Eating mucus is the act of extracting dried nasal mucus with one's finger (rhinotillexis) and the succeeding action of ingesting the mucus from the

nose-picking Nose-picking is the act of extracting nasal mucus with one's finger (rhinotillexis) and may include the subsequent ingestion of the extracted mucus (mucophagy). In Western cultures, this act is generally considered to be social deviant; parent ...

(mucophagy).

Health

Mucophagy comes with some health risks due to the potential physical aggravation resulting from the action of nose picking, and the germs on fingers and in mucus. Picking one's nose can cause

upper airway The respiratory tract is the subdivision of the respiratory system involved with the process of respiration in mammals. The respiratory tract is lined with respiratory epithelium as respiratory mucosa. Air is breathed in through the nose to th ...

irritation as well as other injuries including nasal septal perforation (a "through-and-through defect" of the cartilage separating the nostrils),Romo, Thomas III. "Septal Perforation: Surgical Aspects." eMedicine. Web MD, 24 Jul. 2007. Web. 25 Sept. 2009. and

epistaxis A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significant that low bloo ...

(

nosebleed A nosebleed, also known as epistaxis, is bleeding from the nose. Blood can flow down into the stomach, and cause nausea and vomiting. In more severe cases, blood may come out of both nostrils. Rarely, bleeding may be so significant that low blo ...

). In a study by Andrade and Srihari, 25% of subjects were ailed by nose bleeds, 17% with nasal infections, and 2% with damage more serious than bleeding. W. Buzina studied the fungal diversity in nasal mucus in 2003. 104 samples were gathered with 331 identifiable strains of fungi and 9 different species per patient.Buzina, W. "Fungal Biodiversity-as found in nasal mucus." ''Medical Mycology'' 41.2 (2003): 149–161. Google Scholar. Web. 18 Sept. 2009.

Possible reasons

The Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder Association of South Africa collectively concluded that nose picking (and mucophagy) are passing behaviors. Andrade and Srihari studied persons who were more apt to develop "habitual and obsessive–compulsive behaviors." They discovered that those with compulsive issues showed correlations between nose picking and self-mutilation motives. Diagnoses have also included passive–aggressive personality disorder and

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wi ...

.Caruso, Ronald. "Self-induced Ethmoidectomy from Rhinotillexomania." ''American Society of Neuroradiology'' 18 (Nov 1997): 1949–1950. Google Scholar. Web. 18 Sept. 2009. Mucophagy has also been referred to as a "tension phenomenon" based on children's ability to function in their environment. The different degrees of effectively fitting in socially may indicate psychiatric disorders or developmental stress reactions. However, most parents view these habits as pathological issues.Lapouse, Rema. "An Epidemiologic Study of Behavior Characteristics in Children." ''American School Health Association'' 48.9 (12 Nov. 1957): 1134–44. Google Scholar. Web. 18 Sept. 2009. Moreover, Andrade and Srihari cited a study performed by Sidney Tarachow of the State University of New York which reported that people who ate their boogers found them "tasty."Andrade, Chittaranjan, and Srihari, B.S. (2001). "A Preliminary Survey of Rhinotillexomania in an Adolescent Sample." ''J Clin Psychiatry'' 62: 426–431. Stefan Gates in his book ''Gastronaut'' discusses eating dried nasal mucus, and says that 44% of people he questioned said they had eaten their own dried nasal mucus in adulthood and said they liked it. Stefan Gates, ''Gastronaut: Adventures in Food for the Romantic, the Foolhardy, and the Brave'', 2006, (paperback)
"Boogers", pp. 68, 69
/ref> As mucus filters airborne contaminants, eating it could be thought to be unhealthy; Gates comments that "our body has been ''built'' to consume snot", because the nasal mucus is normally swallowed after being moved inside by the motion of the

cilia The cilium, plural cilia (), is a membrane-bound organelle found on most types of eukaryotic cell, and certain microorganisms known as ciliates. Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea. The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike projecti ...

References

{{Mental and behavioural disorders, selected = adult Body-focused repetitive behavior Habit and impulse disorders Mania Rhinology

Health

Possible reasons

See also

References