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In the scientific and medical communities, the technical name for using one’s finger to extract boogers is rhinotillexis, and doing so compulsively is termed rhinotillexomania. The act of eating the resulting harvest is called mucophagy.
There is an Austrian doctor who has gained notoriety by advocating the picking of one’s nose and the consumption of the resulting bounty, particularly in children. Dr. Friedrich Bischinger, a lung specialist working in Innsbruck, would have us believe that people who pick their noses with their fingers are healthier, happier, and more in tune with their bodies. His argument stems from the notion that exposing the body to the dried germ corpses helps to reinforce the immune system. The good doctor feels that society should adopt a new approach to nose-picking, and encourage children to take up the habit.
Dr. Bischinger has been quoted as saying (in an Austrian accent), “With the finger you can get to places you just can’t reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far cleaner. And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the body’s immune system.” He then added, “Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do. In terms of the immune system the nose is a filter in which a great deal of bacteria are collected, and when this mixture arrives in the intestines it works just like a medicine.”
“Modern medicine is constantly trying to do the same thing through far more complicated methods, people who pick their nose and eat it get a natural boost to their immune system for free.”
This theoretical boost comes from the fact that boogers are chock full of bacteria which your body has shuttled out by way of mucus. Mucus lines many of the pathways into the body’s delicate innards, and creates a surface which is like flypaper for bacteria and other particles. Once stuff becomes mired in the goo, the loaded mucus is slowly escorted out by tiny hairs called cilia which sweep the undesirables back out the door. In regards to the nose, when this exiting mucus becomes dry, boogers are produced.
What our good Dr. Bischinger doesn’t tell us is that nose mining can be a dangerous pursuit. If the skin inside the nose is broken while picking away, the veins in that region are situated in such a way that sometimes an infection can migrate inward to the base of the brain and inhibit the blood flow, a serious condition known as cavernous sinus thrombosis. This condition can also be caused by squeezing zits on or around the nose. Because of these risks, the triangular area of the face from the corners of the mouth to the bridge of the nose is referred to in the medical community as the “danger triangle of the face.”
Risks aside, can the immune system really be reinforced by introducing germs into the gut via boogers? While the unpleasant notion may have some scientific merit, it is not based on any formal studies. We won’t know for sure until scientists conduct a clinical study where each test subject is given real boogers or placebo boogers for a period of several months, and each group’s susceptibility to disease carefully monitored.
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I WILL NOT VOLUNTEER TO BE PART OF THE TEST GROUP!!
No one should pick their nose, much less eat the boogers.
Damn Interesting? I think not! Damn Disgusting!!!!!
Now I know why I don’t get sick…
So, can this Dr. Bischinger also be known as the Boogey Man?
I know a woman that does this. We worked together in our early 20’s; whenever I see her she is still doing this. That’s a good 20+ years. (Why, why do I actually KNOW someone that does this.)
That was the grossest thing I have read in years. I couldn’t finish the article. I’m still gagging.
erm… weird, but well, by reading a few articles on this site your concept of weird gets a lil’ bit altered
Sounds to me as if Dr. Bischinger is full of snot.
Funny, I was pickin my nose right when I stumbled onto this page. Maybe it’s one of those pyshosomatic things.
Biologically it makes sense (as far as my knowledge in biology goes). The body “assimilates” the bacteria through the digestive system thus “learning” about the particularities of a potential pathogen allowing one to develope resistance accordingly. This would be equivalent to sudying the contents of a filter on a ventilatioin unit to learn about the impurities in the air and sanitizing the room accordingly.
Seriously, Alan, I just can’t bring myself to read past the first few sentences.
How many people actually don’t pick their nose? That’s like people not admitting that they pee in the shower. Now eating boogers…. ugh. But the Doc doesn’t suggest snot. He says “eating the dry remains.” That’s a big difference! HA!
What’s the difference between snot and broccoli?
Kids don’t eat broccoli.
Though I do pick my nose when the occasion calls for it, I have never peed in the shower. Nasty. Nor have I ever eaten my booger-bounty.
It’s just like how if a child grows up in a sterile environment where the parents clean non-stop then they can be more susceptible to air born germs than other children who’s parents clean… but not obsessively. Allowing your kids to get messy and crawl into dusty places sometimes allows for a stronger immune system. Also it cuts down on the possibilty of them having certain allergies when older.
