Gesundheit? That's Hot

April 18, 2008 — -- For most people, a sneeze is nothing more than an ordinary biological act: one "achoo!" and it is over. But for a certain group of enthusiasts, a sneeze means much more.

Many swoon over a delicate "htchew!" accompanied by a fine mist. Some like the breathy buildup, some like the release afterward. Others prefer them in series, one after another after another, in a phlegmy trifecta.

Music to the ears? Maybe not for most. But for those with a sneezing fetish, hearing, seeing or having a sneeze tickles them in all the right places. And with allergy season upon us, enthusiasts can look forward to some quality sneezing.

Take, for example, the members of Sneeze Fetish Forum, a site with discussion boards related to all things rhinologic. One poster describes a woman who has the "cutest sneeze ever. She gives a big 'ahhh.' Makes the squeak sound of a pinched stifle, and then lets out a loud 'chooo.'"

Response posts were alternatively congratulatory and envious of the poster's encounters with the sneezer.

One wrote: "Oh, what I wouldn't do to work in a desk beside your co-worker."

Another said: "That's great! I wish I could make a certain someone allergic to me."

Though experts have no simple explanation for how sneezing fetishes -- indeed, fetishes in general -- develop, sneezes themselves are not simple at all.

A sneeze occurs in two phases. During the nasal phase, an irritant -- dust particles, allergens or chemicals -- stimulates nerves in the nose. The brain signals nasal blood vessels to dilate and nasal glands to begin producing liquid. These events trigger the diaphragm and muscles in the soft palate to constrict during the respiratory phase. The eyes close as the body prepares to forcefully expel air -- and with it the irritant -- through the nose.

The process moves rather quickly, but a person with a sneeze fetish can find erotic pleasure in those few seconds -- and experts are stumped as to why.

Though they find creative ways to describe what is going on in the mind and body when it comes to sex, both therapists and researchers know little about how sexual behaviors develop. Some theories propose humans know what does or does not appeal to us sexually by age 8. Others say arousal patterns continue to develop through the teen years and beyond.