How to stop your hiccups

Summary

Unexplainable Podcast Episode Summary: "How to Stop Your Hiccups"

Release Date: April 9, 2025 | Host/Author: Vox | Episode: How to Stop Your Hiccups

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Introduction

In the "How to Stop Your Hiccups" episode of Unexplainable, hosts Brian Resnik and Susan Ettlinger delve into the perplexing world of hiccups. This episode explores the scientific mysteries behind hiccups, investigates various triggers and remedies, and features insights from medical experts and personal anecdotes from listeners. By navigating through the unknown facets of this common yet elusive phenomenon, the episode aims to shed light on what causes hiccups and how they can be effectively managed.

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The Enigma of Hiccups

The conversation kicks off with personal anecdotes about hiccups. Susan Ettlinger shares her frustrating experience with hiccups triggered by spicy foods:

Susan Ettlinger [01:07]: "I hate hiccups."

Brian Resnik engages listeners by sharing diverse hiccup triggers submitted by the audience, ranging from dry bread to baby carrots:

Brian Resnik [02:21]: "Everyone has their after midnight in New York City moment."

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Understanding the Hiccup Reflex

The hosts delve into the physiological mechanics of hiccups, explaining the hiccup reflex:

Brian Resnik [05:47]: "A hiccup is when you have a nerve stimulating the diaphragm to contract quickly."

The diaphragm, a crucial muscle beneath the lungs, contracts suddenly, followed by the closure of the glottis—the opening at the top of the throat—resulting in the characteristic "hic" sound. This reflex arc typically repeats every few seconds, but the exact reasons behind its initiation remain partially understood.

Evolutionary Perspectives

Exploring deeper, they reference Dr. Kim Whitehead, a researcher who posits that hiccups in infants may aid in learning breath control:

Dr. Kim Whitehead [06:44]: "The hiccup might be a way for babies to learn how to control their own breathing when they are born."

Additionally, an evolutionary angle suggests that hiccups trace back to our amphibian ancestors, serving as a mechanism to prevent water from entering the lungs during gill-breathing:

Narrator [07:07]: "Tadpoles still hiccup... to prevent water from getting in their lungs."

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Diverse Triggers of Hiccups

The episode highlights a wide array of hiccup triggers reported by listeners, both common and unconventional:

• Dry Bread: Causes an increase in swallowed air due to harder chewing, expanding the stomach and triggering the reflex.

  Susan Ettlinger [02:49]: "Bread. It has to be drier bread, like sourdough or baguettes."

• Baby Carrots: The smaller size may lead to faster consumption, similarly expanding the stomach.

  Brian Resnik [03:09]: "But if I eat one or two baby carrots, then I have these violent, socially disruptive hiccups."

• Washing the Left Ear: Possibly linked to Arnold's nerve, which can stimulate hiccups when irritated.

  Susan Ettlinger [09:25]: "Sometimes when I am washing my left ear, just my left ear, I hiccup."

• Lying: Psychological factors like anxiety or tension can induce diaphragmatic spasms.

  Brian Resnik [09:48]: "If you get your diaphragm rigid, that could stimulate a hiccup."

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Exploring Remedies and Treatments

The quest to halt hiccups has led to a multitude of home remedies, ranging from the mundane to the bizarre. Brian Resnik shares popular remedies such as:

• Drinking Water: Holding and controlling breathing patterns.

  Susan Ettlinger [26:13]: "You fill up your lungs, and then you take another sip of air for good measure."

• Peanut Butter: The stickiness may disrupt the hiccup cycle by altering throat muscle activity.

  Brian Resnik [27:44]: "Just eat a spoonful of peanut butter."

However, the episode introduces a novel approach developed by Dr. Ali Seifi, a neurosurgeon and inventor of the Hiccaway device:

Ali Seifi [18:21]: "It's time to say goodbye to all of these silly tricks and instead say hello to Hiccaway."

Hiccaway aims to provide a standardized method to trigger the diaphragm effectively, thereby interrupting the hiccup loop. The device modifies straw pressure to achieve the necessary diaphragm contraction:

Brian Resnik [21:08]: "Imagine a 1 meter long straw in a glass of water, and how hard you would have to engage your diaphragm to suck water through that straw."

Despite Dr. Seifi's promising claims of 92% effectiveness compared to traditional remedies, Susan Ettlinger urges caution regarding potential biases, noting that the study was sponsored by the product's inventor:

Susan Ettlinger [23:19]: "I mean, ideally, if this was like medical intervention, you would give some people the Hiccaway and then you'd give some people like a straw that kind of looks like the Hiccaway."

