Study: Children who eat their own boogers may have stronger immunity than peers

Saturday, December 08, 2012 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: children, eating boogers, immunity

(NaturalNews) It is a nasty little habit that most parents try to dissuade their children from engaging in as early on in their childhood years as possible. But one particular piece of scientific research actually suggests that kids who eat their own boogers may end up building stronger immunity compared to their peers, and go on to live healthier, happier lives.

This is the somewhat unusual assessment made by Dr. Friedrich Bischinger, a professor and lung specialist out of Austria, whose research involving boogers and immunity led him to make this somewhat shocking claim. According to Dr. Bischinger, snot, as it is often called, tends to harbor bacteria that, when eaten, helps to strengthen the body's own natural immune system.

"Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to do," argues Dr. Bischinger. "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."

Think of it as a type of edible vaccine, if you will, except without the aborted fetal materials, mercury, rat poison, and aluminum. If anything, it is a far safer method than approved vaccines to deliver small doses of bacteria that have already been covered in protective mucus, rather than to inject them into the body via a needle.

As far as the happiness aspect is concerned, Dr. Bischinger believes that children naturally pick their noses and are completely happy doing it. But once parents and others in society begin to discourage the practice, children become more reserved and self-conscious about picking their noses, which makes them feel more uncomfortable and unhappy later in life.

"With the finger you can get to places you just can't reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far cleaner," adds Dr. Bischinger about what he alleges are the merits of nose-picking. "And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of strengthening the body's immune system."

"I would recommend a new approach where children are encouraged to pick their nose. It is a completely natural response and medically a good idea as well."

On the flip side, many have since countered Dr. Bischinger's claims with warnings about the potential dangers of nose-picking, one of which involves the breaking of skin inside the nose if children pick too hard. In a worst-case scenario, damage to the veins inside the nose could lead to a condition known as cavernous sinus thrombosis, or blocked blood flow to the brain.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.cse.unsw.edu.au/~norman/Jokes-file/NosePick.pdf

http://justparentingadvice.com

http://www.damninteresting.com

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