Sneezing Superstitions
Ryan Bowling
Issue date: 3/4/05 Section: Features
- < prev Page 2 of 2
This myth has also been around for a long time, but is false. According to Tom Wilson, M.D./PhD, Pathology, in the Div. of Molecular Oncology at the Washington University School of Medicine: "Your heart does not stop when you sneeze," he said. "From my perspective, it is hard to even imagine what this would mean. A sneeze itself is really a very brief event, occurring in a shorter time then a heartbeat."
Another common belief was that a sneeze expelled evil spirits.
"I heard that back in the old days, whenever that was, people thought that when you sneezed, you were sneezing out demons," sophomore Cara Britton said. "So they said bless you so [the demons] wouldn't come back."
Many cultures believed this was true. According to Wallis, in Persia, prayer is advised after sneezing. It indicated the victory of the expulsion of the demon within. The Mohammedans believe that "the nose is a dangerous retreat for evil spirits, and when one rises in the morning, he washes out the nose with water, for the devil probably visited during the night."
Nowadays we know that sneezing, also known as sternutation, it just a normal body function, free of expelling souls or demons. According to Cindy Blades, Drury's Registered Nurse, "[Sneezing] is a neurological response to allergens which you cannot stop. It is good. The body gets rid of the stuff from our nasal passages," Blades said.
If you hate that tickle in your nose and the constant sneezing during a cold, just be thankful you weren't Donna Griffiths. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Griffiths, of Worchester, UK, sneezed consecutively for 977 days; occurring about one sneeze per minute and one sneeze every five minutes in the last stages.
So the next time you sneeze, sit back, and enjoy it. Your heart didn't stop; you won't sneeze incessantly for three years, and no evil demons exited your nostrils - just allergens and millions of bacteria. How comforting. Should we continue these blessings, to be polite? Whatever you decide, may God bless you in your sternutation, now, and the rest of your life.
Another common belief was that a sneeze expelled evil spirits.
"I heard that back in the old days, whenever that was, people thought that when you sneezed, you were sneezing out demons," sophomore Cara Britton said. "So they said bless you so [the demons] wouldn't come back."
Many cultures believed this was true. According to Wallis, in Persia, prayer is advised after sneezing. It indicated the victory of the expulsion of the demon within. The Mohammedans believe that "the nose is a dangerous retreat for evil spirits, and when one rises in the morning, he washes out the nose with water, for the devil probably visited during the night."
Nowadays we know that sneezing, also known as sternutation, it just a normal body function, free of expelling souls or demons. According to Cindy Blades, Drury's Registered Nurse, "[Sneezing] is a neurological response to allergens which you cannot stop. It is good. The body gets rid of the stuff from our nasal passages," Blades said.
If you hate that tickle in your nose and the constant sneezing during a cold, just be thankful you weren't Donna Griffiths. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Griffiths, of Worchester, UK, sneezed consecutively for 977 days; occurring about one sneeze per minute and one sneeze every five minutes in the last stages.
So the next time you sneeze, sit back, and enjoy it. Your heart didn't stop; you won't sneeze incessantly for three years, and no evil demons exited your nostrils - just allergens and millions of bacteria. How comforting. Should we continue these blessings, to be polite? Whatever you decide, may God bless you in your sternutation, now, and the rest of your life.
Article last update: 3/7/05 at 3:53 PM CST