So what would be the scientific name for snorting your snots out as my tongan uncles do so normaly (YUK!) honestly like a spary of snots, this article should do a follow up on nose snoorters. Oh well you learn something new every day =)
Considering that the immune effects of introducing allergens into the digestive system are well known (it tends to reduce allergic response), and that the body is already designed to allow mucus to be cycled down the throat and into the digestive system, I would say that Dr. Bischinger’s hypothesis has a lot more grounding and is more likely to be true than many others floating around. In truth, the taboo on booger eating is social much more than it is truly hygeine based. Just wash your hands.
You can pee in the shower??? Awesome!!
I’ll admit to being a nose-picker, and I occationally pee in the shower, when I need to :P I haven’t eaten a booger in a few years, but I AM gettin’ hungry…
I am a nose picker and booger eater!!!! I have never had any long term sickness…not even chicken pox and I am 30 years old. I can count how many times I have had the flu on 2 hands (trust me I know, I had to fake sick most of my school life). I see nothing wrong with it…for anyone that thinks that it is gross, answer me one question: Do you perform oral sex on your partner….just as bad and maybe worse!!!!! Oh yeah, I also “P” in the shower…why not, the ammonia in your urine cleans the drains!!!!!
I’ve been picking my nose and eating it since I was a kid and I’m 49 years old. I rarely get so much as a cold. I’ve found this habit to be a great past time and greatly enjoy it. I also pee in the shower. So what !
I think nose picking depends a lot on your physiology. My nose produces a fairly large amount of mucous, and it often dries inside my nose in a way that it won’t blow out. Picking my nose is similar to using a cotton swab to clean excess wax from my ears. Maybe you don’t need to pick your nose, but some of us do. So don’t be hatin’ on the nose pickers.
As to the eating, well, nobody needs to do that. But what is the best means of disposal if there’s no tissue nearby? Flick it around or wipe it on something so someone else might encounter it? I’d say eating it can be more civilized than the alternative, in certain situations.
Cheers.
I pick my nose, because having a big booger up there is just uncomfortable. Eatting it? No way.
Peeing in the shower? Hell yes. =)
Nostril nutrition??! When I was a kid, I recall seeing school mates exhibiting this activity with vigor. I never considered it “healthy” and even though they obviously enjoyed the practice, I could never bring myself to experience the taste sensation. Sorry, but I don’t think I will be a candidate or advocate for the benefits of Boogerology………
…let’s see now…pick you nose or have someone pick your brain?
I think I’ll stick with the first…at least, I control what’s going on as opposed to someone else.
I submit that all the subjects involved in this test perform the “nosepickin” in their cars to ensure their privacy.
Errr . . . placebo boogers? What would they be made out of and how would you administer them?
wileybot said: “I submit that all the subjects involved in this test perform the “nosepickin” in their cars to ensure their privacy.”
While you may “feel” private in your car…you have windows! I have seen MANY people driving down the road up to the second knuckle!! While I don’t mind if you pick your nose, I would appreciate it if you do so where I don’t have to see it, and would prefer you eat it to wiping, or flicking it somewhere that I may encounter it.
That being said, I am not opposed to digging some of the nasty little boogers out of my own snoot, but once again, not where you can watch…I think it’s just good manners. Children under the age of about 7 are excused…after that, you are supposed to have more manners.
Wow, that’s really stupid. Wouldn’t those dried germ corpses be disintegrated by stomach acid in short order? I’m going to declare myself a doctor just so that I can see what I can get people to do.
What is interesting to me is just how this topic totally freaks me out. I mean, I can barely even read the comments.
Mmmmmmm boooogers
Man, there’s nothing like a good nose picking! My favorite is when there’s a long stringy booger that feels like it’s wrapped around your brain stem. Pulling out one of those is like taking a good dump! I don’t eat them though, that would be gross.
Picking one’s nose isn’t that gross; just don’t do it in public. Eating the boogers, however, is rather strange.
binx2882 said: “So what would be the scientific name for snorting your snots out as my tongan uncles do “
I’d suggest calling it a snotgun blast.
I recall Willy Wonka observing Violet Beauregard picking her nose as she said “Spitting’s a dirty habit!”, to which he replied, “I know a worse one.”
And people are getting disgusted by this and have no problem getting mexican food from a street vendor? If they only knew…
For this reason, I propose a clinical study where each test subject is given real boogers or placebo boogers for a period of several months, and each group’s susceptibility to disease is cataloged during that time. Only then can we know with any certainty.
