February 8, 2005
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I have been having a problem with boogers lately…
I just have too many in my nose. Every day I have to pick out large boogers just to breathe. The problem is aggravating, especially since there appears to be no reason for me to be forming so many pieces of crust in my nose in the first place.
So I did some research about the formation of boogers (which apparently do not have a more scientific sounding name to go by) in order to understand why I have them. Tada! my friends, I have found the answer at http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/yucky/booger.html.
To understand what boogers are, you need to know about mucus (say: myoo-kus). Mucus is the thin, sticky, slimy stuff that’s made inside your nose. If you’re like a lot of kids, you have another name for nose mucus: snot. Your nose makes about a cupful (about 237 milliliters) of snot every day.
Mucus has a pretty important job – it protects the lungs. When you breathe in air through your nose, it contains lots of tiny things, like dust, dirt, germs, and pollen. If these made it all the way to the lungs, the lungs could get hurt and it would be tough to breathe. Luckily, snot helps trap this stuff, keeping it in the nose and out of the lungs.
After this stuff gets stuck inside the nose, the mucus surrounds it and some of the tiny hairs inside the nose called cilia (say: sih-lee-uh). These hairs help move the mucus and the trapped stuff toward the front of the nose or the back of the throat. When the mucus and the dirt dry and clump together, you’re left with a booger. Boogers can be squishy and slimy or tough and crumbly. Everybody gets them, so they’re not a big deal. In fact, boogers are a sign that your nose is working the way it should!
If you have to get rid of boogers, your best bet is to blow ‘em out of your nose and into a tissue. Picking your nose isn’t a great idea because boogers contain lots of dirt and germs and because poking around in your nose can make it bleed.
So my whole booger problem stems from an issue of dirty air! And the huge boogers in my nose can only mean that I breathe in the most disgusting air in all of California. Thank you, cats.
Comments (10)
Wow. Do you know, I’ve had problems with this ever since the hurricane. Now I bet I know why… do you know how dirty and awful the air is since then? Mold, mildew, dust, etc. is everywhere from the hurricane damage and cleanup efforts. Part of my church got really bad damage – but I’m the only one on staff who hasn’t gotten very sick from being up there all the time. I guess I can thank my nose and its extreme amount of boogers lately! That is just crazy. LOL
baldy.. u worry me. but i accept you for who you are. that is pledge sis love.
sexy….haha.. HAPPY I COmmented back on your sis and replied back to her…. and yea.. u guys look alike! heh..
that is great research. very educational. i love your entries, they have to be the most educational or entertaining of any that i read. and of all, this is the best to date
Maybe you need a humidifier, to keep your nasal passages moist. BTW: The real term for nose hairs is “vibrissae”; cilia are finger-like projections of the cells in your respiratory passages (well, at least from your trachea to the beginning of your airsacs, anyway) that propel the mucus upwards towards your mouth and nose, dehydrate in the dry, dirty LA air and become boogers/snot/opala/etc. Perhaps you need an air filter, too?
Hey dude I learn new stuff when I come to your website,,, thankz and I hope all workz out for you. This is Leo give you hello out there. Take care.
hahaha nice conclusion Sylvia. Just dropping in to say hi and that im back on xanga so leave comments and eprops… you going to be at Installs sat right???
haha. Very good. That is excellent question-research-conclusion right there. That’s what employers like to see.
And i like your interest, there. I do the SAME thing w/Oreos. I love to drink the milk afterward… mmm, Oreo milk. I thought I was the only one.
absolutangel64,,,, I say it ok movie to watch. I had seen better movies. I understand about sleep with the light on. I was that way when I seen THE EXORCIST. Now I’m ok.
~Leo
You probably need a HEPA air cleaner for your place what with that fresh LA air and your cats shedding everywhere. You really shouldn’t be snotting up all the time if you are not sick.