Photic Sneeze Reflex
Thursday, January 5, 2012
One of the strange things that I have to live with everyday is the fact that I sneeze every time I ate chocolate. This is true, and I couldn’t even remember when was the first time I had this reaction. And yes, I know that it is strange. Who the hell sneezes over chocolate? Of course that didn’t stop me from eating it, although I always assumed that it was a non-lethal allergy.
I somehow had the urge to Google this up earlier to see if this is in any way, scientifically explainable. Then I came across this article. I was relieved that I’m not the only one.
The condition is called a photic sneeze reflex, which is also the explanation why some people sneeze when looking into the sun (I do, too, except that it is not every time). There is no known cure to this, and it is apparently genetic in nature, not that it’s life-threatening. Then I also realized that this could also be the explanation behind why I sneeze after taking a shower, something that my Dad seemed to exhibit as well. So yeah, it is genetic.
Finally there’s something logical behind the mystery I tried to solve for years! Now I can proudly say that this is scientifically acclaimed! The same situation appeared back then when Arleen and I were debating that contagious yawns are not scientifically explainable. Unfortunately, I lost the debate.