I think with all the research that has gone into hiccups you would think they would have found a reason they occur and a possible solution to keep them from happening again. All these solutions that may work one time but not the next times is real funny to read about but still offers no real solution. I guess much more research is needed to figure this out.
I know that the hiccup is a normal function that seems to effect some people more than others. I think every one I know has had them at one time another. Is there a real reason that we get them? Is there a actual cure for them? Is it something that is genetic? Is it something environmental to each region? So many questions are still unanswered.
One of my friends had surgery and now whenever she eats too much she gets hiccups. I know if I try to eat too fast or drink too much water, I get the same thing. I have always heard the they are involuntary convulsions of your diaphragm, controlled by the same response that makes you jerk your hand back from something hot. I would imagine it is a 'defense' mechanism in the body that whenever a certain part of your throat gets stimulated a certain way, you hiccup to try to clear your breathing passage so you don't choke. I can always cure mine by taking in as much air as my lungs will hold and then holding my breath for ~1 minute (Which isn't that long for me). I will still hiccup a few times while I am holding my breath, but I won't let the air escape, so eventually my diaphragm calms down. My friend just has to wait until her stomach empties a little to get rid of her hiccups.