Sneeze cured deafness
1973: Jean Haynes was almost deaf since birth, but then an allergic reaction triggered a bout of sneezing. Seems that she sneezed quite a bit. But finally, she gave one big sneeze, and suddenly she could hear again.
This falls into the recurring weird news theme of accidental cures (such as people who get hit in the head and are cured of blindness).
But I'm also reminded of the cases of people who blew their nose and had an eye fell out.
This falls into the recurring weird news theme of accidental cures (such as people who get hit in the head and are cured of blindness).
But I'm also reminded of the cases of people who blew their nose and had an eye fell out.
La Crosse Tribune - Jan 9, 1973
Sneezing Clears Ears, Woman Is Able To Hear
COVENTRY, England (AP) — A 22-year-old worker in an auto factory here says a sneeze has ended a lifetime of almost total silence.
"I can hear, I can hear," Jean Haynes shouted after the loud sneeze.
Miss Haynes has been virtually deaf since birth. Recently, she found she was allergic to the plastic foam used in the plant department where she worked. She started sneezing and couldn't stop — once going for six hours.
Miss Haynes was transferred to another department, but she gave one final sneeze Saturday. Doctors believe the head-jerking sneezes unblocked a tube connecting her middle ear and nose.
There's just one problem. Miss Haynes said she has trouble sleeping. Too much noise.
COVENTRY, England (AP) — A 22-year-old worker in an auto factory here says a sneeze has ended a lifetime of almost total silence.
"I can hear, I can hear," Jean Haynes shouted after the loud sneeze.
Miss Haynes has been virtually deaf since birth. Recently, she found she was allergic to the plastic foam used in the plant department where she worked. She started sneezing and couldn't stop — once going for six hours.
Miss Haynes was transferred to another department, but she gave one final sneeze Saturday. Doctors believe the head-jerking sneezes unblocked a tube connecting her middle ear and nose.
There's just one problem. Miss Haynes said she has trouble sleeping. Too much noise.
Comments
Unfortunately, after too many years working in thee automobile factory, her hearing has diminished to the point that you have to raise your voice for her to hear you.
Posted by GFinKS on 02/13/17 at 08:45 AM
Not all that surprising - as the article mentions, the Eustachian tubes form a direct connection between your nose and your inner ear. Hence, also, why you blow your nose to stop your ears popping in an aeroplane.
Posted by Richard Bos on 02/13/17 at 10:36 AM
If her hearing loss was due to a blocked tube (???), she had grounds for a very nasty little lawsuit. Checking for malformations/structural defects/structural impairments is a normal part of the examinations when an infant is suspected of being deaf or hard of hearing.
Posted by Phideaux on 02/13/17 at 12:16 PM
Phideaux: except that this took place in England in 1973 (so the examination would've taken place in the 1950s), not in the United States of Litigation in 2017.
Posted by Richard Bos on 02/14/17 at 05:51 AM
@RB -- My bad -- I didn't notice it was England. I don't know the history of the NHS, but I think it was put in shortly after the war, and I know it, for all practical purposes, bans malpractice suits (it's technically possible, but you're fighting the government).
My uncle won a malpractice lawsuit in the late 1950s, but that was part of a concerted effort by townspeople to force a bad doctor out of town.
My uncle won a malpractice lawsuit in the late 1950s, but that was part of a concerted effort by townspeople to force a bad doctor out of town.
Posted by Phideaux on 02/14/17 at 12:26 PM
It's possible for it to go the other way: pressure can cause deafness in people with something called LVAS (large vestibular aqueduct syndrome).
Posted by ges on 02/17/17 at 01:28 AM
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Category: Health | 1970s