Patent ID: 7793661

Claim:
An apparatus for treatment of restricted breathing in a human, said apparatus comprising: at least one arched, resilient and flexible bridge-type support member having a first end and a second end, a length dimension greater than a width dimension, an inside surface, a first pressure surface proximate said first end, and a second pressure surface proximate said second end; and an adhesive skin connecting member disposed on said inside surface between said first and second ends, said skin connecting member for attaching at least a part of said support member to at least a predetermined part of the skin of a throat stimulation area of a user; wherein, when said first and second pressure surfaces are brought into engagement proximate a user's throat stimulation area and said support member is urged downwardly so as to generally flatten the arched support member and bring said skin connecting member into contact with the throat stimulation area, such engagement gives rise to counteracting forces, wherein said first and second pressure surfaces exert a pushing force on the user's skin and said skin connecting member exerts a pulling force on the user's throat stimulation area, thereby causing at least a portion of the user's skin in the throat stimulation area to expand outwardly from its normal position, wherein the expansion of the skin reshapes the throat such that the user's breathing is substantially improved.