How to Stop Hiccups

Recently some e-buddies are discussing about ways to stop HICCUPS such as:

1. Glup a big mouthful of water, press the nose and then spit out the water.

2. “Kampung” (village) way of stopping hiccups for babies: Tear a small corner of a piece of paper and apply some saliva (lick the paper) and place it on the baby's forehead.

3. Ancient Chinese technique to stop hiccups (古代導引術): Use the thumb of one hand pressing against the center of the other palm. Several long hard presses and the hiccups will stop within 3 minutes. (用一隻手的姆指使勁的去壓迫另一隻手的手掌中央,壓迫多次,打嗝3分鐘內就會停止) This is the Chinese acupuncture points. (此為中醫穴道--勞宮穴).

4. Another opinion is: Massaging or pressing this acupuncture point called 勞宮穴 can cure many things but hiccup is not one of them.

Dr JB Lim speaks out: .

Monday, 28 March, 2011 12:57 AM

Why do you guys make a hiccup such a complicated issue, offering all sorts of complicated cures and remedies for such a simple physiological reflex action as a hiccup? .

Parasympathetic innervation (nerve supply) to the larynx and pharynx is primarily through the glosso-pharyngeal nerve which is one of the branches of the pneumogastric (vagus) or 10th cranial nerve. It is a branch of this nerve that causes some of the muscles of the pharyngeal region to contract off and on under certain situations resulting in hiccups. The most common reason is due to a diminished blood flow to the area. This causes the localized region to become cold. .

The body then tries to rectify (compensates) this by causing the muscles in the pharynx to ‘shiver’ (contracts off and on) to produce heat, in much the same way as we shiver when we are cold. The heat generated causes an increase in the blood flow in an attempt to warm up the area. After some time, when the area is warmed sufficiently, the hiccup automatically stops. No other ‘cure’ or medication is required.

But we can help the body accelerate this naturally by merely sipping warm water. This will stop your hiccup at once and instantly. It is as simple as that.

You don’t require an MD or a PhD in Medicine or in Physiology to understand this to ‘cure’ a hiccup.

Regards,

juboo lim