The best cure for hiccups

Q. I have seen some of your articles on curing hiccups and noted my favorite remedy was not mentioned. Just swallow a teaspoon of granulated sugar dry. I learned in med school that this works by stimulating the vagus nerve through reflex irritation of the palate.

A. We wrote about this remedy in our first book, “The People’s Pharmacy,” in 1976. It was reported in The New England Journal of Medicine (Dec. 23, 1971), and we have been recommending it ever since. It is a simple approach that is usually effective.

Q. My doctor is extremely skeptical about health information that does not have credible support. If I mention a home remedy from your column, he either laughs if off or scowls.

I have found that your suggestion to try tart cherries for joint and muscle pain really helps. Also, last year my fasting blood sugar was in the pre-diabetic range. I cut back on carbohydrates and started making sure I got either vinegar or cinnamon with every meal, and my test just came back normal.

Is there any scientific evidence I could show him? I would love for him to be able to recommend these remedies to other patients.

A. Many physicians find the idea of home remedies unscientific, but there is evidence for many of the nondrug approaches we write about. There are studies in the medical literature to support remedies like coffee for asthma, oolong tea for eczema, vinegar to help lower blood sugar and cherries to ease inflammation.

Our book “The People’s Pharmacy Quick and Handy Home Remedies” contains both the remedies and references that you can show to your doctor. It is available in libraries, bookstores or online at www.peoplespharmacy.com. Your doctor may be surprised to discover that there is scientific support for so many food remedies.

Q. For more than 15 years, I have suffered from a foot condition known as Morton’s neuroma. It is a ganglia of nerves centered in the ball of the foot between the third and fourth toes.

The problem begins with intense itching and progresses to stinging sensations like being stung by an insect. Each attack lasts about an hour. This condition has limited my life and shoe choices all these years.

I had surgery for this, which was painful in itself. The Morton’s neuroma came back. I couldn’t find a cure.

My mother-in-law lived for many years with a bar of soap under the bottom sheet of her bed. She swore it prevented nightly leg cramps. My cousin just attended her 53rd high-school reunion, and a classmate who is an internist told her to put a bar of soap under her bottom sheet to cure her nightly leg cramping. I thought, if soap cures leg cramps, would it hurt to try it on my neuroma?

I cannot believe it, but soap absolutely stops any neuroma attack. When the attack begins, I put my foot on a bar of soap, and it stops. I keep a bar in my purse; it doesn’t seem to matter what kind of soap I use. I wanted to share this with other neuroma sufferers.

A. Although we know of no scientific evidence that soap can prevent or reverse leg cramps, this remedy is safe and inexpensive and has legions of satisfied people testifying to its usefulness. We were pleased to learn that soap helped ease your painful condition.

2011 King Features Syndicate, Inc.