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Expert Insights and Critical Analysis

Dr. Tyler Simmit, a hiccup researcher, provides a critical perspective on the Hiccaway device, acknowledging its potential for acute hiccups but highlighting limitations for chronic cases:

Brian Resnik [24:40]: "This isn't a perfect cure."

Dr. Simmit emphasizes that while Hiccaway may offer temporary relief by overriding the hiccup reflex, it does not address underlying causes, which might require more intensive medical interventions:

Narrator [25:06]: "This only works once a hiccup starts."

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Listener-Shared Remedies and Anecdotes

The episode showcases a variety of creative and sometimes humorous remedies shared by listeners:

• Focusing Techniques: Using concentration to disrupt the hiccup cycle.

  Susan Ettlinger [27:28]: "I had hiccups, and a friend of mine asked me to spell a word backwards and my hiccups stopped."

• Physical Maneuvers: Such as holding breaths, adjusting body posture, or even using objects like a steel table knife in water.

  Brian Resnik [27:04]: "Grab a tall glass of water and have 10 small sips and two big sips."

These shared stories underline the personalized nature of hiccup remedies, emphasizing that what works for one person may not work for another.

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Conclusion

The "How to Stop Your Hiccups" episode of Unexplainable underscores the complexity of hiccups, revealing that despite being a common ailment, hiccups remain only partially understood. While numerous remedies exist, ranging from traditional techniques to innovative devices like Hiccaway, the lack of a universal cure highlights the need for continued research. The episode leaves listeners with an appreciation for the intricate interplay between physiology and psychology in managing hiccups, encouraging a blend of skepticism and open-mindedness towards potential treatments.

Brian Resnik [27:59]: "Because we still don't know exactly what would prevent a hiccup, it's kind of up to everyone to just keep stumbling around in the dark trying to deal with this mysterious ancient hiccup reflex with anything we can find."

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Notable Quotes:

• Susan Ettlinger [01:07]: "I hate hiccups."
• Brian Resnik [05:47]: "A hiccup is when you have a nerve stimulating the diaphragm to contract quickly."
• Dr. Kim Whitehead [06:44]: "The hiccup might be a way for babies to learn how to control their own breathing when they are born."
• Ali Seifi [18:21]: "It's time to say goodbye to all of these silly tricks and instead say hello to Hiccaway."
• Susan Ettlinger [23:19]: "Ideally, if this was like medical intervention, you would give some people the Hiccaway and then you'd give some people like a straw that kind of looks like the Hiccaway."

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This comprehensive exploration provides listeners with a deeper understanding of hiccups, blending scientific insights with real-world experiences to unravel the mysteries of this universal yet enigmatic reflex.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Season one of Andor had critics calling it the best Star wars series yet. Now season two of the Emmy nominated series returns April 22nd. Follow Cassian Andor as he embarks on a path from a rebel to a hero.

[Brian Resnik]

Starring Diego Luna and from creator Tony.

[Narrator]

Gilroy, writer of Michael Clayton and the bourne identity.

[Brian Resnik]

Season two of Andor is streaming April.

[Narrator]

22Nd only on Disney.

[Susan Ettlinger]

The PC gave us computing power at home, the Internet connected us, and mobile let us do it pretty much anywhere. Now, generative AI lets us communicate with technology in our own language, using our own senses. But figuring it all out when you're living through it is a totally different story.

[Brian Resnik]

Welcome to Leading the Shift, a new.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Podcast for Microsoft Azure. I'm your host, Susan Ettlinger. In each episode, leaders will share what they're learning to help you navigate all this change with confidence. Please join us. We're listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

[Brian Resnik]

Brian Nom what's your first thought when I say hiccups? Ugh.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Hate them.

[Brian Resnik]

Do you get hiccups?

[Susan Ettlinger]

Oh, yeah. I get triggered when I eat spicy foods. It all started. I mean, you don't care.

[Brian Resnik]

No, no, no. Tell me your hiccup Arjun story.

[Susan Ettlinger]

It's not that crazy.

[Brian Resnik]

It started in a galaxy far, far away.

[Susan Ettlinger]

No, it started in New York City, where a lot of great dreams are dashed and destroyed. I must have been like 20 years old, was out with friends. You know, you get hungry after a night out and, you know, we went to one of those halal carts which are delicious, and they always ask you, they have like the red sauce which is like fricking nuclear bomb of spice.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah, it'll kick in and they'll ask.

