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Subscribe to RSSLauren Johnson, a 12-year-old from Virginia, has been unable to stop sneezing for more than two weeks. TODAY’s Ann Curry talks to Lauren, her mom, Lynn Johnson, and NBC’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, about the condition. Watch their discussion and share your sneeze remedies below.
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As a licensed psychotherapist, certified practitioner of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, I would like to try to assist this little girl.
EFT is a meridian-based therapy similar to acupuncture. We call it emotional acupuncture without needles. I have successfully assisted people with tics, PTSD, anxiety, phobias and countless other emotional/psychological based issues using EFT. There are no known side-effects, and is relatively emotionally painless.
There is a wealth of information regarding this technique on the internet, with the main EFT website found at www.emofree.com where research articles can be accessed.
I welcome the parents to contact me to discuss this safe, effective and efficient alternative therapy.
Forrest Samnik, LCSW, EFT Cert-I, CCH
LifeWorks Counseling & Coaching
Safe, Compassionate, and Uniquely Effective
971 Virginia Ave., Suite E
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
(727) 781-6567
www.LifeWorksWithEFT.com
Several weeks ago I received an email regarding putting several onions in a room to ward off the flu virus. It seems to have worked for many. My daughter's co-worker sneezes throughout the day at work. She brought in an onion for him, put it on his desk and he did not sneeze at all that day! It's worth a try. Cheap! Don't peel or cut it, just put a few in a bowl in the rooms where she spends a lot of time. Wouldn't that be a wonderful, natural, no drugs way to be cured? Good health to her!
Mine is not a comment about what this young lady is experiencing but rather to share the experience. I was the same age as she is - I could not stop sneezing. I believe if you looked in the medical books you may find something on my case. My name at the time was Cheryl Laurin - I was around 12 years old - I was in 6th grade. I was seen by physicians at Kaiser Permanente in southern Calif at the time. I lived in Norwalk. I would love to be able to share with her parents what they determined was my problem. Please feel free to give her parents my e-mail address. For my experience - it turned out fine. I haven't had it happen since then - but again, what was determined as the basis of my 'sneezing' attacks as we called them is probably very different than hers.
I am a student of chiropractic, and this may be a long shot but it could be a worthwhile shot. Perhaps you could consider chiropractic treatment as this may be a nervous system related problem. Chiropractic adjustment may reset the nervous system alleviating pressure or irritation to one of the nerves. Maybe the nerve that controls the sinuses, the head, throat or immune system.
I am an allergist in Baltimore and saw a similar patient about 6 years ago. We tried a combination of topical azelastine and xylocaine that temporarily stopped the paroxysms of sneezing. Symptoms then eventually resolved. IF they saw an ENT or allergist recently, they should be able to administer this in their office.
When my son was in the 6th grade, he began to cough about once every two or three minutes. This went on for 6 weeks. We went to every doctor from peditrician, to ENT, to lung specialist to allergist to chiropractor seeking answers. He had no symptoms of illness such as bronchitis. We attempted to send him to school, but the coughing was too disruptive and he said he could not concentrate. We finally concluded that this had to be a psychosematic response to a problem, even though he denied school stress or bullying might be the cause. Like the child in this story, the coughing stopped at night, which in itself was suspicious. We thought if he were truly ill, it would not subside at night, yet we did not believe anyone could intentionally cough that much. In the end, the coughing stopped when we told him he had to go to school and dragged him off kicking and wailing. At that point, he finally told us through uncontrollable sobs that school is stressing him out and he cannot stand it. That cathartic release of tears and admission of the problem stopped the coughing immediately. I think this child may have experienced something that she subconciously does not want to deal with either at school or with friends. Sneezing is her body's subconcious way of avoiding dealing with the issues that are upsetting her, as she is allowed to stay home.
I remember a segment recently about a little boy who exhibited OCD like tics for years before the mother finally found a doctor who diagnosed him with a strep infection that had been missed. At least it's worth looking into! Dr. Nancy brings up a good point about tics, because not only is she sneezing, but she brings her hand up to her mouth each time, I'm sure out of habit and consideration, but very common in people who have OCD.
Beth Maloney is the author the book is Saving Sammy she can be contacted at info@savingsammy.net Look up PANDAS strep
I JUST watched the follow-up segment on this girl. THANK YOU for even mentioning PANDAS as a real medical condition. To accurately diagnose it, the little girl should have an "anti-DNASE" blood test. Even exposure to strep can bring this on, so it is possible that she has PANDAS but her throat swab could come back negative. This condition is no different than rheumatic heart disease. It causes the immune system to fight the brain. My son has well-documented PANDAS and even at that, it took six years for us to find a physician who didn't think we were crazy. The Psychiatric Association has officially written off PANDAS as a viable illness/condition. Thank God we found a wonderful pediatrician in Chicago who actively TREATS patients with PANDAS. Our son has never been this tic free since he was in kindergarten--he is now a freshman in high school. I believe PANDAS plays a bigger role in childhood OCD, tic disorder, etc. than ever thought. It is so little known that I have never met a family physician that has ever heard of PANDAS. THANK YOU FOR GIVING THIS SOME AIR TIME!
