Hiccup Girl Stops, Helped by Chiropractic

Jennifer Mee became famous because of her relentless case of hiccups that lasted 37 days. During that time many health professionals came forward and offered to help. Two publications, the March 2, 2007 St. Petersburg Times and the March 4, 2007 Buffalo News, reported that help also came to Jennifer from chiropractic care. After not being helped by medical care Jennifer and her family reached out to accept offers of assistance from other sources. These included offers from a chiropractor, as well as an acupuncturist and a hypnotist.

The Buffalo News story reported that Jennifer began hiccupping on Jan. 23, 2007. From that point forward she tried numerous remedies, such as standing on her head and swallowing spoons full of sugar. None of these worked and the hiccups continued for 37 days. As the situation continued Jennifer appeared on numerous TV news shows and drew national attention.

Dr. Eric Springer of St. Petersburg, Florida was the chiropractor who offered to help. In a phone interview with the Buffalo publication, Dr. Springer noted, "It was a team effort. There were a lot of things involved in getting her body to correct itself." He further explained, "The mother of the girl contacted me, and I brought her in as a patient. We did an exam and took X-rays and started treatment, which included some chiropractic adjustments that entailed some gentle force to the neck." (Image right is from the Buffalo News and is of Jennifer receiving an adjustment from Dr. Springer.)

The story also noted that none of the medical experts could come up with a definitive diagnosis for Jennifer's problem. Dr. Springer's examination revealed compression on a nerve in her cervical spine, commonly known as a subluxation. "I had just started treating her last week, and she actually stopped on the day of her last adjustment," Dr. Springer said. "I was the only chiropractor involved, but I don't want to take full credit for [Jennifer being cured]. I'm just glad I was able to help her out."