Hiccups: Why it occurs and how to treat it

Hic! Hic! All of us have had the hiccups many times in life. Sometimes it causes laughter, other times despair and, when it happens to our children, I am positive you have tried several home remedies to try to calm it down.

But, have you ever wondered where that peculiar noise comes from? How is it produced? How can we treat it? Is it normal? When should we go to the doctor?

What is hiccups?

Hiccups is very common in babies, but also in older children and adults. It is very common and normal.

“It is a response of the organism to a spasm or irritation suffered by the diaphragm, a muscle located between the abdomen and the thorax used for breathing”, says Dr. Mónica Soto, a general practitioner, graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

“The stomach is placed just below the diaphragm. When it is distended, it irritates nerves that produce some discharges that cause the diaphragm to contract suddenly, abruptly and involuntarily. The glottis closes and therefore the vocal cords close, too”.

“This process happens really quickly; produces the noise we all know as hiccups, the classic ‘hic’. Is self-limited, benign, and usually does not express any symptoms of serious illness”, adds the physician.

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What causes the hiccups?

  • In the case of babies, it is very common after a milk intake. It could be because he ate too fast, too eagerly, or swallowed too much air. Another cause is that he was full and the stomach distends. Other cause is that he has cried a lot and swallowed a lot of air.
  • Older children or adults it is also due to having a very full stomach, or drinking very hot or very cold drinks. The gas in soft drinks can also cause the hiccups. Sometimes there is no specific cause for the stimulation of this organ.
According to the Mayo Clinic

In its article, Hipo: síntomas y causas, otros detonantes (Hiccups: Symptoms and Causes, other triggers) includes, “Drinking fizzy drinks, drinking too much alcohol, eating too much, sudden changes in temperature, eating too much, having a large meal, alcoholic beverages, or a sudden emotion”.

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What to do to treat the hiccups?

“Actually, nothing, just wait until it disappears after a few minutes. There are a lot of parents who worry about their babies having the hiccups.

In general…

All the methods used to eliminate hiccups basically consist of stretching and relaxing the diaphragm.

You can lay the baby on his right side. If he is very young, the mother can breastfeed him so he can drink milk and stimulate gastric emptying.

“Surely, many know the homemade hacks for older children or adults: taking a teaspoon of honey, holding your breath, covering your nose and mouth as if you were going to unblock your ears, blowing in a paper bag, putting sugar on your tongue, taking sips of plain water”, says Dr. Soto.

Many moms would add what is perhaps the most famous remedy: someone scaring you! Boo!

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Should we worry about the hiccups?

Most of the time there is nothing to worry about, it usually lasts a short time and just goes away.

Baby cases:

“You should see a doctor when the hiccups lasts more than three hours or when there are also other symptoms such as crying, irritability and fever. In those cases, the doctor should evaluate the baby in case there is an injury that manifests itself through the hiccups”.

Rest of the cases:

The most usual thing is that it disappears between three and five minutes without doing any unnecessary things. Very rarely, the hiccups lasts for days, even months. You should go to the doctor when the hiccups lasts more than 20 days.

“The expert will determine if studies are necessary or what therapeutic measures are convenient according to each case”, concludes the expert.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Here: Spanish version

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Radiography of Mexican dads

Celebrating Father’s Day started in 1910. Louise Smart Dood, an American woman, tried that the role of fathers in society got some recognition. Here we present: Radiography of Mexican dads

In Mexico, it was not until 1972 that dad began to be celebrated, and it was established that he would be celebrated every third Sunday in June.

Radiography of Mexican dads: Traditional fatherhood

To speak of fatherhood in Mexico is to point out a variety of characteristics that exist in the male population that has sons or daughters.

Little by little, the Mexican father is leaving the traditional fatherhood behind. Today, more and more men are getting involved in parenting.

It should be noted that this celebration does not have “as much rating” as the celebration of Mother’s Day, but the new generations are recognizing the importance of the father in the lives of girls and boys.

