Talk:Hiccup

Initial message
Created while having a particually painful bout of hiccups. In fact, in the middle of making this stub, I stopped having them. Heh. I'll try elaborating more on this after I get a good night of sleep. --d8uv (t)  11:27, 2004 Mar 25 (UTC)

NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO PAGE
The list of causes for short-term hiccups is incomplete. Benzodiazapine drugs can also cause hiccups. They are similar to alcohol (which is listed) in so many ways; Both act on GABA receptors, they have cross-tolerance, and they have essentially the same effects, minus a few minor differences. 68.202.196.130 (talk) 03:44, 3 August 2011 (UTC)


 * hiccups are not listed as typical side effect of benzodiazepines. Of the various monographs and inserts I've read for at least a dozen benzodiazepines, including but not limited to alprazolam, lorazepam, clonazepam, diazepam, oxazepam, nitrazepam, flunitrazepam, not one mentioned hiccups.
 * It seems this claim might just be some attempt at logical inference. Ie alcohol causes hiccups and is GABAergic, hence all GABAergic drugs must cause hiccups.
 * Though the claim about alcohol causing hiccups seems to be more of a reference to cartoons and the old trope of a character getting drunk and having hiccups so the fact that they're drunk reads better. VoidHalo (talk) 20:00, 3 July 2024 (UTC)

I think Hiccups are more useful than most people think they are. I believe one reason we hiccup is that they are the body's way of dealing with constipation. It seems to force or shake loose some blockages in the intestines to get things going again! I'm not sure but it seems like a reasonable theory to me. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.82.147.145 (talk) 14:11, 5 October 2013 (UTC)

Removed the following:
"[HICCUPS CAN BE CURED BY] Entering a quiet room with no thoughts in mind..imagining a white horse galloping through a green pasture while occasionally jumping a white fence."

I've some experience with horses and never have they cured me of hiccups. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.160.210.35 (talk) 12:46, 25 July 2011 (UTC)

Removed false information on Fetal Hiccups after 30 weeks associated with umbilical cord abnormalities
Originally the article said in the last line of Phylogenetic hypothesis stated: "Past 28–30 weeks, hiccups in the fetus become occasional (every few days). Frequent hiccups in the fetus (3-4 /24hrs) is due to reflexes. These reflexes are triggered by umbilical cord compression and subsequent ductous venosous spasm.These hiccups tend to last > 15 min. A fetus having regular hiccups after 30 weeks should be evaluated with ultrasound. Umbilical Cord Abnormalities should be looked for. "

However, when I read through the entire cited article (after registering for it to get access), I found no mention of this whatsoever. The only mention of fetal hiccups in the cited article involved the following: "Hiccuping is observed in utero and the tendency to hiccup continues after delivery. Fetal hiccuping can be demonstrated ultrasonographically in utero as large inward and outward movements of the chest occurring 1–6 times per minute with spells lasting an average of eight minutes.7Premature infants spend an average of 2.5% of their time hiccuping.4 Hiccuping spells occur in utero and in premature babies without any identifiable stimulus for initiation or for cessation. This suggests that during the perinatal period, when the respiratory tract needs to mature rapidly, hiccuping does have a survival value. Perhaps, hiccuping is essentially a programmed isometric exercise of the inspiratory muscles which are superfluous in utero, but afforded no time for maturation after birth. Beyond the perinatal period, however, hiccuping is a vestigial reflex, incidentally elicited by a wide and variable range of autonomic stimuli."

Also searched through Google Scholar and called my OB/GYN and Midwife. No other articles could be found mentioning anything about umbilical cord abnormalities associated with hiccups after 30 weeks. Both OB and Midwife said that this was not a cause for alarm and was actually a reassuring sign as long as there were no additional signs of pain, bleeding, or leaking of amniotic fluid.

I do wonder if the original author meant to say, " A fetus having regular hiccups lasting > 15 min. after 30 weeks should be evaluated with ultrasound." I've checked everywhere and have not found a single source mentioning that fetal hiccups could be pathological in any way." Tafoster (talk) 17:21, 1 June 2010 (UTC)

Causes of Hiccups
The list of causes sucks, hiccups ARE CAUSED BY AN INTERUPTION OF THE BREATHING PROCESS, simple direct language... all of the listed causes are merely activities which cause the interuption —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.18.174.52 (talk) 05:08, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

This article is getting filled with pointless household remedies. It should only include common remedies with a citation to back them up. There are thousands of baseless "cures" out there but just because your personal cure always works for you, that doesn't mean you need to add it to a Wikipedia article. To be blunt, no one cares.

If you really feel that your remedy belongs on this page, then please discuss it here before editting. Thank you. --NGamer88 06:03, 7 June 2008 (UTC)

Needs near complete re-write
To be honest this article needs a ton of work. I think this this article is much better: http://health.howstuffworks.com/13-techniques-to-cure-the-hiccups.htm I wish it cited sources; too bad.

