What are hiccups and why do we get them?


"Hiccup comes from the Latin phrase "to catch one's breath while sobbing". Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm that produces a "hic" sound. The time between these "hics" can be erratic but are usually pretty consistant.  Pregnant women have been known to say they can feel their unborn babies hiccuping in the womb.

If you wait long enough hiccups usually just go away on their own.
There are many "Folk cures" for hiccups.  These are very varied. There are no real medical remedies.  The more people you talk to the more varied these remedies are.  Everyone seems to have their own unique remedy.

Some of these include: head standing, drinking a glass of water upside-down, being frightened by someone, breathing into a bag, eating a large spoonful of peanut butter and placing sugar on or under the tongue and my favorite -Drinking through a straw with the ears plugged!