Q. Chocolate works for hiccups. My father was recovering in the hospital for several weeks last summer, and many, many times he had lengthy bouts of severe hiccups. As he was recovering from abdominal surgery, these were extremely painful.
His doctors tried anti-spasmodic drugs to end them, and the drugs did not help. I read about this remedy in your book, bought him a bag of chocolate chips, and voila, it worked. He is in his seventies and a skeptic. When he mentions this cure to his doctors, they think he is making it up. Anyway, he was thrilled.
A. We first heard about eating a few chocolate chips to stop hiccups from a listener to our radio show. Her Danish grandmother had always used this remedy and she continued the tradition with her children.
Another traditional remedy for hiccups is a spoonful of granulated sugar swallowed dry. It stimulates the phrenic nerve and often interrupts the hiccup reflex.
