The Best Cures For Hic-Hic-Hiccups

Personally, breathing into a paper bag works best for me, but here is some good info nonetheless.

The Best Cures For Hic-Hic-Hiccups

Everyone has his or her favorite hiccup cure, but sometimes it may not work and you need another in a pinch. As a public service, we present this compendium of hiccup cures culled from CNN, Parenting, Reuters, and one very special cure from the Hughes/Green Hiccups Cure Web site that bills itself as "The Only Real Hiccups Cure!"

The Only Real Hiccups Cure (and It's Guaranteed to Work)
We call it this because that's what the cure's creators call it. Here's what they tout on the Web site: "This is the only real way to instantly cure the hiccups! Look no further! The Hughes/Green method cures the hiccups EVERY time GUARANTEED! You will be amazed! Hundreds of instantly cured hiccupers have sent in their testimonies of deliverance!" And who are we to argue with that?

Here is the Hughes/Green cure:

1. Pour a tall glass of water.
2. Hold your breath.
3. Important: Pinch your nose closed.
4. Slowly take 15 to 20 swallows of the water while holding your breath with your nose pinched closed.
5. When you can't stand it any more, (you'll know by that scary drowning sensation), take a deep breath and relax.

Although the Hughes/Green method reportedly works a whopping 99.9 percent of the time, they do offer this second procedure for stubborn cases: Try exhaling completely and then taking 15 to 20 swallows of water.

Other Hiccups Cures That Come With No Guarantees

* Drink a teaspoon or two of ordinary vinegar. Balsamic, apple cider, or malt vinegar also work.
* Pop some antacids like Tums or Mylanta.
* Eat several teaspoons of peanut butter, mustard, or dry sugar.
* Put sugar under your tongue.
* Suck on a lemon drenched with Angostura bitters and sprinkled with a little sugar.

* Drink water while holding your breath and plugging your ears. (A second pair of hands helps!)
* Hold your breath and swallow.
* Lie on your back across the bed with your head hanging off the side. Take a deep breath and hold as long as possible. Exhale slowly. Roll to your side and slowly get up.
* Have someone scare you.

* Drink a glass of water while holding a straw between your teeth horizontally. No straw handy? You can use a pen, pencil, or spoon.
* "Psyche-out" Method No. 1: Have someone stare at you intently. You stare back. (No laughing allowed.)
* "Psyche-out" Method No. 2: Ask the person who is hiccupping to tell you when the next hiccup is coming. The person has to say "now" just before the actual hiccup occurs.
* "Psyche-out" Method No. 3: Have someone stare at you intently while badgering you to hiccup again.

What causes hiccups is a bit of a mystery. This much is known: Hiccups are the result of an uncontrollable spasm in the diaphragm. They might be caused by a digestive problem. Maybe you ate or drank too quickly. But in most cases there really is no known cause. CNN reports that in the worst-known case, a man from Iowa hiccupped for more than 60 years. So what do you have to complain about? Chances are, your hiccups don't even last 60 minutes--with or without any of these cures.

--Cathryn Conroy

These are good ones.........mine is an adaptation of Lad's. It does, however need two people, or some dexterity. The person with the hiccups needs to plug their ears with their fingers and make a tight seal. They then need to drink a small paper cup of water without coming up for air. I've tried it before by myself. You have to hold the paper cup with your teeth while you drink. It works everytime. I use this method in my classroom with my little ones............42

the easiest thing is to simply raize your eye brows and soft pallete and breathe deeply. The reason that the fear method works is that it causes u do do this.... This certainly seems better than the freaky water thing to me...