What is a sneeze?

Factual Questions
1

Why do we sneeze and what is our body trying to accomplish with this violent little spasm?

Also, are there dangerous sneezes? When my wife sneezes, she always holds them in. I tease her that one day her head will explode. Is there really a danger to holding all that energy in (not that her head really will explode, of course)? Myself, I just prefer to let the snot fly. I figure that that is how God meant for us to sneeze.

Of course, the flute players on the front row of my class may not agree… (just kidding)

2

From the Mayo Clinic.
http://www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9709/htm/sneezes.htm

3

Sneezing is your body’s way of telling you that there’s something foreign bothering the cilia in your nose, and rapid ejection of it is the best way to get rid of it.

I actually threw my back out after a sneeze that had worked itself up all day. Damn, the snot flew on that one.

4

For me, I sneeze when somthing gets caught in the far back of my nose and throat. I think it’s the bodys way a saying, “hey fcker, get the fck outa my nose!”