Agreed. I'd also like to point out the sources are all wrong for the chemotherapy relationship. Firstly, there's no citation for up to 30% causing hiccups. Secondly, it cites sources 3 and 4 for the statement that some hiccups are do to the location of the tumor itself. Source 3 doesn't mention chemo or tumors period. Source 4 has a broken link. In essence, there's a whole paragraph about chemotherapy and hiccups without a single valid source. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 168.7.229.237 (talk) 13:31, 15 May 2010 (UTC)

Revert
As I was reading the talk page someone changed the original article. I reverted it back because I think that the "household remedies" were worded better before the were put into a bulleted list. If the person who did that disagrees I or they could edit it so it is grammatically correct and sounds professional. Plus±Minus 01:32, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

Function
Is anything known about the function of hiccups? It seems every bodily reaction has a function, and I am curious about why we get the hiccups. Although asking for a function is perhaps a bit optimistic since we aren't even sure about the cause of them (which is quite amazing to me). Haakon 02:44, 23 Jan 2005 (UTC)


 * -- My personal theory, which comes from thinking about the matter while my wife was pregnant, is that hiccoughs in the womb are for diaphram exercise. Hiccoughs after birth are just annoying onsets of the same excercise reflex. (anon user)


 * It may have something to do with gills. 68.124.31.233 00:10, 25 December 2005 (UTC)


 * I don't know why anyone else doesn't talk about this, but I think that it is simply an air bubble in your stomach that is trying to escape, and is not big enough for the pressure to build and escape in the usual burp.
 * No, hiccups occur in the diaphragm, and the article mentions the larynx as well. IE it's down the breathing tube of the throat, not the stomach tube. Wrong hole. I've never noticed hiccups and burping being connected. 188.29.164.158 (talk) 09:29, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

It is true that most bodily reactions seem to have a function. Most of these are known to be controlled by the unconscious mind. This is also true for hiccups. This is why hiccups in certain cases are being related to brain tumors. I completely agree with the last suggestion above, on the function of hiccups. You summed up pretty well what I was going to write (although it's obviously not the bubble that has the willpower to trigger the hiccup). :) I almost edited the article itself, but then I read an urge not to write whithout the use of verified sources or something like that. I am not an expert on the subject. I can only point to common sense and my own experiences.

I find it hard to understand why the hiccup function has been considered a mystery for such a long time. We do not have to study amphibians to find a credible function of hiccups. The function is likely to not have anything to do with breathing at all. At least not only. I have observed many times, both on myself and others, that a hiccup is immediately followed by a burp. This is easily verifiable. If I or anyone else have swallowed any air or carbondioxide by drinking or eating, a hiccup can rearrange food or liquids that block the bubble from coming up and out. That is probably why hiccups most often occur under or after a having a meal or drinking. I have of course also noticed that hiccups somtimes occur without the following of burps, and I believe that explains why hiccups often occur repeatedly. The blockings don't always unblock after only one hiccup, and there may not even be a significant amount of air or gas in our stomach at all. But there may not be an alternative way for our body or unconscious mind to tell if we have actually swallowed air or simply eaten or drunk too much. When we are full, and especially uncomfortably full, the unconscious mind will therefore try to make us more comfortable by an attempt to get rid of of unnecessary air pressure. However, it is also probable that hiccups may occur as leamus, similar to those that can occur in muscles that are consciously controlled. This coincides whith the fact that people in rare cases suffer from constant hiccups over a long period of time.

To the man with the pregnancy theory: A pregnant woman must probably (at least some of the time) have a higher pressure on her stomach than others, which may trick the unconcious mind to suspect there is air or gas in the stomach. The pressure caused by the pregnancy may also leave less space in the tummy for food and gas, which is likely to require hiccups more often than usual.

Function and solution are so closely bound together, that I think I owe to say something about that as well. Many people report that holding their breath or and swallowing different things helps them. I have no trouble believing this, for that is also the case for me. However, I don't believe it really matters what you swallow. There seems to be a lot of superstition attached to that. Blockings may be removed or rearranged by swallowing spit, drinks, food or whatever. The important thing is that the amount swallowed is sufficiant, and that the consistency of what you swallow is suitable to rearrange the blocking (or trick the body to thinking the problem is solved). All activities which cause swallowing, might stop a hiccup attack, including sucking on a candy or kissing. Also, all fysical activities that can rearrange food and liquids in the stomach more efficiently than the hiccups themself, can end a hiccup attack. This includes turning yourself upside down, rolling around, tickling, having sex, jumping, sneezing, caughing, being startled etc. etc.. Just by taking a deep breath, we put a certain pressure on the tummy, which might be all it takes to rearrange the blocking material.
 * Nah, I'm convinced it's nothing to do with the stomach, and the article agrees with me. My cure is just to take control of my breathing, breathe in deep, then let it out in a controlled manner. Do that until you've managed to suppress a few hiccups, and you're usually cured. Well, I am. The stomach has a whole different set of mechanisms and reactions to problems. 188.29.164.158 (talk) 09:32, 14 February 2015 (UTC)

Personally, drinking anything has always been enough for me. Holding my breath has worked sometimes, but not by far always. Startling me has never helped. Maybe I just haven't been startled bad enough... Raggabast (talk) 23:39, 27 December 2009 (UTC)

Plagiarism
I have removed the section "Longest Attack of Hiccups" because it is a direct copy from the Guiness World Records article. This section was added by 67.51.13.92. I don't mean to be insulting, but it amazes me that so many people don't know that you can't copy someone else's writing word for word without putting it in quotes and citing the source--not even a single sentence. If someone would care to paraphrase this, I think it would be a useful addition to the article.

rather than deleting, why didn't you simply quote as you suggest? Themindset 16:28, 13 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Solution?
I'm a bit new, but I just came across and article on something similar and made it a page. i cited it, but I don't exactly know how to correctly do it on here. Hopefully someone will edit it. But the page's name is "Charles Osborne" and I rephrased it so it wouldn't be plagarism, but it's quiet similar, so who knows. Maybe you can link that to this page?

