The exact cause of hiccup is yet to be known but it is believed that when our body is deficient of required amount of oxygen, it may result in hiccups. It is the acute shortage of oxygen in the body which may be out of various circumstances. Sometimes a hiccup may result out of taking something too hot like raw chilly. Generally hiccups subsides when we take liquids or water and if it is a chronic problem, I think the advise of the doctors be sought. Else, hiccups subsides automatically when our body has enough oxygen to combat the condition.

Answered by MRIDUL BORA , an ibibo Master, at 11:46 AM on October 02, 2008

Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air and makes the hiccup sound. Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups.

Some of the causes of hiccups are as follows :

Overstretching the neck, Laryngitis, Heartburn, Irritation of the eardrum, General anesthesia, Surgery, Bloating, Tumor, Infection, Diabetes, Drinking excessive alcohol, Hot and spicy food, Smoking, Eating fast.

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.

Home Care :

There is no sure way to stop hiccups, but there are a number of common suggestions that may be effective:

• Breathe repeatedly into a paper bag.
• Drink a glass of cold water.
• Eat a teaspoon of sugar.

Treatment :

Everyone has a pet remedy for hiccups. A few tactics do make sense and may be based on physiology as well as folklore. One technique is to increase carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which may decrease the sensitivity of the vagus nerve in the brain. That nerve, one of the longest in the body, sends branches to many muscle groups, including those in the diaphragm. One can boost carbon dioxide levels by holding one's breath, by rebreathing the air exhaled into a paper bag for a few minutes, or by slowly sipping a glass of water without pausing to take a breath.

For symptom relief, many simple measures can be tried, although none are more than slightly effective: PaCO2 can be increased and diaphragmatic activity can be inhibited by a series of deep breath-holds or by breathing deeply in to and out of a paper bag. (Caution: Plastic bags can cling to the nostrils and should not be used.) Vagal stimulation by pharyngeal irritation (eg, swallowing dry bread, granulated sugar, or crushed ice; applying traction on the tongue; stimulating gagging) may work. Numerous other folk remedies exist.

Numerous home remedies for hiccups exist. The reason that these remedies are thought to work is that carbon dioxide build-up in the blood will stop hiccups, which is what happens when you hold your breath. If the vagus nerve that runs from the brain to the stomach is stimulated, hiccups can also be alleviated (this is what is happening when you drink water or pull on your tongue).

The ash of a peacock feather is the best remedy in this condition. It is available at Ayurvedic stores by name Mayura Chandrika Bhasma. Cardamom is also useful, and the powder of one cardamom seed should be sucked with honey as required. Eladivati is the drug of choice in this condition in the dose of 1 to 2 tablets crushed and given with honey 4 to 6 times daily. Sukumar Ghritham can be given in the dose of 1 teaspoonful thrice daily with milk.

Answered by YourS , an ibibo Specialist, at 4:19 PM on September 11, 2008

Hello..

Hiccups are a sound that occurs: it is unintentional and it is due to the muscle at the base of the lungs. This is known as a diaphragm. A fast closing of the vocal cords, makes the “hiccup” sound. The causes for hiccups can vary.


Noxious fumes that are inhaled can cause them. Such fumes could be gasoline, hair spray, or a bug repellent. Using such products would be best advised in a well ventilated area so fumes are not inhaled. Eating hot and spicy foods is also a big cause of hiccups. This, however, does not mean a person has to stop eating their favorite foods.

Numerous home remedies for hiccups exist. The reason that these remedies are thought to work is that carbon dioxide build-up in the blood will stop hiccups, which is what happens when you hold your breath. If the vagus nerve that runs from the brain to the stomach is stimulated, hiccups can also be alleviated (this is what is happening when you drink water or pull on your tongue).

The ash of a peacock feather is the best remedy in this condition. It is available at Ayurvedic stores by name Mayura Chandrika Bhasma. Cardamom is also useful, and the powder of one cardamom seed should be sucked with honey as required. Eladivati is the drug of choice in this condition in the dose of 1 to 2 tablets crushed and given with honey 4 to 6 times daily. Sukumar Ghritham can be given in the dose of 1 teaspoonful thrice daily with milk.

