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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why does bright light make me sneeze?
« on: 20/09/2006 18:51:00 »Amazing!
Over the last four years or so the Photic sneezing resources site received only five or six inquiries about sexual stimuli and sneezing. Over the last three months there have been as many. And all note that they experience photic sneezing as well, whereas most of the early correspondents did not.
As was said, we really need an anatomist to look at this. I wonder if the quality of the myelin, the protective and conductive coating around the nerve, is different in those who have the reflex (no matter what sets it off), somehow transmitting the signal from one nerve to the other. So it may not be simply proximity of the optic and maxiliary nerve that does it.
Simon Alfie’s idea about the more intense the trigger the more intense the sneeze and the greater number of sneezes is interesting, but I think it depends on the individual. I’m lucky being able to observe photic sneezing in my father and my brother (and my grandfather, while he was alive), and one difference I’ve noticed is that I will sneeze far more if the light comes from both above and below – for example when sun suddenly shines on snow in winter (this spells danger while driving!) or sun on a wet road. This will also make my father and brother sneeze, but just the statutory two times they usually do.
Martin
Martin