IF you want to stop hiccups in a hurry, there's apparently a device for that now.
HiccAway, a $25 drinking straw designed by a professor of neurosurgery, Dr Ali Seifi, claims to stop the annoying spasms.
The device, which appeared on the US TV show Shark Tank, works by creating a strong suction as the user sips through it, thereby lowering the diaphragm and activating the epiglottis - the flap at the back of the throat that prevents food entering the lungs.
In doing so, it stimulates the vagus and the phrenic nerves - which are linked to hiccups - and essentially 'resets' the brain and stops the contractions.
It is pretty simple to use - just submerge the straw in water and then forcefully suck up the liquid and swallow.
You would be forgiven for wondering if a pricey straw was really any more effective than the dozens of age-old (and free) methods of stopping hiccups - holding one's breath is the most effective, in this writer's opinion - but Dr Seifi said you needn't take his word for it.
The device was tested by scientists at the University of Texas, who found that it stopped hiccups in nearly 92% of cases, and rated it more effective than any traditional home remedy.
In a viral TikTok, Dr Seifi exclaimed, "Why is this not bigger news?".
He pointed out that HiccAway could be a life-saver for people with chronic cases of hiccups.
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