Hiccups: Instant cure inspired by McDonald's straw

Have you ever had the hiccups and tried everything to stop them?

Holding your breath, getting a shock, even doing a handstand - these are all popular methods of stopping hiccups.

Well, now a scientist has invented a new cure, and it was inspired by a McDonald's straw!

Hiccups are repeated spasms of the diaphragm - a muscle in our chest that helps with breathing - with the "hic" sound coming from the vocal cords closing at the same time.

They're usually temporary, but some cases have been known to last for hours or - in very rare cases - even days.

Dr Ali Seifi, associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center, has developed a rigid L shaped straw - more formally known as a "forced inspiratory suction and swallow tool".

It was inspired by watching his son trying to suck up a McDonald's McFlurry - a cross between a milkshake and an ice cream.

The device has a mouthpiece at one end and a pressure valve at the other, which requires you to suck harder than you would through a normal straw - mimicking the effect of trying to drink a thick milkshake.

This pressure causes your diaphragm to contract, stopping the uncontrollable influxes of air which we know as hiccups.

"It works instantly and the effect stays for several hours," said Dr Seifi.

In a study, scientists found that 92% of people who used the L shaped straw method had their hiccups cured.

The vast majority also said it gave better results than other methods, and that it was more convenient - although the results were all self-reported and there was no control group.

But, don't worry if you can't get hold of an L shaped straw.

Dr Rhys Thomas, a neuroscientist at Newcastle University, who was not involved in the study, said: "Anything that allows you to inflate your chest and swallow will work - the 'boo!' and the fingers in the ears will do that to a certain degree - and then this [device], if it allows you to have a long, slow swallow, will be a pretty potent way of doing that."

What's your favourite cure for hiccups, what works for you? Let us know in the comments.