Question: Would it be the subject’s own boogers that would be eaten, or someone else’s?
Either way, eeeeyooOOO!
Equating injections of laboratory-raised and neutralized germs for innoculation with digested nasal residue is pretty close to preposterous. How the processes seem similar to anybody is beyond me. Isn’t this vaguely like the primative notion that one could absorb the strengths, virility, or intelligence by eating one’s enemies various body parts? Or that one might gain the qualities of certain animals by eating them?? Once the stomach acids get into the act, everything is pretty much reduced to its hydrocarbons and nutritional components, all else becoming waste. Why do they use injections instead of just swallowing a teaspoonful of Salks Vaccine???
If I had children, I would definitely make them read this! Great article Alan.
Picking your nose is great, and sometimes necessary. Sure it’s impolite in front of others, but then so is farting or coughing up loads of phlegm. But you just gotta do it sometimes.
If you think picking one’s nose is revolting, I think you’re a bit weak. C’mon face your fears. The only terrifying part of this article is the ‘cavernous sinus thrombosis’. It always amazes me the way social stigmas can supercede biological traits. I find that when I date, I tend to cease picking my nose, but I also get sick more often. Kind of a double whammo on my immune system I guess. The next lucky gal will find new truths to the notion of nature calls.
Urinating in the shower is said to be good for battling tinea – I know this empirically to be true.
To those who are disgusted by this – you ever stayed in a hotel?
Evolution, finger nostril compatability. Still, no excuse for doing it in public.
I am an Australian and what we have here is called a “Bushmans Blow” where one puts his/her finger over a nostril and rapidly expels air from the other thus expeling the mucus. It may sound like an whale getting a breath of fresh air but it does the job and you dont have to eat it. And yes i do pee in the shower…there is nothing wrong with peeing in the shower because the water flushes it down the plughole AND fresh urine is completely sterile.
it’s all cool, dudes. except for maybe eating the boogers part. that’s just wierd and hard to imagine.
RE: Fatal retreat says: it’s all cool, dudes. except for maybe eating the boogers part. that’s just wierd and hard to imagine.
Err, do you mean that would be “hard to digest”? (Ugg, Gag, Barf!) LOL, Still DI. I do believe there is some redeeming value to this theory; in that mentioned by jones4boogs (great id btw). Kids today are eat up with illnesses and allergies. I do believe that my Grand mother made sense when she said, a person has to eat a pound of dirt in thier lifetime if they want to be healthy and live to be a hundred. She died at 98 & 9 months of age. People have a clean fetish now, and it has taken a toll on our immune systems. This one is 50 yr’s. old and never had a sick day till I took a micro bio class for pre nursing. Started being hyper germ concious and sick about the same time. Hummm…
I also have heard that peeing on your feet in the shower will kill athletes foot and planter warts. (?)
I have a grandson with a food phobia, he has limited himself to a very few items that he feels are ‘safe’. Boogers, while not on the governments approved food pyramid, were one of those items for about three years. No amount of begging, threatening, or gagging would convince him to stop. Nor any teasing from daycare classmates. Until he was four, and his ‘girlfriend’ (she was an older, wiser woman of five) told him she would not marry him if he continued the habit. This child will not eat a hamburger, but would happily consume the bounty of a nostril treasure hunt. Go figure. There must be something to it, but I do believe I am too old to start any new habits. But as far as his health? He suffers the usual ailments of childhood, and has asthma, so any health benefits of his ‘diet’ were not apparent.
maybe becuase he didnt eat other foods also?
i pick my nose and eat my boogers all the time. i hate when i accidentally use the same finger that i used to pick my ear cuz then you get that gross ear wax taste in your mouth. also, i pee on my feet in the shower. it feels good.
I think it’s time for a new article…even if it’s a rerun…this one has brought the conversations to an all new low…
HarleyHetz said: “I think it’s time for a new article…even if it’s a rerun…this one has brought the conversations to an all new low…”
Yet it is one of the few arguments that did not ‘evolve’ into a ‘religious’ debate – must be some merit in that?
cornerpocket said: ” Isn’t this vaguely like the primative notion that one could absorb the strengths, virility, or intelligence by eating one’s enemies various body parts? “
Hey, it’s worked for me so far…
HarleyHetz said: “I think it’s time for a new article…even if it’s a rerun…this one has brought the conversations to an all new low…”
Hey! We’ve worked hard to achieve this new low, and we won’t stop digging until we reach another!
