# How do you get rid of hiccups... for real?! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 11, 2001, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055 "2001-07-11T07:03:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Many\_Crows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Many\_Crows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Many_Crows)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/21 "2001-07-11T14:49:51Z")
I know that Uncle Cece doesn’t believe in homeopathy, but a remedy called Ignatia always seems to work for me. ---
**Author:** ![heembo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@heembo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heembo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/22 "2001-07-11T16:05:43Z")
“Cures” mentioned previous to mine are simple variations on the snake oil sold to many a fool throughout history. If you _really_ want to cure those hiccups, here’s what you do: Drink 12 oz of water through a paper towel. Place a paper towel over the mouth of a glass of water and drink the entire glass without taking it away from your lips. Try to do this in less than a minute. If it doesn’t work, then my name isn’t P.T. Barnum… You can all thank me when you finally come to your senses and use this no fail cure. ---
**Author:** ![anenquiringmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anenquiringmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anenquiringmind)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/23 "2001-07-12T00:23:00Z")
Hic-cups, wherever did they get that name from? Anyway… Once in elementary school, many eons ago, I had the hiccups while standing in line for something and the teacher looked at me and said. " ------ , that was so neat!!" "Do it again for us! “Everyone!,----- is going to hiccup for us!!” I couldn’t… It was a wonderful little cure… I’ve tried it on people and it works everytime. However, while in the middle of a hiccup hell session it’s hard to ask someone to do that to you. The only thing I ever found to work while alone was just a few licks on one of those little candy fireballs. (Hopefully you have them in your area…) I guess it’s the sweet and the hot and the tonque sticking out licking that works. All I know is, it does. I keep several around at all times. And no dear people, I dont want to hear any snide remarks about the hot sweet licking… This is a serious,serious matter… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![girlwithwings](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@girlwithwings](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/girlwithwings)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/24 "2001-07-12T00:43:19Z")
That reminds me of a cure my father used to do all the time. When someone hiccupped, Dad just said, “Betcha a dollar you won’t hiccup again…,” and nobody ever did. ---
**Author:** ![BobbySuezQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@BobbySuezQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobbySuezQ)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/25 "2001-07-12T01:02:54Z")
Think that your next hiccup is going to be the biggest, loudest, grandest hiccup of your life. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/26 "2001-07-12T01:32:16Z")
A method I’ve used. Remember those Fremen of Arakis moving arhythmically across the sand to avoid drawing spice worms? Do the same thing with your breathing for ~30 seconds. Take a deep breath, then three shallow ones, then two medium, a shallow, two deep, etc., and try to vary the rate as well. Works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/27 "2001-07-12T01:50:44Z")
I read this someone where years ago, and it seems to work for me: Take two ice cubes and rub them on your both sides of your throat, just next to your adam’s apple (or where your adam’s apple would be if your a woman) for about 20-30 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/28 "2001-07-12T03:00:27Z")
Bullet through the heart. Works instantly…every time. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/29 "2001-07-12T21:08:25Z")
All right CalMeacham - you owe me for the cleaning of my monitor and keyboard. Wait a minute… my hiccups are gone! It’s a miracle cure! Thank you, oh wise one… ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2001, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/30 "2001-07-12T21:24:20Z")
The dry sugar method works for me, always had. Picked it up from my High school health class textbook(they had some kinda lengthy explantion of how it worked, but I don’t remember what it was. I take two tablespoons though, with no water. ---
**Author:** ![VitrolicBump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@VitrolicBump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VitrolicBump)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/31 "2001-07-13T09:25:13Z")
This thread reminds me of my senior year in high school. I had just entered the English room. A classmate(Melanie) of mine came in after me. She had really bad hiccups. Our teacher was sitting at her desk. She was a really nice woman(about 60 years old)who didn’t correct her students much. Everyone had great respect for her. Well, she didn’t say anything. I was giving Melanie ideas to get rid of her hiccups. Nothing helped. All of a sudden our teacher starts yelling at Melanie for no good reason. Scared the s\*\*\* out of Melanie.:eek:\<\<\ **Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2001, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/32 "2001-07-13T13:47:44Z") I can cure hiccups. I can cure my own, every time. I can cure other peoples if they believe me. If they would rather argue, or discuss other, better cures, it won’t work. While doing the steps, you might hiccup one or more times. If so, you should just continue, without interrupting the process. Do this slowly: (It may help if you have someone read it to you) Sit down. Sit up straight. Roll your shoulders back, lift up your chin until it is just horizontal. Relax the muscles in your cheeks. Relax your jaw. Relax the muscles in your jaw. Relax the muscles in your neck. Let your shoulders drop. Relax your chest muscles. Think about swallowing, but don’t swallow. You will feel a tight place in your throat. That tight place will slowly slip downward. When it gets below your heart, you will not have the hiccups. ## Tris " It is when I struggle to be brief that I become obscure." ~ Horace ~ ---
**Author:** ![dcrusaderx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dcrusaderx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dcrusaderx)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2001, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/33 "2001-07-14T10:40:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by heembo \* > \*\*“Cures” mentioned previous to mine are simple variations on the snake oil sold to many a fool throughout history. > > If you _really_ want to cure those hiccups, here’s what you do: Drink 12 oz of water through a paper towel. Place a paper towel over the mouth of a glass of water and drink the entire glass without taking it away from your lips. Try to do this in less than a minute. > > If it doesn’t work, then my name isn’t P.T. Barnum… > > You can all thank me when you finally come to your senses and use this no fail cure. \*\* ex-girlfriend introduced me to this cure, it has worked everytime for me – thank goodness! I typically have the hiccups the entire afternoon. -dc ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2001, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055/34 "2001-07-16T01:23:15Z")
I used to put my hand over my mouth and try to hyperventilate. Didn’t work, but it took up some time, during which the hiccups might abate. Simplest and most effective method is, get a big tumbler of cold water. Take a deeeeep breath and hold it. Then **chug** the water. You have to chug it, not just drink it, and it should be as cold as you can get it. Never fails. Having someone scare you always works, but if you have to ask someone to scare you, it will have no effect. Once I had the hiccups, and someone who’d been observing me walked by and said something mundane, then turned back and said, “Clinton’s dead.” “What?!” “Yeah, he had a heart attack. Guess it was all that McDonald’s.” “You’re kidding! I didn’t hear anything on the news!” “I am kidding. See, your hiccups are gone!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-hiccups-for-real/72055.md?page=1)