beliefs, energy circulates throughout our bodies along channels called meridians. This life energy, which they called Qi (Chee), needs to be in balance in and out, side to side, top to bottom; hence their balancing concept of Yin and Yang. The Chinese believed that when this life energy, Qi, became unable to circulate freely along these meridians and became stuck somewhere, the body would develop an illness in an area correspondent to the pressure point where the blockage occurred. Through careful empirical study over many years, the Chinese learned that by gently inserting needles into the relevant congested points along these meridians they could restore the flow of Qi and heal the patient of that particular disorder or illness. This of course became known as acupuncture and has in fact endured many centuries, eventually even finding its way into today’s modern medicine. By the way, this “life energy” which the Chinese called Qi is what we named our anti-snoring Qi RING after.

Acupressure uses the same body points as acupuncture but substitutes finger or object pressure for needles. By “object pressure” we mean that you can use other items to apply the necessary precise pressure on some points where your fingers aren’t effective. Items such as combs, wooden dowels, spring clips, beads, etc., have all been used with success to stimulate these pressure points.

Getting back to our Qi RING, we learned that the fingers all seemed to contain pressure points that aided with sinus problems. The little, or baby fingers, in particular of the left hand, seemed to also have pressure points along the meridian of the heart and small intestine. Our understanding is that pressure applied gently to the base of the little finger, on the palm side, has a calming effect on these organs as well as the sinuses. The apparent result … suppressed snoring.

It was at this time during our research into acupressure that I recalled an incident that occurred to me many years ago and buried itself deep in the cobwebs of my mind that is my memory. Many moons ago when I was returning home by train from the army, I took an isle seat on the crowded Via Rail and quickly fell into an exhausted sleep. I awoke several hours later, uncomfortably aware that something or someone was pinching my left little finger. I opened my eyes very slowly, not knowing what to expect. Sitting next to me on my left side was a kind looking, very elderly, oriental man. As my vision cleared from the sleep, I looked down and saw that he was holding my little finger. More than just holding it, he was actually pinching it at the base with his thumb. I jerked my hand away quickly, somewhat shocked at his apparent rudeness.
Before I had a chance to say anything, he calmly looked up at me and said, “You were snoring … very, very loudly. Couldn’t hear the train over your snoring.”
“And what does that have to do with my finger?’ I snipped.
‘Well, in China we have two methods for controlling snoring in a situation such as this. One is acupressure.” he replied.
“And what’s the other?” I asked, just a little curious.
“The other involves you leaving the train rather suddenly … and with much help” he explained as he pointed to all the passengers seated around us.
“Well,” I asked, “did it work?”
“You’re still on the train aren’t you?” he quipped smugly.

I had all but forgotten about this incident. Perhaps if I had recalled it sooner, the Qi RING would have been born years ago. But regardless, it was partly because of this train incident and partly because of our personal foray into the world of acupressure that led us to conceptualize and design our Qi RING. We purposefully designed it to be simple in design so as to be inexpensive and yet still be fully effective. We believe that we’ve succeeded.

The adjustable Qi RING band is made of copper and comes with two fixed copper beads which act as acupressure point stimulators. We chose to leave the copper band bare as some people believe that the copper is an aid to healing other ailments, but if you want to you can seal the whole ring with lacquer - either one of the many spray types available for metal or even the brush on, clear nail polish type.

	Position the Qi RING as shown in photo.
	Palm view of Qi RING and bead position.

First you need to size the Qi RING for your left little finger. When your Qi RING arrives, slip it on your left little finger all the way to the base with the beads on the palm side of your hand. The idea is to size the Qi RING so that the beads dimple the skin on the palm side of the little finger, about 2 mm deep, into the fleshy part of the little finger just above the joint where the finger meets the palm. You want it to be comfortably snug but not too tight. If it is too loose or too tight, take it back off and grasp each end with your hands and work them evenly and carefully, either closing up the circumference of the Qi RING or opening it up as needed. Try to work the band evenly along its circumference so as not to cause it to bend all in one spot. If it does, don’t worry, this won’t hurt the Qi RING’s performance and is purely aesthetic.

Closeup of Qi RING pressure point actuators (beads). The beads should gently press down on the finger and create a couple of dimples about 2 mm deep in the area as shown in the photo.

