What are hiccups and how do we get rid of 'em?

my 5th grade teacher told me this and it has worked for me for at least the past 10 yrs hold your breath and when u feel your going to hiccup swallow dont know how it works but it does.

A 30 second cure for hiccups

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. However, I believe I have found a cure for hiccups that takes only 30 seconds and requires no extra “props”. I discovered this around 1994, and over the years I have told friends and acquaintances. The initial response is that I must be crazy, but in the end the usual result is, “Hey... it worked!” I do not know how or why this works, and if by chance you might be a doctor or have other knowledge of why this works, please let me know. [Update: I have received an email from a person who states he is a doctor and has an idea of why this method works. Click here to jump to his email / explanation below.]

I have seen many “cures” for hiccups.... drinking a glass of water, having someone “scare” you (get real), breathing into a paper bag, etc. If anything, many of these cures seem like cures because eventually the hiccups go away. To me, that isn’t a cure.... it is something to do until the hiccups go away! And some of these cures sound ridiculous, if not impossible to do (ever try standing on your head while drinking a glass of water?!?). The cure I use is easy to do and the results are immediate. All it takes is 30 seconds to try it, and you don’t need any “props”, such as paper bags, water, etc. You can do it anytime, anywhere. You have nothing to lose but your hiccups! And I even offer a click-back guarantee. If my cure doesn’t work for you, click your browser’s Back button and go back to your search page. :)

Before I actually get to the cure, I should say that although I see no harm in doing this, persons with abnormally low lung capacity, lung/breathing problems, or other medical conditions might want to consult a doctor first. Not that I expect anything bad to happen, but don’t blame me if it does! :) Having gotten the disclaimer out of the way, here we go:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

30-Second Hiccup Cure

(En Español)

Step 1: Start by inhaling through your mouth until your lungs feel full (when it feels like you cannot inhale any more). For overall best results, try to do this as quickly as you can. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 2: Swallow. You are not really swallowing anything but it seems that without this act, it doesn’t work. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 3: Now inhale some more. You don’t need to inhale a lot, but do get some more air in. It will start to get difficult to do this as you go, but keep trying. You obviously can’t suck in as much air as you did initially, but just a little will do (think of it as taking a “sip” of air). DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 4: Swallow again. This too will start to get difficult as you go. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you cannot swallow again. While it seems you can almost always suck in just a little more air, it is the swallowing that gets to be impossible. When you feel like you cannot swallow again, swallow again anyway. It will be hard to do, your face will probably turn red, and you may make squeaking sounds. But you CAN swallow one last time. By this time, your lungs should also be quite full and it should be difficult to get much more air in as well. While you should try not to let any air out, if you have really repeated steps 3 and 4 as many times as you can, you probably will end up letting a little out before you can take that last swallow. If you find that air keeps escaping out of your nose even early in the process, try squeezing it shut with your fingers.

Step 6: Exhale.

Can't really tell you what causes them, but in my family the infallible remedy has been vinegar and sugar - i.e. a spoonful of sugar, pour enough plain malt vinegar to soak it thoroughly, and swallow in one gulp. There may be two or three hiccups afterwards but then the almost always go away.

I'd be curious to know whether anybody else knows of this remedy, because whenever I've suggested it it's worked but they all say they've never heard of it before.

Hiccups are caused by spasms in your diaphragm. The best way to get rid of them is by applying pressure to your diaphragm. The best way to do that is to sit down and put your head between your knees and hold your breath. It works for me every time.

hiccups are caused by a spasm in your diaphram. you can try holding your breath, another remedy is to drink water from the far end of a glass - not the edge closest to you.

hiccups occur when you eat or drink to quickly or if there is a sudden temperature change, i usually drink some water or control my breathing and it usually helps, deep breaths is the trick!

it has something to do with air in the tummy. take a glass of water,take a sip and look at the bottom of the cup, take another sip and look at the bottom of the cup. keep going til they are gone should only take a few sips. it works every time for me. my 3 year does it.

I dont know how you get them but to get rid of them

you can:

drink water upside down

go upside down and hold your breath

eat a tea spoon of sugar

hold ur breATH WILE DRINKING WATER

HAVE SOMEONE SCARE U REALLY BADLY

eat about a tablespoon of peanut butter, Or hold your breath a really long time (but that could make you lightheaded)

hiccup cure

sing while running

works every time.