[Susan Ettlinger]

For like one line or two. And I was like, give me two. I was young and invincible and the spice hit me and I started hiccuping. This had never happened before and has kept happening since. Every time I eat something very spicy and like, the whole train ride home was just hiccuping. But now I want to go to the Thai restaurant and get the four chilies. But no, I just. It's too uncomfortable.

[Brian Resnik]

That sucks. I'm sorry.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Dreams destroyed New York City.

[Brian Resnik]

But honestly, that story, it's not all that unique. Like, it's tragic, but it's sort of how it goes with hiccups.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Everyone has their after midnight in New York City moment.

[Brian Resnik]

If not after midnight in New York City, so many people have their own. Like, this is the thing that makes me hiccup.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Oh, yeah.

[Brian Resnik]

So I reached out to our listeners And I wanted to know what causes them to hiccup. And I wanted to play you a few of my favorites. To start, we had a lot of bread.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Bread. It has to be drier bread, like sourdough or baguettes or rye bread. I can actually tell when it's gonna give me hiccups the moment before I swallow. It's like an immediate reaction. Swallow, then hiccup. Brioche is okay.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah, brioche, totally fine. Right. And one guy gets hiccups from baby carrots.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Full size carrots do nothing for me.

[Brian Resnik]

But if I eat one or two baby carrots, then I have these violent.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Socially disruptive hiccups for an extended period of time.

[Brian Resnik]

There's spicy food that's a trigger for lots of listeners, not just you. We had hiccups after burping, after eating and walking. And then there were some really strange ones.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Sometimes when I am washing my left ear, just my left ear, I hiccup. That's extremely strange.

[Brian Resnik]

It's really weird. And then finally someone wrote in and said his wife could always tell when he was going to tell a lie because he would hiccup.

[Susan Ettlinger]

That's probably been good for their relationship.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. And taking all of these things together, things like spicy food and bread and ears and lies, I wanted to try and figure out if they have a common thread. And that's what I want to talk about on this week's show. Is there a grand unified theory of what causes hiccups? And if there is something there, can that help us figure out how to make them go away? So to try and figure out what causes hiccups, I reached out to Tyler Simmit, who's a doctor, he's a professor, he's done tons of research on hiccups. And he says they're really interesting to think about because there's still so much we don't know about them.

[Narrator]

We don't know what causes hiccups. We don't know why people start hiccuping.

[Brian Resnik]

But that doesn't exactly stop patients from asking Tyler to explain what's going on.

[Narrator]

So people will come to us saying, stop my hiccups. And we have to redirect their thinking into, why do you have hiccups?

[Brian Resnik]

Tyler will come in and be like, you know, I don't know, like, maybe it's not the baby carrots, maybe it's not the bread. Maybe there's some underlying thing. And thinking about hiccups helps us get to that, like, second level.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Yeah. It strikes me like, you know, there's probably a difference between, like, a trigger and the cause or like, the thing that's actually happening.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. And that's exactly what Tyler tells people.

[Narrator]

Humans look for proximate causes. What's the one thing that comes right before in medicine, we have to teach people to think of a broad range of what it could be and not what it probably is.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Okay, so lots of different triggers, but the truth of hiccups, the essential. Like, what unifies the baby carrotters and the spicy hiccuppers. Like, what unifies us.

[Brian Resnik]

So we can start with what we do know about hiccups.

[Narrator]

So a hiccup is when you have a nerve stimulating the diaphragm to contract quickly.

[Brian Resnik]

So the diaphragm is the muscle under your lungs that controls your breathing, and that contracts.

[Narrator]

And then once that happens, after the diaphragm contracts, the glottis closes.

[Brian Resnik]

The glottis is basically the opening on the top of the throat. So that closes, and you get the hic sound.

[Narrator]

That's the reflex arc. And then it happens again anywhere from two to 25 seconds later.

[Brian Resnik]

And we have some ideas of why we might have this hiccup reflex. So I spoke to this researcher named Kim Whitehead, who noticed that babies hiccup way more than adults. And she thinks that it might be a way for babies. It might be a way for babies to learn how to control their own breathing when they are born. Like, the hiccup kind of forces them to get to know their own bodies.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Oh, yeah. That kind of forces them to, like, oh, my chest does something. My lungs do something.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah, it's kind of you take for granted you know how to breathe. But maybe the hiccup is the way we learn.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Okay.

