Biomedical Engineering

There are a few parts of the body that mystified me as a child. I remember sitting in front of a mirror with my mouth open wide trying to figure out what the thing hanging in the back of my throat was. I only needed to try touching it once to realize that wasn't a good idea, but even though I have learned its name (the Uvula) I still never knew its purpose until today. The other mystery I remember as a child is hiccups. It was pretty easy to figure out how to get them, but getting rid of the hiccups might as well have been witch craft. And as soon as you started to hiccup, peers would surround you and offer their home remedies which often left you upside down against a wall with water up your nose. Well my friends, today I have come to uncover the mysteries behind the uvula and hiccups.

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Uvula

The uvula, phonetically pronounced /ˈjuːvjələ/, is a tear drop shaped anatomic structure that dangles downward at the back of the throat. It is attached to the rear of the soft palate, a short distance above the back of the tongue. The uvula is composed of connective tissue containing a number of racemose (salivary) glands, and some muscular fibers. The uvula can come in several different lengths and shapes (bifid or cleft). It has two main functions: it prevents food or fluids from entering the nasal passages by blocking the nasal cavity when swallowing, and it plays a role in articulation.

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Mostly, the uvula is still a bit of a mystery and has been the subject of interesting observations since ancient times. Some assumptions are that the uvula has a function role in speech and in immunology; it was also regarded as a hazardous organ, possible responsible for sudden infant death syndrome. Another assumption stated that the uvula is a phylogenetic remnant from mammals that drink while bending over. None of these assumptions have been proven. A study called The riddle of the uvula found that the human uvula consists of an intermix of serous and seromucous glandular masses, muscular tissue, and large excretory canals. The uvula is a highly sophisticated structure and is capable of producing a large quantity of fluid saliva that can be excreted in a short time. Because the serous and seromucous glands are absent in other mammals, the study concluded that the uvula is possibly an accessory organ of speech, and may be another marker of human evolution that differentiates man from other mammals. The uvula works with the back of the throat, the palate, and air coming up from the lungs to create a number of sounds. Uvular consonants (articulated with the back of the tongue against or near the uvula) are not common in most dialects of English. They are found in many Semitic, Caucasian, and Turkic languages, as well as several languages of Western Europe and Africa.

Hiccups

We all know the overwhelming feeling of dread that comes with the fist hiccup. The embarrassment, the fear it won't stop, and the frustration that comes with the interruptions in speaking. I hate having the hiccups and unfortunately, the more upset I get the worst the hiccups become.

A hiccup is a spasm which contacts the diaphragm. The spasm causes an intake of breath that is suddenly stopped by the closure of the vocal cords (glottis). Hence, the "hiccup" sound. Fortunately, there is a large amount of medical information about hiccups available online. The causes include: a very full stomach caused by eating too much food, eating too quickly, swallowing too much air, drinking too much alcohol, and emotional stress or excitement. Hiccups don't usually last very long, a couple minutes to a couple of hours. The medical term for hiccups which last longer than 48 hours is 'persistent hiccups', longer than a month and they are referred to as 'intractable hiccups'. These hiccups should be checked by a doctor because they could be caused by a more serious medical condition.

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Hiccups affect males more often than females and can occur in every human being and at all age levels (cute baby video - couldn't resist). There are medications available, but most of the time hiccups can be cured with home remedies. There are literally hundreds of home remedies. The goal is to regain control and relax the diaphragm. My personal favorite is to hold my breath and then breath slowly out and slowly back in through your mouth. My 8^th grade science teacher would make her students say out loud that they were going to hiccup (personally I thought this built up more anxiety, worsening the hiccups). There is a website with 250 cures for hiccups, some of my favorites from this list include: think of all the bald men you can, blow on your thumb (as if you were blowing up a balloon), do three cartwheels with a jolly rancher in your mouth, hang upside-down and let the blood rush to your head, eat a dill pickle, AND touch your uvula gently with the handle of a spoon (breath steadily to keep from gagging).

Have any thoughts on why we have uvulas, cures for the hiccups, or other mysteries that need to be solved?

Resources

Uvula- Definition

Anatomy and Function of the Uvula

Palatine Uvula

What are Hiccups?

Definition of a Hiccup