Seriously, since this article is a reprint it isn’t like the topic hasn’t been discussed here before… there is no requirement for being interesting that says a few kooks won’t find it disgusting. You could say that about almost any facet of daily life nowadays. I think the “OMFG, it’s disgusting!” crowd need to lighten up a little. It’s not like they are running articles on stuff like the urethra fish here every week.
I think I just had a dialogue with Drakvil. Sort of. It was interesting, I suppose. Sort of intellectual, in a lowbrow, semi-comedic, what if Dr Lector played tag with Dr. Kevorkian kind of way. Tag, you’re IT!!!
Wow, the supportive comments of all the OTHER nosepickers out there has MADE MY DAY! I felt so isolated and despised. Seriously.
I happen to have the sort of nasal arrangement that, no amount of blowing gets a damn THING out of my nose of sinus. The whole nose-blowing thing just doesn’t work. Handing me a Kleenex only makes me feel misunderstood and hated on.
I agree however that the sight of me picking my nose should not be forced on others. I am afraid we DO feel invisible in our cars ! Point taken.
I don’t eat my boogers or scabs, but my best friend in High school did, and she was much healthier than I.
I never heard of peeing in the shower til they had that Seinfeld on it.
I have to agree that swallowing CUM is At least AS gross as eating boogers, so all you folks with the VAPORS should get over yourselves, unless, of course, you would never do anything as disgusting as cocksucking or pussy licking.
(Did anyone else think it was sorta confusing how Seinfeld was so freaked out by the idea of someone using his toothbrush, and things of that nature, yet (we assume) he performed oral sex on women?)
Uhhhh, not wishing to create tension here ….but for the people that find this to be a rather gross process, wouldn’t a big gurgly, snorting inhale through the nose and then a very satisfied swallow be exactly the same process…only sort of in reverse???? Just a thought…..
Crosman said: “Uhhhh, not wishing to create tension here ….but for the people that find this to be a rather gross process, wouldn’t a big gurgly, snorting inhale through the nose and then a very satisfied swallow be exactly the same process…only sort of in reverse???? Just a thought…..”
No. Certainly Not. The article advocates dry boogers, you can’t snort those. When you snort, you’re taking in the liquid mucus. While that method may prevent the nose bleed on the habitual picker, it also tends to make my stomach feel irritable. If you’re sick and you’re constantly accelerating the post-nasal drip, the mucus can build up in your throat too, making you cough it up and re-swallow it all the time, thus adding stress to your problem. When you have an abundance of goo, I find it always more satisfying, other than the flavor, to spit. Decency is vital here, leave the room, or walk a few steps away.
I very rarely get sick. That is about all I have to say.
Shandooga said: “Wow, that’s really stupid. Wouldn’t those dried germ corpses be disintegrated by stomach acid in short order? I’m going to declare myself a doctor just so that I can see what I can get people to do.”
I guess you’ve never heard of an oral vaccine before? The oral polio vaccine developed by Albert Sabin probably being the most famous oral vaccine against any disease, and which has saved countless lives. For more information on oral vaccines see here:
Eat Your Vaccinations, Honey
http://filer.case.edu/~eay3/ESR/vaccine.htm
If you’re going to keep making science comments like that you might actually want to study some science first.
Eat boggers, pick scabs and eat them, pee in the shower and outside too! give and receive oral sex.
yummy! no puritanical bs for me….
This has inspired me to start eating my boogers. It’s annoying when they’re attached to nose-hairs though.
HarleyHetz said: “While you may “feel” private in your car…you have windows! I have seen MANY people driving down the road up to the second knuckle!! While I don’t mind if you pick your nose, I would appreciate it if you do so where I don’t have to see it, and would prefer you eat it to wiping, or flicking it somewhere that I may encounter it.
To quote Seinfeld: “It wasn’t a pick!”
yay openside!!
picking your nose..ok everyones done it, but eatting it? So okay it may be healthy, but thats just gross! Also i think this should stay not on the public side, cause its just a turn-off when people dig up their nose in front of you….
Dave Group said: “Errr . . . placebo boogers? What would they be made out of and how would you administer them?”