[Brian Resnik]

And then there's this other idea that hiccups may actually trace back evolutionarily, like, hundreds of millions of years to our last common ancestor with amphibians.

[Narrator]

And what the hiccup does for them is it allows them to gill breathe, so it'll close off the glottis, so they're not having anything coming in, and they're having the breathing going through the gills.

[Brian Resnik]

Tadpoles still hiccup, and it's basically a mechanism to kind of quickly close things off, prevent water from getting in their lungs.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Like a do not enter exactly kind of response.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. And our last common ancestor with amphibians was small, so the nerves didn't have to travel that from the brain. But now that our bodies are so much bigger and they've changed so much, these nerves have this really long circuitous Root. So there are all these opportunities for them to get triggered, which leads to all these different kinds of hiccup causes.

[Susan Ettlinger]

I'm trying to create a visual in my mind about the system, and I'm wondering if it's a little bit like, I don't know. My apartment's very strangely electrically wired, and there are many switches that control the same light bulb.

[Brian Resnik]

That actually makes sense. It's like our bodies are these old, weirdly wired houses.

[Narrator]

You can have a stimulus from the brain, from the belly, from the lungs. And one of the things we're trying to figure out is what else is associated with it.

[Brian Resnik]

So given that Tyler is asking all of these hiccup questions, I wanted to ask him how these nerves and how this weird wiring system we have could be triggered by all of those things we heard at the top. Like, why would dry bread be that switch that makes you hiccup?

[Susan Ettlinger]

For as long as I can remember, bread has given me hiccups.

[Brian Resnik]

Tyler says he hears this one a lot, actually. Like, dry bread is sort of a common hiccup.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Cause it's interesting.

[Brian Resnik]

But he thinks it's actually the way you eat the bread. So if it's drier, you might chew harder, swallow more air, expand your stomach more.

[Narrator]

When you eat bread, you may have liquid with it, which expands. So there are more complicated responses that.

[Susan Ettlinger]

People aren't looking for spicy food.

[Brian Resnik]

You know, your hiccup thing that can expand your stomach quickly.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Okay.

[Brian Resnik]

And believe it or not, so can baby carrots.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Don't know what it is about baby carrots specifically.

[Narrator]

Well, I do think there's a good physiologic explanation. When you have baby carrots, maybe you eat them faster. Maybe you eat more of them, cause your stomach to expand. I mean, baby carrots are just carrots, but it's eaten differently.

[Brian Resnik]

Then, you know, there's the left ear guy.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Just my left ear.

[Narrator]

We usually say that's Arnold's nerve. That's got a branch in the ear that does cause people to cough and can cause a hiccup as well.

[Brian Resnik]

And that can just, you know, like your old wiring in your house that can trigger a hiccup.

[Narrator]

So that's just a anatomic oddity where the nerve's got a branch in the ear.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. And then there's the lie person.

[Narrator]

If you're starting to get anxious, holding your breath a bit. If you get your diaphragm rigid, that could stimulate a hiccup.

[Susan Ettlinger]

You're just tense. Like, that's the explanation.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. Tensing your diaphragm in a weird way, could trigger these nerves. And, you know, I wouldn't discount anxiety or tension entirely. Like, once a certain thing causes hiccups for you, you might be primed to hiccup again. Every time. You know, if you eat baby carrots and you hiccup because you ate a bit faster than, you know, the next time you have baby carrots, you could be tensing your diaphragm a bit, and you could be priming yourself to hiccup without even realizing it.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Okay, so there's, like, a million ways to get this process happening, but why does. Sometimes it lasts for, like, an hour or something. Like, that's really frustrating, like, when you're hiccuping and it's uncomfortable and you just want to, like, do something in peace.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. So I think we're in very uncertain territory here because of how complicated the body is. But if you go back to the anxiety or tension thing, the hiccup might actually be creating, like, a feedback loop.

[Narrator]

Once you're in that loop and you're tight and spasm and you're waiting for the hiccup and not doing anything to really, truly stop it, you're actually bringing them on and keeping the loop going.

[Brian Resnik]

There's also a ton we really don't know here. Like, everyone hiccups in their own particular way.

[Narrator]

We know that people have their own intrinsic hiccup pattern. Some people every two seconds, some people every 10.

[Brian Resnik]

And to be honest, scientists don't really know why these hiccup loops happen. Exactly.

