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What exactly is a hiccup?

<p>Hiccups are very odd quirks of our anatomy. We don’t fully understand what causes them, or what purpose they serve, and we certainly don’t have a clear answer on what stops them.</p> <p>And yet, there’s still scientific research happening on hiccups. Here are some of Cosmos’ favourite (sort of) peer reviewed hiccup cures.</p> <h2>What are hiccups?</h2> <p>Hiccups – scientific term singultus – are primarily the fault of two parts of our body: the diaphragm and the epiglottis.</p> <p>The diaphragm is a big muscle below your lungs. It’s the major reason you breathe – as it contracts and expands, air gets pulled in and pushed out of your lungs.</p> <p>The epiglottis is a small flap of tissue that sits at the top of your windpipe, flipping shut when you’re eating so that you don’t inhale food or liquid.</p> <p>Hiccups happen when the diaphragm spasms. This sudden movement sucks air into the lungs quickly, and your epiglottis slams shut. The ‘hic’ sound is caused by the epiglottis closing the door.</p> <p>Other animals with diaphragms can also hiccup – including cats, rats, rabbits and dogs.</p> <h2>What causes them?</h2> <p>It’s not clear what causes these spasms in the diaphragm – they’re controlled by the nervous system, but what triggers our nerves?</p> <p>The exact mechanisms aren’t obvious. Food and drink are often triggers – particularly fizzy drinks, alcohol, hot food, or eating too quickly.</p> <p>Other common triggers include smoking, stress, and pregnancy – but hiccups can happen independently of any of these.</p> <h2>Can they be cured?</h2> <p>Many doctors’ recommendations for hiccup cures are not too different to home remedies – things like holding your breath, breathing deeply, or eating: sugar, honey, ice, or something sharp like ginger, lemon or vinegar.</p> <p>In the medical literature, there are dozens and dozens of case studies showing one thing or another works. Broader data is sparse – because they usually only last a few minutes, it’s hard to run a clinical trial on hiccups. Most studies involve chronic hiccuppers, who may have underlying conditions that make their hiccups different.</p> <p>One cure favoured by bartenders is quickly eating a lemon wedge soaked in bitters, much like you would an orange slice. A 1981 study in the New England Journal of Medicine, done by a doctor and a bartender, found that this worked in 14 out of their 16 volunteers, all of whom got hiccups when they were drunk.</p> <p>Another claim, desperately wanting peer review, appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1966.</p> <p>The method proposes putting a spoon, fork or other metal object in a glass of water, and holding the metal against the temple while sipping from the glass. The writer claims he’s being getting people to do it for nearly 30 years and it has never failed him.</p> <p>“I have not been able to arrive at a reasonable explanation, physiological or otherwise, which would throw any light upon the manner in which the desired effect is achieved,” he writes.</p> <p>“Necromancy has been suggested, but I gravely doubt it.”</p> <p>The editors of the journal are unconvinced by this letter – and it’s worth noting the writer, Ashley Montagu, holds his qualifications in natural selection and ecology.</p> <p>In 2000, another case study reported a man who’d had persistent hiccups for four days following treatment for back pain – but they stopped when he had sex with his wife. Specifically, they stopped at the climax of the session, and he didn’t have another case of hiccups for at least a year.</p> <p>Something with a more reliable body of evidence behind it is a device made specifically to stop hiccups: the ‘Hiccaway’ straw. This straw is designed to make people contract their diaphragm when they use it, and a study with 290 regular hiccuppers found they rated it better than home remedies.</p> <p>Ultimately, because most hiccups go away after a few minutes, the only infallible cure is to wait them out. If you’re doing something when your hiccups stop, it’s possible that worked – or maybe that’s just what you were doing when your hiccups stopped.</p> <h2>What about chronic hiccups?</h2> <p>Hiccups that last longer than 48 hours can be a sign of an underlying condition – like a lung or kidney disease, or brain damage in the area of the brain that controls the diaphragm. They can also be a side effect of medications, like anti-epileptics.</p> <p>Chronic hiccups can be remedied by addressing the root cause. Alternatively, anti-nausea medications like chlorpromazine (branded Largactil in Australia) can soothe chronic hiccups.</p> <p>In serious cases, people might need surgery to the nerves that control the diaphragm. This used to be done by severing the nerves permanently, but recently researchers have come up with more reversible ways to tie the nerves shut in surgery.</p> <p><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/hiccups-weird-cures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Ellen Phiddian.</strong></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p>

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Edwina Bartholomew reveals what went wrong on her fairytale wedding day

<p>Sunrise presenter Edwina Bartholomew has arrived in London to cover the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19.</p> <p>The 34-year-old presenter has said that she knows the royal couple won’t face any of the “unique issues” she did when she tied the knot last month.</p> <p>Edwina and Neil Varcoe married in front of 160 of their nearest and dearest on their farm.</p> <p>Despite sharing perfect photos from the day, Edwina confessed that the day had its fair share of hiccups.</p> <p>"The showers went out in the morning, and the lights went out at night," Edwina told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="https://www.nowtolove.com.au/tvweek" target="_blank">TV WEEK</a></strong></em></span>.</p> <p>"We had to duck over to our neighbours' house and get more [diesel], and some people from town had to bring in some more from the servo in a couple of jerry cans.</p> <p>"Then, when the generator fired back up, the band fired back up, and we were on again!"</p> <p>Due to the property’s remoteness, Edwina was also worried about running out of alcohol and toilet paper.</p> <p>"Certainly, at Windsor Castle [where Harry and Meghan will tie the knot], they have sorted enough loo paper – and diesel for the generator, I hope," she said.</p> <p>Reflecting on the private nature of her wedding, Edwina hopes the royal couple will be able to enjoy their day as the world watches closely.</p> <p>"It would be wonderful if they can take a tiny moment together that's just for them," she said.</p> <p>"In a day of chaos and attention, I hope they get that."</p> <p>Did any major hiccups happen on your wedding day? Share with us in the comments below. </p>