Well, check out Bernie Botts All Flavor Jelly Beans for this….
“””And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the body’s immune system.” He then added, “Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do. In terms of the immune system the nose is a filter in which a great deal of bacteria are collected, and when this mixture arrives in the intestines it works just like a medicine.”””””
By reading what this Dr. is saying, it seems like this article has great intentions but very bad arguments. To me it just made me think that his next article will be telling us that wiping ourselves after we poop and then eating what is on our hand will help make us healthier….no thank you Doc, no thank you
Maybe the docter is snotless. If so be a snot doner and donate some snot. Now I’m own my way to donate some snot , snsnsnsn…. call the snot hotline at 1-800-snot! Be a hot snot and not cold buggers! Just kiding.
blahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!damn disgusting
While this post was honestly difficult to read (and finish), I’m actually thankful I completed the article. Why? Because of the information you included about “nose mining” possibly causing an infection in the nose that can travel to the brain and restrain blood flow. Based on the number of people who engage in “nose mining,” it’s surprising that more people do not cause and suffer from these infections. Or do they–thus resulting in misdiagnoses?
Now if it boosts your immune system, why would your body prevent bacteria getting into it in the first place. Also you can boost your immune system of exercising, a more sane way.
The difference between broccoli and bougars? Kids won’t eat broccoli!
ew. i picked my nose when i was 5, im not gonna start again. no matter how much happier i would be, i will not do it and you cant make me.
i ate my ‘nose gold’ when i was younger,but as i got older i was informed it was un-healthy and caused pin worms ,guess they were wrong,but in any case i don’t plan to start back the habbit of eating,but ive always picked,it gives a sence of freedom somehow.don’t ask how because i couldn’t awnser that question for you,anyway people do feel invisable while in their cars but they should unless you have some nosy dude around you
ignore my poor grammer and spelling,I’m tired and sick at the moment wich is making it hard for my to type
I thought this article was hilarious. I guess that makes me immature. I do pick my nose; usually with a kleenex, but I will not pick my nose in public. Nobody wants to see that. I find it is very uncomfortable to have boogers in my nose. I have never eaten my boogers- not that I know of anyway- and I never will. Call me crazy but it just does not appeal to me.
cerealkiller said: “… I find it is very uncomfortable to have boogers in my nose. I have never eaten my boogers- not that I know of anyway- and I never will. Call me crazy but it just does not appeal to me.”
You probably did as a child (I’ve never met a child that has not picked his/her nose at some time). We all consume nasal mucus throughout the day, without being aware of it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucus#Nasal_mucus)
EruditeGuy said: “You probably did as a child (I’ve never met a child that has not picked his/her nose at some time). We all consume nasal mucus throughout the day, without being aware of it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucus#Nasal_mucus)”
Apparently you can not read. I said that I do pick my nose, but I do not eat it. I agree that everyone consumes mucus throughout the day; I have post nasal drip. Boogers however must be picked in order to eat them and they are a solid, unlike mucus, which makes them a little different.
72nd!
what a great feeling to finally get a finger on a hard snot rock and pull it out. the instant breath of fresh air that the nose inhales feels so good! then i flick the booger,…oh man, but eating it?
no thanks, i’d rather get the flu.
From what I understand this is also the theory behind urine therapy which requires you drink a nice warm cup of your own urine every morning and it will strengthen your immune system.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine_therapy
Now decide, would you rather eat your boogers or drink your urine?
Like some other comments i’ve read, i also asked myself several times why i hadly fall ill……….. it could just be one of so many. been doing the picking and eating since childhood and i’m bout 29 and never had anything outside the usual illnesses
I’m with Jonathan Field,
Jonathan Field said: “I think nose picking depends a lot on your physiology. My nose produces a fairly large amount of mucous, and it often dries inside my nose in a way that it won’t blow out. Picking my nose is similar to using a cotton swab to clean excess wax from my ears. Maybe you don’t need to pick your nose, but some of us do. So don’t be hatin’ on the nose pickers. “
And HarleyHetz you shouldn’t stare at people, didn’t your moma tell you that? It’s not polite. Plus you should be concentrating on the road.
Shandooga said: “Wow, that’s really stupid. Wouldn’t those dried germ corpses be disintegrated by stomach acid in short order? I’m going to declare myself a doctor just so that I can see what I can get people to do.”
