Amanda Nash, age 8, of Pocatello, Ida., for her question:

WHERE DOES A SNEEZE COME FROM?

All of a sudden a violent rush of air goes out through the nose and mouth, and you find that you have sneezed. A person has no control over sneezing.

With a sneeze, the body takes action to get rid of irritating or harmful objects in the nose. Sensitive nerve endings that line the nose react to these objects by causing the sneeze.

Sometimes hay fever brings about a lot of sneezing. Plant pollen becomes trapped in the nose and causes the sneeze. Bright sunlight can also cause some people to sneeze because the eye nerves are closely connected with nerve endings in the nose.

Be sure to cover your nose and mouth with a handkerchief or a tissue when you sneeze. You don't want to spread harmful germs to others.