My partner snores, and I have swallowing difficulties, can we use the same IQoro?
No. IQoro is approved by the authorities as a CE marked, Class 1 Medical Device for use by a single person.
Can the use of IQoro be harmful?
If you are completely healthy and have not been diagnosed with any other disorders, treatment using IQoro is harmless.
Studies of IQoro show no side effects and we are required to report if any serious abnormalities should occur in any of our customers.
However, sometimes temporary secondary effects of training with IQoro can occur. For example, sore muscles or temporarily worsening or changing symptoms. This is a natural side effect that occurs when you start strengthening the muscles in the swallowing process. These side effects will pass if you just keep training according to our training instructions.
- More about IQoro secondary and side effects.
Special cases where IQoro should be avoided
However, for people with achalasia cardiae, trigeminal neuralgia, paraeosophageal hernia, tinnitus or peripheral facial paralysis, you should either avoid IQoro completely, or start treatment with caution.
- More on when to refrain from treatment with IQoro.
- Contact us for more information.
When is it safe to alter my diet?
The primary rule is that it is your doctor or clinician that must decide if you can change your medication, nutrition or hydration methods, diet, or other.
In the case of swallowing, one of the greatest risks is that of aspiration. That is to say that food or drink “goes down the wrong way” and this can lead to lung infections and pneumonia. This is the reason that healthcare professionals sometimes prescribe feeding by tube through the nose, or directly into the stomach – to avoid this so-called unsafe swallow. In other cases, they prescribe drink thickeners, or modified solid foods that they know are easier for you to swallow safely.
Because of the risks of aspiration, it is important that you consult with your Speech and Language Therapist or doctor before you change from what you have been previously advised to do – even when you are experiencing good improvement from your IQoro treatment.
Will I need to continue with maintenance training, once I have cured my symptoms?
Maybe. It depends on whether you are using IQoro to cure problems caused by neurological injury – like stroke, which has caused dysphagia or facial paralysis, or whether you are training because of a muscular weakness such as Hiatus hernia, snoring or apnoea.
If it is muscular weakness, then maintenance training will be required. Once you have achieved your desired result you should continue to train with a reduced number of sessions per day. You’ll need to find the right level for yourself.
I have MS / Parkinson’s / ALS, can I use IQoro?
Yes. IQoro cannot of course cure MS, Parkinson’s, ALS, or other progressive degenerative diseases. However, early intervention with IQoro training can contribute to retaining and maintaining as much as possible of the normal functions of the face, oral cavity, throat and down to the stomach.
IQoro trains and activates the body’s internal musculature, and has a positive effect on retaining the ability to be able to eat via the mouth, chew, use facial expressions, and produce speech sounds, for a longer time. Such treatment is therefore a good complement to traditional rehabilitation with physiotherapy, where one trains, for example, arms and legs.
Can I be too old to exercise with IQoro?
No. We have many people over the age of 85 that are training successfully: either alone, or with the help of an assistant. Some of these IQoro users are suffering from dementia too. Because the training time is short – totally 1½ minutes (30 seconds, three times per day) – even the weak and elderly can complete their exercises.
As an example, the county council in Hudiksvall in Sweden have implemented IQoro at a residential home for the elderly with the aim of strengthening their residents’ swallowing capacities. Swallowing difficulties become more prevalent with age and its related sicknesses.
Will I cure my symptoms more quickly if I train more often, and for a longer time?
No. Adding more training sessions, or performing all three sessions consecutively, will not give a better effect; more likely it will lead to overtraining and you will tire your muscles. For the same reason, don’t pull for more than 10 seconds at a time either.
How can IQoro be effective against so many different problems at the same time?
IQoro is used by people that had problems in being able to breathe, eat, smile or talk. The reason that IQoro is effective in treating so many problem areas at the same time, is because all these crucial functions use the same muscles and nerve pathways; albeit in different ways.
IQoro is a neuromuscular training device and regime that activates the body’s own pre-programmed systems: from the mouth, brain, and down to the stomach – a natural sequence of events through nerve pathways and muscles. This explains the positive effects that IQoro has on so many different difficulties.
Is IQoro listed on the NHS?
Yes, IQoro is listed by NHS as a medical device for treating acid reflux and dysphagia since 1st May 2022.
What is the NHS?
The NHS – National Heath Service – is the government funded medical and health care services in the UK.
Getting listed by the NHS means the UK Government has approved IQoro as one way to treat acid reflux and dysphagia. It also means that IQoro can be prescribed by GP’s for free, or to a low cost for the patient.
My child wants to eat, but she says that her food just comes up again – and she’s losing weight. Could IQoro be the solution?
Yes. Many children and teenagers exercise with IQoro with great success. It is common that small children have an immature digestive tract and this can exhibit the same symptoms as an adult with Hiatus hernia. This immaturity usually disappears around the age of one year, but in some cases can persist and cause swallowing difficulties: reflux, or food being regurgitated. This is often misinterpreted as the child’s refusing to eat, but it is actually the case that she has difficulty in swallowing solids like meat, dry soft bread, rice or chicken: liquids are usually easier. Training with IQoro is just as effective for children as for adults.
I have a CPAP, can I use IQoro instead?
Maybe. We recommend that you start training with IQoro during the day according to the instruction manual, and continue to use your CPAP at night in parallel until you have strengthened your musculature. If you want to stop using a CPAP or snoring screen that you have been prescribed, you should always consult your doctor on whether you can completely replace these with IQoro training instead. You could also ask for a new sleep investigation that will help you track your progress.
My partner suffers from snoring and sleep apnoea, can IQoro really be effective?
Yes. A common cause of snoring and apnoea is relaxed muscle ability in the tongue, soft palate and upper airways. Studies show that IQoro strengthens and increases muscle tone in these organs. This explains why IQoro can reduce the problems of snoring, and prevent the upper pathways collapsing and causing breathing interruptions.
You can begin training immediately with IQoro but, if you are suffering from night-time breathing suspension, it is a good idea to contact your GP for a referral to a specialist clinic for a sleep investigation.