This remedy is no placebo. Hiccups
occur when a spasm contracts the diaphragm, a large sheet of
muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.
This spasm causes an intake of breath that is suddenly stopped by
the closure of the vocal cords. This closure causes the 'hiccup'
sound.
Hiccups are irritating, but it is possible to stop them within
sixty seconds or so by swallowing a teaspoon filled with dry sugar
or honey. Specialists believe the abrupt sweetness on the tongue
overloads the nerve endings in the mouth and blocks the hiccup
spasm.