IQoro
€135.00 ex. VAT
A neuromuscular training device that strengthens weakened muscles between the mouth and stomach.
IQoro treats the root cause of a number of different conditions, including reflux, snoring, swallowing difficulties and a lump in the throat. IQoro works by strengthening 148 muscles between your mouth and stomach that you use every time you swallow.
- Easy to use
- Natural treatment – no side effects
- 97% improvement in scientific studies
- Used in NHS hospitals & institutions in the UK
What is IQoro?
IQoro is a treatment for reflux, snoring and swallowing difficulties. IQoro works by strengthening 148 muscles between your mouth and stomach that you use every time you swallow.
With IQoro, you can free yourself from unpleasant symptoms without medication or surgery. IQoro is a neuromuscular training device that strengthens weakened muscles between the mouth and stomach through nerve stimulation. As the muscles become stronger, your symptoms decrease and eventually disappear completely.
Conditions treated by IQoro
- Swallowing difficulties
- Snoring and sleep apnoea
- Hiatal hernia
- Heartburn and acid reflux
- The feeling of a lump in the throat
- Dry cough, throat clearing and mucus in the throat
IQoro in different models
- IQoro size Adult – from 10 years
- IQoro size Child from – from 1 year – 10 years old
- IQoro is available in several different colours. All colours have the same design and function.
IQoro is made in Sweden from medical-grade plastic and is CE-marked as a Class 1 medical device.
How to train with IQoro
Training with IQoro takes 30 seconds per session and is easy to perform. Detailed training instructions are included in the user manual that comes with your purchase. Watch the video to see how it works.
Place IQoro in your mouth, in front of your teeth.
Use your lip muscles to resist while pulling IQoro straight out for 10 seconds.
Perform three pulls (a total of 30 seconds) per training session.
Repeat the training three times per day.
No side effects – a natural treatment
IQoro reinforces the body’s own natural swallowing systems, activates the nerve pathways and strengthens the muscles that they control.
Winner of Bionow Product of the Year Award
The jury justified the award by stating that IQoro is “effective, easy to scale up, and can reduce the need for surgery and medication”.
Studies on treatment with IQoro
There are a total of 17 internationally published and reviewed scientific studies of treatment with IQoro.
The studies are not our own but have been financed by government funds and research funds. The studies have been carried out at Swedish Universities by research teams composed of different professions such as surgeons, ear, nose and throat specialists, speech and language experts, dentists and gastroenterologists.
Most of the published research articles are available for free download. Some require access to databases however.
Evidence
The use of IQoro in treating medical conditions is supported by scientific and clinical evidence.
Evidence summary
In order to be included on the NHS Business Services Authority Prescription Services (NHS BSA PS) listing in May 2022, IQoro was subject to a multi-year meticulous evaluation. Effectiveness, suitability for GP prescription and cost benefit were evaluated.
- The NHS BSA PS submission
- Scientific studies
- Patient Reported Outcomes – 4 years etc
- NHS Service Evaluation
- NICE MIBs
- Published book chapters
The NHS BSA PS submission
This multi-year evaluation of the suitability of IQoro for UK prescription status is the most comprehensive review of the device that has been conducted. This document shows the scope of the process and many of the issues that were raised and answered.
Scientific studies
There is a sequence of internationally published papers that show the evolution from early research into neuromuscular treatment through to the evidence for IQoro in clinical studies in treating dysphagia, Hiatal hernia and other conditions.
Patient Reported Outcomes
Each year, the company behind IQoro asks all users that have acquired an IQoro in the preceding 12 months for their views and experiences and what progress they feel that they have made.
This document shows a summary of 18,000 responses over a 5-year period.
NHS Service Evaluation
A Service Evaluation conducted by the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust and supported by the South West Academic Science Network specifically evaluated the suitability of IQoro in treating patients in NHS acute, in-patient rehab, and community settings.
NICE Medtech Innovation Briefings
In late 2018 the company submitted evidence to NICE that resulted in two Medtech Innovation Briefings (MIBs) being issued. These referenced IQoro as a treatment for dysphagia after stroke, and for treating hiatus hernia.
