Winter has passed and it’s the season for colds, flu and allergic rhinitis, of which “sneezing” is the first symptom. However, little is known about how to sneeze properly, which is related to the lack of public health awareness in China. Sneezing refers to the phenomenon that the nasal mucosa is stimulated (viruses, bacteria, allergens, etc.), inhales sharply, and then quickly ejects from the nostrils and makes a sound; it is a stressful means for the body to drive out something irritating from the nose (Figure 1). Studies have shown that there are about 300,000 microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, etc.) in a normal person’s sneeze, and several times more when suffering from an inhalation disease. Not all microorganisms carried by a sneeze are terrible, and only some of them can cause infection, provided that the person sneezing is infected with an inhalation disease. In addition to carrying a surprising number of microorganisms, the energy generated by sneezing is also very powerful, there is a foreign study on the sneeze jet force, a sneeze of the general airflow speed of about 150 km / h, that is, 41.7 m / s, can be sprayed instantly to several meters away, almost close to the 14 level hit the Philippines typhoon “Haiyan “The center of the maximum wind 42 m / s. In addition, the British “Daily Mail” has reported that people suffering from upper whistle diseases such as colds, sneezing indoors in public places, which contains pathogenic microorganisms can be attached within 2 seconds to handrails, seats, door handles and other places that are constantly grasped and touched, and can transmit the cold virus to 150 people within 5 minutes. It is because of the huge amount of pathogens carried by sneezing and the powerful spraying power, so if sneezing is not done correctly, it can become the most lethal tool for the spread of whistling diseases and can also cause some harm to oneself. So how do you sneeze correctly? 1, sneezing, not directly with both hands (Figure 2), should be handkerchiefs or tissues to cover the mouth and nose (Figure 3), if temporary can not find handkerchiefs or tissues, in an emergency, you can use the elbow sleeves instead (elbow sleeves to cover the mouth and nose, in Europe and the United States has formed a trend, after bending the elbow, and then close to the nose, this is a vampire-specific action, so also for this personal hygiene etiquette to take a This is a vampire-specific action, so the personal hygiene ritual has been given a proper name of “vampire sneeze blocking” (Figure 4). The sprayed droplets can be blocked on the skin of the elbow or clothing, in addition, this part is not easy to touch other common objects, which can effectively block the spread of pathogenic microorganisms. If you sneeze with your hand over your mouth or nose, be sure to wash your hands in time to avoid shaking hands with people or touching common items that may cause secondary contamination. 2, in the “SARS” period, once popular “meet arch hands not shake hands” phenomenon (Figure 5, Figure 6), the purpose is to prevent the contact transmission of disease, recognized by the people. In fact, “arching hands” is a traditional etiquette left by our ancestors for thousands of years, while “shaking hands” is a foreign import. Therefore, in the high season of cold and flu and other respiratory diseases, for our own sake, why do not we continue to inherit and promote the great wisdom left to us by our ancestors? We believe that if everyone practices the etiquette of “meet arch not shake hands”, it will greatly reduce the spread of respiratory diseases, which can be very meaningful. 3, sneezing has a huge impact, sneezing from the lungs to the mouth and then to the nasal cavity, along the chest, neck, head and face of the muscles suddenly and violently contracted, the force of a plus one, and is an instantaneous action, so when it reaches its peak speed and strength. Therefore, sometimes a strong sneeze can cause other diseases, such as causing a sudden increase in pressure in the blood vessels of the head, neck, and chest, which for some people with potentially dangerous diseases can easily cause blood vessel rupture and lead to serious or even fatal complications such as rhinorrhea and intracranial hemorrhage; sometimes it can also cause rupture of the eardrum due to a sudden increase in pressure in the middle ear, etc.; sometimes it can also cause lumbar muscle due to a strong reflex contraction movement of the lumbar muscles There are even cases of pneumothorax from sneezing and miscarriage of pregnant women in foreign literature. We recommend maintaining a good posture when sneezing, such as being prepared when the nose itches, sitting is better than standing, and when sneezing while standing, it is best to hold on to the same thing with both hands while intentionally contracting the neck and lumbar muscles to create a resistance in the human body to counter the huge impact generated by sneezing. In addition, when sneezing, if the nose and mouth are completely covered, the pressure of the sneeze will act on the eardrum of the ear canal through the eustachian tube, which can cause serious perforation of the eardrum, so don’t press too tightly when sneezing with a tissue or handkerchief to hold your nose, and leave some space to decompress. Many people habitually bend over and lower their heads when sneezing (Figure 7), but this practice is also wrong. The habitual instantaneous action of bending over when sneezing may cause lumbar muscle injury or disc herniation due to strong reactive lumbar muscle twisting and uncoordinated contraction. In order to reduce the possibility of certain dangers caused by sneezing, it is best to take a sitting position when sneezing so that the pressure changes in the chest and abdominal cavity can be reduced. If you sneeze while standing, it is best to put one hand on your lower back to support your body (Figure 8) to counter the impact and protect the crestal spine. If the sneeze is too urgent to put one hand on the waist, you can also immediately half squat down (Figure 9) to avoid body injury. With less pressure changes in the thoracic and abdominal cavities, the possibility of the above-mentioned dangers is naturally much smaller, and if you are pregnant then you need even more focused protection.