Let’s be real, though. Most of us take the nose, about 91% according to the only study (small and old) that seems to have ever been done on the subject, perhaps revealing how little even scientists want to think about it. Looking around the world, however, it is not uncommon to see someone with a finger in their nose, discreet or not as much, as Queen Elizabeth.
Jokes aside, nosebleeds are deadly serious.
Not only do people spread their own bacteria and viruses to everything they touch after digging for gold, but they also “transfer germs from your fingertips to your nose, which is exactly the opposite of what you want.” say the infectious disease specialist. Paul Pottinger, professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.
This means that you can spread the coronavirus to other people from the nose collection session and that you are also more likely to carry this virus, along with others such as the flu or rhinovirus (the common cold), directly to your cos.
How the coronavirus enters your body
The nose is one of the three main ways viruses can enter the body: the other two are the mouth and the eyes. The nose has a number of defense systems to keep pathogens out, including hair on the front of the nostrils to block larger particles and the mucous membrane.
This wet nose coating “has microscopically small glands that can secrete mucus into the airways in response to foreign invaders. This includes large things like pollen, dirt and dust and also microscopic things, which would include bacteria and viruses.” , said Pottinger.
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Some mucus is good and healthy, and keeps out most invaders. But when it dries, along with everything it has captured, it becomes what most of us call bogers (scientists call it crusts). When you feel one in your nose, it’s easy to want to pick it up without thinking about it.
What many people don’t realize is how delicate the skin of the nose can be. Nose harvesting can create small cuts in the delicate epithelial linings of the nasal cavity, said molecular virologist Cedric Buckley, a former associate professor of biology at Jackson State University in Mississippi, who is now developing the STEM curriculum.
“Once this barrier is broken, you have direct access to a capillary bed, which becomes the conduit for viral particle infection,” explained Buckley, who also works in the city’s Covid-19 working group. of Jackson. This gap increases the chances of transmitting germs from the hands directly to the bloodstream.
Break a habit
Nose collection is something that should be avoided, more than ever during a pandemic. But habits can be hard to break, especially those you do without thinking about it.
Mental health professionals consider that “biting your nose, such as biting your nails, biting your skin, chewing your lips and pulling your hair” is a “repetitive body-centered behavior.” They are “actions aimed at the body itself and often focus on the preparation or removal of body parts,” according to Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Stanford University in California and director of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders Clinic. . there.
These behavioral habits can be a clinical disorder if they involve significant harm or alteration in someone’s personal or professional life, Aboujaoude said by email. For many of us, however, they are just bad habits, not disorders.
Habit reversal therapy, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, is a tool that psychiatrists use to help people with repetitive body-centered behaviors. This treatment “increases awareness of the behavior and its consequences and enables the individual to replace nose picking with a“ competitive response, ”Aboujaoude said. This means doing something less harmful and more socially acceptable with your hands, such as making a fist and grabbing it or squeezing a stress ball.
This is where wearing masks can be especially helpful. In addition to the effectiveness of masks in reducing the transmission of airborne particles that may contain coronavirus, they can also help reduce nasal uptake by physically blocking the usual or unconscious finger-to-nose action.
“If you’re really looking forward to stopping your nose, boy, what a great opportunity to take advantage of this moment in human history where everyone is supposed to cover their face,” Pottinger said.
Good nasal health practices
If you find that taking your nose is not a habit, but a reaction to a constantly uncomfortable or obstructed nose, consult your doctor or a local clinic. Your problem may have less to do with nose crusts and more to do with another issue that needs to be resolved:
“You could have a deviated septum, you could have nasal inflammation, you could be prone to seasonal or chronic allergies, where the nasal membranes are constantly swollen,” Buckley said.
The best way to get rid of mucus is to blow your nose with a handkerchief and then wash your hands, instead of removing the crusts.
Neti pots or salt sprays are another option. “Remember, the booger is just a piece of dried mucus. If you rehydrate the mucus, you should be able to blow it out or get it out on its own,” Pottinger said.
However, he said everyone should get their own bottle, without sharing, not even with intimate partners. The tip should be kept clean and the tip cleaned regularly so that germs do not transfer to the nose from use to use. And if you use a clean jar, Pottinger said, be sure to use sterilized water. Humidifiers to keep indoor air hydrated can also help reduce crust formation.
Prevent COVID and loss of smell
Taking care of your nasal health, which definitely includes not picking up your nose, will reduce your risk of getting coronavirus and passing it on.
Working with patients who have caught it, Pottinger said a sometimes lasting side effect of viral infection is anosmia, or loss of smell, which also affects taste ability.
For patients suffering from this condition, “they are very, very depressed, discouraged and discouraged so that they can no longer taste the food. Now I hope some of these people regain their sense of smell, some do. Some, it is a long recovery.” he said by email. “If you like to eat food and want to taste good things, make sure you avoid catching COVID-19.”