These NICE MIBs, referenced in the NICE pathways, were early recognition of the promise of IQoro in treating reflux-based diseases and dysphagia, but do not reflect the current evidence status. They were concluded in late 2018 and published to the NHS in March 2019. Progress has been made since then.
For example, NICE pointed out the lack of a Randomised Control Study which has since been concluded and published. They also asked for a Service Evaluation of IQoro use in an NHS setting, which has since been completed by an Academic Health Science Network-funded study. Other reservations were also made.
The NICE MIBs are snapshots in time and not updated to reflect later evidence.
Treating children with Cerebral Palsy
Natalie Morris, a UK SLT, has researched the use of IQoro in treating saliva control dysfunction in children and young people with Cerebral Palsy using practice-based evidence outcome measures.
This work has been peer-reviewed, internationally published, and can be found under “Book chapters” here on this page.
The research was also presented at the MiNT (Masterclass in Neurotechnology) UK 2024 – “Clinical Application of Neurotechnology: Expanding a Disruptive Approach” at the Royal Society of Medicine in London in April 2024
Book chapters
The following two book chapters were published in 2021 and provide detailed explanations of the neurology of the swallow and more.
How Does IQoro Work?
IQoro Training Video
How to Exercise with IQoro
How to Exercise with Assistance
What symptoms does IQoro treat?
Dysphagia – swallowing difficulties
Dysphagia, or difficulty in swallowing, means that a person has difficulty eating, chewing, swallowing and transporting food from the mouth to the stomach.
Hiatal hernia
A hiatal hernia occurs when the upper part of the stomach slides up through the diaphragm. This can cause many unpleasant symptoms.
Snoring
Snoring is a common problem that can cause a disturbed night’s sleep for both you and the person you share the bed with.
Sleep apnoea and pauses in breathing
Pauses or interruptions in breathing, also known as sleep apnoea, is due to the weakening of the throat and upper airway muscles. What happens when the muscles are weakened is that they are not able to stay open, but collapse and block the airway.
Acid reflux
Reflux is a backflow of corrosive stomach acid from the stomach up into the esophagus and throat, caused by weakened muscles. To keep the acid in the stomach, where it is beneficial, you need to strengthen the weakened muscles.
Abnormal bite and jaw development
Through training with IQoro, it is possible to strengthen and improve the balance between different muscle groups in the face and oral cavity from around 1 year of age. This allows deviations to be prevented and already established deviations to be alleviated or eliminated.
Heartburn
Heartburn is a common symptom that many people suffer from.
Difficulty swallowing food
With a hiatal hernia, it is harder to swallow solid food and drier textures like rice, chicken or meat, while liquids work smoothly. If you also have trouble swallowing liquids, there may be a neurological cause.
A lump in the throat when swallowing
The feeling of a lump in the throat is a common problem that makes it difficult to swallow and eat.
Mucus in the throat and throat clearing
Thick mucus in the throat and throat clearing are common symptoms that many people suffer from.
Problems with belching or gas
Problems with belching or a bloated stomach can be symptoms of an oversensitivity or allergy to certain foods, upset food digestion, or bacteria. Or due to an excessive number of swallows due to a Hiatus hernia.
Dry cough and hoarse voice
A persistent dry cough and hoarse voice are common problems that are often symptoms of a hiatal hernia.
Pain in the chest, behind the ribs and in the back
Sometimes pain is felt in the chest, in the back, the diaphragm and behind the ribs during or after meals and can then feel like cramp. If you have one or more of these symptoms, it may be a sign of a hiatal hernia.inf
Oesophagitis – Oesophageal catarrh
Common symptoms of oesophagitis, inflammation of the oesophagus, are acid reflux and heartburn caused by a hiatal hernia.
Achalasia cardiae
Achalasia, or Achalasia cardiae in latin, is a rare sickness of the esophagus that most often occurs in the ages 10 – 30 years. Sometimes the symptoms of a hiatal hernia are confused with achalasia cardiae.
Customer Stories
Click here to read full customer stories.
Petri strengthened his diaphragm and breathing by using IQoro – relieving his anxiety
“After three months, I felt the first improvements.”
Petri Huovinen bought IQoro to strengthen his diaphragm. He wanted to improve his diaphragmatic breathing – a type of deep breathing that reduces anxiety and stress. His breathing improved but he also had other unexpected results.