Not everyone gets them
I, for instance, have never had a hiccup in 27 years. I use a paper towel on top of a cup of water to stop hiccups


 * You lucky bunny. JFW | T@lk  08:22, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Remedies
Before you delete "blowing up a balloon", think: what major muscle is used both during hiccups and pushing air out of one's lungs? There you go! And it works for me.


 * That's a pretty poor indicator of notability. Although it makes sense, you have not stated whether there are 1000s of other people using this or considering it a remedy for hiccups. If the list was not completely full of similar ideas, it would have met my personal criteria for removal :-). JFW | T@lk  23:54, 1 October 2005 (UTC)


 * Again, review my theoretical reasoning of the hiccup function, which explains why even this remedy is likely to work. Raggabast (talk) 21:18, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

One cure of hiccups that I learned from an older gentleman that was a bartender. He told me that his cure is an old trick from the bar. Step 1: Fill a tall glass of water. Step 2: Use a paper towel or a clean towel of some kind and place it over the glass. Step 3: Drink the water through the towel sucking the water with as much sucking power possible.

I used hold my breath for a while to get rid of hiccups but i learned sugar is the best to get rid of hiccups. Step 1: Eat a teaspoon of sugar when you are hiccupping Step 2: Hold the sugar in your mouth for about thirty seconds while it dissolves, then chew Step 3: swallow slowly, This leads to excess sweetness in the mouth that is believed to be a good cure for hiccups. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 183.82.100.53 (talk) 04:48, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Wait a few seconds and they will be gone. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.174.133.76 (talk) 01:26, 3 March 2010 (UTC)

I take issue with the phrase "Ordinary hiccups are cured easily without medical intervention. However, ..." How are hiccups easily cured? The paragraph goes on to state anecdotal home remedies and medicinal cures, but the phrase "cured easily without medical intervention" is never explained. Cured easily how? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 7SpNu11yZoXDIX0z (talk • contribs) 21:56, 10 October 2010 (UTC)

I'm curious...
Since mental approaches can end a bout of hiccups (e.g. I've been using the "watch alertly for the next hiccup" approach with good success), I wonder how many of these other cures actually work by placebo effect. DanielCristofani 07:50, 24 October 2005 (UTC)
 * I've basically forced myself to stop hiccuping entirely, because I've got a messed up esophagus.. even one is extremely painful now (I also have trouble swallowing if I'm not sitting with my back perfectly straight). It's not a matter of 'mind over matter' though, as much as holding perfectly still and trying not to let any muscular action happen.

Of course, before my esophagus broke, I used to stop hiccups effectively by taking a deep breath and forcing it down, so to speak.. putting vague pressure on the lower chest area.. I assumed it pushed the diaphragm back into place.

I have been showing people the "Mental" approach for 20 years now. A friend learned it from a college professor, showed me, and it worked immediately; haven't had hiccups since. This method has worked for EVERYONE I have shown, in fact, it cured my 5 year old son just this week. The exercise is meant to have the person concentrate on the hiccups as much as possible. Have them rest their hand on a table and lift up their index finger. Tell them to attempt to tap the table with their index finger just BEFORE they hiccup again. It takes about 2 minutes, and they will hiccup a few more times, but don't give up. It helps to keep them focused by telling them: "Get ready, your going to hiccup again..." Just remember, the way this works is to focus on the hiccup itself. If you think about it, you tend to hiccup again after you have relaxed a bit from the last one. Hope this helps!


 * As someone who has trained myself to automatically suppress hiccups once they start using the mental method, I'm sad to see this secret finally revealed to the world, as it was one of the few things I knew that Wikipedia didn't. But now that the cat's out of the bag, I'll add that my success in teaching people this method has depended entirely on their ability to concentrate and willingness to keep trying.  It would be interesting to know what the physiological changes are that accompany this mindset and suppress the hiccup response (I imagine it's similar to what happens when you force yourself to stop being ticklish.)  I would also love to know where this approach came from.  Ahp378 (talk) 07:51, 14 April 2014 (UTC)


 * For how long will an average hiccup attack last? I don't know of any reliable statistics on this, but I would be surprised if the average is much higher than to minutes. Extreme cases may pull the average out of proportions, but if this method takes to minutes to work, how do you know that it is in fact the method that makes the hiccup attack stop, and not the natural cause. Hiccup attacks usually stop by themselves after a little while. Having a drink will time after time (in most cases) put an end to hiccups immediately, and thus leave little doubt about what actually made them end. Cf my theoretical reasoning in the function chapter Raggabast (talk) 21:52, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

Curiouser and curiouser about hiccups in animals
Believe it, please, we'd really like to know. Watching our cat hiccup, we remembered we'd seen a dog hiccup. It occurred to us to wonder, what other animals hiccup? Do horses? Do cows? Does a giraffe, or does the length of its neck prevent it; conversely, how would its hiccup sound? Then, for similar reasons, does a whale hiccup? (And of course, one might wonder, whales being intelligent critters as they are, if one hiccups, do the others giggle? But then, that's a topic for somewhere else...) Seriously, does anyone know the answers here? Please share: we'd be grateful to hear your knowledge!