[Narrator]

People are fascinating, and I wish I understood better how they control themselves and how they get into this, but they do a lot of times, once they've done it, once they continue to do.

[Brian Resnik]

It, people can hiccup in threes. They might hiccup once. It might just be something they got used to.

[Narrator]

And once they accept that as their pattern, it becomes a sense of defining themselves, and it continues even if it's not conscious.

[Brian Resnik]

All of this ends up being pretty confusing, which is why Tyler's actually used hiccups as a teaching tool. He's used them to get medical students to think through problems that might seem straightforward, but they're actually a lot more complicated when you dig into them.

[Narrator]

So we've used a lot of fun topics like goosebumps, hiccups, yawns, butterflies.

[Brian Resnik]

And even though some of these things could seem harmless on the surface, hiccups that happen often or for a long time, they might actually be a sign of a deeper issue.

[Narrator]

There are a lot of people who are predisposed to them, and they're living on the edge of having hiccups, which.

[Brian Resnik]

Might be because of some sort of underlying cause.

[Narrator]

Anxiety, lack of sleep can all contribute. We know that people who have diarrhea, who lose calcium, magnesium, selenium, and zinc are going to have twitchier muscles that are more likely to set off a hiccup round. And again, I think hiccups are an end symptom from something else going on.

[Brian Resnik]

So I don't want to scare people here. Like, hiccups are often just, you know, you ate something spicy or you swallowed too quickly. But if you do keep hiccuping for a really long time, you might have something called intractable hiccups or chronic hiccups. So, you know, till now, we've been talking about what's called acute hiccups, which don't last for more than a day or two, usually much shorter than that. But there are hiccups that could be caused by a brain issue or a nerve problem or a tumor pushing on your diaphragm or something like that. And these can last for months or years.

[Narrator]

They do stop you from sleeping. They do affect your ability to have a good meal. They do change your appetite. So, yeah, once it's two months, we're looking at some real changes.

[Susan Ettlinger]

But overall, is there anything we could do about hiccups, or are we just forced to suffer through them until they go away?

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. So for intractable hiccups, it can be really hard to treat. Like, the best options are surgery or some serious medications that can act on the brain or muscles. But when it comes to acute hiccups, you know, it's kind of a wild west out here. Like, everyone's got their own solution for hiccups. Like, I imagine you have a solution, right?

[Susan Ettlinger]

Just gulping water, hoping for the best.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah, I usually just do. A spoonful of peanut butter works pretty well for me at least. But I did come across one idea that could be a universal treatment for acute hiccups.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Really something that works for everyone potentially.

[Brian Resnik]

All right, I'll tell you after the break. Support for the show comes from Quints. We're getting to that time of year where you might be planning a vacation. So if you're going on some luxurious trip and you want to really look the part, check out Quince. Quince says they offer lightweight European linen styles from $30, washable silk tops, and comfy lounge sets. Plus, Quince says their Items are priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. Quince actually sent me some things to try. I loved the linen sheets. They're comfy while also being kind of warm and cozy. Great balance there. I also really love the cashmere sweater. Not exactly the season for it anymore, but you know, hey, why not crank up the AC wherever you go and enjoy a nice soft warm sweater. Whatever you decide to buy for your next trip, you can treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from Quints. You can go to quince.com unexplainable for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I n c e.com to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com unexplainable support for unexplainable comes from Netsuite if you run a business, especially these days, you probably wish you could see the future. And you know, one day maybe that'll be possible. But until then, if you get NetSuite by Oracle, you can join over 40,000 businesses that have future proofed their operations. NetSuite says they're a top rated cloud ERP, bringing accounting, financial management, inventory and HR into one unified platform. With all your business management tasks in one place, you have the visibility and control you need to make quick decisions. With NetSuite's real time data informing, actionable insights and forecasting, they say you might almost feel like you're peering into the future. No matter how big your company is, netsuite says they'll help you respond to your most pressing challenges and seize your biggest opportunities. Speaking of opportunity, you can download the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at netsuite.com unexplainable the guide is free to you at netsuite.com unexplainable netsuite.com unexplainability Support for unexplainable comes from 1Password Work happens all over the place. We send emails from our phones, we edit documents on our personal laptop, tops. But even though it's convenient, it can lead to some security risks. 1Password Extended Access Management can help ensure that whatever device you or your employees use for work, it's healthy and it's uncompromised no matter where you're using it. On top of that, 1Password says that with their Extended access management, you can empower hybrid employees with tech that teaches them how and why to fix security issues without needing help from it. 1Password says their award winning password manager is trusted by millions of users and over 150,000 businesses from IBM to Slack. You might already know that its industry leading password manager helps employees create strong, unique logins. But now they're securing more than just passwords. With 1Password Extended Access Management. Go to 1Password.com unexplainable to secure every app, device and identity, even the unmanaged ones. Right now, listeners get a free two week trial at 1Password.com unexplainable. That's the number one password.com unexplainable. Well, ain't nothing little water won't cure. We're back.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Hello.