I’m very pleased that I discovered IQoro.
“I highly recommend this product and treatment.”
Gary suffered from a hiatal hernia, with symptoms like indigestion, heartburn and reflux for ten years. The medication he took (PPI) was to be reviewed but never was. When he started training with IQoro he finally found a solution.
My partner thought I was a hypochondriac
“I thought that rocket salad and Parma ham would be the death of me.”
Magnus has always been a bii of a hypochondriac, so when food started to get stuck in his throat, his thoughts turned to cancer. He hardly thought that the solution would be a little plastic training device.
Eine got speach and swallowing difficulties after a stroke
“Through my profession as a dental hygienist, the treatment method sounded logical. I kind of recognized the thought.”
After a stroke, Eine had problems with speech, balance and difficulty swallowing. Today she is fine again!
The training device has meant everything to me
“The difference is like night and day compared with when I began.”
For Bengt Kedner, who has been afflicted by stroke five times, the IQoro neuromuscular training device, delivers quality of life in a daily battle with his swallowing difficulties.
Dysphagia after brain injury – Jimmy can finally eat again!
“For a time his drooling disappeared totally. It was awesome!”
Jimmy incurred serious brain injuries in an accident and had swallowing difficulties and drooling problems as a result. His assistant Andreas tells Jimmy’s story.
The CPAP mask made Inga-Lisa panic
“For me, IQoro has made a big difference and contributed to improved sleep and quality of life.”
Inga-Lisa suffered from snoring and sleep apnea and was recommended a CPAP machine. But the mask she had to wear every night caused feelings of panic. The solution came with training using IQoro.
Bernt got rid of severe sleep apnoea and reflux
“They said I couldn’t expect better results at my age. The nurse said I could return the CPAP, which was felt great.”
Bernt had severe sleep apnoea, which was discovered by his wife. However, it was reflux that kept him awake at night. He treated both problems effectively using IQoro.
A tiny piece of plastic literally saved my relationship!
“I’m sure IQoro will be a part of my health routine for the rest of my life.”
Beverly was a serial snorer on the hunt for a snoring solution. When finding IQoro, the marital peace was restored without surgery or medications.
Åke was able to cure snoring with IQoro
“I have got back my night time peace. Wonderful that we didn’t need to go as far as separate bedrooms.”
Åke Sonerud, Sweden had snored for many years before he at last cured the problem. After a lecture at his Rotary Club about the neuromuscular training device IQoro’s positive effects on several conditions, including snoring, Åke Sonerud went and bought one. Nothing that he regrets today!
“I have not had any sleep apnoea for a long time”
“I snore markedly less and I have not had any sleep apnoea for a long time, says Roland, relieved to have recovered his nights’ sleep.”
Eva suffered from acid reflux (LPR), and Roland snored and had sleep apnoea. It didn’t take many weeks before Roland began to notice the results.
Doctor Eje: “I finally got rid of my snoring”
“My wife was badly affected by my snoring even though I wasn’t. That didn’t feel good.”
Eje Åhlander, a doctor, has snored for many years, with night-time breathing interruption (sleep apnoea) at times, too. The solution for him was IQoro, a neuromuscular training device and regime.
Downloads
The following resources are useful for healthcare professionals and their patients when deploying IQoro treatment. They can all be downloaded and printed or read on a screen.
Getting started with IQoro
This guide will ease your workload and time with each patient. Simply provide this link to the patient and they’ll be ready to start the treatment on their own.
- Getting started with IQoro
How-to guides on IQoro
Use our how-to guides when introducing IQoro to your patient. The guides are intended for clinicians their patients. Read them yourself and/or provide them to your patients as an aid in the introduction.
How-to guides for clinicians
- How to deploy IQoro to a patient
For clinicians introducing IQoro for the first time - Assisted training with IQoro
For clinicians treating patients with insufficient lip and arm strength.
How-to guides for self-administered patients
- How to train with IQoro
For patients with fully functional lips and arms. - How to train with IQoro using a jaw grip
For patients with functional arms and hands, but weak lip strength.
Brochures for patients
Our easy to understand brochures are specifically designed to inform and educate patients, their families and colleagues about IQoro and the corresponding treatment.
