Home Health 

Story

12-Year-Old Girl Can't Stop Sneezing

Va. Girl Sneezes Up To 16 Times Per Minute

Posted: 7:36 am PST November 12, 2009Updated: 8:15 am PST November 12, 2009

A 12-year-old Virginia girl is cursed with a sneeze that won't stop.

Lauren Johnson has up to 16 sneezes each minute she's awake. It only stops when she's in a deep sleep, reported television station WVEC.

"It's frustrating," Lauren Johnson told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Wednesday after sneezing four times.

The sneezing began two weeks ago, when Lauren was recovering from a routine cold, reported the New York Post.

Lauren has been to specialists and tried prescription drugs, but the sneezing goes on.

"I don't feel a tickle in my nose; (it's) just kind of constant," Lauren said. "(I) don't really notice it that often anymore. It just kind of comes out."

The constant sneezing was too disruptive to allow Lauren to go to school, so she started having homework sent home, the family said on the "Today" show.

Lauren's mother Lynn Johnson thinks it may be an extremely rare medical condition that could be treated with psychotherapy or hypnosis. But for now, the only relief seems to be sleep.

H1N1 Flu

Swine flu
Get the latest news about the H1N1 outbreak and tips about how to keep yourself and your family safe. Full Story ››