For more detail refer..
http://www.articlesbase.co m/alternative-medicine-articles/hic cups-causes-and-treatment-418687.ht ml
http://www.essortment.com/all/c urehiccupstre_rvye.htm

Answered by Saq , an ibibo Master, at 12:53 AM on September 09, 2008

A hiccup or hiccough,is the spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the epiglottis to close, creating the "hic" listen (help·info) noise. In medicine, it is known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF), or singultus.

The term "hiccup" is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration in an otherwise consistent pattern.
causes may be: -

While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to be triggered by specific events, such as lack of water, eating too fast, being hungry for long, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, burping, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously, coughing, drinking alcoholic beverages in excess, crying out loud (sobbing causes air to enter the stomach), some smoking situations where abnormal inhalation can occur (in tobacco or other smoke like cannabis, perhaps triggered by precursors to coughing), electrolyte imbalance, talking too long, clearing the throat, by some of the stronger opiate painkillers such as Heroin, Morphine, and Oxycodone or from lack of vitamins. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic nerve by other anatomical structures, or having the sensation that there is food in the esophagus, rarely by tumors and certain kidney disease.

treatment may be: -
Ordinary hiccups are cured easily without medical intervention; in most cases they can be stopped simply by forgetting about them. However, there are a number of anecdotally prescribed treatments for casual cases of hiccups. Some of the more common home remedies include: scaring the afflicted, drinking water (sometimes in an unorthodox manner), and altering one's breathing.

Answered by pankaj , an ibibo Advisor, at 9:16 PM on September 08, 2008

hicup means hichki in hindi it caused by eating spicy foods or lot of fatty food at once

Answered by Moksha G , an ibibo Master, at 6:50 PM on September 08, 2008

A hiccup or hiccough , is the spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the epiglottis to close, creating the "hic" listen (help·info) noise. In medicine, it is known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter (SDF), or singultus.

The term "hiccup" is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration in an otherwise consistent pattern.

A bout of hiccups generally resolves itself without intervention, although many home remedies claim to shorten the duration, and medical treatment is occasionally necessary.


Hiccups are sudden, involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle. As the muscle contracts repeatedly, the opening between your vocal cords snaps shut to check the inflow of air and makes the hiccup sound. Irritation of the nerves that extend from the neck to the chest can cause hiccups.

Some of the causes of hiccups are as follows. Overstretching the neck, Laryngitis, Heartburn, Irritation of the eardrum, General anesthesia, Surgery, Bloating, Tumor, Infection, Diabetes, Drinking excessive alcohol, Hot and spicy food, Smoking, Eating fast.

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.

Home Care

There is no sure way to stop hiccups, but there are a number of common suggestions that may be effective:

Breathe repeatedly into a paper bag.
Drink a glass of cold water.
Eat a teaspoon of sugar.

Treatment

Everyon e has a pet remedy for hiccups. A few tactics do make sense and may be based on physiology as well as folklore. One technique is to increase carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which may decrease the sensitivity of the vagus nerve in the brain. That nerve, one of the longest in the body, sends branches to many muscle groups, including those in the diaphragm. One can boost carbon dioxide levels by holding one's breath, by rebreathing the air exhaled into a paper bag for a few minutes, or by slowly sipping a glass of water without pausing to take a breath.

For symptom relief, many simple measures can be tried, although none are more than slightly effective: PaCO2 can be increased and diaphragmatic activity can be inhibited by a series of deep breath-holds or by breathing deeply in to and out of a paper bag. (Caution: Plastic bags can cling to the nostrils and should not be used.) Vagal stimulation by pharyngeal irritation (eg, swallowing dry bread, granulated sugar, or crushed ice; applying traction on the tongue; stimulating gagging) may work. Numerous other folk remedies exist.

Numerous home remedies for hiccups exist. The reason that these remedies are thought to work is that carbon dioxide build-up in the blood will stop hiccups, which is what happens when you hold your breath. If the vagus nerve that runs from the brain to the stomach is stimulated, hiccups can also be alleviated (this is what is happening when you drink water or pull on your tongue).

