Does Someone Out There Have a Problem with Me???

There is an old Asian saying that tells us that when we sneeze someone is saying something good about us.  And if we sneeze twice in a row?   Well, not so much.   Hmmm.  Either way, if you believe this, it seems that folks are always talking behind our backs.  I am not so sure I ascribe to this bon mot, just as I give no credence to the claim that if you sneeze with your eyes open your eyeball will pop out of your head.  Blood pressure does increase when one sneezes and closing one’s eyes during a sneeze is purely reflexive.  Personally, I seldom close my eyes when I sneeze and they have always remained right where they belong.  Others say the heart skips a beat when a person sneezes yet signals from the brain control heart rate and this is not affected by any physiological changes that might occur when a person sneezes.  The question has also been frequently asked whether sneezing will shorten one’s life.  Sneezing is simply a natural reflex.  Nothing more, nothing less.

We all sneeze.  The average person sneezes roughly four times daily.  It is a common reaction when our nasal passage or sinuses become irritated.   And multiple sneezes are common and can mean the irritant has not been removed or it is simply a reaction to a reaction.   Colder weather can also cause an increase in sneezing.  It all makes sense to me.  Yet now it seems I always, and I mean always, sneeze twice in quick succession.  It makes a person wonder.  They come on quick and are frequently violent enough to set my entire body a-quiver.  They often scare me and any others in my general vicinity with their explosive suddenness and deserve at the very least a double Gesundheit or two blessings from God. 

It never used to be like this.  I have had asthma and allergies for years and I think nothing of an occasion sneeze.  But now they seem to be more frequent . . . and louder . . . and always in twos.   Always!  So I am starting to wonder if this sternutation might hold a deeper significance.  Perhaps it is an admonishment that I may be suffering from bad karma?  Or something I have said or done has offended and people are talking about it unbeknownst to me.  Or is it just a couple of sneezes?

Doctors and researchers have concluded that non-allergic rhinitis can increase as we grow older and even more so if one suffers from allergies.   So this may explain why I now always sneeze twice.   Structural changes occur in the nose causing nasal passages to narrow due to weakening of the cartilage.  This can cause greater nasal congestion and dryness with the decrease in nasal mucus thereby allowing more irritants to enter the nose.  So if you have to sneeze, let it fly.   But please . . . always cover your mouth.  This is especially important during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Sneezing is a powerful physical reaction when the body produces pressure in the respiratory system from the lungs to the nose.  A sneeze can propel droplets of mucus from the nose at a rate of up to 100 miles per hour!  This fact alone has led me to suspect that a six-foot social distancing is insufficient to protect someone from being infected with the coronavirus.  Yet another good reason to wear a mask when you are in public.

I have heard that one should say “pickles” or hold one’s breath if feeling a sneeze coming on.  It is far important to allow a sneeze than to try and repress it.  The respiratory pressure created by holding in a sneeze can be up to 25 times greater than the pressure created by the sneeze itself and this can potentially lead to the rupturing of an eardrum, damage to blood vessels in the eyes and nose, or even to the rupturing of a pre-existing brain aneurysm, a life-threatening injury that can lead to bleeding in the skull.

So I guess there is no reason to read into the situation more than what it is.  I will continue to sneeze as many times as it takes to get the job done and leave it that.  All I can say is “God Bless Me Everyone!!”