Smita Pani: [World Malayali Club] How to Cure Hiccups

How to Cure Hiccups

Hiccups can be embarrassing, annoying and even unhealthy. When you get them all you can think about is how to get rid of them. Here are some of the best methods for quickly curing hiccups along with some explanation as to why they seem to work.

Hiccups can occur before we are born and are believed to be a throwback to when we had gills. A hiccup occurs when a spasm contracts the diaphragm, the muscle located at the base of the lungs. This spasm causes a rapid intake of breath followed by a rapid closure of the vocal cords. It is this closure that causes the characteristic "hic" sound. Usually hiccups last only a few minutes and are known as transient or acute hiccups. If your hiccups last longer than two days, they are known as persistent hiccups.

How to Cure Hiccups

There is not a scientific cure for hiccups, but that does not mean that cures do not exist. In fact, there are a number of cures such as drinking cold water, exhaling and then holding your breath, breathing in and out while holding a paper bag over your mouth, pulling on your tongue or swallowing a piece of dry bread.

What Causes Hiccups

Although doctors can not always find the cause of hiccups, they do know that some situations are likely to trigger acute or transient hiccups. These things include:

Irritating the nerves that control the diaphragm: This can be done by eating spicy foods, using tobacco, and some diseases such as pleurisy and pneumonia.1 2

Alcohol: Drinking alcohol relaxes your diaphragm and vocal cords, which makes it easier for hiccups to occur.2

Sudden temperature changes in the stomach: Drinking hot and then cold liquids or switching from hot water to cold water in a shower can trigger the hiccups.3 2

A very full stomach: This can be caused by eating too much too quickly, swallowing too much air or drinking a carbonated beverage.2 3

Stress or sudden excitement: It is unclear exactly why these trigger hiccups, but doctors believe it may have something to do with the effect being startled has on the vagus nerves (which cause hiccups).2

Dehydration: When the GI tract is dry it is more likely to spasm.4

Persistent and intractable hiccups (hiccups that last longer than 48 hours) are usually caused by more serious conditions and can even be a symptom of some of these illnesses.3 These things can include:

Central nervous system problems including cancer, infections, stroke or injury.3

Metabolic problems such as decreased kidney function or hyperventilation.3

Anesthesia or surgery.3

Mental health problems.3

Stroke or tumor affecting the "hiccup center" in the brain1

Damage to the vagus or phrenic nerves such as a tumor, cyst, goiter, abscess or gastroesophageal reflux.2

Other causes can include pleurisy of the diaphragm, pneumonia, uremia, alcoholism, disorders of the stomach or esophagus, bowel diseases, pancreatitis, pregnancy, bladder irritation, hepatitis and lesions.5

Again, the Mayo Clinic strongly advises that you see a doctor if your hiccups persist for more than 48 hours or if they are severe enough to interfere with your breathing.2

Cures Involving Water

Water has been a long time favorite method of curing hiccups. It may work because the GI tract is more likely to spasm when it is dry.4 It may also stimulate the vagus nerve, which seems to work.6 Whatever the reasoning, here are some of the more popular methods of curing hiccups that involve water:

Drink a glass of water quickly.6

Drink a cold glass water.2

Drink a cold glass of water quickly (which combines methods 1 and 2).3

You can also do the opposite and slowly sip a cup of warm water.7

Have someone plug your ears, while you hold your nose and drink a glass of water.8Health 911 suggests doing this with a glass of ice cold water.7

Drinking from the wrong side of the glass is a classic method.9

To do this, bend forward at the waist, put your mouth on the far side of the glass and tilt forward until water enters your mouth.

Gargle with ice water.10

Eat or suck on an ice cube.7

Cures Involving Breathing

Curing hiccups using various methods of breathing (or lack of breathing) are believed to work by increasing the carbon dioxide in the blood.6 Although, it is also speculated that these methods work by disrupting the hiccup cycle.11 These remedies include:

Holding your breath.6 Two slight variations of this include:

Holding your breath and slowly counting to ten.3

Taking a deep breath and holding it as long as you can.12

Breathing repeatedly into a bag.3 This may work by helping reduce stress.13

You may need to press the bag tightly around your mouth.7

You can also put a drop of chamomile essential oil into the bag.7

Pinch your nostrils shut and exhale with your mouth closed, which is known as the Valsalva maneuver.10

Spread your arms out (like a T) and take several deep breaths.7

While sitting, place your head in your lap. Breath though your mouth while slowly counting to 20.8

Cures Involving Sugar

Using sugar to cure hiccups is believed to work by interrupting the the impulse pattern of the vagus nerve.14 According to WebMD, you should use corn syrup and not sugar when treating young children.6

Eat a teaspoon of dry sugar.3

Place 1/2 teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of your tongue.6 Repeat every two minutes a maximum of three times if necessary.15