Our 8 year old daughter had a very similar condition last year. She coughed continuously. It was not a productive cough and she was not otherwise sick. Like Lauren, she would cough (a short little dry cough) sometimes several times a minute, sometimes less. I don't think it was quite as frequent and distractig as Lauren's condition, but I was struck by how similar they sounded. My daughter, also, is a happy, well-adjusted girl with no underlying (or obvious) trauma or stress in her life.
So, what we did: After about a month, we took her to the pediatrician. He suggested we go to an allergist and test for asthma. We did this, and it was negative. We also did allergy testing - also negative. The allergist suggested, like Dr. Snyderman, that it was a Tourrettes-like tick. He said it could go on for months, or it could just stop. He suggested that we ask her to stop coughing for just one minute and see if she could do it. We tried at the doctor's office, and she did, then she went back to coughing. Then he suggested that we make a deal with her that if she stops coughing for a day/week/ etc. then we would get her something that she really, really, wanted (or do something that she really wanted to do). I know it sounds crazy, but this did eventually actually work for us. It took a little bit of time, but honestly, it got her to stop coughing, and it hasn't come back.
I have no idea if something like this would work for Lauren, as her condition seems a little more accute than our daughter's condition was. Plus, I'm not usually an advocate for bribing my child. And I am still concerned that something else could trigger the cough to come back. But, I thought it would be worthwhile to share our story and let you know that you're not alone, and you're doing the best you can.
Good luck!
One possibility to consider is that she has PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders) associated with Streptococcal infections. This disorder occurs quite suddenly following a Strep infection (that might actually not have been diagnosed). Subsequent repetitive motor symptoms (tics-I agree with Dr. Snyderman that this child has a tic) as well as OCD appear to be the result of an immunologic reaction to the Strep infection. It is relatively simple to diagnose through appropriate blood tests looking for antibodies to Strep that remain elevated. Treatment using appropriate antibiotics can be extremely helpful.
years ago when my sister was around 12 she had the same problem. Everyday she would sneeze non-stop for about half hour. My dad took her various hospitals and she saw numerous specialist and had all kinds of medical tests. Nothing came up abnormal everything was fine. Then someone had suggested to see a amazing certified experience doctor who was psychiatrist and hypno-therapist. she went there and within 3 months it was gone. she longer sneezed non-stop. My dad spent so much money to figure out the problem between all the doctors and test. I wish someone had told him earlier then he would not have those huge medical bills. This sounds crazy and unconventional, but it worked. This story is real and this did happen. I can explain this better on the phone if you are interested you can email me at the above address and i can give you my phone number
She needs to see a chiropractor. Sounds like she has some type of nervous system interference that is causing the repetitive nature of the sneezing. Get cervical spine checked out!
I would highly recommend seeing an Upper Cervicle Specific Chiropractor such as the one the Today Show featured earlier this year. I believe the previous show was in regards to the blood pressure study and how a specific chiropractic adjustment was equivalent to taking 2 doses of blood pressure medicine. I think that this might be truly helpful. It very well could be a nervous system interference problem.
I wish you the best.
I'd be happy to help. I'm the author of the book, The Power of Infinite Love & Gratitude and the developer of a natural system of healing called The LifeLine Technique. The LifeLine Technique uncovers and balances the root cause of symptoms and stress. Please feel free to contact me at my health center. 847-714-1531
With Infinite Love & Gratitude~
Darren
After seeing this story I agree with Dr. Nancy I think this is a tic of some kind. I would like to ask the parents has she had any tics in the past (twitching, blinking, smelling of hands, clearing throat) Tics are typically found in males and they do come out when there is stress and I believe it can be associated with OCD - if this is something she does suffer from could it be possible something happened at the sleep over? Didn't they said the day after the sleep over when she came home it started? I would find out who exactly was at the sleepover who was at the house maybe there was some form of molestation that she is repressing or knows and is trying to deny. I respectfully submit my thoughts and will keep her in my prayers.
A suggestion that I have is to have a health intiutive do a reading on her daughter. I believe in all medical healers - western, eastern, and intuitives. It's worth a try as you may get to the root of the problem. I have had great success and others with a health intuitives. If the mother is interested, she can contact me. I don't want to give the resource out without her (the resource's) approval. She is known world-wide. 90% accurracy.
A suggestion that I have is to have a health intiutive do a reading on her daughter. I believe in all medical healers - western, eastern, and intuitives. It's worth a try as you may get to the root of the problem. I have had great success and others with a health intuitives. If the mother is interested, she can contact me. I don't want to give the resource out without her (the resource's) approval. She is known world-wide. 90% accurracy.
I agree with Dr. Nancy - I think this is a tic. I want to know if this girl has had tics in the past (twitching, blinking,clearing the throat) I've read tics can be connected to OCD they said more males then females exhibit this. They also change it's not just one tic and they get worse when the stress level goes up. I thought the story mentioned when she came back from a sleep over at a friends house is when she presented with this sneezing - I would want to know who was at this sleep over who lives in the house or who was visiting (adults)- perhaps there was some form of molestation maybe she was drugged so she can't remember it clearly or she was threatened and she is trying to deny it - yiou hear about these stories all the time - I respectfully submit my thoughts and will keep her in my prayers hoping some answer will be found.
