Hiccups – What’s Your Cure?
Posted by terrepruitt on March 29, 2011
There seems to be so many reasons one can get hiccups they don’t really know what EXACTLY causes them. What happens when you have the hiccups is the diaphragm contracts repeatedly. Sometimes when we suck air in really fast we make the “hic” sound. I know sometimes I have very loud hiccups. Sometimes they are so strong they hurt. I don’t really like the hiccups, they are disruptive. There are many remedies to get rid of the hiccups. I have one that I use and it works EVERY SINGLE TIME.
One remedy is to eat a package of sugar . . . . at least that is one that I know of. A package of sugar is less than a teaspoon. I have never tried it, but my husband, the person that told me about it, has used this method. He said it works.
My sure-fire cure for the hiccups is drinking water. The trick is to drink the water with your ears plugged. So you either need someone to help you or you need a straw. Plug your ears and drink through the straw or have someone plug your ears for you. I drink as much water as I can before I have to take a breath of air. They go way . . . . every time. I have never had this method fail me.
What is your method? Or what have you heard of? What have you tried that didn’t work?
On an unrelated note — please remember my Nia Class in Los Gatos where I will be collecting donations for the American Cancer Society – Relay for Life is April 17th. If you are local, I hope to see you there.
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
niachick said
The spirit of surprise is what get rid of mine. I haven’t gotten the hiccups in…wow…years. But I remember when I would get them, I’d ask someone to surprise me…as in jumping out and saying “BOO”!!!! The bigger the surprise the better. And it always worked. My mother used to tell me to take a drink of water upside down. Actually trying to take a drink upside down is virtually impossible, but the act of “trying” actually gets rid of the hiccups…mostly because it’s so freaking funny.
Another thing I’ve heard is to breathe into a paper bag. I tried that once but it didn’t work. Basically the only thing that worked for me was for someone to jump out and scare me.
Love your blogs Terre.
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terrepruitt said
Yes, the “surprise” never worked for me. But I forgot about that one. John used to try it all the time on me but it didn’t work and I do not like that state of being at all. I’ve heard the drinking-water-upsidedown-cure too. I think I tried that once, but it is VERY difficult and I ended up wet and with water up my nose. I don’t like that either.
I don’t think I’ve heard the paper bag trick.
Thank you so much for always being here. Thanks for your additions to my hiccup remedy post. I had the hiccups the other day and it just amazed me that drinking with plugged ears works for me everytime!
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suzicate said
Will try to remember those. I’ve heard of drinking water upside down…but how do you keep from spilling it all over you? I never got that one. I’ve tried holding my breath, but that NEVER works!
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terrepruitt said
I drink as much water as I can in one breath with my ears plugged. I can drink a bottle (16 oz). Let me know what works for you.
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thetop7 said
Ahhhh – nice. Here are some cures for hiccups that we came up with at The Top 7 – http://thetop7.net/2011/08/12/the-hiccups-cure/
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terrepruitt said
Thanks. Regarding the list: I’ve heard of drinking water upside down and the “have someone scare you” is the most popular one I think. Holding your breath I think is part of the drinking water and plugging your ears. I think that hiccups have to do with air, right? I don’t know that standing on your head is a very useful one as often hiccups happen out in public. Can you imagine? “Hic! Oh excuse me while I stand on my head.” Tickling – having someone tickle you probably has to do with the air again. But when I was young I actually thought hiccups were caused by laughing too much because I always got them after I laughed a lot. Exercising to get rid of hiccups sounds funny to me. And I have had heard of the “spoonful of sugar” for both hiccups and helping the medicine go down.
Thanks for visiting.
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