FWIW: Hiccup Cure

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Okay, as you may be able to tell from my user name and signature, I’m a skeptic. I wasn’t born in the show-me state (Missouri, for those of you who don’t study state mottos/flowers/birds, etc.), but it’s where I belong.

That being said, I know that hiccups are supposedly one of the world’s great mysteries, but my husband, a nurse, has come up with a cure that works for me. I am willing to admit that my evidence is anecdotal, and that it’s entirely possible that the cure works only because I believe it will. However, it has also worked for everyone I’ve shown it to. (I realize that’s anecdotal, as well, but I’ve been unable to get enough funding to open a hiccup research center, so anecdotal evidence will have to suffice for now.) Anyway, here it is, for what it’s worth.

  1. Prepare a glass of water (or some other drink, preferably non-fizzy).

  2. Take a deep breath.

  3. Hold it for at least 10 seconds.

  4. Without releasing the breath, take a gulp of your drink. If it’s pop (soda, coke, whatever), you’ll have to hold it in your mouth for a while till some of the fizz goes away before you swallow. As that’s not very pleasant and doesn’t work as well, I really don’t recommend pop for this procedure.

  5. Exhale.

  6. A small burp will issue forth from your mouth (I know, I know: as opposed to …?). Supposedly, this has something to do with air trapped under (I think) the diaphragm.

Voila! The hiccups are gone. Like I said, it works for me (a frequent sufferer), though it hasn’t been tested by the FDA and I make no guarantees as to its efficacy. I do have to do it twice sometimes, and like I said, it doesn’t work well if your drink is pop.

Again, I do find it difficult to believe that my hubby–though admittedly a very smart guy–has come up with a cure that will work for everyone, especially since there are one meeelllion hiccup cure theories floating around out there. Yet I cannot get around the fact that in my limited, non-controlled, non-statistical environment, it works.

I’d be interested to have other hiccup sufferers try it and let us know the results.

2

That’s never worked for me, but I’ll tell you what DOES! Lime and bitters. Squeeze part of a lime wedge into a shot glass. Pour bitters over the squeezed lime in the shot glass. Bite the lime and then chase it with what’s in the shot glass. Works like a charm for me.

3

A spoonful of sugar works for me. Put it in your mouth and let it slowly dissolve. Don’t chew it or anything. It slowly stops the spasming. You could also use a spoonful of jam or jelly.

4

I just hold my breath for 30 seconds. Always an option.

5

  1. Stretch a clean handkerchief over a glass of water and drink the water.

  2. Drink a glass of water from the rim opposite of the one you would normally drink from. This involves bending at the waist, and possibly a little spillage, due to the awkwardness of the position.

  3. While OpalCat puts her fingers in your ears to seal them, chug a glass of water.

  4. Take a deap breath and hold it for 10 seconds. Without releasing the air, swallow and take as much of a breath as you can. Hold it for five seconds, and exhale.

I have used all of these cures, as well as the sugar cure and the lemon & bitters cure, with great sucess. Very rarely have I had to use them twice in one hiccup session, or in combination with each other to cure the hiccups.

6

Variation on this that has worked EVERY time I’ve used it:

Take a lemon wedge, and pour bitters on it, then top it with sugar. Eat it.

7

My gram had a great cure (for kids mostly) that I use on the kid myself. Make then get a bowl with a lid, they hiccup into the bowl and slam the lid on before the hiccup can excape…they get giggling so hard from trying to catch the hiccups it usually clears its-self right up.

8

One cure that’s always worked for me (but sometimes I need to do it twice) is to

  1. Take a deeeeeep breath, filling your lungs with air. Your tummy should inflate. This works well lying on your back.

  2. Hold the breath for a 10-count.

  3. Let the breath out SLOWLY. The regular, slow cessation of pressure should make your diaphragm stop spasming.

9

This is my hiccup cure, which I read in a children’s book many, many years ago. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years, and I have never, ever, ever met anyone for whom this cure did not work. All elements must be done, in order, no omissions. I have never experimented with leaving one part out. No, you must do them all.

  1. Stand about 10" to 12" away from a wall, facing away from the wall. (see step 6)

  2. Fold your arms across your chest

  3. Cross your legs

  4. Take a deep breath and hold it.

  5. Tilt your head back and look up at the ceiling.

  6. Lean your whole body back slightly, so that the top of your head is touching the wall. If your physical stature requires, you may need to adjust your distance away from the wall in step one.

  7. Still holding your breath, now close your eyes.

And the last, final, most important step, the one I am not making up, which I read and have used literally hundreds of times, is…
8. Think about zebras

Hold this for the usual 15 to 30 seconds

If someone could tell me what book this came from, I would be most grateful. Again, it works.

10

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_118.html

“digital rectal massage”

And if anyone says “Band name,” I’m booting 'em off the boards.

11

If you have air trapped anywhere outside of your lungs you have a problem greater than hiccups, called a pheumothorax.

12

Dammit! that should have been pneumothorax.

13

Thanks, UncleBeer. I tried to post that darn URL three times, but my post kept getting eaten, so I gave up. (As per W.C. Fields: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damned fool about it.”)

14

:farts:

:burps:

Excuse me!

15

I could very well be wrong about that, danceswithcats. I don’t always pay strict attention to the vagaries of the human anatomy as discussed by my husband.