Vacuity hiccup

Hiccup due to vacuity. Vacuity hiccup is mostly attributable to spleen-stomach vacuity cold and falls within the scope of cold hiccup.

Patterns

Qì vacuity (气虚 qì xū) can give rise to hiccup after major illness or after vomiting and diarrhea. Qì vacuity hiccup characterized by a faint sound and is accompanied by discontinuous breathing (failure to catch one’s breath).

Medicinal therapy: Treat by supplementation using Center-Supplementing Qì-Boosting Decoction (补中益气汤 bǔ zhōng yì qì tāng) or Perfect Major Supplementation Decoction (十全大补汤 shí quán dà bǔ tāng).

Liver-kidney yīn vacuity (肝肾阴虚 gān shèn yīn xū) hiccup, again, usually occurs after illness and is a discontinuous hiccup associated with an upward surge of qì from below the umbilicus.

Medicinal therapy: Drain hidden heat in yīn. Use Major Yīn Supplementation Pill (大补阴丸 dà bǔ yīn wán) or Kidney-Enriching Pill (滋肾丸 zī shèn wán). Hiccup suddenly occurring in severe illness with sweating brow and a faint rough pulse is a sign that yáng qì is on the verge of expiration, a critical pattern that requires swift action to warm yáng with medicinals such as dried ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma, 干姜 gān jiāng), evodia (Evodiae Fructus, 吴茱萸 wú zhū yú), ginseng (Ginseng Radix, 人参 rén shēn), poria (Poria, 茯苓 fú líng), clove (Caryophylli Flos, 丁香 dīng xiāng), persimmon calyx (Kaki Calyx, 柿蒂 shì dì), and aconite (Aconiti Radix Lateralis Praeparata, 附子 fù zǐ).

Acumoxatherapy: Base treatment mainly on CV, ST, and PC. Main points: BL-17 (Diaphragm Transport, 膈俞 gé shù), PC-6 (Inner Pass, 内关 nèi guān), CV-17 (Chest Center, 膻中 shān zhōng), and CV-6 (Sea of Qì, 气海 qì hǎi).

• For qì vacuity, add CV-12 (Center Stomach Duct, 中脘 zhōng wǎn) and ST-36 (Leg Three Lǐ, 足三里 zú sān lǐ).
• For liver-kidney yīn vacuity, add BL-18 (Liver Transport, 肝俞 gān shù), BL-23 (Kidney Transport, 肾俞 shèn shù), and CV-4 (Pass Head, 关元 guān yuán). Needle with supplementation and add moxa.
• For hiccup due to vacuity desertion of the true origin, see vacuity desertion hiccup.

See hiccup; cold hiccup.