About the research on IQoro
We know from scientific research that IQoro works. This means that researchers have followed strict rules when studying IQoro. Here you can read about how the research on IQoro works.
For about 20 years, researchers at Swedish universities have been studying how IQoro treats various problems. Today there are 17 published studies of IQoro and an 18th study is ongoing.
Where can I find the studies of IQoro?
All the studies of IQoro have been published, which means that they can be read by anyone. You can find summaries of the scientific studies on our website. They can also be downloaded from international scientific databases.
This is how IQoro works
Want to know more about what happens in the body when you train with IQoro? Read more about how muscles, nerves and symptoms are connected.
Learn more about how IQoro works
How is the research on IQoro carried out?
The studies of IQoro are done by independent researchers at Swedish universities. This means that we have not carried out or paid for the studies ourselves.
The researchers have studied IQoro with a critical eye. Their independence means that they are only interested in whether IQoro really works.
The researchers’ critical and independent analyses mean that we really can trust that the results are correct.
Research teams with different professions
The research on IQoro is done by research teams with different professions. They have worked within surgery, ear, nose and throat, speech therapy, medicine and X-ray sectors.
Others are active specialist dentists, nurses or gastrointestinal specialists.
The research has been conducted at Swedish universities in Uppsala, Umeå, Linköping, Örebro and Karlstad.
Participants of the studies
People with various disorders have trained with IQoro for the studies. For example, people with heartburn, snoring or swallowing difficulties.
The number of people who participated in the studies of IQoro is large enough for the results to be statistically significant. That means that we know that the results are not due to chance. The number of participants has therefore been determined together with a statistician.
Enough participants in the studies?
Sometimes we are asked if more people should be part of our studies. In comparison with studies of medicines, we have fewer participants. That’s because IQoro is a medical device, not a medicine.
When studying medicines, various substances are added to the body, meaning a risk of side effects. More participants are then needed in the studies to get a reliable result.
No substances are added when using IQoro. Thus reducing the number of risks, meaning that the same number of participants in the studies are not needed.
Why do the studies not have any control groups?
A control group is a group of people who are included in a scientific study as a comparison. People sometimes wonder why there are no control groups in the studies of IQoro.
The control group in a study is compared with the experimental group. A comparison is then made to see if the results differ between the groups.
Reasons for the absence of control groups
- There are no similar treatments to make comparisons with, so it is not possible for one group to train with IQoro and one group with another neuromuscular device.
- Neither is it ethically justifiable to allow a group of patients to stop taking their acid-suppressing medication during treatment with IQoro.
- Not is it ethically justifiable to allow a control group with symptoms of hiatus hernias to receive treatment that it is not certain will have a positive effect on their symptoms.
However, patients act as their own control group. The participants in the studies have consistently sought treatment and have had problems for at least one, and an average of four years.
During that time, the participants have only received traditional treatment with acid-suppressing medications, but nevertheless have not improved.
Only then have they been allowed to participate in the studies, allowing us to see if and how the patient’s symptoms develop during the study.
The researchers also compared different groups of participants with each other. The results between these groups do not differ. At the same time, individual studies also show consistent positive results compared to the other studies.
Funding of IQoro research
All IQoro research that has been published over the past 20 years has been paid for with the help of state funds and various foundations in Sweden.
These organisations and foundations have given money to the research on IQoro:
- Sjukvårdsregionala forskningsrådet (RFR) is a Swedish research council with the aim of providing grants to strengthen clinical research with the goal of solving a health problem, as well as contributing to research with high quality and relevance to health care.
- Capio Research Foundation supports research that will lead to in-depth knowledge of how care interventions can reduce patients’ suffering, increase quality of life and improve working methods in healthcare.
- Forte is a Swedish state research council and government agency (under the Ministry of Social Affairs) that funds scientific research for, among other things, human health.
What is scientific research?
To carry out scientific research is to seek answers to questions. It starts by you discovering something you want to research. For example, if IQoro can treat heartburn.
- You compose questions
You compose questions that you want answered – research questions. Data is then collected that can answer your questions – this is called collecting data.
- You interpret your data
Once enough data has been collected, it needs to be interpreted. The data does not reveal anything until it has been interpreted. It is as if someone is writing to you in a foreign language, and only when you learn the language do you understand the message.
- Data is transformed into information
Once interpretation is made, the collected data is transformed into information. And from that information, scientific conclusions can be drawn.
- Other researchers review the research
When you have finished writing your research, other researchers look at it with a critical eye. They make sure that you have done a good job, that your conclusions are correct, and that you have followed all the strict research rules and guidelines.
- Your research gets published
Once your research has been reviewed, it is published in a scientific paper. Then other researchers and the rest of society can benefit from your research.