Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Why do we hiccup?

Why do we hiccup?
A hiccup or hiccough (normally pronounced "HICK-up" (IPA: ['h.kp]) regardless of spelling) is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm; typically this repeats several times a minute. The sudden rush of air into the lungs cause the glottis to close, creating the "hic" listen (help·info) noise. A bout of hiccups across the world resolves itself without intervention, although masses home remedies are in circulation that claim to shorten the duration, and medication is occasionally indispensable. By extension, the term "hiccup" is also used to describe a small and unrepeated aberration surrounded by an otherwise consistent pattern. The medical possession is singultus.
While many cases develop spontaneously, hiccups are specified to develop often within specific situations, such as eating too in a flash, taking a cold drink while eating a hot suppertime, eating incredibly hot or spicy food, laughing vigorously or coughing, drinking an alcoholic beverage to excess, or electrolyte inconsistency. Hiccups may be caused by pressure to the phrenic sassiness by other anatomical structures, or rarely by tumors and absolute kidney disease. It is reported that 30% of chemotherapy patients suffer singultus as a side effect of treatment.
Hiccups are one of the few biological events to which science has all the same to attribute a use. Yawns are healthy for the lungs, sneezes clear out your sinuses, but hiccups, as far as we can update, are completely useless.

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