Hiccups is also known as hiccoughs

Our latest hiccups cure was just posted under Hiccup Tips below:

For most people, hiccups are little more than a nuisance which occasionally interrupts life. But for some people, hiccups are constant and if they last a long time can cause extreme fatigue, weight loss, sleeplessness, becoming dehydrated, irregular heartbeat condition and depression. For these people, hiccup relief may be available soon in the form of an injection. Ask your doctor about it.

What are hiccups?

This is a common condition characterized by the repeated involuntary spasmodic contractions of the diaphragm, followed by sudden closure of the glottis, which checks the inflow of air and produces the characteristic sounds.

What causes hiccups?

Mild or moderate hiccups are most often a reaction to common digestive disturbances. In the opinion of Hiccups Organization Site Editor Hiccups are most often caused by food, either an odd mix of ingredients, or eating certain kinds of food, such as spicy food and foods with baking soda or baking powder, packaged frozen dinners and prepared foods, including many tomato products. For example a bagel sandwich with basil leaves, cheese, fruit and black pepper may contribute to a hiccups attack and indigestion, especially if eaten fast.

Regardless of food, there are times when people hiccup for no apparent reason. No one knows for sure why these episodes happen, however experts know that even infants hiccup and the reflex occurs intermittently throughout life. Chronic or consistent hiccups can be a sign of a serious medical problem.

What causes chronic or consistent hiccups?

Virtually anything that affects the head, chest, or abdomen such as kidney failure, liver disease, cancer (cancer nutrition information can be important with a hiccups & cancer relationship), nervous system problems, ulcers, arteriosclerosis heart disease, or heart attack can cause a hiccups attack.

Contractions of the diaphragm are caused by stimulation of the vagus nerve either by the brain or by irritation anywhere along the length of the nerve. The vagus sends a signal to the phrenic nerve which leads to the diaphragm. The diaphragm then spasms causing the hiccup.

What generic prescription drugs do doctors prescribe to stop hiccups? Two of the most common drugs are prochlorperazine and chlorpromazine. Intractable hiccups may require surgery to cut the link between the phrenic nerve and the diaphragm, as a means of stopping the spasms.

Hiccups in Babies and Kids

Babies usually get hiccups because they swallow too much air when feeding, a common occurrence with babies and infants in particular.

If baby hiccups seem too frequent or serious, moms may consider experimenting by buying and using quality breast pumps. It's quite possible bottle feeding of breast milk obtained from breast-pumps may result in less air being swallowed vs. directly by breast feeding. However, that sometimes may be reversed as each baby and feeding situation is unique.

The stomach gets bigger and squeezes the diaphragm. Sucking hard or eating too much food can make hiccups worsen. It helps to burp the baby often when feeding.

Older children get hiccups from drinking too much soda or eating too much and too fast. An upset or too-full stomach can lead to hiccups. Hiccups can hurt, but they are usually harmless. And they don’t last very long. However, since your kids health is so important to you if young children get frequent or severe hiccups we suggest you take the child to the doctor for a medical check-up.

Hiccup Tips

• Swallow one teaspoon of white granulated sugar. According to the medical study, this sugar home remedy resulted in hiccups stopping in 19 out of 20 hiccups patients. This tip is from The New England Journal of Medicine.
• First, you put your hand in a fist with your thumb sticking out. Next: Push it just above your collar bone. Last, With your fist still in-place and pressing, breathe until your hiccups stop. P.S. That tip was submitted by 10 year old Sarah.
• 1 teaspoon of white table sugar or brown sugar
• swallow it fast
• if the hiccups don’t stop right away . . . do it 3 or more times - once every 2 minutes
• For younger children, use 1 teaspoon of molasses or corn syrup
  WARNING - babies under 12 months old should not be fed honey as a sweetener. honey can contain spores of a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum, which can germinate in a baby's immature digestive system and cause infant botulism, a rare but potentially fatal illness.
• Give babies a swallow of water
• Have your child lie down.
• Drink water slowly

Seek Medical Attention if:

• Your child has the hiccups with a very bad stomach pain or is spitting up blood
• Your child’s hiccups lasted longer than 3 hours
• Your child had the drug store prescriptions medicine and the kids hiccups started or got worse
  

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