Medically reviewed by Brian H. Wetchler, DO Everyone at one time or another has wanted to know how to get rid of hiccups.

No one is thrilled to get the hiccups - they're a nuisance and annoyingly disruptive. In some cases, though, hiccups can be wildly uncomfortable. So what's the deal? Why do your hiccups hurt sometimes ...

Like the vagus nerve operation for ulcers, and pre-frontal lobotomy for insanity (TIME, Dec. 23), cutting the phrenic nerves impairs some internal functions, but doctors have observed no serious ...