how do you get rid of hiccups?

Answer 1

A hiccup or hiccough (normally pronounced "HICK-up" regardless of spelling) is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm; typically this repeats several times a minute. The sudden rush of air into the lungs causes the epiglottis to close, creating the "hic" listen (help·info) noise. A bout of hiccups generally resolves itself without intervention, although many home remedies are in circulation that claim to shorten the duration, and medication is occasionally necessary. By extension, the term "hiccup" is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration in an otherwise consistent pattern. The medical term is singultus.

While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to develop often in specific situations, such as eating too quickly, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, drinking an alcoholic beverage to excess, crying out loud (sobbing causes air to enter the stomach), some smoking situations where abnormal inhalation can occur (in tobacco or other smoke like cannabis, perhaps triggered by precursors to coughing, or in the case of cannabis, by precursors to laughter), or electrolyte imbalance. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve by other anatomical structures, or rarely by tumors and certain kidney disease. It is reported that 30% of chemotherapy patients suffer singultus as a side effect of treatment

One possible beneficial effect of hiccups is to dislodge foreign pieces of food, which have become stuck in the esophagus, or which are traveling too slowly. When a piece of food is swallowed that is too large for the natural peristalsis of the esophagus to move the food quickly into the stomach, it applies pressure on the phrenic nerve, invoking the hiccup reflex. This causes the diaphragm to contract, creating a vacuum in the thoracic cavity, which creates a region of low pressure on the side of the lump of food nearest the stomach, and a region of high pressure on the side of the lump of food nearest the mouth. This lungs differential across the food creates a force, which assists peristalsis. In humans, gravity partially assists peristalsis, but in quadrupeds and many marine vertebrates, their oesophagi run roughly perpendicular to the force of gravity, so that gravity provides little assistance. The hiccup mechanism likely evolved as an aid to peristalsis in our ancestors. It only now appears to offer little benefit, as humans are upright and gravity assists peristalsis, making it very unlikely for food to become lodged in the esophagus.

Ultrasound scans have also shown that fetuses experience hiccups. Some hypotheses suggest that hiccups are a muscle exercise for the respiratory system prior to birth, or that they prevent amniotic fluid from entering the lungs. More research is required to ascertain their true nature, origins, and purpose, if any.

Check for more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hiccups...

Source(s):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hiccups...

Answer 2

what are the causes of hiccups?? "Hic!" You've just hiccuped for what seems like the tenth time since you finished your big dinner. Wonder where these funny noises are coming from? The part to blame is your diaphragm (say: die-uh-fram). This is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest, and all hiccups start here. The diaphragm almost always works perfectly. When you inhale, it pulls down to help pull air into the lungs. When you exhale, it pushes up to help push air out of the lungs. But sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated. When this happens, it pulls down in a jerky way, which makes you suck air into your throat suddenly. When the air rushing in hits your voice box, you're left with a big hiccup. Some things that irritate the diaphragm are eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited. Almost all cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes. Some cases of the hiccups can last for days or weeks, but this is very unusual and it's usually a sign of another medical problem. You've probably heard lots of suggestions for how to get rid of hiccups, and maybe you've even tried a few. Holding your breath and counting to 10 is one way some people can get rid of their hiccups. Other people say that drinking from the "wrong" side of a glass of water is the way to become hiccup-free. Putting sugar under your tongue might work, too. And maybe the most famous treatment — having someone jump out and scare you when you're not expecting it — helps some people wave goodbye to their hiccups. Boo! how to cure them.......... So how can you cure a hi So how can you cure a hiccup? While a doctor might claim that all hiccup "cures" are really just old wives tales that have zero effect, other people claim that their favorite pet cure works every time. This is most likely due to a placebo effect and resignation to the universal yet underrated condition of problem hiccups (singultus). Interestingly, some of these folk remedies are on the correct path by having at least some basis in the science of the hiccup and singultus. With home remedies, the methods that attempt to relax or stimulate the diaphragm tend to be the most effective. Whether the chosen "remedy" is a miracle cure or placebo effect is for you to decide. Here are some proposed methods that some people believe work. Your results may vary.

Answer 3

eat a teaspoon of sugar. i always tell my grandkids that i will give them 5 dollars if they can hiccup again and it works 99 percent of the time!

Answer 4

Jumprope

Answer 5

This always works for me - have a spoonful or two of sugar (straight from the bag/bowl) and just hold it in your mouth until it dissolves.

Answer 6

Take a tablespoon of sugar and swallow slowly. Sand would work too, but it doesn't taste as good.

Answer 7

Hold your breath for as long as you can. Make sure you are sitting down though.

Answer 8

i trick my breathing. so i breath really slow, really fast, hold my breath, and keep doing that and mixing it up a couple times and they go away!

Answer 9

huge gulps of water.

Answer 10

spoonful of sugar.