Hiccups. A mysterious phenomenon that causes much jocularity and annoyance at the same time. I never know what triggers my rare hiccups, except to stay that yesterday a touch of heartburn after a hastily eaten sandwich led to a continuous chain of hiccups that was most interfering with my chatting with patients. I reached out deep int my lunch bag and fumbled and found a small piece of dark chocolate. Sugar has been my goto for the last 40 years as a the cure for hiccups. Even a tiny piece, or a small spoonful immediately rectifies the hiccups.

Maybe this was not a sweet enough piece of chocolate, perhaps too dark, but either way for the first time in decades my remedy did not work. My medical assistant, eyeing my difficulties, suggested her remedy. I was to drink 3 sips of water and recite the name of great grandfather. At that point, I was willing to try anything.

It worked. Except admittedly I modified the remedy a little. Since I did not know the name of my ancestor, I simply said “ I wish you all the blessings and thank you for looking out for me”, and drank the water. BOOM ! My medical assistant remarked how this was her cure since she was a little girl, taught to her by her grandmother. I do not know if my ancestor intervened or was it the water, or was it the distraction that stopped my involuntary contractions of the diaphragm.

There are lots of methods that people have developed over the centuries, right from putting their head between their legs, to getting scared, massaging the eyes, to sugar. Science and medicine really does not have a good answer ( or medication) to stop hiccups or an understanding of why hiccups happen. Yes we know it is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm, causing a rapid intake of air which is blocked by the glottis. Essentially resetting the vagus nerve helps stop this irritation. So maybe the sips of water did it.

Essentially from an evolutionary perspective our body does this as infants to expel swallowed air, so the stomach as more space for milk, hence the burping reflex, but this is hypothetical.

I do not know if my ancestors were watching, that would be a little creepy, I mean are they watching me all the time or only during hiccups? In any way I would like to hear what are your methods for stopping hiccups ? I never know if I might have a stashed away piece of sugar or water or my great grandfather handy to help me. Thank you

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