13-Year-Old CEO developes cure for hiccups

[Hum]

To silence her stubborn hiccups during the summer of 2010, Mallory Kievman tried swallowing saltwater, making herself gag, eating a spoonful of sugar, sipping pickle juice and drinking a glass of water upside-down. Nearly two years and 100 attempted folk remedies later, the 13-year-old is preparing to lead a team of M.B.A. students from the University of Connecticut in building a company that can bring her invention ? Hiccupops, or hiccup-stopping lollipops ? to market this summer.

?It?s very rare, when you?re evaluating businesses, that you can envision a company or product being around 100 years from now,? said Danny Briere, a serial entrepreneur and the founder of Startup Connecticut, which nurtures new companies, including Hiccupops, and is a regional affiliate of the Startup America Partnership. ?Hiccupops is one of those things. It solves a very simple, basic need.?

She had developed the product in her family?s Manchester, Conn., kitchen, amalgamating her three favorite cures ? lollipops, apple cider vinegar and sugar ? into a single confection. ?It triggers a set of nerves in your throat and mouth that are responsible for the hiccup reflex arc,? said Mallory with a matter-of-fact tone. ?It basically over-stimulates those nerves and cancels out the message to hiccup.? :huh:

Intellectual property lawyers filed for a patent, now pending, on Mallory?s behalf.

?It?s a nifty invention and it has some terrific potential benefits for society,? said Mr. Levesque. ?It straddles that line between an attractive, go-to product that people might like to savor and a helpful nutraceutical aid. It?s innovative, born of some real ingenuity.?

Mallory hopes Hiccupops will become a staple of school nurses? offices and drugstores. She also wants to explore a medical niche, since hiccups are a common and uncomfortable side effect of chemotherapy. ?It always has been really appealing to me to be able to sort of have a product out there that can help people,? she said. ?I want to become a doctor and go into medicine.?

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[Rigby]

I already found a cure for myself. I just stop. I found out if I just concentrated and told myself not to do it anymore I wouldn't. At first I had to control my breathing and concentrate really hard, but now if I get them I can just stop anytime I want.

[+.Vamp Subscriber²]

Should be great for schools and institutions like that, but not sure on the mass market validity. If I get hiccups, I'm not going to go out to a pharmacy to get something, they'll be gone within 5 - 15 mins on average and the majority of the time holding your breath or downing a drink will sort them out.

So yeah, great product if it works, and very useful in certain circumstances (perhaps other places like aeroplanes would benefit too) but not so sure on widespread marketing.

[Hum]

I found a free cure years ago -- I simply tilt my head up & back, as tho looking at the ceiling/sky.

Hiccups stop within half a minute. :ike:

Note: Anyone using my patented method must send me $1.00

[Kreuger]

Note: Anyone using my patented method must send me $1.00

I guess I owe you a lot of money. Haha. This is very cool though.

[Godlike_Ape]

This has made me realise I haven't had hiccups in years. Though no doubt, now I'll get them later today.

[shakey]

Ya, neat find, but I don't see the practicle use for normal people. Hiccups just don't last long enough normally to warrant a "solution".

[bogas04]

How does she know about these reflex arcs and stuff @ age of 13 that she could actually explain how her cure works, biologically? Kids these days!

[Davo]

Up next, popsicles that stop your gag reflex. Suck before you suck!

[Panda X]

The people in the article are making it sound like she cured a disease when all she did was make candy.

[Septimus]

Haven't had hiccups in 30 years.No idea why.

[Hum]

How does she know about these reflex arcs and stuff @ age of 13 that she could actually explain how her cure works, biologically? Kids these days!

She is l33t with Google, this one is. :laugh:

[remixedcat]

SCREAM a random fruit name!!! REALLY FREAKIN LOUDLY!!!!!

like this:

PINEAPPLE!!!!!!

and mine go away every time

has to be random, spur of the moment, and people have to be around...

[Unknown_97784568745]

Should be great for schools and institutions like that, but not sure on the mass market validity. If I get hiccups, I'm not going to go out to a pharmacy to get something, they'll be gone within 5 - 15 mins on average and the majority of the time holding your breath or downing a drink will sort them out.

So yeah, great product if it works, and very useful in certain circumstances (perhaps other places like aeroplanes would benefit too) but not so sure on widespread marketing.

Ya, neat find, but I don't see the practicle use for normal people. Hiccups just don't last long enough normally to warrant a "solution".

The people in the article are making it sound like she cured a disease when all she did was make candy.

Chronic hiccups can last days, weeks, months, years, decades and in the case of Charles Osborne 68 years. This would be a nice cure to have in these circumstances.

[Matthew_Thepc]

I already found a cure for myself. I just stop. I found out if I just concentrated and told myself not to do it anymore I wouldn't. At first I had to control my breathing and concentrate really hard, but now if I get them I can just stop anytime I want.

hmm, I normally just lay down and try to sleep for a few minutes, and they stop

[XerXis]

Chronic hiccups can last days, weeks, months, years, decades and in the case of Charles Osborne 68 years. This would be a nice cure to have in these circumstances.

Except that putting candy in your mouth won't stop chronic hiccups. Which is a very serious disease nobody has an answer for just yet

[Hum]

^ Chronic [insert disease] can be 'cured' by hypnotherapy. ;)

[Glassed Silver]

BOOOOOO!

Haha, still the best method. Need a buddy with you though.

Glassed Silver:mac

[Detection]

SCREAM a random fruit name!!! REALLY FREAKIN LOUDLY!!!!!

like this:

PINEAPPLE!!!!!!

and mine go away every time

has to be random, spur of the moment, and people have to be around...

:laugh: That actually made me laugh :laugh:

I imagined shouting pineapple in a room full of people, lmao, I`ll write that one on the back of my hand :D

[Tom]

I also found a cure.

Doing circular motions with my hand on my stomach works.

[The Rev]

Whats the big deal? Unless you have a freak occurrence of hiccups lasting hours (which is pretty friggin rare) hiccups aren't very common... I couldn't see myself stocking up on hiccup lolipops... I might need maybe 2 or 3 a year... Not a big moneymaker I would think. Shows ingenuity but again, not something that sounds terribly profitable.. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong.. It's even more rare than having hiccups that last for hours, but it IS technically possible. :-p

[Hum]

I also found a cure.

Doing circular motions with my hand on my stomach works.

Oh you kinky boy ... :shifty:

[Inklin]

I've not had hiccups in a long time, I rarely get them. Though what caught my eye was the girls name... Her first name is my surname. Never did I think someone would have that as a first name!

[remixedcat]

has anyone here ever tried my solution?? I hope it works for them!

[redvamp128]

That always works on my really bad hiccups...