Tuesday, September 20, 2011

The hiccup cure

I have it - the hiccup cure.  I have been debating whether or not to share it for the last few months since it is great to hear someone who can't get rid of those annoying little noises while sitting there silently laughing that they can't stop it & you can.  I was once there, annoyed and shocked with how long the hiccups could go on for.

Hiccups are caused by a brief, involuntary twitter of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute - which causes the air that gets quickly sucked in to the lungs to make the vocal cords close - creating the 'hic' sound (wikipedia). [usually from stretching of the stomach after eating/drinking, sudden emotional excitement, sudden change of air temperature, very hot/cold food or beverage, alcohol or excess smoking, heartburn]

Eventually the hiccups will go away...but just how long are you willing to wait with out getting annoyed?

Which of the following home remedies have you tried?
  • quickly drinking water in short bursts
  • lean the head down and take sips of water
  • sitting down taking slow deep breaths
  • sucking on a spoonful of sugar
  • hold your breath until the next hiccup
  • drinking a quarter cup of pickle juice
  • chew up and swallow one marshmallow
  • have someone stare into your eyes for 15-30 seconds while their hands are on both of your cheeks
  • pinch the upper part of your lip with two fingers for 20 seconds
  • sit in a chair with your head in your lap breathing slowly
  • breathe into a paper bag
  • have someone scare you
Many of those do not work for me, but since everyone is a bit different -- they can work for some people.  What does work for me......is......eating a spoonful of peanut butter.  

I swear this works for me.  I've had the hiccups about 4 times in the last 3 months - and once I started trying this - the hiccups went away.   Of course I thought it was coincidence at first, so I tried it again and again and again.  All with the same result.  I couldn't be happier because I love peanut butter.

If you try this - and it works for you - please post below and let me know!

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