Q: I’ve suffered with hiccups all my life (I’m only in my late 50’s).  The only remedy that works is one I learned from a friend about six years ago: Raise your left arm straight over your head while drinking a glass of water.

Can you tell me why this works?  I’m guessing it has to do with the stretching motion expanding or opening up the diaphragm.

A: Hiccups are heard when the diaphragm repeatedly contracts involuntarily and the vocal cords close immediately after each contraction. There are many triggers, including a large meal, hot peppers, alcohol, carbonated beverages and anesthesia.  A number of serious health conditions also can set off hard-to-treat hiccups.  That’s why persistent hiccups (beyond two days) should be brought to a doctor’s attention.

We have been collecting hiccup remedies for over 40 years.  We suspect that many work by stimulating nerves in the mouth and throat.  This in turn might interrupt the muscular contraction.  Raising the left arm while drinking water may help stimulate the vagus nerve, much as swallowing a spoonful of sugar would.  This is a time-honored remedy for hiccups (New England Journal of Medicine Dec. 23, 1971).

Others, such as sipping pickle juice or eating olives, might work by activating transient receptor potential (TRP) channels in this same pathway.  You can learn about many other hiccup remedies in our book “Quick & Handy Home Remedies.”  It is available at PeoplesPharmacy.com.

• article by Joe and Teresa Graedon
• copyright The Seattle Times