The name Charles Osborne may not ring a bell to readers today. But in his time he was famous for one thing: hiccups.

The Guinness World Records lists him as the man with the longest attack of hiccups. His hiccups began in 1922 at the rate of 40 times per minute and finally ended after 68 years in 1990!

“It has been estimated that Osborne hiccupped 430 million times over the 68-year period. The average human only hiccups about 2,300 times in an average lifetime. Osborne began hiccupping in 1922, while slaughtering a hog. Despite his condition, he was able to lead a normal life, and was even married two times,” said the editors of Wikipedia.

Luckily for most people, hiccups or “singultus” (the medical term for this condition) disappear on their own. Although they can be embarrassing at times, hiccups are seldom a serious problem. Often episodes last for a few minutes or less than 48 hours.

Anything that stimulates the phrenic and the vagus nerves causes hiccups. This includes swallowing air, drinking cold water, eating a large meal or hot or spicy foods, talking while eating, tobacco and alcohol use, sudden temperature changes and excitement or emotional stress.

“The vagus nerve serves as a communication pathway between your brain and organs, such as your heart, lungs and intestines. There's one vagus nerve on each side of your body. These nerves run from your brainstem through your neck and down to your chest and abdomen. The phrenic nerve controls movement of your diaphragm. There's one phrenic nerve on each side of your body. The phrenic nerves run from your brainstem through your neck and down to your diaphragm,” said the Mayo Clinic.

Hiccups are also part of the body's defense system. If you swallow a large piece of meat or drink plenty of fluids, the glottis (the opening from the mouth to the throat) automatically closes to prevent food from getting into the wind¬pipe. At the same time, the diaphragm forces the food upward by contracting its muscles. When the danger has passed, the nerves of the diaphragm and glottis relax. If they don't, a person has hiccups.

When hiccups are persistent or last more than 48 hours, they may be caused by an underlying medical condition. Possible causes are nerve damage or irritation, damage to the central nervous system, complications following surgery, anxiety or stress.

There are many home remedies for hiccups. Holding your breath is one of them. Others find relief in drinking cold water, gargling while holding one’s breath, coughing, sneezing, putting a pinch of salt on the back of the tongue, breathing into a paper bag or a sharp yank on the tongue. Being startled can also stop hiccups in some people.

For stubborn cases, your doctor may prescribe tranquilizers or anticonvulsants. Another treatment involves injecting an anesthetic into the phrenic nerve.

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