美国国家公共电台 NPR--Need a cure for hiccups? Here are a few almost foolproof ways

Need a cure for hiccups¹? Here are a few almost foolproof ways

Transcript²

Uri Bram wrote an extensive article for The Atlantic on a sure-fire cure for the hiccups.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

This could happen to anybody. We laugh too hard or eat too fast and suddenly we're stuck with hiccups that can last for minutes or even hours.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Writer Uri Bram was out with his girlfriend a while back when she got the hiccups.

URI BRAM: So I googled how to cure hiccups.

INSKEEP: He didn't find many medical solutions. He did find plenty of home remedies.

BRAM: There are various people who claim that if you hold down your left ear, specifically your left ear, that will stop your hiccups. And then there's lots of variations of drinking water out of the back of the glass, out of the side of the glass, cold water, ice water, whatever you can imagine.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HONKY TONK HICCUPS")

NEKO CASE AND HER BOYFRIENDS: (Singing) I got the honky tonk hiccups - ready, steady, go. I got the honky tonk hiccups...

INSKEEP: His search for a cure helped him to learn more than he ever wanted to know about hiccups.

MART?NEZ: He wrote about his discoveries in the latest issue of The Atlantic.

BRAM: Hiccups - technically³, they're called singultus. Your diaphragm occasionally falls into these spasms⁵, and once they start, the nerves just keep telling the diaphragm to spasm⁴. And then you breathe in the air, that hits the closed vocal⁶ cord area and that makes the hic sound.

MART?NEZ: Bram says there's been surprisingly little research on hiccups.

BRAM: There's only really been two minor⁷ scientific forays into hiccups that I could find that showed a particular solution really works.

INSKEEP: One of those solutions is a drinking straw developed by a doctor at the University of Texas named Ali Seifi. It was a big hit on the TV show "Shark Tank."

BRAM: He built a special kind of straw that has a very small hole at the bottom and a big hole at the top. And it takes a lot of effort to suck through the straw. And this stabilizes⁸ the diaphragm with enough pressure that your hiccups will stop.

MART?NEZ: Now, if you don't want to pay 13 bucks⁹ for the HiccAway straw, here's a cure that's free. It's a breathing technique recommended by a surgeon named Luc Morris.

BRAM: You take in a very deep breath.

INSKEEP: (Taking deep breath) Hold it for 10 seconds.

BRAM: And then you top it up with a little bit more breath.

INSKEEP: (Breathing in).

MART?NEZ: Then hold it for another five.

BRAM: And then you top it up with a little bit more breath again.

INSKEEP: And then exhale¹⁰ (exhaling).

BRAM: This, again, like, stabilizes the diaphragm in a way that seems to consistently stop hiccups.

MART?NEZ: Dr. Morris published his cure for hiccups nearly 20 years ago. So why do so few people know about it?

BRAM: Well, that was exactly my question and how I started writing the article. And as best I can tell, there's just no money in it. Effectively, what it comes down to is no one could pay for further studies. There's no drug you can sell. There's no tool or device. So there was no way to take the research further.

INSKEEP: Now, this breathing technique isn't perfect, but seems to be effective. And if it doesn't work for you, remember, you could always try singing next time you get the hiccups - some folks swear by it - or hold your breath and take five sips¹¹ of water, which is a solution I saw once on "The Andy Griffith Show."

MART?NEZ: Or how's for this thinking outside the voice box - just wait for the hiccups to go away.

1 hiccups   

n.嗝( hiccup的名词复数 )；连续地打嗝；暂时性的小问题；短暂的停顿v.嗝( hiccup的第三人称单数 )；连续地打嗝；暂时性的小问题；短暂的停顿

参考例句：

• I cannot find a rhyme to "hiccups". 我不能找到和hiccups同韵的词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Can we rhyme 'hiccups'with 'pick-ups'? 我们能把‘hiccups’同‘pick－ups’放在一起押韵吗？ 来自辞典例句

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

4 spasm   

n.痉挛，抽搐；一阵发作

参考例句：

• When the spasm passed,it left him weak and sweating.一阵痉挛之后，他虚弱无力，一直冒汗。
• He kicked the chair in a spasm of impatience.他突然变得不耐烦，一脚踢向椅子。

5 spasms   

n.痉挛( spasm的名词复数 )；抽搐；（能量、行为等的）突发；发作

参考例句：

• After the patient received acupuncture treatment,his spasms eased off somewhat. 病人接受针刺治疗后，痉挛稍微减轻了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The smile died, squeezed out by spasms of anticipation and anxiety. 一阵阵预测和焦虑把她脸上的微笑挤掉了。 来自辞典例句

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 stabilizes   

n.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的名词复数 )v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The broadbased attachment of the mesenteric root stabilizes the small bowel. 肠系膜根部基底宽阔的附着面使小肠得以稳定。 来自辞典例句
• The available supply of industrial product and produce stabilizes growth. 工业品与农产品的有效供给稳定增长。 来自互联网

9 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 exhale   

v.呼气，散出，吐出，蒸发

参考例句：

• Sweet odours exhale from flowers.花儿散发出花香。
• Wade exhaled a cloud of smoke and coughed.韦德吐出一口烟，然后咳嗽起来。

11 sips   

n.小口喝，一小口的量( sip的名词复数 )v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• You must administer them slowly, allowing the child to swallow between sips. 你应慢慢给药，使小儿在吸吮之间有充分的时间吞咽。 来自辞典例句
• Emission standards applicable to preexisting stationary sources appear in state implementation plans (SIPs). 在《州实施计划》中出现了固定污染的排放标准。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法