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Hiccups are caused when the diaphragm becomes irritated and pushes air rapidly up in such a way that it makes an irregular sound.
Some things that irritate the diaphragm and cause hiccups are distension of the stomach from food, alcohol, or air, sudden changes in gastric temperature, or use of alcohol and/or tobacco in excess. Hiccups also can be caused by excitement or stress.
While most cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes, some cases of the hiccups can last for days or weeks. This is very unusual, though, and it’s usually a sign of another medical problem, such as injections near the diaphragm, hiatal hernias, severe gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or a tumor irritating the nerves in the chest. Hiccups lasting longer than one month are termed intractable or incurable. The longest recorded attack of hiccups is six decades. Doctors sometimes use the antipsychotic drug Thorazine to treat intractable hiccups.
If you don’t want to go the antipsychotic route, you could try one of these simpler but unproven cures:
- breathing into a paper bag
- drinking out of a cup from the side opposite your mouth
- holding your breath
- eating a teaspoon of sugar
- sucking on a wedge of lime or lemon
- drinking a glass of water with a straw while you plug your ears with your fingers
- pulling the top of your hair for one to two minutes
- placing a cotton swab in the roof of your mouth and gently rubbing
- pulling hard on your tongue
- from WHY DO MEN HAVE NIPPLES? By Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.
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