How can you die of hiccups?
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.
231694
There is no one proven cure for the hiccups. Different things may work at different times and for different people. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the following hiccup remedies may be effective:\n\nHolding your breath \nSlowly drinking a cold glass of water \nBreathing into a paper bag \nEating a spoonful of sugar \nHaving someone startle you \nGently massaging the back of the roof of your mouth with a cotton swab for a minute or so
613176
Hiccups are a result of spasms of the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the dome-shaped respiratory muscle seperating the chest from the abdomen. It aids in breathing by moving up and down, sending air in and out of the lungs. Find a picture to get a better idea of how this works. Hiccups are an involuntary (meaning we don't make them happen or continue to happen, they do so on their own, just like breathing and our heart beating are involuntary) rapid closing of the vocal cord that causes the sound you hear, "hiccup!" Common causes of hiccups include eating too fast, indigestion and laughing a lot, thereby inhaling and exhaling air irratically.
640605
hiccups are caused by your diaphram (the muscle seperating your chest area and  your lower abdomen) spasming... Usually it spasms due to irregular breathing.  So no holding your breath really doesn't work if it does for some people it shouldn't and is probably in their head.  However breathing evenly and calmly should calm it down and make them stop.
1114924
Either drink water with your top of your head facing the floor, get someone to scare you, hold your breath, or a foolproof method is to continuosly try to tell when your next hiccup is coming on. As soon as you feel it coming on your hiccups will be gone. It has never failed me once.\n\nIf nothing works go here: http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/waldo.php and try to find waldo. As soon as you do your hiccups will be gone :) \n\nRyan
1101339
I think it is due to a spasm in your diaphragm. If you breathe in real slowly and then exhale real slowly a couple of times it can stop your hiccups.
66924
This always works on me.......take a deep breath and hold it for 10 seconds, breath it out slowly until you have no more air in your lungs and then dont breath in for 10 seconds, breath in slowly....your hiccups should be gone!!!  You may need to do it twice!  Hope that helps!
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.
815061
"Hic!" You've just hiccuped for what seems like the tenth time since you finished your big dinner. Wonder where these funny noises are coming from? The part to blame is your diaphragm (say: die-uh-fram). This is a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of your chest, and all hiccups start here.\n\nThe diaphragm almost always works perfectly. When you inhale, it pulls down to help pull air into the lungs. When you exhale, it pushes up to help push air out of the lungs. But sometimes the diaphragm becomes irritated. When this happens, it pulls down in a jerky way, which makes you suck air into your throat suddenly. When the air rushing in hits your voice box, you're left with a big hiccup.\n\nSome things that irritate the diaphragm are eating too quickly or too much, an irritation in the stomach or the throat, or feeling nervous or excited. Almost all cases of the hiccups last only a few minutes. Some cases of the hiccups can last for days or weeks, but this is very unusual, and it's usually a sign of another medical problem.\n\nYou've probably heard lots of suggestions for how to get rid of hiccups, and maybe you've even tried a few. Holding your breath and counting to 10 is one way some people can get rid of their hiccups. Other people say that drinking from the "wrong" side of a glass of water is the way to become hiccup-free.\n\nPutting sugar under your tongue might work, too. And maybe the most famous treatment - having someone jump out and scare you when you're not expecting it - helps some people wave good-bye to their hiccups. Boo!
467891
Hiccups are causes by your diaphragm being in spasm.  So my theory is try to get the diaphragm out of spasm by tweaking it.  Breathe in deeply and expand your chest and push out your stomach muscles.  Hold it for as long as you can, and then repeat.  It does work most of the time.\n\nIf you would a long list of possible solutions please check this link.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiccups
687935
because the air causes their stomach muscle (i don't know the word in English) to be excited...so the muscle will contract rapidly, causing the air to go out quickly, with a sound...To end it, you must take a deep breath and hold your respiration for about one minute...keep the air in...this will relax the muscle and will cause you to stop the hiccups. when you let the air out, let it out easily, not quickly.
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.
200494
Hiccups are caused from air bubbles.  The best thing to do is to get a teaspoon of peanut butter and put the whole thing in your mouth and work on it and swallow.  Everytime my daughter gets them, that's what I use and as soon as she swallows the first bit, they're gone.
572155
lady_oboe,\n\nThe best way to get rid of it is to drink water, continue gulping it until your hiccup is completely gone.\n\nOn the other hand, if you very unfortunateand you don't have water near by and this hiccups attacks you, the most efficient alternative way (believ me tis works!!) is to breathe deeply, hiccups will still come by counts of 2 or 3, so just continue breathing deeply, you will notice and feel it yourself its gone after your continous deep breathing.. \n\nMy advise try the 2nd way of getting rid of hiccups the next time you have it, and you will see the results..
259380
The way that works 100% of the time for me is:\nTake in all the air you can into your lungs and hold it while taking a small glass of water and drinking it with the smallest gulps you can. Do this until you can't hold your breath any longer. Works first try for me. The constant swallowing action distracts your esophagus and diaphragm long enough to make it forget about the hiccups.
25807
Hiccups occur when a spasm contracts the diaphragm, a large sheet of muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity. This spasm causes an intake of breath that is suddenly stopped by the closure of the vocal cords (glottis). This closure causes the characteristic "hiccup" sound. A very full stomach can cause bouts of hiccups that go away on their own. Full stomach can be caused by: eating too much too fast, drinking too much alcohol, swallowing too much air, smoking, sudden change in stomach temperature, such as drinking a hot beverage and then a cold beverage, and emotional stress or excitement. Hiccups that last longer than 48 hours are called persistent hiccups. Hiccups that last longer than a month are called intractable hiccups.  Both persistent and intractable hiccups may be a sign of a more serious health problem and require an exam by a health professional. There really is no way to prevent them.
302768
(m)\n\nHiccups usually go away all on their own. There might be as many "cures" for hiccups as there are families. Some popular home remedies include: \n\nTake a deep breath and hold it as long as you can. Repeat several times. \n\n\nTry rhythmic breathing or deep breathing. \n\nBreathe into a paper bag. \n\nHold your breath just as you think a hiccup will occur. \n\nGargle. \n\nTense your throat muscles and/or stomach muscles as you feel a hiccup coming on. \n\nPress hard against the cartilage behind your ear. \n\nPlug your ears while swallowing. \n\nDrink through a cloth or paper towel. \n\nBend over and drink from the opposite side of the glass. \n\nSwallow dry bread, peanut butter, or similarly sticky substance. \n\nSwallow a teaspoon of sugar. \n\nDissolve a teaspoon of sugar on your tongue. \n\nEat a lemon sprinkled with sugar. \n\nHave someone scare you. \n\nGive someone else a drink of water. \n\nIf you're still hiccupping after two days, contact your health care provider. Chronic hiccups can cause weight loss, insomnia, malnutrition, vomiting, and more. If you're bothered by long-lasting hiccups - and they aren't caused by a serious health problem - your physician can try chlorpromazine to stop them. It doesn't work every time, though. \n\nThe New England Journal of Medicine reported that a pain medicine routinely used in Europe relieved debilitating hiccups within a minute of receiving it, even when chlorpromazine didn't work. The US Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved the drug - which is typically used to prevent shivering.