Once you have maneuvered the band close to the proper size for your finger, place it back on your little finger. Any final minute adjustments can be done with the Qi RING on your finger by simply squeezing it a bit more around the finger with your other hand. If the Qi RING is a bit tight in the morning when you awaken you may need to lick your finger a bit or apply some soap or cream to provide lubrication in order to easily take it off … just be careful not to drop it down the drain! That’s all there is to it.

We’ve had the best results by putting the Qi RING on about 15 to 30 minutes prior to sleep. Only wear the Qi RING during periods of sleep and for no more than 12 consecutive hours. (Read our Warning and Disclaimer for more information.) If you bend your little finger for a few seconds or minutes as if you are making a loose fist you’ll find that the band tightens up and the beads apply more force on the acupressure point within the finger. We sometimes do this to momentarily actuate these pressure points just a bit more. You should see a decrease in your snoring after 3 to 10 consecutive nights of wearing the Qi RING with the beads properly positioned on your finger.

By the way, some people have reported that they have had better results by wearing the Qi RING on their right little finger, others alternate fingers every few days, and yet others have told us that they wear two Qi RINGs simultaneously – one on each little finger. Like we said, we’re all built just a little bit different.

Though we strongly believe in our product and have seen it work wonders, we unfortunately can’t guarantee that the Qi RING will work for you. We’re sure that you’ll understand that there are just too many variables that we can’t control, including making sure that you wear it nightly or that you have it properly positioned on your little finger.

We’ve found the Qi RING to be a good complimentary aid to the suppression of snoring, along with proper sleep habits. Personally we’ve found that it’s still best to sleep on your side, not drink alcohol or caffeine containing drinks prior to going to sleep, and not be overly tired; in other words, get plenty of regular sleep. The Qi RING can only do so much! One should also strive to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a proper diet and plenty of exercise. Your general health is the cumulative result of all these choices, and the better you feel, the better you’ll sleep.

Last but not least, we are not pretending that we are experts in the field of acupressure, reflexology or acupressure. What we know, we’ve learned through self-education over the last few years as the result of personal necessity. We are not licensed practitioners in these ancient natural healing doctrines in any jurisdiction. What we are passing on to you is what we have learned through personal experience and found to work not only for us, but for many others that have tried this method of controlling their snoring using our Qi RING.

There are many websites and books on snoring, sleep apnea, acupressure, reflexology, etc. You should check them out. There are even other anti-snoring rings for sale out there that work on the same principal as ours, though they are much more expensive. We implore you to educate and inform yourself so that you can make wise decisions regarding your own health matters. Always check with your doctor if you are concerned about trying any new methods or gadgets that may affect your wellbeing. Also, please read our Warning and Disclaimer. Remember, we are not claiming that the Qi RING is a cure for snoring or any other sleep related problems. All we are doing is passing on some information that we have learned and offering you a chance to try something that may work for you as well as it has for us, and to do so at a very reasonable price.

The ends of the Qi RING are coated with several layers of a rubber compound and then sealed with lacquer for a smooth, easy glide finish. Over time these red rubber ends may show signs of wear on the outer sides due to abrading against your sheets, blankets, etc. as you sleep. When you spot a bit of wear on your Qi RING's ends all you need to do is brush on some clear or red nail polish (lacquer) on the ends and allow to dry for 15 minutes or so. Reapplying the lacquer every once in a while should keep your Qi RING functioning well for a long, long time.

And again, remember, when you need to take your Qi RING off, or if its a bit difficult to put on sometimes, simply lick around your finger and it should slide right off or on with little resistance or further adjustment. This will also help avoid possible damage to the Qi RING.

Wishing you many restful nights of silent and peaceful sleep,

Western Workshop

Disclaimer: Please be advised that the Qi RING is NOT a cure for snoring or other sleeping disorders and any such ongoing conditions may need to be investigated by a licensed medical professional if they give you concern. As with all health aid products, check with your doctor if you have any concerns about using the Qi RING because of other conditions that you may have or medications that you may be using. We can make no claims or predictions as to what the Qi RING will do for you personally as each case is unique. We also encourage you to learn all you can about Acupressure, as well as about the pros and cons of wearing copper jewelry. Please, please become an educated and informed consumer. Your health and well being are of paramount importance.

Warning: Do not wear the Qi RING if you are pregnant, if you are under 18 years of age, or if you have a heart condition. Please do NOT wear the Qi RING for more than 12 consecutive hours. Do not place ring beads on or apply acupressure to areas with warts, moles, varicose veins, bruises, cuts or other skin or tissue damage. Alcohol consumption may affect Qi RING performance. Only wear the Qi RING during periods of sleep.