[Brian Resnik]

And I mentioned before the break that there's this new idea that could be a potentially universal treatment for acute hiccups. Next, into the tank is a solution for an annoying problem. So I don't know if you watch Shark Tank, but if you do, you may have seen this.

[Ali Seifi]

Guys, allow me, a doctor, to help. It's time to say goodbye to all of these silly tricks and instead say hello to Hiccaway.

[Brian Resnik]

So this is Ali Seifi. He's the inventor of this hiccup remedy called Hiccaway. But he's also a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health center in San Antonio. And he started working on hiccup treatments because he was seeing lots of patients who'd had strokes and couldn't stop hiccuping.

[Ali Seifi]

We used to just give them, okay, just drink several cups of water or drink water upside down or jump some silly home remedies.

[Brian Resnik]

But these home remedies didn't really seem to be helping the hiccups of these patients, Especially one guy who'd had brain surgery.

[Ali Seifi]

And then when I entered his room to see the patient, I saw like, he had cups of water on his table and he was keep drinking. And to the point that he was throwing up. And he turned to me, said, Dr. Seifi, this is 21st century. You guys do heart transplant, you do brain surgery, you do all these cancer treatment, but there is nothing for hiccups. Is this the time that you guys, the doctors, should make something for hiccups? And that was actually a trigger at that point for me.

[Brian Resnik]

So this patient had intractable hiccups from a stroke, like an underlying brain issue. So there wasn't all that much Ali could do about it other than maybe prescribe an antipsychotic. But he started thinking, like, what about acute hiccups? Why are they still so hard to solve?

[Ali Seifi]

And I said, you know what? Maybe I am the person should make something.

[Brian Resnik]

So Ali started by looking at the home remedies that people said work for them. You know, like drinking from a glass of water, scaring someone.

[Ali Seifi]

And then after a couple of months of research, I found. Okay, most of these home remedies, either they're working on the phrenic nerve or vagus nerve, which are two nerves, actually, that control our diaphragm muscle and control our throat. And any of these home remedies without the people knowing they are triggering those two nerves.

[Brian Resnik]

Ali thought all of this was interesting. The home remedies, they were triggering the right nerves, but he also thought they weren't triggering the nerves in the right way.

[Ali Seifi]

The problem is that most of these home remedies is hit and miss, because the way the people do it, they don't trigger them enough.

[Brian Resnik]

He thought if you could get the diaphragm to contract enough, it could interrupt the spasm, and then you might be able to short circuit this hiccup loop.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Is it kind of like a cramp? Like, if my foot cramps up, I gotta, like, you know.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah, like when you're cramping the muscle. Yeah. You flex the muscle enough, and then you won't keep cramping up. So he used some machines in his lab to try and measure exactly how hard you'd need to suck on a straw to trigger your diaphragm.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Enough, like sucking pressure. Like I need to.

[Brian Resnik]

Exactly, exactly like how much sucking pressure you need. And he got to 100cm of water pressure, which is essentially the amount of pressure you need to drink water through. 100 centimeter long straw.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Okay.

[Brian Resnik]

I mean, imagine a 1 meter long straw in a glass of water, and how hard you would have to, you know, engage your diaphragm to suck water through that straw.

[Susan Ettlinger]

That's not a straw I really want to use.

[Brian Resnik]

No. And that's exactly what Ali was thinking. Like, okay, this is going to be a problem. How do I get people to keep a meter long straw in their house for whenever they get hiccups?

[Susan Ettlinger]

So.

[Brian Resnik]

So he got creative because he realized that if you change the size of the openings on each end of the straw, you can change the amount of pressure you need to use.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Wait, so if you change, if you make a smaller opening, it becomes harder to suck?

[Brian Resnik]

Exactly. That generates enough pressure to trigger your diaphragm, which contracts the muscle and short circuits this loop.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Sounds nice. Does. Does it work?

