13 techniques to cure the hiccups
There’s nothing worse than sitting in a meeting, or a movie, anywhere quiet really and developing the hiccups. Even if you’re alone and minding your own business getting the hiccups can truly be a pain in the butt. And, as with so many other problems, where there is a hiccup, there is a suggested cure. If you feel like you’ve done it all and nothing has helped, maybe HowStuffWorks.com has a new solution for you.
Some of these solutions range from the practical to the bizarre, but if you’ve ever had a long bout I’ll bet you’d try just about anything to get rid of them quickly. Here are some suggestions, but if these are old news, there are still ten more after the jump!
- Sweeten the Hiccups: Have a teaspoonful of sugar, and if you can, place the sugar on the back of the tongue, where "sour" is tasted.
- Tickle Them Away: Tickling the soft palate of the roof of your mouth with a cotton swab may do the trick.
- Play "Hear no Evil:"Some doctors recommend that you put your fingers in your ears to stop hiccups. The branches of the vagus nerve also reach into the auditory system, and by stimulating the nerve endings there, the vagus nerve goes into action.
Full list at HowStuffWorks.com.
Photo credit: Fotolia
