the hicups

eurotrotter

after every meal, i hicup, i chew well, I drink while eating.
I excercise more than the average 22 year old, i dont drink,dont smoke, I live a very healthy lifestyle.
I dont kno what this might be, but i hicup religiously after every meal i eat.
any ideas what this might be?
thanks
ed

Nordie

It's wind breaking but why I can't answer that. It could be something you eat causing it, food intolerence i.e. diary product, wheat, etc. Note what you eat and cut out one of the foods from your diet to see if it makes a difference, alternative the different foods you cut and if the hiccups stop then that particular food type is causing the hiccups. Its worth a try.

I am lactose intolerant so I can't have diary products, when I do indulge the odd time I suffer with wind badly.

John

Hiccups aren't anything to do with wind, it is a muscle spasm. Your diaphragm spasms causing you to inhale sharply. I *think* it is to do with your swallowing reflex getting out of sync, when you swallow your epiglottis (a flap of muscle in the throat) should cover the opening into the trachea (which goes into your lungs) to stop you choking. The sharp inhalation of the hiccups causes the epiglottis to be sucked back over the trachea which gives you that jarring feeling of breathing but being stopped mid-breath when you hiccup.

In relation to Eurotrotter, if you're worried about it, go to the doctor. It's against the charter to look for a diagnosis on the Bio/Med forum.

(apologies to Dr. Indy for the backseat modding but I've always been a fan of his backseat)

2Scoops

This should sort you out:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2299306&dopt=Abstract

InFront

^I really can't imagine how they came up with that as a solution?!

Does anybody know if animals get hiccups? (well aside from Dumbo, obviously), or why is it apparently a human trait?

Yawning is another mystery, I don't think there is any definitive reason for it.

John

2Scoops wrote:

This should sort you out:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2299306&dopt=Abstract

Hmmm, I want to know what digital rectal massage is but I'm afraid to google for it...

2Scoops

InFront wrote:

^I really can't imagine how they came up with that as a solution?!

It won an IgNoble prize for medicine last year - makes you laugh, then it makes you think:) Apparently, it enables near direct massage of the vagus, leading to increased parasympathetic activity. There are easier ways of increasing PS activation though!

Nordie

John wrote:

Hiccups aren't anything to do with wind, it is a muscle spasm. Your diaphragm spasms causing you to inhale sharply. I *think* it is to do with your swallowing reflex getting out of sync, when you swallow your epiglottis (a flap of muscle in the throat) should cover the opening into the trachea (which goes into your lungs) to stop you choking. The sharp inhalation of the hiccups causes the epiglottis to be sucked back over the trachea which gives you that jarring feeling of breathing but being stopped mid-breath when you hiccup.

In relation to Eurotrotter, if you're worried about it, go to the doctor. It's against the charter to look for a diagnosis on the Bio/Med forum.

(apologies to Dr. Indy for the backseat modding but I've always been a fan of his backseat)

You learn something new every day, thanks for that. I've always been led to believe it was to do with wind!

DrIndy

John wrote:

Hmmm, I want to know what digital rectal massage is but I'm afraid to google for it...

works a trick!

It also works if someone has a rapid heart rate called SVT!

Hiccups are caused by stimulating the vagal nerve by swallowing a large quantity of liquid or solid and this strikes the vagus nerve, causing reflex hiccups to arise.

There are other medical conditions that can cause it, so see your doctor if worried, otherwise continue talking about hiccups.

John

If the vagus is cut, do you lose the ability to get the hiccups?

2Scoops

John wrote:

If the vagus is cut, do you lose the ability to get the hiccups?

I'm pretty sure that cutting both vagi above a certain point would be fatal, so yes, you would lose the ability to hiccup:D

That said, a quick wikipedia search reveals that cutting lower down to eliminate vagal innervation to the stomach was once used to treat peptic ulcers! The treatment was discredited and is no longer used.

John

Haha, good point!

Robbiethe3rd

I dont think it would be fatal but you would be more affected by sympathetics. I think it would be difficult to do unless you went ad cut it in the neck as its usually in some sort of plexus form.

John

From here:

The vagus nerve is the longest of all the CNs. Vagus nerve impairment can be due to intracranial or peripheral causes. Sudden and complete bilateral paralysis of nervus vagus is rapidly fatal. Unilateral sudden complete interruption of CN X produces nasal speech, hoarseness, dropped soft palate, dysphagia tachycardia and arrhythmia.

Robbiethe3rd

I stan corrected, forgot bout the recurrent laryneal nerve!

InFront

Perhaps the safest thing to do would be to remove the head... hiccups gone, no questions asked!

darkskol

Hah I started hiccuping after reading this thread
I remember my dog was hiccuping before