The Misadventures of Quinxy von Besiex truths, lies, and everything in between

I Can Stop Hiccuping At Will (& you can too) with the Quinxy Method

When I was about 12 I taught myself to stop hiccuping at will.  And it's worked ever since.  No glasses of water needed, no paper bags, no need for a friend to scare me, I simply tell myself to stop, and I do, instantly, before the next hiccup has a chance to come.  And one of my big goals before I die is to pass the secret along to someone else, this could be my legacy.  Want to learn?  It's really easy.

The key is learning to control your diaphragm.  And here's how I did it.  Next time you hiccup, instead of breathing normally, effortlessly, breathe with all the involved (and related) muscles in your chest and abdomen rigid. Breathe slow, medium-deep breaths, but as you breathe in and out have all the muscles tense such that you are tightly controlling the in and out of your breath.  Think of it like lifting a barbell.  Lifting a bar bell up and down is pretty easy when you do it quickly, the true exercise comes from lifting the weight and lowering it very slowly, letting the muscles actively control the fineness of the motion.  And, as you are doing this very rigid controlled breathing, also try to focus on so control your breathing (and thus your diaphragm) that it doesn't have the chance to spasm.  With a little practice your hiccups will go away.  But wait, that's not all!  By doing this a few times you will likely develop the same ability I have, the ability to stop the hiccup without doing anything but telling yourself to stop, no modification of breath or anything.  Somehow the practice of controlling the diaphragm though this sort of breathing taught me how to directly stop hiccups.

Twenty years later the story is the same, I will start to hiccup  like anyone else, and the moment I realize I am hiccuping I tell myself to stop and I do (before the next hiccup).  It has never failed.

So, to review!

Instructions for Learning to Control Your Hiccups with the Quinxy Method

• Breathe slowly
• Tighten all the muscles in your chest/abdomen such that you are controlling your in and out breath with your entire chest
• Breathe in all the way, and out all the way.
• Focus on trying to so tightly control your breathing that there is no opportunity for the diaphragm to spasm
• Do the above until you stop hiccuping

And please, when you do learn, tell me so I know my legacy is secure, and that I can abandon all efforts to otherwise be a contributing member of society.