TAMPA - The local girl made famous by a three month long, debilitating bought with the hiccups is free of the annoying problem for the first long period of time tonight. A local doctor, mixing new technology with ancient medicine, may have pinpointed the solution.

In the video story to the right you will see Jennifer Mee – she probably looks familiar because she was in the news after hiccupping for weeks and weeks. Her plight made national news – she tried everything to make them stop.

She tried mustard, drinking a glass full of water from the opposite side, standing on her head, breathing out of paper bag and drinking vinegar. But nothing worked.

Eventually she stopped hiccupping – and it may be because of a device called the is-3.

The ear device is a miniaturized nerve stimulator. The concept is much like traditional Chinese acupuncture. Dr. Rick Sponaugle says electrical stimulation is sent through points on the ear which affects different parts of the body.

The device is FDA approved to treat pain. Dr. Sponaugle, who uses it at the Florida Detox Center, had a gut feeling it would also cure Jennifer's hiccups. The doctor thought the hiccups might be caused by either a spasms in her diaphragm or an over stimulated nerve feeding the diaphragm.

“I thought if it’s a spasm in the diaphragm, we can hit that point and relax the muscle. If it's actually the nerve that is spastic or over electrified, we can block that point,” says Dr. Sponaugle.

Jennifer says it feels like a heartbeat in her ear. She first tried the is-3 device two weeks ago - still no hiccups.

She is no longer wearing the device, but she may have to go back for a booster. Both Jennifer and the doctor hope this is a permanent solution to her debilitating hiccup syndrome.

 For more info on the device, contact:
Dr. Rick Sponaugle
The Florida Detox Center
727-945-9198
http://www.floridadetox.com