Hiccups, or hiccoughs as it was once spelt, is an annoying condition, especially if you are at a social occasion or in a business meeting.

It is caused when the band of muscle below the ribs, the diaphragm, contracts suddenly in a spasm.

Here’s a sideways cure that requires nothing but a glass of water and a drinking straw.

1. Put one-third of a pint of water in a glass, together with the straw.
2. Press the tips of your index fingers into the hollows behind the earlobes where the neck meets the jawbone.
3. Keep the pressure on while drinking as much of the water as you can through the straw.
4. It is claimed that when the glass is empty the hiccups will be gone.

Owners of small businesses are notorious for neglecting their health. Most either work at home or in small offices with a tiny support staff. Phone messages and the need to make telephone calls tend to pile up through the day, adding to stress and the sedentary lifestyle.

Here’s a tip for turning the phone call list into a real exercise session.

Mobile phones are pretty sophisticated these days. You can easily program all the numbers you need to call into a special folder.

When those calls you need to make start piling up, simply delay them until you can get out of the office on a long walk of around an hour, and go through them one by one while on the move.

The fact that you are obviously calling while on the hoof will make the calls shorter — and, you’ll be getting a great workout while you chunter through them.

I do this all the time and it 1) reduces the tedium of walking a well-known route, and 2) ensures I get my break from the office and a good stretch of the legs some time during the day.

Oh, and make sure the battery is fully charged before you go.

Many people are chained to a low salt diet for chronic or acute medical reasons. High blood pressure and kidney disease probably top the list.

Some people go onto low salt regimes to improve mental function which is responsive to salt intake. It’s known that the normal body needs only half a gram of salt a day, way below the official guidelines of 6 - 7 grams.

If you ask them which foods they miss most, they will likely say “cheese”. Its particular flavor and texture can be quite addictive.

However, cheese is very high in salt.

There are exceptions. Some soft versions, like cream cheeses — usually not proprietary brands — can be salt-free. The problem is they don’t really taste or feel like cheese at all.

One solution is Swiss Emmental which is low in salt, but tastes very much like cheese. The Tesco brand contains only 0.2 grams per 30-gram typical serving. Others may vary, so check the labeling.

Bear in mind also that a value for sodium needs to be multiplied by 2.5 to get the full salt content.

Cheese needn’t be a no-go area for low salt dieters.

With the annual London Marathon approaching this weekend, thousands of amateur runners will have discovered the meaning of Runners’ High.

As the body pushes itself through the “first wind” after around 20 minutes of effort, a feeling of euphoria sets in as body chemicals called endophins kick in. These are responsible for blocking pain, but also have a distinctly narcotic effect, which is why some people become totally addicted to workouts and training.

Endorphins are released during sustained effort and affect sites in the brain called receptors where opiates elevate the runner’s mood. Yes, opiates. It really is that powerful.

Non-runners are also affected in a medical sense. People suffering chronic pain can benefit from endorphins too.

Professor Thomas Tolle, who co-authored a study on the subject, says, “Endorphins are released in areas of the brain that are centres of pain suppression. Now we hope [our study] will impress our pain patients and motivate them to take up sports training within their available limits”.

So, run for pain-free health seems to be the message.