what is the cause of hick-ups???  I have a question about this.............HELP!!...........................?
95867
When you hiccup, it is when your diaphram is having a spasm. It is normal to have them. Some say when you are either sick or cold. If your friend has had them NON-STOP for the past day, then I would recommend that your friend contact their physician.
62240
We hiccup because our diaphragm is irittated, it contracts uncontrollably. This can happen when you eat too fast. The contraction, or twitching, causes the back of the throat to snap shut which is what makes the sound of hiccup...
165910
I'm just going from memory, but I believe it's because the acids in your stomach are breaking down the food, causing gases and nastiness....which basically stinks....I'm sure someone will post a wiki....but that's the gist of it!
397075
I agree that spasms in the diaphragm are to blame but I have found an unbeatable cure (at least for me)...Peanut Butter! As soon as it touches my tongue the hiccoughs are gone!
1172214
It has been my experience that they are caused by dehydration and/or a need for potassium.. Try drinking fluids and eat some banannas which is a good source of potassium.
39516
Hiccups are a spasm of the diaphram.  Hold your breath and while doing so, take your middle knuckle and hold it against your windpipe.  This keeps any air from getting through.  It has always worked for me.  It's probably the same principle as people telling you to try and drink water while you are holding your breath, however I think it's more effective than drinking water, because you aren't allowing any air to get in.
839855
Get some peanut butter and put it on the roof of your mouth. It works! One of my teacher's had a jar of it in the cupboard always handy for anyone who had hiccups.
614650
Hiccups are caused by spasm in the diaphragm, a muscle that lies under your lungs, basically it's a 'nervous twitch' in the diaphragm. If you can force the diaphragm to contract through one or two spasms it will 'reset' itself and the twitch will vanish.\n\nWhen you hold your breath you contract the diaphragm, and when you drink you hold your breath. So by taking along drink you are forcing yourself to hold your breath and  hopefully removing the twitch.\n\n\nA better cure is simply to hold your nose and close your mouth while 'breathing' out slightly for 30 seconds. Like you do to reset popped ears, but keep it up for at least 30 seconds.\n\nSame principle but it works far better than drinking water.
88086
Air pockets cause hiccups,stress can too. This works for me. Take a tablesspoon of plain peanutbutter and place it in you mouth let it heat to your body temp. then swallow it down a bit at a time. Your hiccups should beat a retreat for you. Hiccups make my ribs and chest area ache painfully, almost like being hit sometimes.
261350
Hiccups are caused by an irritation of the phrenic nerve under the diaphragm.There is an Rx you can ask your doctor about if they are very bothersome.Xylocaine Viscous
201073
Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air and makes the hiccup sound. ... Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups ...Try these methods at home:\n\nHold your breath. \nDrink a glass of water quickly. \nBecome frightened. \nUse smelling salts. \nPull hard on your tongue. \nPlace one-half teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of your tongue. (You can repeat this process 3 times at 2-minute intervals. Use corn syrup, not sugar, in young children.) The reason that these remedies are thought to work is that carbon dioxide build-up in the blood will stop hiccups, which is what happens when you hold your breath.
317328
(m)\n\nHiccups Causes\n\nMany conditions are associated with hiccups, but none has been shown to be the cause of hiccups. \n\nIf you eat too fast, you can swallow air along with your food and end up with a case of the hiccups.\nAny other practices that might irritate the diaphragm such as eating too much (especially fatty foods) or drinking too much (drunk people hiccup) can make you prone to having hiccups.\nIn these instances, your stomach, which sits on top of the diaphragm, is distended or stretched. Because they occur in relation to eating and drinking, hiccups are sometimes thought to be a reflex to protect you from choking.
70947
Hiccups are involuntary spams of the diaphragm.\nYou should drink lots of water and try to force a really big yawn or two. It seems to force the diaphragm to relax which can help stop hiccups. You can also push below the rib cage for about 30 seconds. Or try to hold your breath as best as you can....\n\nI once heard about drinking water while leaning over and from the other side of the rim -(when you hold the glass) -  but that just sounds silly to me. Many others I have known *swear* by this method, though.\n\nAnother good remedy is to shake a few dashes of Angostura bitters on a lime wedge and suck it for just a few seconds. It's amazing, I've seen it work every time. The bitters can be found in most markets in the liquor section - (it does not contain any alcohol.) It stops them instantaneously!\n\nI have also heard that a good fright will do it. If somebody scares you unexpectedly. Not a scary movie - like lunging out at you and yelling "Boo!" It works but only if you're not expecting it. \n\nGood luck!
847994
Change your breathing patterns. Hiccups are basically hitches in your current breathing pattern. Try breathing in and out really fast for a minute or two.
1031559
If you get them in the morning, in the first 2 hours after waking up, you have a form of sleep apnea. \nYou might not be getting enough oxygen, that can cause hiccups.\nTalk to your dr. He will probably run some tests. Also talk to people in your family. Sleep apnea is generally genetic... mother or father who snores.
535353
Oh sure, it happens all the time. I don't know why you've only heard of ONE person dying. It happens everyday. This is what happens. When you get the hiccups, your body has been tricked into thinking that it can't get air. Why does this happen you ask? It's because when you eat beef that was grown with steroids it creates a chemical that reactes with a chemical in your diaphragm and it makes your body think that it is suffocating. Well here's the deal with that. Most people's bodies don't create enough of this chemical to do them any harm. But 1 out of 10 people's bodies make 4 times as much of this chemical as needed, so it reacts 4 times as strong which in turn creates a vacuum inside your lungs each time you hiccup and it finally implodes on your lungs...and you die.
182315
Same thing happened to me.  I was lactose intolerant and had IBS.  You have to cleanse your system and then learn which foods are causing it.  Seriously, until you flush your system, everything you eat will cause it.