 * You probably know this already, but I've seen my dogs hiccup before (particularly when they were puppies). I think a fair few mammals must hiccup if distantly related animals like humans and Dogs hiccup. --Burbster 02:30, 23 July 2006 (UTC)


 * It wouldn't astonish me if most animals on the planet have hiccups, but fish and insects are probably less likely to swallow air while eating than mammals and birds, and a hiccup might thus have no function. Since fish mostly have a horisontal swimming position, a burp would also require for them to turn to a more vertical angle. Cf the function chapter. Raggabast (talk) 22:05, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

Pronunciation symbols
For those who know how to parse them, toward the top, (I didn't presume to edit): pronunciation symbols may be shown as hǐc-cŭp


 * Just a little note FYI, the system has a name "International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)" KX36 00:14, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

Review anonymous user's claims
67.71.60.123 added this, without citing sources:

''When you eat, somtimes your tummy is working so hard at digesting that it contracts out of sync with your inhaling/exhaling pattern. This causes the diaphragm that lines the bottom of the respiratory cavity to detach from the top of the abdomen (they're attached by water surface tension - like wetting a piece of paper and sticking it to the wall). Since the muscle contractions in the stomach help with the expansion of the lungs during inhalation the two kind want to stay stuck together. Hiccups are your body's way of trying to realign the two (so that muscle contractions and inhalation occur at the same time).''

Disregarding the need for an encyclopedic rewrite, are these claims worth anything? I have removed it for now; someone with some knowledge (and perhaps some sources) should review it and add it back in a proper form, if appropriate. Haakon 21:50, 28 November 2005 (UTC)


 * It sounds very clever, but it's unsourced and prone to be a pet theory. JFW | T@lk  22:47, 28 November 2005 (UTC)


 * The diaphragm is not attatched to your lungs by surface tension. There is connective tissue connecting it. But I guess it is not impossible to get a 'bubble'. aussietiger 14:34, 26 August 2006 (UTC)


 * Interesting theory, but it doesn't explain why drinking usually stops the hiccup attacks more efficiently than the hiccups themself. Check out my theory in the function chapter. Raggabast (talk) 14:22, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

Implausible remedies
Home remedies by 199.111.199.253 seem highly implausible.

"Drinking a glass of water than spitting it back up and drinking that again, repeat until hiccups stop." "Spin in circles with your fingers up your nose until you bump into a wall, while holding your breath"

Opinion on removal? Dhp1080 06:36, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Might be a good idea to remove at least the latter, people could probably do some serious damage by hitting a wall elbow first or falling down and landing on their elbow while having their finger up their nose. KX36 00:03, 16 March 2006 (UTC)

And the first one is just ridiculous. What difference does it make if you drink the water you spit up or drink from a different glass? Or a bowl? Or the toilet? Panzer V Panther 04:28, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

Inhalation of amniotic fluid
I removed the sentence that stated "other hypotheses hold that...[hiccupping]...prevents inhalation of amniotic fluid by the foetus". If this is a real hypothesis, please cite its source. It sounds like an utterly ridiculous notion because anyone who thinks about this for one microsecond will realise that foetuses don't breathe. The entire respiratory system is shut down during gestation and only starts working after birth. Babies receive oxygen via the placenta. They do, however, swallow amniotic fluid which is quite normal. Sounds to me like someone's pet theory, based on complete ignorance, presented as fact. Graham 07:04, 24 March 2006 (UTC)


 * I added that line and the preceding one about four months ago. It wasn't something that was made up as I got it from the BBC News article found in the External Links section.  In retrospect, my wording was bad as I used "theories" instead of "hypotheses".  Perhaps I'll resubmit it with better wording.  Graham, perhaps you could look over that BBC article and ascertain as to whether the sentence should remain.  But I must say that it wasn't some "utterly ridiculous notion" I made up! =P  At any rate, I'll add a source to the end of it; although, I've never done so before.  Therefore if it appears to come out wrong or isn't to Wikipedia standards, please make the necessary corrections.  Thank you.  Here, too, is another article that states the same thing as the BBC one. --Emperorchaos 16:36, 10 June 2006 (UTC)


 * I think this whole paragraph (Amniotic/atmospheric hypothesis) should be removed, as it is completely unsourced. The reference to the BBC link amounts to: "One theory is that the contractions prepare the unborn baby's respiratory muscles for breathing after birth. /p/ Another is that they stop amniotic fluid entering the lungs. /p/ But neither of these ideas fully stands up. /p/ For instance, if hiccups were supposed to keep fluid out of the lungs, it would make more sense for them to involve a cough-like response, not a breath inwards. /p/" (/p/ is paragraph break). How this justifies the text in the paragraph is completely unclear. Qarel (talk) 10:07, 20 August 2008 (UTC)


