Most of us know what a hiccup feels like and how to recognize it. Blood tests or X-rays are usually not necessary unless your hiccups are a symptom of an associated medical condition. Most bouts of hiccups go away on their own within a few minutes to a few hours and do not require any treatment.
Numerous home remedies are used to treat hiccups. Here are a few you can try to get rid of hiccups.
Methods that cause the body to retain carbon dioxide, which is thought to relax the diaphragm and stop the spasms that causes hiccups:
•Holding your breath and counting slowly to 10.
•Breathing repeatedly into a paper bag for a limited period of time.
Some techniques that stimulate the nasopharynx and the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain to the stomach, and can decrease hiccups:
•Drink a glass of water quickly
•Have someone frighten you
•Pull hard on your tongue
•Bite on a lemon
•Gargle with water
•Drink from the far side of a glass
•Use smelling salts
•Place one-half teaspoon of dry sugar on the back of your tongue. (This process can be repeated three times at two-minute intervals.)
Sometimes several treatments may be tried before persistent or intractable hiccups are controlled. If you have hiccups that last a few days or longer, your doctor may conduct tests to rule out a more serious problem.
If you have any other home remedy to tackle hiccups, please share with us...
References:
http://www.medicinenet.com/hiccups/page2.htm
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003068.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hiccups-health/article_em.htm
