Reflexology to Stop a Sneeze

     'Excuse me', I said to my reflexology client as I turned away from her.

 I was taking those deep, involuntary breaths that build up to an almighty sneeze.  I went to the back of the treatment room and pressed the acupressure point for a few seconds. The heavy breathing stopped and the need to sneeze totally disappeared.

     'That's better', I smiled and returned to my place to start her reflexology.

     'What did you do?  That was so impressive.  I need to be able to do that'.

She explained that sneezing could seriously damage her back.  The physical needs of her profession as a nurse had weakened and strained her back over the years.  The sheer force of a sneeze could strain her spine and put her in bed for days.

This is not surprising as a sneeze can cause a whiplash effect, as the head moves violently forward and backwards.

Whenever she felt that involuntary intake of breath that preceeds a sneeze her family panicked and she envisaged possible days off work

     'Show what to do, it would be so useful', she said.

 So I showed her how to locate the point just under her nose about two thirds of the way up from the upper lip  The point must be pressed firmly against the gum and slightly upwards.  You know when you are on target because the need to sneeze goes away, leaving that feeling of relief that normally follows a sneeze.  You still need a tissue handy, because your nose can start to run.  But no sneeze!
And for my client, no threat of a bad back.

I think on this occasion, she valued that piece of information more than the reflexology treatment.  Oh well, I'm here to please..........:-)

copyright Oct 2009
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