7 Alleged Cures for Hiccups ...

By Alison

It’s always hilarious when someone else gets hiccups. However, it’s not so funny when it happens to you! A prolonged attack can be quite exhausting, so we’ll try anything to stop those ‘Hic’s! I’ve been looking into some of the supposed cures for hiccups – there are no guarantees that any of these will actually work, but anything’s worth a try …

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1

Step out of the Car …

This is a true story. I was driving along a quiet country road with friends one night. One of them suddenly developed an unstoppable attack of hiccups. Then I saw a flashing light in my mirror, so I pulled over (I was NOT speeding. Honest.) The police were carrying out routine checks. Once they had finished, I pulled away – at which point friend 2 pointed out to friend 1 ‘Well, that certainly cured your hiccups …’

2

Sneezing

I’m not really convinced by this one- however, it does have a rather intellectual source. In one of his works, Plato had the playwright Aristophanes suffering an attack of hiccups, the suggested cures being holding his breath (bound to work in the end …) and sneezing. Though if it doesn’t work, imagine sneezing and hiccuping at the same time …

3

Boo!

This is, of course, the classic ‘cure’ for hiccups, but has anyone ever known it work? What invariably happens is that the sufferer points out that they weren’t the least bit frightened, carries on hiccuping, and the other person tries again, with no more success than the first time.

4

Sugar or Salt?

One possibility is a teaspoon of sugar – or salt. I think I’d go for sugar, rather than the salty alternative. At the very least, it’s worth a try – everyone has sugar in the house. If it doesn’t work, then you can always try …

5

Warm Water

Supposedly this works because the heat helps the diaphragm (which is after all a muscle) to relax. After all, if you have cramp, you apply heat to the affected area. You could try mixing in the sugar in an attempt to double up, but the sugar is supposed to be dry, so that probably wouldn’t work (assuming it does anyway).

Famous Quotes

Meaning is not what you start with but what you end up with.

Peter Elbow
6

Open Mouth

This might make you feel stupid if you are in company, but not as stupid as hiccuping will (why is it so embarrassing?), so it’s worth a try as the lesser of two evils. Open your mouth for a minute or two, and don’t close it if you need to swallow. Two minutes will probably seem a very long time, especially if you have an audience.

7

I Think I’d Rather Have Hiccups …

What sadist thought this one up? Someone who really hates anyone who hiccups? Apparently … allegedly … if you drink half a teaspoon of pickle juice once every ten seconds, lo and behold your hiccups will be cured. Try this if you want – I’ll stick to the sugar method, thank you very much.

No doubt our readers have inherited all kinds of weird and wonderful remedies from parents and grandparents. So what is the strangest cure for hiccups that you’ve ever come across – and have you ever found anything that works?

Top Photo Credit: sage.kehau

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