 * OK, I removed it. Qarel (talk) 17:58, 22 November 2008 (UTC)

Excuse me, but the whole logic of this removal of the amniotic/atmospheric hypothesis is illogical. The reasons stated for its removal place it in the category of explanations involving the prevention of the inhalation of amniotic fluid, while the case is the precise opposite. Now, we have the phylogenetic hypothesis given here, but this atavistic hypothesis is compatible with the amniotic/atmospheric hypothesis, which would have served as an embryonary functional bridge between our amphibian ancestors and the present day. Such a bridge reinforces both hypotheses, and serves as a beautiful example of the retention in a different form (function during embryonic development, of a function previously used in post-embryonic life) of genetically determined traits.

I hope that this mess-up is corrected, and that the atmospheric/amniotic hypothesis is reinstated here. 201.87.105.229 (talk) 13:22, 12 December 2008 (UTC)


 * I removed it not because it is nonsense, but largely because it is unsourced. Give a source and put it back, or I'll revert my edit myself. I understand that WP frowns on "original research".--Qarel (talk) 16:06, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

device
The text about the new device reads rather like an advertisement. Has the machine been scientifically tested at all? I think the unproven claims sound rather exorbitant. Bart 11:15, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

I obliterated it.--Planetary 04:47, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

Quick Vandalism
Someone removed the record holder's name and replaced it with penis monger. I deleted that and replaced it with a question mark. Does anyone know what the guys name was? Also I did not know how to put the vandalism template up.--Mullon 01:22, 17 September 2006 (UTC)
 * You can find any information deleted by vandalism by going to an earlier edit of the page (click the history tab to do this). I've restored the name now.  – Autodidact 20:07, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

Contradiction
In Hiccup article: "The Guinness World Record for the longest continuous bout of hiccups (1922–1990) goes to Charles Osborne (1894–1991) from Anthon, Iowa. The hiccups started in 1922 at a rate of 40 times per minute, slowing to 20 and eventually stopping in February 1990 – a total of 68 years."

In Charles Osborne article: "Osborne, from Anthon, Iowa, USA, was entered in Guinness World Records as the man with the Longest Attack of Hiccups. The hiccups started in 1922 at a rate of 40 times per minute, slowing to 20 and eventually stopping on June 5, 1990..."

We need verification of which is correct. Also, external link on Hiccup article is broken. // &gt;|&lt; Shablog 19:44, 31 December 2006 (UTC)

Possible vandalism
''And then the hiccup explodes. You may or may not get diarrhea. If the diarrhea is watery, report to a doctor before hiccups turn into dangerous chemical reactions. Side affects of these chemical reactions include, hard lumpy poop, and abnormaly long bowl movements.''

This looks like nonsense to me; I can't extract any useful message from it. I will temporarily remove it, and in the meantime can anyone verify if this action is appropriate? 石川 02:27, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

Thats definately vandalism. Its okay to remove it. --ISeeDeadPixels 22:34, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

It's all in our heads.
The solution appears to be a physcological, and that is too simply reconise that you have the hiccups, and to attempt to either reproduce it, or tell your mind to stop it.

All these quick solutions from standing on your head to holding your breath under a blue moon is simply to tell your mind to reconise the problem, and to solve it.Daemondevel 16:20, 16 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm conviced that the function of hiccups is to unblock trapped air or gas bubbles in the stomach. All fysical activities that can cause food or liquids to rearrange more efficiantly than the hiccups themself, might solve the problem and thus stop the hiccup attack. This includes drinking or eating all sorts of superstitious remedies, swallowing spit, kissing, and activities that changes the pressure conditions in your stomach, like jumping, rolling, holding your breath, tickling, having sex, standing upside down you name it. Check out my contribution in the function section. Raggabast (talk) 15:06, 28 December 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree. While some people have pointed out connections across many of the anecdotal remedies, such as the function of the stomach with the the breathing and drinking ones, it should go without saying that many of these unusual practices work by placebo effect. We hear of a few home remedies, and try them out until we find one that seemingly cures an attack. There's no practical medical treatment for a standard bout of hiccups, so we tend to put a lot of trust into whatever seems to work.


 * Another point toward the "all in our heads" argument is in the actual administration of these odd remedies. Hiccups are uncomfortable and annoying, so they're hard to ignore, and it seems the more one focuses on them, the longer they last. In attempting to undertake the remedy itself, we divert our mental attention. Chugging water, holding the breath, and trying to drink water in a variety of weird ways are all somewhat difficult to accomplish/endure. I've noticed that distraction, whether intentional or unintentional, noticeably shortens the duration of the hiccuping as well as the intensity, whereas focusing on how strong they are and how long they've been going on only exacerbates it. It can be trying a remedy or getting caught up in work, a movie, etc., but any kind of distraction works best, in my experience.