The ash of a peacock feather is the best remedy in this condition. It is available at Ayurvedic stores by name Mayura Chandrika Bhasma. Cardamom is also useful, and the powder of one cardamom seed should be sucked with honey as required. Eladivati is the drug of choice in this condition in the dose of 1 to 2 tablets crushed and given with honey 4 to 6 times daily. Sukumar Ghritham can be given in the d

Answered by alok , an ibibo Master, at 4:20 PM on September 08, 2008

DEFINATION -A HICCUP or hiccough , is the spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm that repeats several times per minute. In humans, the abrupt rush of air into the lungs causes the epiglottis to close.

CAUSES -While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are known to be triggered by specific events, such as lack of water, eating too fast, being hungry for long, taking a cold drink while eating a hot meal, burping, eating very hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously, coughing, drinking alcoholic beverages in excess, crying out loud (sobbing causes air to enter the stomach), some smoking situations where abnormal inhalation can occur (in tobacco or other smoke like cannabis, perhaps triggered by precursors to coughing), electrolyte imbalance, talking too long, clearing the throat, by some of the stronger opiate painkillers .

SOURCE SITE -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Hiccup

TREATMENTS-Ordinary hiccups are cured easily without medical intervention; in most cases they can be stopped simply by forgetting about them. However, there are a number of anecdotally prescribed treatments for casual cases of hiccups. Some of the more common home remedies include: scaring the afflicted, drinking water (sometimes in an unorthodox manner), and altering one's breathing.

Answered by Sanya Tahir , an ibibo Master, at 11:24 AM on September 08, 2008

well, A hiccup is an unintentional movement (spasm) of the diaphragm, the muscle at the base of the lungs. The spasm is followed by quick closure of the vocal cords, which produces a distinctive sound.
Hiccups are a reflex action; this means you do not have any control over them. They do not seem to have a useful purpose and are more common in the evening.

Men and women are equally affected by hiccups. However, persistent hiccups (lasting for more than 48 hours) are more common in men. Persistent hiccups can be very tiring and upsetting, and can make eating and drinking difficult. They are however rare, and are sometimes caused by an underlying disease.

Answered by Satya ~ , an ibibo Master, at 10:55 AM on September 08, 2008

well tingtong!
Hiccups are commonly caused by distention of the stomach, which you get if you eat too much, drink carbonated beverages, or swallow too much air. This suggests hiccup as a sequela to boozing may be more the result of fizzy mixers than alcohol itself. Or else you just slurp.

Lots of other things can cause hiccups too, some of them pretty scary. Skimming through a long list, I see skull fracture, epilepsy, diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, tuberculosis, meningitis, bowel obstruction, and ulcerative colitis.

But it's not always, or even usually, so bad. A 27-year-old man complained that he'd been hiccuping for four days. The doctor looked into the guy's ear and saw a hair tickling the eardrum. The hair having been washed out, the hiccups stopped.

Why do we hiccup? I don't know, and as far as I can tell, neither does anyone else. Unlike gagging, sneezing, etc., hiccups serve no known useful function. Some speculate that hiccups "may represent a vestigial remnant of a primitive reflex whose functional or behavioral significance is now lost," as one researcher put it.

Or maybe they're just, you know, hiccups--an accidental reflex triggered by a stimulus to (usually) the vagus or phrenic nerves. This travels up the line to a nerve control center that for some reason sends out a "commence hiccup" impulse via the phrenic nerve.

The vagus and phrenic nerves go all over, which explains why so many things cause hiccups. For example, a 16-year-old girl began hiccuping after receiving a blow to the jaw. A brain scan found that a blood vessel was pressing against the vagus nerve in her neck. Surgeons inserted a Teflon spacer between the nerve and the blood vessel, and the hiccuping stopped. When the spacer later fell out the hiccuping resumed.

Which brings us to the question of hiccup cures, of which a great many have been proposed. Unfortunately, to paraphrase the distinguished physician Charles Mayo, the number of remedies is in inverse proportion to the likelihood that any one of them will actually work.

