Introducing IQoro: A Clinically Effective Oral Neuromuscular Treatment for Dysphagia

Abstract

There is a clear need for new advances in treating dysphagia; healthcare professionals currently have a restricted range of options to treat swallowing problems and related conditions. Usual treatments for dysphagia are based on compensatory measures which allow patients to live within the limitations of their condition. These measures do not address the underlying cause of dysphagia: neurological and physiological dysfunction. A senior speech and language therapist working with young people with Cerebral Palsy bemoans the fact that official care pathway guidelines list only medication and surgical intervention as alternatives to treat drooling. Neither of which, she contends, is effective or desirable. Esophageal dysphagia causes reflux-based diseases, which are also poorly served by current treatment alternatives and are currently managed by medication, or remedied by surgical intervention. Medication reduces the symptoms of reflux but does nothing to address the underlying pathophysiology, muscular dysfunction, at the root of the problem. That now changes with IQoro: a simple, innovative treatment that is available to patients and healthcare professionals to address all of the above conditions. The chapter explains the physiological and neurological process of the functional swallow in detail, with illustrations and explanations. The efficacy of IQoro treatment is proven with evidence from internationally published scientific studies, case studies, an NHS service evaluation, and NICE briefings.