Originally published July 9 2009
How to Get Relief from Hiccups
by Sheryl Walters
(NaturalNews) In the wide range of human illnesses, a case of hiccups is not that big of a deal. Much like the common cold, hiccups are common to everyone at one time or another in their life, but are not actually life threatening. They usually disappear by themselves pretty quickly. However, when you get an onset of the hiccups, there may be times they remain with you for hours. It can seem as if they will last forever and you long for immediate relief. There are natural remedies that can help to calm these annoying hiccups.
Hiccups can be rather violent and shake your whole body. A severe hiccup attack can interrupt a person`s normal breathing, eating and sleeping habits and may cause unusual anxiety. The longest reported case of hiccups is by a man from Iowa, a farmer, named Charles Osborne. His hiccups were said to have lasted sixty-eight years! He hiccupped an estimated four hundred and thirty million times! This poor man definitely had something to be anxious about!
When you develop a case of the hiccups, the esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth and stomach) passes directly through the diaphragm is disturbed. Hiccups are formed by an upward spasm from the diaphragm. These spasms are caused by swallowing air, hyperventilating, eating too quickly, laughing and being overly excited. The act of fast, repeated swallowing seems to overwhelm and disables the diaphragm from performing its job properly. When your diaphragm begins to spasm, hiccups are produced. So the key to curing hiccups is to calm the spasms.
Here are some natural remedies to help overcome bothersome hiccups. Fill a glass with water and take small sips for sixty seconds. If your hiccups persist, keep taking small sips until they are relieved. Although your family may think you are nutty, another remedy is to sing like crazy. This helps fill the diaphragm with bursts of oxygen and will regulate your breathing. Placing a paper bag over your mouth and nose, while breathing in and out, may alleviate the hiccups. If you happen to have a lemon wedge handy, all it takes is sucking on it for a few seconds and the hiccups will diminish. Place an ice bag gently on your diaphragm and try to relax as it calms your diaphragm. Sucking on crushed ice helps, as does chewing on a tiny piece of fresh ginger. Mint leaves work equally as well. Drinking a shot of lime juice may make you pucker, but it is said to cure the hiccups.
The next time you experience these bothersome spasms of your diaphragm, think of the poor farmer. He survived through sixty-eight years. You can make it through a few irritating minutes!
Sources:
www.natural-homeremedies.com/homeremedies_hi...
www.farmersalmanac.com/natural_cures/.../cou... stop_the_hiccups
lacetoleather.com/hiccups.html
About the author
Sheryl is a kinesiologist, nutritionist and holistic practitioner.
Her website www.younglivingguide.com provides the latest research on preventing disease, looking naturally gorgeous, and feeling emotionally and physically fabulous. You can also find some of the most powerful super foods on the planet including raw chocolate, purple corn, and many others.
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