In the way you’re using the word disintegrate, it would appear you mean denature. If denaturing was the case everything that went in to your stomach would be completely useless to your body. And therefore you would not be alive today.
Your stomach acids break food down so it’s in a more digestible state, doesn’t mean it denatures everything, all the molecules are still in a recognizable state. Definition – disintegrate: break into parts or components or lose cohesion or unity; “The material disintegrated”; “the group disintegrated after the leader died”.
etonalife said: “No. Certainly Not. The article advocates dry boogers, you can’t snort those. When you snort, you’re taking in the liquid mucus. While that method may prevent the nose bleed on the habitual picker, it also tends to make my stomach feel irritable. “
If you’re trying to tell me that some flakes of, or whole dry boogers can’t get into your mucous I will call you naive. Even if it was 1/100,000 of a dry booger everyone has swallowed some. And the irritability is probably in your head.
muhoboika said: “Now if it boosts your immune system, why would your body prevent bacteria getting into it in the first place. Also you can boost your immune system of exercising, a more sane way.”
Silly, when your breathing your mucous is keeping dirt/dust/bacteria whatever you want to call it from entering the lungs, not your stomach. Plus it’s natural to ‘consume’ mucous, knowing and unknowingly.
Where I come from using your ‘air flow’ to excrete snot from your nostrils is called a “farmers blow”.
Way to be Buck Fush!
denki said: “I very rarely get sick. That is about all I have to say.”
I’m with you man, I can’t believe how many closet nose pickers are on this site.
I refuse to produce any mucous or mucous-like compounds, thereby avoiding this whole ugly mess. I have dined with heads of state who quite willingly acknowledge that they shant pick their noses, but have servants pick/eat for them. Albert Einstein wrote a dissertation on the hazards of picking/eating, including the mathematical probability that he would continue doing so anyway. Did you see what it did to his hair???
Many people think President Clinton was a drunkard, but he was not. His big, red nose is caused by his being a…well, a pickard. Most historians agree that lances from the medievel period were not for fighting, but for LRP Ops (long-range-picking) for friendly forces. The serfs were grateful for the leftovers, as they had not much food. All of this is well settled science.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that pees in the shower and picks my nose. But eating those little boogers is just beyone me……
After my mom picks her nose she doesn’t flick it or put it in a kleenex….she feeds it to her dog. I guess that explains why the dog never gets sick? lol
armymedic said: “I’m glad I’m not the only one that pees in the shower and picks my nose.……
After my mom picks her nose she doesn’t flick it or put it in a kleenex….she feeds it to her dog. I guess that explains why the dog never gets sick? lol”
EEEEEWWWWWW!! ROTFL&Gagging, urp.
Tink said: “I also have heard that peeing on your feet in the shower will kill athletes foot and planter warts. (?)”
Is this tru? Does anyone know? I have heard this before too and when I was in highschool our gym teacher told us this and encouraged it especially after barefoot activities.
Tink said: “I also have heard that peeing on your feet in the shower will kill athletes foot and planter warts. (?)”
binx said: “Is this tru? Does anyone know? I have heard this before too and when I was in highschool our gym teacher told us this and encouraged it especially after barefoot activities.”
Although urine (pee) contains urea, which is also used in Athlete’s Foot creams, it is not in a concentrated enough form to be practical. On top of that you also have the moving water from the shower that will be diluting your urine and flushing it down the drain.
Now the urea is only used to “soften” the skin to allow the antimycotic medicine access to the fungus, but unfortunatly you have none of that in your urine. Some say that the “salts” in the pee is what kills the fungus. Once again it would have to stay on the affected area longer than the shower water will allow, and in order to be hurting the fungus, it should also be painful to you as it seeps into the cracks of your defiled flesh..
More on urea here –http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?term=tinea+urea&Label=PubMed+Search&cmd=Search&db=PubMed
Sorry but the piss on the foot is just another myth.
Although during WWII, the German’s fighting in the field did urinate on their boots to soften the leather. Seems the army issued footwear was stiff and very uncomfortable. By rubbing the urine into the leather, it helped soften it making the boot easier on the foot.
Thanks Radiatidon, I appreciate you clarifying this for me. I love this place, the people here are diverse and DI.