Place a teaspoon of sugar on your tongue and then drink a glass of cold water.7

Soak a sugar cube in lemon juice. Then let it dissolve in your mouth. 7

Cures Involving Drinking

All sorts of interesting folk remedies have been created to get rid of hiccups. The methods listed here involve concoctions that you can drink. Since many of them involve drinking something sweet or sour, they most likely work by interrupting the impulse pattern of the vagus nerve.14

Drink a teaspoon of unsweetened lemon or lime juice.8

Mix the juice of one lemon to half a glass of water and drink. Repeat if necessary.7

Sip a cup of warm water with honey.7 Honey should not be given to infants under one year because, according to KidsHealth, it can cause infant botulism.16

Mix 3 drops of spirits of camphor into 1/2 glass of water and drink.7

Add one teaspoon of lemon balm, fennel or passionflower to one cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. Then strain and drink.13

Add 1/3 teaspoon cream of tartar to a 8 ounces of warm water. Drink two tablespoons at a time on an empty stomach.7

Add 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm water and sip.7

Pour a half pint of boiling water over 1/4 of a red pepper and let steep. Once the water cools enough, drink about 2 cups. Repeat if necessary.7

Add five drops of tincture of Capsicum to a tablespoonful of water and drink.7

Rapidly swallow a few mouthfuls of canned pineapple juice. Repeat every hour as necessary. 7

Drink a mixture of vinegar, salt and water.8

Drink 1/4 cup of dill pickle juice (from a jar of dill pickles).8

Cures Involving Food

Some hiccup cures involve eating different foods. Many of them are either very sweet or very sour, which is believed to interrupt the vagus nerve impulse pattern and stop hiccups.14

Eat a teaspoon of honey.3 Honey should not be given to infants under one year because, according to KidsHealth, it can cause infant botulism.16

Bite on a lemon.10 A couple of variations of this include:

Place a teaspoon of salt on a half of lemon and suck the juice out of it.7

Eating a slice of lemon soaked in angostura bitters.7

Eat a teaspoon of peanut butter.7

Chew and swallow a large marshmallow.8

Eat two tablespoons of ice cream.8

Homeopathic Cures

Several homeopathic remedies have been known to cure hiccups. These remedies include:

Nux vomica. This is believed to cure hiccups associated with digestive complaints such as spicy foods or eating too fast.13

Magnesia phosphorica can help reduce spasms, like those caused by hiccups.13

Ignatia can help relieve emotion-related hiccups.13

Taking 5 granules of Cuprum metallicum 7 can also cure hiccups.7

Physical Cures

There are numerous physical methods that are believed to cure hiccups. One of the most popular is to pull hard on your tongue. This method was listed by both WebMD and eMedicineHealth as a cure for hiccups.6 15 It is believed that this stimulates the vagus nerve, which is known to alleviate hiccups.6 Some other methods include:

Rubbing your earlobes.8

Use smelling salts.15

Place firm pressure on the collar bones.7

Have someone startle or frighten you.15 A teenage daughter managed to do this to her mother (who had the hiccups) by suddenly announcing she was pregnant. The hiccups stopped and the daughter reassured her that she was kidding.8

Induce sneezing.17

Pinch the cleft above your upper lip together, hard (but not painfully so). Hold for 20 to 30 seconds. According to MSN Health Fitness, this disrupts the nerve impulses to the diaphragm.8

Use acupressure:

Resting the heels of the palms on your cheekbones.

Place your hands over your eyes.

Massage the temples by pulling the thumbs in toward your palms.

Remove your hands and lightly press on the tip of your nose with a fingertip.18

Professional Treatment

When hiccups persist for too long, then it is time to seek medical help. Your doctor may diagnosis an underlying disorder that is causing your hiccups. If so, treating the disorder will usually cure the hiccups.19 If there is no underlying cause of the hiccups, then your doctor may suggest acupuncture, hypnosis or a visit to a chiropractor.2 8 Other treatments that your doctor may suggest include:

Medication: Various medications such as Chlorpromazine (Thorazine), baclofen (Lioresal), phenytoin (Dilantin)], Metoclopramide (Reglan), carbamazepam, valproic acid (Depakene) and phenobarbital have been prescribed to cure hiccups.6 20

Chlorpromazine has an 80 percent success rate at relieving intractable hiccups.20

Other medications that may be helpful include anticonvulsants and benzodiazepines.2

Carotid sinus massage: Do not attempt cartoid sinus massage at home.2

Nasogastric (NG) tube: This temporary procedure works if your stomach is distended.2

Nerve block: Doctors may inject anesthetic to block your phrenic nerve.2

Surgery: Surgery to disable the phrenic nerve can be done as a last resort.6

Vagus nerve stimulator: This device is implanted into the upper chest and generates an electric pulse to stimulate the vagus nerve.14

Conclusion

Of course, the information on this page is only the tip of the iceberg, as it would be almost impossible to include all the folk remedies and possible cures that exist for hiccups. But give this advice a try, as one of these tips is bound to cure your case of the hiccups!

Disclaimer

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor before using the information presented here.