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah, so Ali says it works. They. They did a trial on a couple hundred people.

[Ali Seifi]

So we gave this device and they tested for four months, and we asked them to compare this with the home remedies that they have been done in the Past.

[Brian Resnik]

So this definitely isn't a perfect study. Like, Ali was basically asking people to compare his straw to whatever home remedy they used. So there's a lot of variability there. You know, lots of people don't have this ready made cure that worked for them.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Yeah, I mean, ideally, if this was like medical intervention, you would give some people the hickaway and then you'd give some people like a straw that kind of looks like the hickaway.

[Brian Resnik]

So he did do something sort of like that. He gave some patients straws that looked like hickaways without the right pressure stuff. And he says it didn't work for them.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Oh, that's.

[Brian Resnik]

But that wasn't included in the study. That was just sort of anecdotal and the study didn't actually have a control group. So that's a pretty big limitation here. Still, Ali says he did get some interesting initial results.

[Ali Seifi]

So then we collected this after four months and we came up with 92% better effectiveness of this device as compared to any home remedies. And then we published this result in jama, which is Journal of American Medical Association.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Merritt. Um, I mean, the science editor in me must point out that it's. It's not great look to do your own research on a product you have a financial stake in.

[Brian Resnik]

Yep, very true.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Which isn't to say it's wrong, but just like this happens all the time where like, you know, companies will sponsor research for their products. So cranberry companies will sponsor research into the health effects of cranberry. Right, right. And the results tend to like, be aligned with what would make the product look good.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. The cranberry study isn't normally going to say, don't eat cranberries.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. So that's definitely a big grain of salt there.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah. I think there's reason to be skeptical here. Like, yeah, ideally we'd want some independent researcher without a financial stake here to do a study on this.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Yeah.

[Brian Resnik]

But if we move past the specific product itself and just focus on the mechanism here of, you know, super flexing the diaphragm through suction. I did run it by Tyler, the doctor we heard in the first half of the show, and he thinks it makes sense.

[Narrator]

So it looked like it was a nice way of getting people to actively and strongly and efficiently close their glottis and contract their diaphragm.

[Brian Resnik]

But there's two things to keep in mind here. We really don't know how well this would work on long term intractable hiccups. Like it might Give some temporary relief. But if you really want to get at the underlying cause, you're going to need more serious medication or maybe even surgery.

[Susan Ettlinger]

So we haven't completely cracked the code of what's an easy hiccup solution for everyone.

[Brian Resnik]

Yeah.

[Susan Ettlinger]

And.

[Brian Resnik]

And then the second thing to keep in mind is that even if you take these claims at face value, that the hiccough really works on acute hiccups, Tyler basically just said, this isn't a perfect cure.

[Narrator]

It's overriding the hiccup as opposed to preventing or stopping the cause.

[Brian Resnik]

This only works once a hiccup starts.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Yeah, I would want to prevent them.

[Brian Resnik]

Exactly. This is not preventing hiccups. This is just, okay, you can break your hiccup loop, but they're to come back. So alistra. It makes sense physiologically. It's got real potential. But I don't really think the research here is airtight enough to be like, okay, everyone stop using the home remedies that work for you. And these home remedies, you know, they're not exactly standardized, but they do really work, and they have these really interesting approaches that target the nerves or the diaphragm in so many different ways. So I wanted to hear what kind of creative treatments our listeners like to use and how they might trigger the hiccup nerves or the diaphragm.

[Susan Ettlinger]

You fill up your lungs, and then you take another sip of air for good measure. Like, then you hold it for as long as you can, and then you let it out as slow as you can.

[Brian Resnik]

So I checked with Tyler to see if this remedy makes sense.

[Narrator]

So expand your diaphragm. Stop it from being able to contract on its own, and then dare it to contract. I like it.

[Brian Resnik]

Place a steel table knife in a glass of water and drink the water with the flat side of the knife resting on your forehead.

[Susan Ettlinger]

What?

[Narrator]

Okay, so that could be awareness of what's going on by using a one piece that gives you vibrations and will let you know when it's about to start.

[Brian Resnik]

I got hiccups. My husband felt bad for me and was like, come here and gave me a kiss. And after doing so, I realized my hiccups went away.

[Narrator]

Have to study that one more. But I'm thinking when you pucker up and try and kiss, you're also closing your glottis.

