DEAR DOCTOR: HOW DO I STOP HICCUPING? WHAT WILL ACTUALLY WORK?

Hiccups, those sudden and sometimes annoying contractions of the diaphragm, can be a perplexing phenomenon. During a hiccup your diaphragm contracts and, immediately after this, the top of your windpipe (your glottis) closes, making the typical 'hic' sound.

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Hiccups can be annoying and inconvenient, but will usually pass on their own after a short time. People sometimes like to try things in the hope of speeding things up though. While there is no foolproof cure, several techniques have been suggested (although none of them have much of an evidence base)...