A hiccup is a muscle spasm of the diaphram muscle, which seperates the lungs from your stomach. The muscle goes into a spasm and forces the air out of the lungs, creating a hiccup. The best way to stop the spasm is to totally relax your body. Take a deep inhale, hold it for a few seconds and blow out slowly. Ideally, if you can have someone stand behind you, placing their hands on your midsection and hold down the muscle while you do this, it works a lot faster. If the first time it doesn’t work, try again. It is thought that a number of specific nerves in the spinal cord at the back of the neck control hiccups. When something triggers these nerves - eating too quickly, for example - a signal is sent to the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm. The diaphragm signals back to the hiccup center and hiccups begin. Within a split second, a structure called the glottis closes off the windpipe, producing the characteristic sound of a hiccup. Mild hiccups are a reaction to hot and spicy foods or too much alcohol. They may be caused by psychological or organic causes. Disease conditions that affect the kidney, chest, abdomen or heart can cause hiccups. The diaphragm may contract by stimulation either by impulses from the brain or by irritation anywhere along the vagus nerve. The vagus sends a signal to the phrenic nerve that sends the nerve impulse to the diaphragm. The diaphragm then goes into a sharp contraction causing the hiccup. The first two categories may prove effective for many short lived and minor cases of hiccups. For instance, with an assistant applying pressure to one’s ears, drinking any quantity of liquid whilst holding one’s nose is a common home remedy for hiccups. However, those suffering from an intractable case may become desperate sorting through various ineffective home remedies. Many of the cures centered around controlled breathing (i.e. holding breath) are often ineffective for prolonged hiccups crises, but do have a significant efficacy for the most casual, short lasting cases. Eighty-two percent of persistent or intractable episodes occur in men. An organic cause can be identified in 93% of men and in 8% of women, resulting in an overall organic incidence of 80%. The remaining 20% are considered psychogenic in origin.Eating spicy food. Spicy food may cause irritation to the nerves that control normal contractions of your diaphragm. In 2 cups of water boil 5-6 crushed green cardamoms. Boil it till reduces to 1 cup. Allow it cool down and strain it. Drink it slowly when still lukewarm. This is highly beneficial natural remedy for hiccups as it soothes the irritation in diaphragms. Hiccups are also part of the body’s defense system. If you swallow a large piece of meat or drink plenty of fluids, the glottis (the opening from the mouth to the throat) automatically closes to prevent food from getting into the windpipe. At the same time, the diaphragm forces the food upward by contracting its muscles. When the danger has passed, the nerves of the diaphragm and glottis relax. If they don’t, a person has hiccups.
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