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2017/07/09 - This works to cure my hiccoughs ...

It's many years ago that I was told about this trick. People rarely believe me, but it honestly works for me, and it has worked for others. So I thought I'd write it up.

Pretty sure it won't work for everyone, but if it works for you then I'd love to hear about it.

So you have the hiccoughs. You've probably tried holding your breath, drinking a glass of water from the wrong side, and maybe even sticking your finger in one ear while singing "It's a Long Way to Tipperary." You're getting desperate, and nothing has worked. Perhaps you're even unable to sleep, and unable to work.

Or maybe you're just hiccoughed once and your heart is sinking, worried that this is the start of one of these never-ending attacks.

Well, try this. You have to be serious about it, and while it works best with someone else, you can do it on your own provided you really concentrate. It has always worked for me, and it's worked on several other people as well (references offered on request). But you have to take it seriously.

Are you ready?

OK, here we go ...

I mean it. Think hard, concentrate on your diaphragm. Try to feel it just before it actually happens. You can do it! Try to sense it when it's just on its way, just about to happen, and tell me before it actually happens.

You will probably not succeed for the first two or three, but you can use those to know exactly what you're looking for, and buckle down to get ahead of the next one.

There was a spectacular failure of this method when a friend tried it on their 5 year old niece. The little one said:

But it has worked on an eight-year-old who was clearly not enjoying having the hiccoughs and clearly concentrated really hard. The next one never came, and when he realised that, he was genuinely amazed.

As I say, it works for me. Maybe it can work for you too.

A comment by Gwyneth, included here with her permission:

• In a similar method which I have tried several times with children, I offer them money to hiccough again. I will give you 50 pence if you can hiccough again. They can't do it. They get the money anyway! With adults the reward needs to be greater!

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