Patient's question:
My daughter is 8 years old. Six months ago, she suddenly started hiccuping, just like a normal person drinking too much carbonated soda. She does this every time after meals or when she's in a bad mood, especially after eating spicy or very cold food. I took her to the local hospital, but they couldn't find any problems (mainly because she stopped hiccuping by the time we got to the hospital). What could be the reason?Doctor's answer:
Western medicine believes it is caused by severe pain in the diaphragm, while traditional Chinese medicine holds that hiccups are primarily due to irregular eating habits, deficiency of vital energy, accumulation of undigested food leading to the reversal of stomach Qi, which results in diaphragm spasms and stomach spasms. Cold drinks and spicy foods are often used to relieve them, but they tend to recur repeatedly and can easily develop into chronic conditions.Recommendation: Pay attention to your diet, avoid unfavorable triggers, and you can press the Tian (CV22) acupoint with your fingers. This acupoint is located at the center of the upper part of the sternum, below the throat, in the depression between the collarbones, which can be easily felt. The Tian acupoint is equivalent to the underground passage connecting the lungs to the natural world. Persist for 2-3 minutes.