Fatherhood in Mexico

Let’s get to know dad according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), the National Population Council (CONAPO) and the National Institute for Women (INMUJERES):

  • To begin with, while 78 percent of the population celebrates the mother, only 50 percent of the population celebrates the father.
  • 5 million men are fathers, that is, a third of the male population have children. According to the INEGI, all the men in the household who were referenced as such by any of the household members were counted as fathers; those who do not share the dwelling with their children were not counted as fathers.
  • On an average, the fathers are 44 years old.1 percent were under the age of 18; 15.8 percent were between 18 and 29 years old; 52.3 percent were in the range of 30 to 49 years of age; 25.8 percent between 50 and 69; and only 5.9 percent were 70 years and older.
  • 2 percent have basic education; 15 out of every hundred have a major’s degree and only two out of every hundred have a master’s degree or higher. It should be noted that the majority of the population under 15 years of age lives with both parents (86.5 percent), 12.2 percent lives only with the mother, while 1.3 percent lives only with the father.
  • 3 percent of households in Mexico are supported by men.
  • A male head of a family spends an average of 11.1 hours a week on housework. While female heads of family spend an average of 33.2 hours a week.
  • A male head of a family spends an average of 11.1 hours a week on housework. While female heads of family spend an average of 33.2 hours a week.

In Mexico, there are around 900 thousand single fathers. The State of Mexico tops the list with 160,997 cases, followed by Mexico City with 97,846, Jalisco with 70,857 and Veracruz with 64,657.

  • 796,000 men are heads of their homes, of which 259,000 are separated or divorced, 42,000 have suffered abandonment, and 495,000 are widowed.
  • The Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce, Services and Tourism (Concanaco-Servytur) estimated that this 2021 celebration of Father’s Day would result in an economic benefit of around 17. 5 billion pesos.
  • Since 2012, paid paternity leave has been included in the Federal Labor Law (LFT). Working fathers are entitled to five days of leave from the birthday of their son or daughter, or when they receive the minor, in the case of adoption. In other countries, they average 8.1 weeks of paid paternity leave, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
  • In the United States a survey found that 46 percent of fathers say they don’t spend enough time with their sons and daughters, compared to 23 percent of mothers, according to the State of Parenting Outlook in the World, from MenCare 2015.

In 1972, dad began to be celebrated in Mexico and it was established that every third Sunday in June, he would be celebrated.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version: Here

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When is Happiness Day?

This weekend, there are many things to celebrate: the leisure days and Oil Expropriation Day, the arrival of spring, and Happiness Day. Yes, there is a day to be happy as you hear it.

March 20th is Happiness Day

International Happiness Day is celebrated on March 20th, as established by the United Nations Organization (UN) in 2013 as a way to recognize the importance of this feeling in the lives of people around the world and the need to broaden economic growth so that the equality and well-being of all peoples are considered.

“The path to happiness requires fundamental values such as kindness and compassion, especially in times of crisis due to armed conflicts, pandemics such as the coronavirus, or famine. Individual happiness passes through global happiness with the collaboration of all. Let’s not leave anyone behind”.

UN

March 20th is International Happiness Day. Photo: Shutterstock
March 20th is International Happiness Day. Photo: Shutterstock

What is happiness?

Have you ever wondered if you are happy? What do you need to be happy? The answer is usually not simple. Happiness is a state associated with positive emotion, according to psychology. For many philosophers, it constitutes the ultimate goal of the human being, related more to a way of walking through life than to the place at which one arrives.

For Hugo Sánchez, an academic from the Faculty of Psychology at UNAM, happiness is given by events and things that satisfy our needs.

“We have to accept that it is a concept that we must build to try to enjoy it when it appears”.

Happiness, explains the researcher, is the feeling of believing and having hope in the future, that “things” will be fine, in a situation in which relationships seem to be progressing positively.

“The problem appears when we believe that happiness should permeate our lives. The reality is that we must go through every emotion that exists: sadness, anger, anxiety, fear, etc. that allows us to adapt correctly to the environment”.

Happiness lies in the situations we go through. Photo: Pixabay
Happiness lies in the situations we go through. Photo: Pixabay

How do you teach children to be happy?

Sometimes adults associate happiness with material things, such as having a car of the year or earning a lot of money. Still, it can be in small details for children, says the Educo organization. Here are some tips to encourage this feeling in children.

