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Ge AX, Ryan ME, Giaccone G, Hughes MS, Pavletic SZ. Acupuncture treatment for persistent hiccups in patients with cancer. J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(7):811-816. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0456 If an underlying cause is found then treatment of the underlying cause, if possible, may cure the hiccups. For example, one research study found that many people with persistent hiccups had a gut condition called acid reflux. See the separate leaflet called Acid Reflux and Oesophagitis (Heartburn) for more details. Treating the reflux seemed to help stop hiccups in many cases. Firstly, try any of the popular remedies used to treat short bouts of hiccups (explained above). Also, treat any underlying cause, if possible.
We don’t know the exact cause of hiccups. It might happen if the nerve that controls the diaphragm (the phrenic nerve) is irritated. Explanation: A band that has room to move is too large. That too-large band may be overcompensating for a too-small cup. Guadarrama-Conzuelo, F; Saad Manzanera, A D (1 September 2019). "Singultus as an Unusual Debut of Plasmodium vivax Malaria". Cureus. 11 (9): e5548. doi: 10.7759/cureus.5548. PMC 6820320. PMID 31695971. Feldman M, et al., eds. Surgical peritonitis and other diseases of the peritoneum, mesentery, omentum and diaphragm. In: Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 11th ed. Elsevier; 2021. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 27, 2022.There's no certain way to stop hiccups. But if your hiccups last longer than a few minutes, these home remedies may provide relief, although they are not proven: Ferri FF. Hiccups. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2023. Elsevier; 2023. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 23, 2022. Hiccups Happen!" (PDF). University of Maryland Hospital for Children. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2012 . Retrieved 2 April 2012.
Most people find that their hiccups go away either on their own or by trying one of the following suggestions: a b Howes, D. (2012). "Hiccups: A new explanation for the mysterious reflex". BioEssays. 34 (6): 451–453. doi: 10.1002/bies.201100194. PMC 3504071. PMID 22377831.
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Use the Valsalva maneuver. To do this maneuver, try to exhale while pinching your nose and keeping your mouth closed. The phylogenetic and the burping hypotheses are not mutually exclusive. The phylogeny hypothesis could explain how the hiccup reflex might have evolved, while the "Burping Hypothesis" could explain why it would offer enough of an evolutionary advantage to persist and increase in complexity. [ citation needed] Duration [ edit ] Straus C, Vasilakos K, Wilson RJ, Oshima T, Zelter M, Derenne JP, Similowski T, Whitelaw WA (February 2003). "A phylogenetic hypothesis for the origin of hiccough". BioEssays. 25 (2): 182–188. doi: 10.1002/bies.10224. PMID 12539245. S2CID 14200209. Lauterbach, E. C. (1999). "Hiccup and apparent myoclonus after hydrocodone: review of the opiate-related hiccup and myoclonus literature". Clinical Neuropharmacology. 22 (2): 87–92. doi: 10.1097/00002826-199903000-00004. PMID 10202603. In most cases, an episode of hiccups will stop all on its own after a few minutes. You can try the following, although none of these have been proven to stop hiccups:
There are numerous options for treating hiccups. Typically, a short-term case of hiccups will take care of itself. However, the discomfort may make waiting out hiccups unbearable if they last longer than a few minutes. Home remedies Buttaravoli P, et al., eds. Singultus. In Minor Emergencies. 4th ed. Elsevier; 2022. https://www.clinicalkey.com. Accessed Dec. 27, 2022.immediately after this, the top of the windpipe (trachea) closes briefly, to stop more air getting in - this makes the 'hic' sound. If your hiccups don’t go away within a few days, they are called ‘persistent.’ If they last for a few months they are called ‘intractable’ (long-lasting hiccups). Long-lasting hiccups are rare. They can be stressful and exhausting. Intractable hiccups can be part of a larger, underlying medical problem and might not go away until that issue is corrected. Hiccups may occur individually, or they may occur in bouts. The rhythm of the hiccup, or the time between hiccups, tends to be relatively constant. A bout of hiccups generally resolves itself without intervention, although many home remedies are often used to attempt to shorten the duration. [1] Medical treatment is occasionally necessary in cases of chronic hiccups. [2] Incidence [ edit ] An international respiratory research group composed of members from Canada, France, and Japan proposed that the hiccup is an evolutionary remnant of earlier amphibian respiration. [16] Amphibians such as tadpoles gulp air and water across their gills via a rather simple motor reflex akin to mammalian hiccuping. The motor pathways that enable hiccuping form early during fetal development, before the motor pathways that enable normal lung ventilation form. Thus, the hiccup is evolutionarily antecedent to modern lung respiration.