 * Then there's the trick-your-body factor. I had hiccups today and used my favorite trick, chugging water while holding my breath as long as possible. One theory I read about this remedy is that the combination of denying yourself oxygen and quickly supplying it with a large amount of water tricks the body into thinking it's drowning and sends it into panic mode, causing it to divert all resources toward the goal of survival. Essentially, it works by "distracting" the body. 173.26.236.190 (talk) 07:48, 9 June 2010 (UTC)

Hiccups and Inebriation
What's with it? We all know it. We've all seen it in real life. If you go to a bar you're going to see it. All drunk people hiccup for some odd reason. I mean, forget real life for a moment, it's so commonly seen among us that even in cartoons the characters hiccup upon an intake of an alchoholic substance. What's the relation here? Obviously upon drinking high quantities of alchoholic substances we get the hiccups, but why? And the answer should probably be put into an article somewhere, because between hiccups and slurred speech, I don't know a better stereotype of a drunkard. 24.15.53.225 04:20, 12 October 2007 (UTC)


 * Not all drunk people hiccup, but they are likely to do so if they have filled up their bellies. The answer probably lies mostly in the quantity, but may also have something to do with the consistency of the drink. For example, to get drunk on beer, people have to drink a larger amount than of drinks with a higher alcohol consentration. Drinking beer makes you swallow bubbles, and the thick consistency of the beer and foam, makes it difficult to burp. Cf my reasoning in the function chapter. Raggabast (talk) 01:12, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

smoking
i thinks its rediculous to include smoking a cigarette as a remedy. Nicotine causes hiccup, and thats a fact. Shouldnt an encyclopedia represent fact, not some bs people say? -matt —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.66.251.153 (talk) 19:59, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

Just like nicotine causes lung cancer etc etc eh? 209.97.83.155 (talk) 00:00, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

Links between nicotine and cancers and tenuous at best but it most certainly causes hiccups. 31.54.238.58 (talk) 23:24, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

Long-term cases
I have tagged the long-term cases section as trivia. It's senseless to list people who have had hiccups for irrelevant durations. The world record could be fit into another section, but otherwise the rest seem useless. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ijustam (talk • contribs) 21:37, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Also the girl with the hiccups who was later diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome is Jennifer Mee, not Cheyenne Whatsherface. 67.101.249.172 (talk) 00:10, 11 November 2008 (UTC)


 * Long term cases like this are likely to be tics. Tourette's Syndrome makes it very probable. Raggabast (talk) 01:26, 29 December 2009 (UTC)

Cleaning up treatment and home remedies
I started cleanup of this section. Someone needs to go through the bulleted list of home remedies and compare them to the body of that secton and delete dupicates. We may want to consider deleting the bulleted list altogether and combining the sourced material into the body. Either way, this material has to get a source or needs to be deleted. --NGamer88 06:52, 7 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't think it's unreasonable to delete most of that section, unless the treatment can be cited. The summary at the beginning should be sufficient. ABlake (talk) 11:24, 7 June 2008 (UTC)


 * I went ahead and deleted the unreferenced home remedies. ABlake (talk) 01:04, 21 June 2008 (UTC)

Link title
]] "...or having the sensation that there is food in the esophagus, rarely by tumors and certain kidney disease."

a certain kidney disease sandeep or certain kidney diseases —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.114.89.175 (talk) 21:58, 8 June 2008 (UTC)

Ignobel Prize / Orgasm / Digital Rectal
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10207-ig-nobel-prizes-hail-digital-rectal-massage.html

Ignoble price was given to the doctor who tried the Digital rectal massage. He states in the article that he came upon the idea based on the theory that runaway vagus nerve impulses cause hiccups and digital rectal stimulation has been used to slow a racing heartbeat. It was later attempted and again worked for another doctor, also mentioned.

First doctor was Francis Fesmire of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. Also in the article he states that he has no intention to use the procedure again as he has learned that sexual orgasm also stimulates the vagus nerve quite a bit, and as such, he intends to presribe sex leading to orgasm for any futue intractable hiccup sufferers.

This is too rich to not be in the wikipedia article, I may do the edit myself if I find the time soon to actually sit down and phrase it all properly.

-Steve —Preceding unsigned comment added by Carpish (talk • contribs) 19:37, 18 September 2008 (UTC)


 * Both discomfort and comfort can change one's heart rate, but it can also also make one hold one's breath or breath irregularly, and thus cause a certain pressure on the stomach, which can rearrange food and liquids enough to unblock air or gas in the tummy. Raggabast (talk) 13:13, 28 December 2009 (UTC)