  • .Play with your children: Playing is an important part of their development; make a space for them to enjoy this time together.
  • Be positive parents: Remember that your children will follow your example, so you must teach them the positive side of all situations.
  • Give autonomy: Although you will always want to care for your children, you must give them space to make their decisions.
  • Recognize their achievements: Let your children know that you are proud so that they feel appreciated and valued.
  • Help them express their emotions: Children must learn to understand their feelings and the situations that cause them from an early age.
  • Teach them what empathy is: Putting yourself in the place of others will help them understand what others feel and help when necessary.
  • Do not label them: Adjectives such as “bad” or “disobedient” will make your children act that way to adapt to the profile you are imposing on them unconsciously. To avoid this, give them positive teachings instead. Avoid labels.
  • Never fall for insults or even spankings: This type of act leaves traces forever. Remember that your little ones learn from you. If they see that you solve things with aggression, they will likely become violent.
Children learn by example; children will be happy with happy adults. Photo: Shutterstock
Children learn by example; children will be happy with happy adults. Photo: Shutterstock

Being happy is constant work. Talk to your little ones about when Happiness Day is.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version: Here

Baby feeding: 6 months

Time flies by, it seems like yesterday when your little one was a newborn, and now he has passed the first semester of his life. The transition to solid foods characterizes the baby’s feeding at six months.

In the first months, breastfeeding plays a vital role in the nutrition of our baby. As they grow, their needs increase, so they should start consuming other foods after six months of life.

Adriana Rihani Suárez, a nutritionist and member of Top Doctors Mexico, explained that complementary feeding is the process that begins when breastfeeding is not enough to cover the nutritional requirements for infants; therefore, it is necessary to introduce other foods without giving up breastmilk.

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New stage, new food

She stressed that the consumption of solid foods by our little ones should be little by little and according to their age, implementing them in the following way:

  • Six to seven months: meats, vegetables, fruits, and cereals with iron.
  • Seven to eight months:
  • Eight to 12 months: egg, fish, and dairy
  • One year: Citrus fruits and whole milk.

“It is favorable for the baby to start with the following textures: from liquid to mash and then introduce purees, crushed, finely chopped and finally in small pieces”.

Dr. Adriana Rihani Suarez

Starting at six months, babies should start with solid foods. Photo: Pixabay
Starting at six months, babies should start with solid foods. Photo: Pixabay

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Healthy baby, healthy child

The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that babies of this age should consume 200 kcal per day, just from food two or three times a day, and then gradually increase the frequency and amount of food. So, she recommends the following:

  • Continue breastfeeding. At least until two years of age to ensure optimal growth and nutrition.
  • One new food at a time. This way, you will identify if he has an allergic reaction or if the new food causes discomfort.
  • Try a different food each week to give your little one time to become familiar with the taste of the new food and accept it.
  • Do not add salt or sugar. It’s best to let him know the natural flavor of food. Otherwise, he will get used to intense flavors and keep looking for them.
  • Avoid industrialized mash. These foods contain high amounts of added sugars and salt, which will distort his taste and food preferences.
  • Let him play. Babies must use all five senses to learn to enjoy food to know all the textures, smells, flavors, colors, and noises that can be made with different foods.
The senses help your little one to know the food. Photo: Pixabay
The senses help your little one to know the food. Photo: Pixabay

The international organization indicates that the transition from exclusive breastfeeding to complementary feeding is a phase of “great vulnerability” because the child can develop malnutrition if good habits are not followed.

The Alliance for Food Health explains that complementary feeding is a fundamental stage in forming habits since it is when babies create their food preferences, which will continue throughout their lives.

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What foods can’t my baby eat?

Some foods can be very heavy for our little ones or cause an infection. The National Library of Medicine recommends avoiding the following foods:

  • Honey: It can have a toxin that causes botulism in babies, so they should not eat it before their first birthday.
  • Cow’s milk: It does not contain all the nutrients that babies need and cannot be digested; Its consumption is recommended after a year.
  • Unpasteurized drinks or foods: Such as juice, milk, yogurt, or cheese, as they can cause infection by E. Coli, a bacterium that causes severe diarrhea.
  • Candy, popcorn, nuts, and grapes: Due to their size, they can cause suffocation in babies of this age, so their consumption is recommended after three years.
  • Industrialized juice: This product should not be consumed before the first year of life due to its high sugar content.
Foods with a lot of sugar can affect your baby. Photo: Pixabay
Foods with a lot of sugar can affect your baby. Photo: Pixabay

Remember that the diet at this stage will mark your baby’s habits and tastes for his entire life.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version: Here

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