Home remedies are mostly based on the idea that you have to disrupt the hiccup cycle. These include holding your breath, induced sneezing, breathing into a bag, drinking water while covering your ears, pulling your tongue, pressing on the eyeballs, sudden fright, or--this is interesting--eating dry granulated sugar. Merely drinking water, if done soon enough, may work by washing down a glob of food in your throat that's pressing against a nerve.

If the preceding are unavailing, a doctor may try drugs such as chlorpromazine, tickling the pharynx with a catheter stuck through the nose, hypnosis, or acupuncture. Still no go? Time for stern measures. In 1833 it was recommended that you blister or burn the skin above the phrenic nerve on the neck and back. This has now been supplanted by a marginally more civilized procedure in which the nerve is sliced or crushed
for more inf check http://www.straightdope.com/columns /read/1113/what-are-hiccups-and-why -do-we-get-them...as far as treatment Everyone has a pet remedy for hiccups. A few tactics do make sense and may be based on physiology as well as folklore. One technique is to increase carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which may decrease the sensitivity of the vagus nerve in the brain. That nerve, one of the longest in the body, sends branches to many muscle groups, including those in the diaphragm. One can boost carbon dioxide levels by holding one's breath, by rebreathing the air exhaled into a paper bag for a few minutes, or by slowly sipping a glass of water without pausing to take a breath.

Other tactics that may be of some use include:



placing a teaspoon of dry granulated sugar on the back of the tongue and then swallowing it

filling a glass with ice cubes and water, and then drinking it slowly (the rapid change of temp

Answered by sanjay , an ibibo Guru, at 10:30 AM on September 08, 2008

well,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.
Several serious underlying diseases are linked with hiccups and should be investigated if the hiccups are persistent, chronic, interfere with work, eating, or sleep, or are associated with weight loss. Lung tumors, pneumonia, gastroesophageal reflux, and even a heart attack are sometimes accompanied by hiccups.
Everyone has a pet remedy for hiccups. A few tactics do make sense and may be based on physiology as well as folklore. One technique is to increase carbon dioxide levels in the blood, which may decrease the sensitivity of the vagus nerve in the brain. That nerve, one of the longest in the body, sends branches to many muscle groups, including those in the diaphragm. One can boost carbon dioxide levels by holding one's breath, by rebreathing the air exhaled into a paper bag for a few minutes, or by slowly sipping a glass of water without pausing to take a breath.

Other tactics that may be of some use include:

* placing a teaspoon of dry granulated sugar on the back of the tongue and then swallowing it

* filling a glass with ice cubes and water, and then drinking it slowly (the rapid change of temperature in the esophagus may shut down the hiccup response)

* pulling the tongue with your fingers

* stimulating the back of the throat or roof of the mouth with the index finger

* while sitting, leaning forward and compressing the chest and diaphragm against the knees

If no underlying cause can be quickly found and corrected, medical intervention can end the suffering. A physician may pass a tube through the nose into the stomach to release trapped air, stimulating the back of the throat at the same time. Various medications may help, including the tranquilizers chlorpromazine (Thorazine) and diazepam (Valium), as well as antispasmodic metoclopramide (Reglan), and the muscle relaxant baclofen. Sometimes, local anesthetics like lidocaine are used to numb the back of the throat.

Serious hiccups can be complicated to treat. The doctor's first job is to look for possible underlying illnesses. A number of lung ailments, including asthma and bronchitis, can lead to persistent hiccups, as can many disorders of the bowels, liver, and kidneys.

If an illness is found, treating it usually halts the hiccups. If no illness can be detected, the doctor may attempt one or more of a wide variety of therapies.

Many of the treatments are aimed at stimulating the nerves in the back of throat, in hopes of interrupting the hiccup cycles. The doctor may pull on the tongue, for example, or use a spoon to lift the uvula, the small structure at the back of the throat that hangs from the top of the mouth. Sometimes, ice, electrical stimulation, or a local anesthetic is applied to the back of the throat.

Other treatments are aimed at stimulating the diaphragm, the flat muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen. These include applying pressure to certain points below the hiccuping patient's rib cage, or having sufferers draw their knees up to their chests.
source:www.healthscout.com/e ncy/68/296/main.html

Answered by Debashis , an ibibo Master, at 9:04 AM on September 08, 2008