It doesn’t make sense that mining for nostril nuggets and eating said paydirt would benefit our immune system. Why is our immune system ejecting it in the first place? Is it necessary for the bacteria to dry out and die before ingesting it? Is our body better able to produce antibodies from bacteria that enter the stomach rather than those that enter the lungs? Someone should study this, perhaps we’ll find it beneficial and change our attitude about olfactory chew. After all, bathing used to be considered unhealthy.
Also, are we disgusted by boogers because of natural reasons or is it an aversion that society teaches us? If it is a taught reflex, then it makes sense that kids have no qualms about rooting around in there.
No one has addressed the techniques for effectively removing boogers. As many know, it usually requires alternating use of both a forefinger and a thumb. Surprisingly, the thumb is very effective in getting the ones that stick to the sides of the nose, while the forefinger does a good job of rolling and preparing the booger for a good Farmers Blow. A good blow can propel a well-formed booger about 20 feet with decent accuracy (takes practice). While laying in bed one can even stick boogers on the ceiling! There is more to this “report” than just picking and eating. Also, dogs love to lick your booger fingers.
Here I come putting comments in WAY after the fact again, but had to respond. Those who were grossed out by this should lighten up, (this coming from someone who despises the fart jokes…hmm…) anyhow, My boyfriend has always referred to what is being called a “farmer’s blow” as a Snot Rocket.
Well does eating your boogers have any side effects to it?
to further up what several others have refuted about the myths of the digestive system, (and also the myth that using a large vocabulary equates to knowing what one is talking about):
my grandmother always told me to eat yogurt “because it’s got little bugs in it that are healthy to eat.” saying that the stomach turns everything to “waste” shows some misunderstanding of the digestive process. how the heck would the intestines function so well without bacteria? and if that’s not enough for those who doubt that most all healthy bacteria survives human digestion, refer to this article on stomach acid:
– from an article titled “Stomach Acid,” available at http://ezinearticles.com/?Stomach-Acid&id=603445
for my part, i’ve always eaten my boogers. there, i said it. cringe if you must, but you’d never *see* me, at least, i do it in private. i occasionally eat the foods listed above that contain healthy bacteria, but not that often. however, i’ve always thought that maybe snot was beneficial because it has immune-building bacteria in it, and like some others here who admit to eating boogers, i rarely get sick, and if i do, maybe once a year, it’s mild and gone in a week. it’s my guess that a lot of flu and cold causing viruses and bacteria are inhaled but not often digested. digesting them might boost immunity to a point that inhaling them doesn’t cause severe or frequent sickness. this might be a total fluke or coincidence, but gross though it may seem to most, i’d like to see a study done about this, and i’d partake in it. just don’t ask me to eat somebody *else’s* snot. blecccch.
Dun it since i was a kid, 60+ years ago!) in great health! recently learned they taste even better if u let them dry out on a slick surface (back of a mirror?) and eat em crispy! Helps if you dry them out of sight of other family members (hee hee)
it’s really nice to know all this and that it’s so common. I was worried if it was dangerous and searching the net led me here.
Other nibbles can be dandruff chunks and fingernails, of course. “Pica” it was called, last time I ever heard anything like it, but that referred to inedibles like clay, etc. (Still supposedly a mineral source) Folks around here are all hepped on “organic food”. You can’t get much more organic than this! Thanks for sharing!
Pickin’ yer nose
And eating it too
Isn’t that what normal people do?
One thing’s for sure; people have an awful lot to say about boogers.
Curious thoughts. If Ma Nature knew what she was doing, this article lends thought to WHY the Nose is placed immediately above the Mouth.
No Pickety
Every time I pick my nose
My Mommy says “no pickety!”
If I spread those germs around
We all could get quite sickety
So I take my fingers out right away
And ask her for a tissue.
Then while she’s wiping off my nose
I think “Oh pickety, I miss you!”
by Matthew Bydalek
http://www.sarcasmforbabies.com
You have no idea of how refreshing it is to read of others who have admitted to this “nasty” habit. I have always thought it natural. I try to do it in private so as to not gross anyone else out. I pick and eat as I drive (sorry if you have caught me in your rearview) I haven’t been sick in years even though asthmatics usually have compromised imune systems. I feel I am very in-touch (no pun intended) with my body and of course it doesn’t hurt that I like rather interesting foods like oysters and have no problem with drinking the occasional raw egg. Not only is it a relief to free one’s nostril of the nugget, it is a tactile delight to roll around on the tongue, chew, take apart, moisten and swallow. I have thought this is a demonstration of a type of OCD, but not that it is a totally bad thing. I do have trouble watching anyone else pick and eat…. but I think that this is something that was instilled in me by my parents and brings on feelings of guilt and hypocracy… that is the only thing I would like to be cured from…. Perhaps it is only as taboo today as a woman showing more than her ankles in the 17/1800’s. I also pee in the shower and need to know what my crap looks like before I flush the toilet. I gain a better idea of my bodily processes from this forensic glance.
