THIS THREAD IS A BOOGER
Boogers, snot, bogeys and boogies are the common names for dried nasal mucus. Our nasal mucus is normally a clear, runny substance. However, as it moves closer to the surface of our nose it loses moisture to the air, dries out, and starts to harden.
What is mucus?
Mucus is a stringy and slippery fluid released from inside your nose and other areas of your body such as your lungs and stomach.
This is important as it protects us from breathing in things that might make us sick or may be poisonous.
Sometimes it is runny, or sometimes it looks thick and slimy, or even squishy like chewing gum.
But why is it sticky?
Mucus has something called mucin in it. Mucin helps mucus stick to unfamiliar things you breathe in like pollen, dust, dirt and some germs.
It stops these things getting into your airways and damaging your extremely delicate lungs.
Your body then clears out the mucus by coughing it up or blowing it out through your nose.
You can also get rid of it by swallowing it. If mucus is swallowed it will end up in your stomach where it will be destroyed by the stomach’s acidic juices.
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Is It Bad to Eat Your Boogers?
Nose picking is by no means a new phenomenon. In the 1970s, ancient Egyptian scrolls were discovered that discussed paying King Tutankhamen’s personal nose picker.
Nose picking and eating boogers, also known as mucophagy, has traditionally been met with looks of disgust. However, some scientific experts suggest otherwise. Here’s what you should know about eating boogers.
There isn’t a significant amount of research surrounding eating boogers because most people won’t agree to participate in studies. However, Scott Napper, an associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Saskatchewan, in a humorous attempt to engage his students, suggests that eating boogers may actually have some helpful effects. According to an interview with CTV-News Saskatoon, Napper says that eating boogers exposes the body to mucus that has trapped bacteria. In theory, the body could build up an immunity to the bacteria in this mucus and then be more equipped to fight against future illness-causing bacteria.
Sometimes, picking the nose (but not necessarily eating boogers) may seem like a more convenient way to clean out the nose versus using a tissue. If this is the case, you may wish to do so in private and wash your hands after to avoid the spread of potential infectious diseases.
A significant body of research doesn’t exist to support or name the risks of eating boogers. However, there is a study that found those who picked their nose were more likely to carry the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus than those who didn’t pick their noses.
Some chronic nose pickers may also experience nosebleeds as well if they pick so much they affect the tissues inside their nose.
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Seriously.
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