[Brian Resnik]

And then there's focus. Like, a lot of listeners actually used my favorite hiccup cure, just eat a spoonful of peanut butter. So I thought this one was really about sticking up your throat to stop a hiccup But Tyler says that the stickiness might just get you to be conscious of all the parts of your body you're not usually aware of when.

[Narrator]

You'Re focusing on what's going on. And you know your pattern of hiccups. The peanut butter is going to make you tighten some muscles.

[Brian Resnik]

That may help, but you also might need to do the opposite. Like you might need to relax and unclench your muscles. And for that distraction really helps.

[Ali Seifi]

I had hiccups, and a friend of mine asked me to spell a word backwards and my hiccups stopped.

[Brian Resnik]

Overall, the thing that stands out to me here is that the remedies themselves are often similar to the causes of hiccups.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Oh, funny. Yeah.

[Brian Resnik]

Like tightening the diaphragm too much can bring on a hiccup, but contracting it exactly enough can make it stop. Too much focus can bring on a hiccup, but the right focus can make it stop. So much depends on exactly how much you do these causes and remedies. And because we still don't know exactly what would prevent a hiccup, it's kind of up to everyone to just keep stumbling around in the dark trying to deal with this mysterious ancient hiccup reflex with anything we can find.

[Narrator]

I mean, people will find great ways to get information about their bodies. This is terrific.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Once when I was in high school, a student had the hiccups and the teacher finally stopped everything and looked at the girl and said, think of a green rabbit. To our astonishment, she stopped hiccuping immediately.

[Brian Resnik]

Grab a tall glass of water and have 10 small sips and two big sips.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Trying your best not to take breaths in between.

[Brian Resnik]

It works for most people.

[Narrator]

I tell it to.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Whenever someone else's hiccups, I will ask them a question about the last meal that they have, and as soon as they answer, their hiccups will be cured. Put your elbows out really far and.

[Brian Resnik]

Point two fingers together and sort of stare at the point between the fingers. It doesn't work if you bring your.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Elbows down, allegedly, but it works.

[Brian Resnik]

Allegedly.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Take a straw and then plug your ears and drink as much water as you can without breathing. I swear it works.

[Brian Resnik]

Pour a glass of water, light a match, put the match out in the water, drink the water, throw away the match. I tell my brain, alright, it's time to stop hiccuping. We're not doing that anymore. And my brain, I guess, listens and I stop hiccuping. So, like a lot of young boys, I taught myself to burp on commands like, excuse me, And I discovered this summer that when I make myself burp, it stops my hiccups.

[Susan Ettlinger]

This episode was reported and produced by Noam Hassenfeld. Edits from Katherine Wells, Meredith Hodonot and me, Brian Resnik, mixing and sound design from Christian Ayala, music from NOM and fact checking from Zoe Mullock. Thanks to Aravis, Carson, Kent, Sam, Vanessa, Erica Siavash, Jessica, Alex, Nicole, Another Nicole, Miles, Sue, Ben, and Peter for sharing their hiccup stories. And thanks for the tons of other people who emailed in with stories, remedies, and amazing hiccup questions for us. We couldn't have made this episode without all of you. If you have thoughts about this episode or ideas for the show, please email us. We're unexplainableox.com we'd also love it if you left us a review or rating. Unexplainable is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network, and we'll be back next week.

[Brian Resnik]

What do you got for spicy food?

[Susan Ettlinger]

Green curry, extra spicy.

[Brian Resnik]

How many chilies?

[Susan Ettlinger]

All of them. All of the chilies?

[Narrator]

All of the chilies.

[Susan Ettlinger]

I even added some, like, habaneros to this to, like, I don't know. Disaster.

[Brian Resnik]

Amazing.

[Susan Ettlinger]

Ooh, it's very spicy. Am I gonna hiccup? It's usually, like, on the first two bites of something. This is very spicy, but I'm doing okay. What if trying to hiccup on purpose is, like, my cure?

[Brian Resnik]

I mean, honestly, that works for a lot of people.

[Susan Ettlinger]

This is very weird for me because I usually have, like, an immediate reaction to very spicy foods. And this is very spicy. Like, I'm getting the sweats and it's not happening.

[Brian Resnik]

Well, now, you know, I mean, if you are eating spicy food in the future, all you gotta do is pretend you're on a podcast, right?

[Susan Ettlinger]

Pretend I'm talking. Maybe it's you, maybe it's me. I think there's something to this. I think this is my cure. Imagining eating spicy food on a podcast.