I agree with Dr. Nancy - I think this is a tic. I want to know if this girl has had tics in the past (twitching, blinking,clearing the throat) I've read tics can be connected to OCD they said more males then females exhibit this. They also change it's not just one tic and they get worse when the stress level goes up. I thought the story mentioned when she came back from a sleep over at a friends house is when she presented with this sneezing - I would want to know who was at this sleep over who lives in the house or who was visiting (adults)- perhaps there was some form of molestation maybe she was drugged so she can't remember it clearly or she was threatened and she is trying to deny it - yiou hear about these stories all the time - I respectfully submit my thoughts and will keep her in my prayers hoping some answer will be found.
My mother in law has been a spiritual/holistic healer for more than 20 years and has healed many people with various diseases including people with chronic hiccups and ticks. Please contact me for more information.
Everyone is trying to stop the sneezing, have yout thought about trying the opposite? If there is some unknown agent causing the sneezing, maybe completely clearing out her nasal passages might do the trick. Try some sneezing powder and see if it makes you sneeze hard enough to expel the irritant. Just an idea.
I wonder if she's had a f1n1 vacc??? I've heard of that causing people to have really weird side affects after getting a the shot. Just a thought.
H1n1 rather.
I hope they get this resolved. I am going thru the same thing with my 13 yr old son. His is a cough and headache. Like others we are going to endless specialist , yet to pin down the problem. However, his pediatrician is with the today show Dr in her diagnosis, Good luck to all.
All of this will be just mind over matter. She must simply hold her breath for as long as she can, for longer than she think she can, even through the sneeze. If she sneezes, she needs to hold her breath again until she can't hold it anymore, or through the next sneeze and repeat process until body and mind understand that the sneezing must stop once and for all. This must be a firm exercise and she must know that there is only one alternative, she must stop sneezing and hold her breath for as long as physically and mentally possible each time she strays back towards this "mental habit."
I agree and that would be my suggestion, too. I would even suggest doing the physical/mental conditioning in a pool. If she is sneezing every other second she should start with holding her breath under water for 5 seconds for every 30 seconds and then gradually increase the time intervals. I have no idea if this would work but this would be a "no harm" suggestion that's worth a try.
I am an acupuncturist and have had success with two different patients with episodes of constant sneezing. I would suggest seeking an acupuncturist in the Virginia area. Should they want to discuss my treatment protocol, I'd be happy to speak with them. My clinic number is 315-732-3622.
Good luck.
Since the sneezes increased without explanation after spending the night with a friend I would speak to Lauren about that day....step by step go thru the entire day and night until returning home. She spent the night away from home in an outside environment I know we don't want to think that something bad happened to her but there is a chance that it did. I had an experience that a family member of my daughters best friend hurt my daughter and she was afraid to tell because she knew she would not be able to visit her. I hope we hear that Lauren has recovered very soon!
I am not a physician or any type of doctor, but I was listening to the story and listening to what your doctor on the show suggested and I am just curious about 1 thing, this started 3 weeks ago, or November 1st, after a sleep over at a friends house. So has anyone considered the possibility that a bug of some sort, even microscopic could be lingering in the paranasal sinus or for that matter somewhere in the bronchi, considering that her sneezes seem to be more open mouthed than the nasal and also considering that this came on so very suddenly! I feel for her I don't think that this is psychological at all, I think that someone in the Medical field should consider doing some sort of CT imaging on the lungs and paranasal to rule out a bug of some sort. Just my thoughts good luck! I hope you keep us posted on your progress.
there is one issue here though, the ct scanner requires the individual to remain still. I've had several of them due to my epilepsy. every time she'd sneeze it would muss up the image. however it would probably do some good at Isolating the cause to use either An EEG system or some other device to see which parts of her brain are active during these paroxysms. possibly even going so far as to test the nerves attached to the Follicles in her nasal passage to see if they're triggering the events. as for the oral expulsion of the sneeze, I myself expulse sneezes in a similar manner from time to time, mostly as a subconcious attempt to prevent the release of mucus. the first step is finding where the 'wiring" in her nervous structure has crossed. then perhaps a more accurate diagnosis can be achieved.
She doesnt sneeze while she is sleeping. I am sure they could put her to sleep for the test.
Because these symptoms began following a sleepover, my suggestion is to find out what the young ladies did while at the sleepover. My concern is that they may have participated in something they thought was fun and innocent, but that can have very real and disturbing effects on one's life. I am talking about involvement in occult activities, like tarot card reading, the oujia board, casting spells, etc. With the popularity of Harry Potter, children don't realize the seriousness and disturbing consequences of the dark side.
We want you to know about a non-invasive German made medical device that will help Lauren. Please contact me, so that I can give you the detailed information. There will no cost to you for a trial to see if it works.
There is a trigger point in her right hand at the base of her thumb and if that trigger point or massage point is released the sneezing should stop; if this indeed is the problem. It is the most powerful trigger point in the upper body so a massage therapist should do this ONLY if they deem it to be safe, which I think it should be.