Why not just apply pressure to the eyes, that works to slow down the heart as well and doesn't require anal penetration? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.40.5.245 (talk) 17:32, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Please Edit Semi-Protected
The girl referred to in the 'long-term cases' is from Florida, not Washington, is named Jennifer Mee, not Cheyenne Motland, and she was not hiccuping since 1997. She started in January of 2007 and continued into the end of February. 69.3.192.145 (talk) 03:21, 14 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Can you supply some references? -- DA Skunk -  (talk)  04:06, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

yes. is a single article, and you can just do a search for "Jennifer Mee" to verify that she's the right girl, here:. Also, the existing sources in the article name the girl as Jennifer Mee, so no additional work is needed. I think the Cheyenne Motland thing is just vandalism. 67.101.24.94 (talk) 02:31, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Cause of sound of hiccups
According to Wikipedia site, the cause of the sound of hiccups is the closure of the epiglottis but according to WebMD (http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hiccups-topic-overview), the sound is due to the closure of the vocal cords. I realize that the epiglottis covers the rima glottidis, the space between the pair of folds of mucous membrane that make up the glottis but the WebMD site would seem to imply that it is the closure of the vocal cords (not the movement of the epiglottis over the rima glottidis) that causes the sound. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jjohnsonwbc (talk • contribs) 01:04, 8 December 2008 (UTC)

Sex
My girlfriend hiccups while getting sexually aroused, which supports the simple explanation that is is caused by, or is, an interuption of normal breathing, which can have many causes.Hardradi (talk) 00:40, 22 January 2009 (UTC)


 * When do the hiccups stop? If the interruption of normal breathing is the only cause of hiccups, one should be able to verify this by triggering hiccups with irregular breathing or holding one's breath. But both swallowing (which is incompatible with breathing) and holding one's breath are well known for stopping hiccups (also true for me). Like I wrote in another chapter, I think that irregular breathing, and a specially deep breaths, might just cause a sufficiant pressure on the stomach to unblock trapped air or gas, and therefore stop the hiccup attack. Take a look at my contribution in the function chapter. Also, take a look at the Ignobel prize section. Raggabast (talk) 13:33, 28 December 2009 (UTC)


 * This is likely tied to the idea of irritation to the Vagus/Phrenic nerves... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.118.149.200 (talk) 18:18, 29 August 2010 (UTC)

Please unlock
Please unlock this page so that I can edit it. This is supose to be a wiki, after all. It's not like this is the article on George Bush or evolution, it's safe to let people like me edit. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.162.25.146 (talk) 06:02, 25 April 2009 (UTC)

Section regarding chemotherapy
I'd take out the line "which involves a huge amount of different drugs". It's misleading, ambiguous, and an inappropriate tone for an encyclopaedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 130.63.53.228 (talk) 13:41, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

Hiccups
Hiccups, can occur after having a colonoscopy. The increase in sodium in your diet the night before opperation causes an inbalance in your gastrointestional track from the "go lightly" solution to clean out your digestive system. Once given a soda beverage the hiccups should cease. (71.115.22.31 (talk) 00:43, 14 August 2009 (UTC)).

Esophageal contraction of the diaphragm
What the heck is an "esophageal contraction of the diaphragm"? This is nonsense. Is anyone with even the slightest medical knowledge paying attention? 71.91.0.40 (talk)

Final course medical student here paying attention, nonsense ("something of something else") removed. While esophageal irritation might be a leading cause, there are apparently others aswell. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.40.5.245 (talk) 17:37, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Citation of New England Journal of Medicine links to Lifehacker?
In the article, it's mentioned that sugar is a remedy for hiccups and has been tested in the New England Journal of Medicine, but the link for this citation leads to Lifehacker.

The Lifehacker article links to a People's Pharmacy article which cites the December 23, 1971 edition of NEJoM. Anyone know a better way to link to this article, or at least directly cite it? Thanks! Azureye (talk) 09:24, 21 May 2010 (UTC)

I politely ask a Wiki regular correctly edit/add this for me. My roommate has had hiccups for the past 2 hours, I just spoon-fed her some vinegar (forced it!) and they have stopped. Perhaps it is a combination of swallowing and shock that cures this affliction? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.174.72.34 (talk) 11:17, 10 August 2010 (UTC)

Cleanup Needed
It seems to me the section of the article, "List of medicines which include hiccupping as a side effect", really amounts to either a trivia or promo section and doesn't really meet the letter and spirit of WP:N. Making matters worse is the references are--for the most part--unsourced. I believe the section should be spiked.

Also, a good portion of this Talk page is filled with "I HAVE A CURE FOR THEM" entries. I don't see any way these meet the requirements set forth in WP:TALK and will remove them unless a consensus to the contrary is developed. (This is not a hiccup forum, nor is it a bulletin board.)

Anyone have any thoughts or comments? &mdash; UncleBubba ( T @ C ) 18:59, 5 April 2011 (UTC)


 * "I have a cure." entries could be put under Folk Remedies collection.--Wikidity (talk) 03:04, 10 August 2011 (UTC)

"List of medicines which include hiccupping" moved here
This list is not encyclopedic and should not be included here. Does the page on Bleeding include all the drugs listing hemorrhage? Does Headache include all the drugs that may cause it? We need to be consistent and academic in what we publish (see WP:V, WP:N, WP:RS, etc.) Perhaps (and I'm not sure of this) this list would be OK in a separate article. Nevertheless, considering the availability of search results, this list is unnecessary here.

