The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-07-24
Your He aIth
BY DIR. MORRIS FIsHBEIN-

IT EFT me advise you to hold your breath, and II
IL this fails, then to gargle with little water,
and if the hiccups still continue tickle your nose
with something and sneeze, and if you sneeze once
or twice even the violent hiccup Is sure to co.
Does this sound familiar TO you?
Well it's advice given by one Greek 10 ahother
awav back in the days Of Plato who lived about 4O0
wears before the present Christian era. Yet many
of us seem to reply on Just about such treatment
for the ordinary case Of hlccups, although some
times the difficulty can't be subdued so easily
hccup is due to a spasm or construction OF the
diaphragm with closure of the valve which shuts oil
the breathing tubes from the throat IhS valve Is
called the CLOTHS.
The diaphragm is large muscular organ which
divides the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity
1t is concerned with breathing.
Ordinary when you nhale, the motion Of the
CLOTHS is svnchronized with the muscles Of breath
ing so that the breathing takes place noiselessly
Anything disturbing the synchronlzauon Of this
mechanism causes hiccups.
T0HERE are various causes (which disturb this
mechanism. Anything which stimulates the
phrenic nerve which passes down the neck into the
chest to control the action Of the diaphragm may
bring about a hiccup.
The overestng Of highly seasoned very hot or
very cold food the taking Of alcoholic beverages or
a sudden dstention Of the stomach Will set up
stimuli to disturb the action Of the diaphragm and
bring about hiccups.
Thus, hiccups frequently follow operations on the
stomach and the intestines. Moreover, the centers
in the brain from which the nerves arise may be
disturbed by brain uors assesses by infections
Of the BRAIN, by injuries or by anything else that
modifies the brain
The hiccups that sometimes take place with a
patient under anesthesia probably caused oy
some disturbance in the brain
FINALLY, there are the kinds Of hiccups that
i occur in infectious diseases and those which are
associated apparently With nervousness, worry.
anxiety, shock or accidents
The advice Of the old Greek obviously was IN
tended to control that type Of hiccups which is pr-
marty associated with nervous disorder In cases
caused by disturbance Of the stomach and inestnes.
attention must be given to the condition OF these
organs.
In the hiccups that develop after operation its is
sometimes advisable to have the stomach washed
in order to get rid Of any source Of irritation Some
times little brandy, ginger, peppermint or similar
substance helps to relieve hiccups resulting from
stomach disturbance.
In other cases, the inhaLng Of carbon doMde. al
ternating with oxygen. such as IS used for resus-
citating persons who have been asphyxiated, VIII
help Something similar may be accomplished by
breathing into paper bag and rebreathlng the air
thar IS breathed out.
Finally, in the most severe types Of cases, an
operation NAV be necessary stopping impulses that
go along the phrenic nerve. This, however, should
be done only in the most persistent case and aIter
all the ordinary remedies have failed