Dr. Ali Seifi invented Hicc Away to solve a very common problem: curing the hiccups. There are lots of home remedies like holding your breath or drinking a glass of water with your nose plugged, but they don’t always work. He first became concerned about curing hiccups as an anesthesiologist 20 years ago. He noticed patients often had hiccups after waking up in the recovery room. For someone with surgical stitches, hiccups can be painful – even dangerous. He, along with Amanda Azarpour and Victor Feldberg, will pitch his product to the Sharks in episode 1305.
The shape of Hicc Away was inspired by tobacco pipes. It’s kind of “L” shaped (you suck on the smaller arm of the “L”) and it has two pin holes on the end of the long part of the “L.” Simply stick the long end of the “L” into a glass of water and suck. The pinholes make it hard to suck the water. This makes the phrenic nerve in the diaphragm and the vagus nerve in the epiglottis contract at the same time and it cures the hiccups. There are dozens of testimonial videos on the HiccAway YouTube channel where people’s hiccups are cured before your eyes.
Seifi ought to know a thing about nerves, he’s a neurosurgeon at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. As for the product itself, it will set you back 15 buck. You can find them at Wal Mart, HEB Organics stores and Amazon. While Azarpour and Feldberg are the marketing people in the business, Seifi likely wants help with marketing and manufacturing. Being a neurosurgeon keeps him pretty busy. Will a Shark want to cure the hiccups?
My Take on Hicc Away
I’ve tried the two methods to cure hiccups I listed above. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I remember having the hiccups after a hernia operation. Boy was that painful! Itried my methods multiple times and it finally worked, but it took a while. I wish I had this then.
For 15 bucks, this is something I’d want in my house. A lot of other people will too I predict. Hiccups are just a pain when you can’t stop. I think they will sell a crap ton of these things. I’m in.
Will Sharks buy This Cure?
One thing is certain, we will probably see a royalty offer from Mr. Wonderful. He’s been dropping at least one per episode all season and this product fits the bill. Mark will see it as a “product, not a business.” Daymond may make an offer if the price is right. He’s been brutal on people with high valuations this season.
That leaves Barbara and Lori. Barbara may or may not bid, but I think Lori will. It fits her criteria for a hero: it has mass appeal, it’s inexpensive and it’s easily demonstrated. She could blow this up in a few weeks. If she doesn’t make an offer, I might eat my hat.
About Rob Merlino
Hiccaway may or may not work, but why would anyone spend money on something that cures hiccups 90% of the time when most people have pickles in their refrigerator and pickle juice cures hiccups 100% of the time.