List of medicines which include hiccupping as a side effect The following is a list of medicines which list "hiccups" as a side effect: Alprax, Alprazolam, Amifostine, Apo-Chlordiazepoxide, Apo-Clorazepate, c;pdd Aprepitant, Ativan, Biaxin (Clarithromycin), Blanex, Bretylate, BretyliumTosylate, Bretylol, CarboprostTromethamine, Centrax, Chlordiazepoxide, Chlorofon-F, ChlorphenesinCarbamate, Clonazepam, Clorazepate, ClorazepateDipotassium, Corax, Diastat, Diazemuls, Diazepam, DiazepamIntensol, Dopar, Dormicum, Emend, Ethosuximide, Ethyol, Felbamate, Felbatol, Flexaphen, Gen-Xene, Hemabate, Hypnovel, Kalma, Kinson, Levodopa, Libritabs, Librium, Lobac, LorazepamIntensol, Madopar, Maolate, Medilium, Metaxalone, Mexiletine, Mexitil, Midazolam, MidazolamHydrochloride, Miflex, Mitran, Mus-Lac, Nicorette, NicoretteDS, NicorettePlus, Nicotine, Nicotine chewing gum, Nicotinell-TTS, Nicotrol, Novo-Clopate, Novo-Poxide, Ondansetron, Paraflex, ParafonForteDSC, PargenFortified, Paxipam, Polyflex, ProStep, Ralozam, Reposans-10, Serax, Skelaxin, Skelex, Solium, Tranxene, TranxeneT-Tab, Tranxene-SD, Valium, Valrelease, Versed, Xanax, Zarontin, Zofran.

&mdash; UncleBubba ( T @ C ) 21:19, 7 April 2011 (UTC)

Fear as a cure
By far the most famous cure for a hiccups is to scare the person with them. Whether or not it works (I honestly don't know) it should defiantly be included in the article. Several TV shows have had plot points revolving around scaring the hiccups away from people, such as Phineas and Ferb. Can someone please fix this? 16:40, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

spelling
Would it be worth mentioning that it can also be spelled "hiccough" ? Two of the references cited spell it that way. - 89.11.158.160 (talk) 20:42, 1 April 2013 (UTC)

Not a forum
I have found facts in that hiccups can be removed in one method, after hiccups have occured, hold your breathe and swallow your own spit while holding your breathe, release your breathe and check. Note: If more details are found, please inform the world. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ekibel (talk • contribs) 03:18, 11 September 2014 (UTC)


 * Please note that Wikipedia is not a discussion forum. See WP:FORUM. Please do not add your own personal folk remedies here. --Yamla (talk) 09:16, 11 September 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
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Concerns and Edits
1. I feel that the article would be more organised if the first three subsections in "Causes" were separate from the last two, since the first three are about the clinical causes of an individual's hiccups, and the last two are about the cause of hiccups in humans. I will be separating them. If anyone contests, feel free to revert, but please reply here with an explanation as to why.

2. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the recapitulation theory, as referenced in the subsection "Phylogenetic hypothesis", a largely debunked theory that has doesn't necessarily have anything to do with vestigiality? I will be removing this in a week's time unless contested otherwise.

3. I will be moving the subsection "Clearance of air from stomach" above "Phylogenetic hypothesis". It's my understanding that the former is more accepted and considered more plausible at the moment. (YourAuntEggma (talk) 00:27, 17 June 2016 (UTC))

Reference Seven is a dead link
That's all, really. Link brings you to the website and the specified article cannot be found — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.5.42.136 (talk) 20:36, 19 October 2016 (UTC)

Hungarian folklore
"In Slavic, Baltic and Hungarian folklore, it is said that hiccups occur when the person experiencing them is being talked about by someone not present." This sentence is true in the Hungarian folklore. (In Hungarian language).--Porbóllett (talk) 16:53, 3 December 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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Removal of vandalism
A note to User:Captainllama: the "Jarrad D. Mitchell 'Folk' Method" is nonsense, obviously. Someone added it as a joke. I cannot seriously believe that you put it back in the article after I took it out. I imagine that Jarrad D. Mitchell found that hilarious though. 88.217.152.166 (talk) 07:58, 11 November 2019 (UTC)

Purported cure, 2021
Evaluation of the Forced Inspiratory Suction and Swallow Tool to Stop Hiccups (JAMA Network Open) Mapsax (talk) 02:58, 20 June 2021 (UTC)

Speciality: Probably not Otorhinolaryngology
I think specialty is probably not appropriate ... as this isnt really a treated disease, I dont think there is really a specialty for common hiccups. If there was, and as a spasm of the diaphragm ... I assume it would be a lung doctor and not an ENT?

I suggest removing the "specialty" section altogether as inappropriate or adding language something like "As a symptom for several other possible serious conditions listed under [Causes], a range of different specialties might be necessary to diagnose" 2600:1700:2890:AF10:71F0:8640:5C72:C458 (talk) 00:20, 30 June 2023 (UTC)


 * An otorhinolaryngologist is just an ear nose and throat doctor. Considering hiccups are caused by spasms of the diaphragm, which is obviously nowhere near the ears, nose or throat, and has nothing tondo with them, physiologically, I would say an ENT is NOT the appropriate specialty for dealing with hiccups.
 * A pulmonologist, or linh doctor, would be the appropriate specialty. VoidHalo (talk) 20:10, 3 July 2024 (UTC)