Stop those hiccups!

Yesterday I had hiccups I just couldn’t get rid of.

John Garcia, our Nonstop tech expert, thought if he stared at me, it would go away. It didn’t. But my bout with hiccups at our Nonstop meeting did spawn a discussion about tried-and-true remedies sure to make this strange condition go away, from breathing into a paper bag to dangling me headfirst over the side of a building. (I’m still not sure how that had anything to do with hiccups.)

Hiccups are a very common condition that affects just about everyone, including animals. They involved the involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, followed by a sudden closure in your vocal cords. That’s what produces the “hic” sound.

Usually, hiccups are a result of a large meal, alcoholic beverages or sudden excitement. (I must have been excited for our meeting!) Rarely are they a sign of something worse.

Still, they’re annoying, especially when — like me — you’ve got a lot to say.

So I wanted to see what remedies out there work. Here are some I’ve found:

• Breathe into a paper bag
• Drink water upside down (which I can’t still picture)
• Take seven sips of water (a remedy my mom swears by)
• Swallow a teaspoon of sugar
• Hold your breath for at least 10 seconds
• Have someone scare you (never worked for me)
• Gargle with ice water
• Eat a tablespoon of vinegar

Any of these work for you?

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Here are two cases when hiccups are actually adorable:

Baby Rottweiler has hiccups