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8 weird body hacks you never knew about

<p>The human body is an incredible thing, and while we’ve cracked most of its secrets, there’s still a whole lot we don’t know. From how to stop a sneeze to REALLY curing the hiccups, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/nataliebrown/body-hacks-thatll-make-your-life-easier?utm_term=.gmXM83vk5E#.vj5yab7z3O" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">BuzzFeed</span></strong></a> has found eight little body tricks you probably never knew about – but will make life so much easier.</p> <p><strong>1. Stop a sneeze</strong> – Generally speaking, you shouldn’t suppress a sneeze, but if you’re in a situation where you desperately need to stay quiet (e.g. a wedding), you can stop it in its tracks by pressing a finger down on the area right above your top lip (see image above).</p> <p><strong>2. Ease a brain freeze</strong> – Simply press and hold your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Otherwise, sipping a warm beverage is also good for extreme cases.</p> <p><strong>3. Drain your sinuses</strong> – Congested? Alternate between these two tricks: press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, then press a finger between your eyebrows. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it’s worth a shot!</p> <p><strong>4. Listen better</strong> – If you’re speaking to someone in a loud room and can’t hear them, lightly pull back on the little flap near the opening of your ear canal (the tragus), then push them in. It’ll block out peripheral sounds, making it easier to hear the person next to you.</p> <p><strong>5. Prevent heartburn</strong> – If you can’t wait the recommended three to four hours after eating before going to bed, you can prevent getting heartburn by lying on your side after eating a big dinner.</p> <p><strong>6. Calm down</strong> – Feeling stressed, anxious or panicky? Pop your thumb in your mouth, close your lips and try to blow out air, letting your cheeks puff up. It’ll help slow your heartbeat, calming you down – just don’t do it for too long.</p> <p><strong>7. Cure the hiccups</strong> – You don’t need a friend to scare you! All you have to do is inhale deeply, hold it, swallow twice, then exhale through the nose. You may need to do this a couple of times for it to work.</p> <p><strong>8. Get a song out of your head</strong> – Can’t get that catchy jingle out of your head? Chew some gum! Just don’t try and block it out – <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-you-cant-get-a-song-out-of-your-head-and-what-to-do-about-it-2017100412490" target="_blank"><strong>according to Harvard researchers</strong></a></span>, that’ll only make it worse.</p> <p>Tell us in the comments below, how many of these strange tricks did you know?</p>

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What causes hiccups (and how to stop them)

<p>We’ve all experienced a bout of hiccups, but have you ever stopped to really wonder what they are?</p> <p>Hiccups start in the diaphragm, which is underneath your chest. When the diaphragm gets irritated it moves faster than usual, causing the air to hit your throat suddenly, hitting your voice box and causing your vocal chords to close, creating the infamous ‘hic’ sound.</p> <p>Generally, hiccups will only last a few moments, or minutes at best. But if they last a long time or are happening more often than they used to, they can be a sign that something is wrong and you need to be checked by a doctor.</p> <p><strong>What causes them</strong></p> <p>Generally, hiccups are caused when we eat or drink too much or too quickly. It can also happen due to stress or anxiety, or a stomach irritation. Many people suffer from hiccups when they drink alcohol or smoke, as this tends to irritate the body. In babies, it can happen when they have been crying a lot, or may even be due to reflux. Many women note that they have felt their baby have hiccups during pregnancy.</p> <p><strong>Treatment</strong></p> <p>Some of the old-fashioned remedies really do work, such as having a teaspoon of sugar, holding your breath for as long as possible, or getting a fright. Most likely you will find what works for you at a young age. More serious cases will require a trip to the doctor for medication. Depending on the cause and complaint, you may be prescribed with a muscle relaxant, stimulant, sedatives or an anticonvulsant.</p> <p><strong>Are they a symptom of something more serious?</strong></p> <p>Generally, no. But if they continue on for extended periods they can be a late symptom of something more extreme than just eating too much.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Reflux:</strong> in adults, acid reflux can lead to uncomfortable hiccups, but this is treatable with medication.</li> <li><strong>Tumours:</strong> in rare cases, hiccups are a symptom of a tumour in the stomach or neck.</li> <li><strong>Heart disease:</strong> they can also be a sign of stroke of heart problems in extreme cases.</li> </ul> <ul> <li><strong>Organ failure:</strong> if someone is suffering from advanced kidney or liver failure, hiccups can be triggered. This can also occur due to cirrhosis of the liver.</li> </ul> <p class="columnsmall-12medium-10medium-offset-1large-offset-2textsize-1x-largeline-height-large10m0ygc4">Generally, though, other symptoms would alert you to such extreme illness much sooner than hiccups would, so do not be alarmed. Speak with your GP if you have any concerns.</p> <p>Have you ever experienced extreme hiccups? Was it treatable?</p>

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