Sample prescription letter
If you are a clinician without prescribing authority you can refer your patient to a GP for IQoro prescription. In these cases, a referral letter may be needed and these texts may be helpful in drafting such a prescription request.
Extra large A4 sized training diary sheet
Our extra large training diary sheet has extra space for notes. A similar but smaller journal sheet is included in the booklet that comes with the device. This bigger version may be preferred by some patients.
Infection control process for feasibility kits
IQoro devices used for patient feasibility testing will need to be kept clean and ready-for-use. Here you can download the description of a procedure recommended by one NHS SLT department.
Standard operating procedures
This document can form a basis for professionals wanting to define an SOP for IQoro use in an NHS setting.
How Does IQoro Work?
Each time you swallow a piece of food or a gulp of water, a chain of a total of 148 muscles works to transport the food or liquid down to the stomach safely.
A lot of important functions in the body start from these muscles. That means that if one or more muscles are weakened, a number of different problems can arise.
Strengthens muscles that cannot be activated consciously
What IQoro does, which has not previously been possible, is to train and strengthen the whole of the muscle chain that mainly consists of internal muscles. It includes muscles that you cannot activate consciously.
The swallowing process is activated from the mouth. You insert the “fins” of your IQoro inside the lips (but outside the teeth) and pull straight out, at the same time as holding it with your lips.
Nerves send signals to muscles via the brain
The neural paths that run from the mouth send signals up to the brain, which in turn tells the different muscles all the way down to the diaphragm, oesophagus and upper section of the stomach to start working.
One can liken it to a high intensity power swallow, which can last for up to ten seconds.
Your problems improve as your muscles get stronger
When you regularly activate the muscles in this way they get stronger. Because the symptoms are caused by weakened muscles, your symptoms will reduce successively – completely naturally without any medication.
The description above is a simplification.
Why should I buy IQoro?
You should buy IQoro for long-term well-being, instead of continuing with short-term symptom relief. This applies regardless of whether you have a hiatus hernia, if you snore or if you have any other problems that can be treated with IQoro.
IQoro treats the cause – not just the symptoms
You may have been disappointed by all the temporary solutions that only treat the symptoms at the time. Instead, you want to address the underlying cause of your symptoms and help the body heal itself.
IQoro has no side effects – unlike medications
If you suffer from symptoms of a hiatus hernia, it may be that you have started to realise that you do not want to take PPI medications for the rest of your life. Maybe you worry about the long-term side effects from the medication or the combination of PPIs and other medicines that you need to feel well.
What symptoms does IQoro treat?
IQoro treats a number of different complaints and symptoms that may not seem directly related to each other. But all the symptoms that IQoro treats are connected to problems in the swallowing process. Usually, the cause is weakened muscles, but it can also be due to neurological problems.
IQoro treats, among other things:
- Reflux, heartburn and acid regurgitation
Snoring and sleep apnoea
Thick mucus or a lump in the throat
Throat clearing and dry cough
Difficulty in swallowing
You can read about the different problems that can be treated in the “Who Is It For?” tab.
The treatment is natural – without any medication and only takes 30 seconds to perform. For the best possible results, we recommend that you carry out the treatment three times per day.
How do I know that IQoro will work?
There is a lot of different evidence to prove that IQoro really works. In the following sections you can read more about the most talked about evidence.
- Scientific studies
- Clinical experience
- Stories from people who have been helped by IQoro
- Thousands of customer reviews
So that you feel reassured in ordering IQoro and getting started with your treatment, we have a results guarantee. This means that you get your money back if your symptoms have not improved after six months.
Is IQoro difficult to use?
No, training with IQoro is neither complicated, demanding nor time consuming. However, it does require a regular routine to get results. If you miss training occasionally it means no worse than the fact that it will take longer to get a result.
Faster than brushing your teeth
As a comparison, you need to spend less time training with IQoro each day than you do on brushing your teeth following dentist’s recommendations.
Lots of people perform their IQoro routine when they brush their teeth – but brushing teeth takes longer.
98% of users find it easy to get started
According to our customer surveys 98% of people think that it is easy to get started with IQoro. All the instructions that you need to get started come with the product, which can be ordered via our online store.