I pick my nose and eat my boogers and some skin/scabs. I shower once a week and wash my hands about once a day. The last time I got sick was when I had chicken pox in 5th grade.
My theory is that people who pick and eat their boogers are healthier, but not as a direct effect from the boogers. People who do “gross” things like that are generally less worried in their day-to-day lives. I have observed a very high correlation between the number of things a person is grossed out by and the number of worries that person has. Just relax and don’t allow unreasoned stigmas control your behavior. Combine that with a low-calorie diet and you’re well on your way to living 100 years.
My old Girlfiriend Mary was of Maltese/French decent and used to pick her nose every night just after she brushed her teeth. She went into a trance while she was using her left pinky finger inserting it into her nose rotating it and then inserting it into her mouth. Overage she would do this 4-5 times always from the left nostril. She looked just so beautiful and relaxed!I found this habit to be a complete turn on and actually found it quite exciting. I had been going out with her for 2 years when one day i went back to her place she went into the kitchen to make me a cup of tea and whilst she was reading the paper she inserted her left pinky into her nose and began to rotate and then eat it! A number of times infact.I saw her in the reflection from the mirror. She saw that i saw her doing it. She cried! I said it doesnt matter i still love u!!! I actually found out that her grandmother Charlotte taught her this beautiful habbit! Mary left me after six wonderful years and i have not been in love ever since!!! I find it totally fascinating!!!Love to hear if you have any comments please email me on jamesrbhay@hotmail.com
Guys, as disgusting as you may think this is, one, there is nothing disgusting about picking your boogers and eating them, I do it ALL the time for the past 8 years, and learning this, I feel better when people notice me picking my nose where nobody can see me, as long as your not one of those creeps who sits in public getting attention for people to watch you do it, and then asking someone else to eat it, picking and eating your boogers is ok, and healthy.
Dude same here, the last time I got sick was last year when I had the swine flu, most likely because someone sneezed on me while I had my mouth open >.< which I agree is damn disgusting, but anyway I barely ever get sick, most once every few years.
Woah woah, wtf?
For as long as I can remember to this day I always have. No wonder I’m never sick.
OK, a few corrections:
1. Plantar Warts, not Planter’s Warts. Plantar refers to the bottom of the foot. Plantar fasciitis is a swelling of tendons on the bottom of the foot, for example.
2. Many vaccines are administered orally. Several people have the incorrect notion that the stomach acid renders this ineffective, they are wrong.
3. Urine contains almost zero ammonia. It contains urea in chemical equilibrium with uric acid, which, under the right circumstances and over a much longer period of time than it takes for your pee to go down the drain, will be changed into ammonium, which in turn will find an equilibrium state with ammonia dependent on the redox state of the environment.
4. Peeing on your feet does nothing other than make your feet smell like pee. The urea in athletes foot medicine is there only to soften the skin so that the actual medicine can get into the skin.
5. A few people appear unclear about the bacteria in poop. That bacteria is very much alive. Dont eat poop. Seriously. Even your very own poop is dangerously high in bacteria that can make you quite sick.
6. The bacteria in your boogers is dead. The bacteria in vaccines is also dead. This is why they work to prime your immune system to fight off those bugs, without getting you sick. Dead bacteria = good, live bacteria = bad, while not strictly correct (some bacteria are good for you even alive), might be a helpful pneumonic here.
what does it say about eating other peoples buggers? just think of how healthy you could be if you ate the buggers of every stranger you passed on the street… im in.
The medical team on the article is lying bc they want u to take medicine and pay more for the hospitals and shit
They are buisnessmen trying to earn a living after all. Their arguement of it being damaging to the nostril is true but true human nature isnt perfect and if we treat out bodies like theyre super frail we grow weaker while if we just follow instinct we get tougher, so inebidably their will be sacrifices
mandy
Even if it is eventually proven to be healthful, I think that I will prefer to become ill.