Other than straws made to draw liquid slower, other effective cures are also present for persistent hiccups. They range from a digital rectal massage to getting your eyebrows smashed through the doctor. Moreover, an orgasm also helps.
In 1990, after a man was hospitalized for pancreatitis, he developed hiccups when his doctors fit a nasogastric tube. The 60-year-old’s hiccups persisted for days even after the line was removed and efforts were made to deal with them.
The team wrote in their case report
Swallowing of a teaspoon of granulated sugar, stimulation of the posterior pharynx with a nasal catheter, Valsalva manoeuvre, carotid sinus massage and digital eyeball pressure were performed,
but with no success to terminate the hiccups
Some things may stand out here, for example, digital eyeball pressure as a cure for hiccups. However, it is questionable and requires reasoning.
The team further explained after several attempts to stimulate the vagus nerve
Intractable hiccup is an uncommon phenomenon probably mediated through the supraspinal brain stem centre with the afferent limb mediated by the vagus nerve,
Even after two days and several medications, the patient’s hiccups were still present. But the doctor knew of ways to get rid of the hiccups, which was through a digital rectal massage. After the massage, the patient’s hiccups stopped for several hours. However, the hiccups returned but the doctor did not give up.
Digital rectal massage was attempted again using a slow continuous circumferential motion and the hiccups were terminated again immediately.
Advantage of Technique
The doctors had the advantage of knowing how the technique worked. Sadly, the first person who wanted to get rid of hiccups did not know this life hack nor did he have the advantage.
Dr Francis Fesmire, when he was stimulating the vagus nerve of the patient recalled reading about a similar incidence where a patient’s heartbeat slowed down after a rectal massage. He tried the same technique on his patient and succeeded.
Fesmire got an IgNobel prize for this case report but also told a newsletter that there is a better way.
He further said,
An orgasm results in incredible stimulation of the vagus nerve,
From now on, I will be recommending sex – culminating with orgasm – as the cure-all for intractable hiccups.
