Most people have bouts of hiccups from time to time, but why is
this? In most cases they start for no apparent reason, last a
short while, then stop. To understand why, it is necessary to
establish exactly what a hiccup is. They are basically a
diaphragmatic spasm and occur when a spur triggers the nerves
which lower the diaphragm, i.e. makes the diaphragm contract
involuntary, causing the person to take in a quick breath of air into their lungs, leading to the hiccups. The diaphragm is a large dome-shaped sheet of muscle slung beneath the lungs that, together with the intercostal muscles, causes us to breathe. The muscular spasm of these muscles sucks

Gastric Ulcer in Racehorses
...Controlling the use of oral corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as phenylbutazone might also be useful as they inhibit the formation of PGE in the stomach. Prostaglandins suppress the production of HCl, increase the blood flow in the mucous ...
air into the lungs, and the quick inhalation makes a structure inside the throat (called the epiglottis) shut off, so when this irregular breath hits your voice box, it produces the characteristic “hic” sound. The epiglottis is a flap of tissue between the vocal cords, that closes over the windpipe during swallowing to prevent the inhalation of food, fluids or saliva. It is a reflex that nobody can stop, however, unlike other reflexes such as coughing and sneezing, hiccups do not seem to have any useful purpose.


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