Editing Nose picking (section)

==Medical risks and benefits==
The environment of the nose and the dried secretions removed contain many micro-organisms.  When a person is contagious with a cold, flu or other virus, it is important that hands or other objects used to remove mucus are washed promptly because there is risk of introducing micro-organisms to other parts of the body or other people since it is a norm to shake hands in many societies.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[BBC]]|title=The ancient story of the modern handshake|url=https://www.bbc.com/ideas/videos/the-ancient-story-of-the-modern-handshake/p072n8wn|date=2019}}</ref>

Picking one's nose with dirty fingers or fingernails may increase risks of infection that may include an increase in the diversity of [[human microbiota|nose flora]] (and thus infection or illness),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wertheim |first1=Heiman F. L. |last2=van Kleef |first2=Menno |last3=Vos |first3=Margreet C. |last4=Ott |first4=Alewijn |last5=Verbrugh |first5=Henri A. |last6=Fokkens |first6=Wytske |date=August 2006 |title=Nose picking and nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus |journal=Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology |volume=27 |issue=8 |pages=863–7 |doi=10.1086/506401 |pmid=16874648 |s2cid=45790701}}</ref> or occasional [[nosebleed]]s. One case of rhinotillexomania resulted in perforation of the [[nasal septum]] and self-induced [[ethmoidectomy]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Caruso |first=Ronald D. |author2=Richard G. Sherry |author3=Arthur E. Rosenbaum |author4=Stephen E. Joy |author5=Ja Kwei Chang |author6=Douglas M. Sanford |year=1997 |title=Self-induced ethmoidectomy from rhinotillexomania |url=http://www.ajnr.org/content/18/10/1949.long |journal=American Journal of Neuroradiology |volume=18 |issue=10 |pages=1949–50 |pmc=8337379 |pmid=9403460 |access-date=2018-01-31}}</ref> In children, the most common complication related to nose picking is [[Nosebleed|epistaxis]] (nosebleed). Infections or perforation of the nasal septum are uncommon, but can occur.<ref>{{Citation |last=Blum |first=Nathan J. |title=Chapter 65 - REPETITIVE BEHAVIORS AND TICS |date=2009-01-01 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781416033707000651 |work=Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics (Fourth Edition) |pages=629–641 |editor-last=Carey |editor-first=William B. |place=Philadelphia |publisher=W.B. Saunders |language=en |doi=10.1016/b978-1-4160-3370-7.00065-1 |isbn=978-1-4160-3370-7 |access-date=2022-08-12 |editor2-last=Crocker |editor2-first=Allen C. |editor3-last=Coleman |editor3-first=William L. |editor4-last=Elias |editor4-first=Ellen Roy}}</ref>  Nose picking, however, should not affect the [[olfaction|sense of smell]], as the [[nasal cavity]] where the [[olfactory nerve]]s are located is too high up to reach.

Researchers at Griffith University have discovered a connection between bacteria and [[Alzheimer's disease]]. They have found evidence that a specific bacterium ([[Chlamydia pneumoniae|''Chlamydia pneumoniae'']]) is capable of traveling through the olfactory nerve in the nose and entering the brain of mice. The intrusion of the bacteria is enhanced by nose picking. Once inside the brain, this bacterium triggers the production of certain markers that are indicative of Alzheimer's disease. Their study demonstrates that ''Chlamydia pneumoniae'' exploits the nerve pathway that extends from the [[nasal cavity]] to the [[brain]] as a means to invade the central nervous system. In response to this invasion, brain cells deposit a protein called amyloid beta, which is a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease. Activities like picking one's nose or plucking nasal hairs can damage the nasal lining, making it easier for bacteria to reach the brain. The [[olfactory nerve]], located in the nose, provides a direct and relatively short route to the brain. Importantly, this route bypasses the protective barrier known as the blood-brain barrier. It seems that viruses and bacteria have identified this pathway as an easy way to gain access to the brain. Therefore, it is according to Dr. St John, a co-author of the study, advisable to avoid nose picking or plucking nasal hairs to maintain the integrity of the nasal passage and lower the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-10-28 |title=Nose Picking Could Increase Risk for Alzheimer's and Dementia |url=https://neurosciencenews.com/olfaction-nose-alzheimers-21742/ |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Neuroscience News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chacko |first1=Anu |last2=Delbaz |first2=Ali |last3=Walkden |first3=Heidi |last4=Basu |first4=Souptik |last5=Armitage |first5=Charles W. |last6=Eindorf |first6=Tanja |last7=Trim |first7=Logan K. |last8=Miller |first8=Edith |last9=West |first9=Nicholas P. |last10=St John |first10=James A. |last11=Beagley |first11=Kenneth W. |last12=Ekberg |first12=Jenny A. K. |date=2022-02-17 |title=Chlamydia pneumoniae can infect the central nervous system via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and contributes to Alzheimer's disease risk |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=12 |issue=1 |pages=2759 |doi=10.1038/s41598-022-06749-9 |pmid=35177758 |pmc=8854390 |bibcode=2022NatSR..12.2759C |issn=2045-2322}}</ref> However, there is still scarce evidence in favour of this claim, and most experts say it is too soon to link.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nose picking and dementia? Too soon to link |url=https://newsroom.osfhealthcare.org/nose-picking-and-dementia-too-soon-to-link/ |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=Nose picking and dementia? Too soon to link |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-03 |title=Don't worry – Picking your nose doesn't cause Alzheimer's disease |url=https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/alzheimers-disease-nose-picking-dementia-no-evidence/ |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=New Atlas |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Joyce Siette and Mark Patrick |date=2024-01-27 |title=Does picking your nose really increase your risk of dementia? |url=https://www.psypost.org/does-picking-your-nose-really-increase-your-risk-of-dementia/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |work=PsyPost - Psychology News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Some scientists claim that mucophagy provides benefits for the human body.<ref name="Bellows" /> Friedrich Bischinger, an Austrian doctor specializing in [[lung]]s, advocates using fingers to pick nasal mucus and then ingesting it, stating that people who do so get "a natural boost to their immune system".<ref name="Bellows" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Lane |first=Carin |date=March 23, 2012 |title=Like to become a stranger to illness? Read on |newspaper=Times Union |url=http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Like-to-become-a-stranger-to-illness-Read-on-3430548.php |access-date=22 August 2012}}</ref>   The mucus contains a "cocktail of antiseptic enzymes that kill or weaken many of the bacteria that become entangled in it", so reintroducing the "crippled" microorganisms "may afford the immune system an opportunity to produce [[Antibody|antibodies]] in relative safety".<ref name="Bellows" /> However, other scientists argue that, "because boogers are made from the same ingredients as the mucus we swallow every day, ... eating boogers doesn’t matter much to your immune system".<ref>{{Cite web |title=How harmful is it to pick your nose? |url=https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/how-harmful-is-it-to-pick-your-nose |access-date=2022-08-12 |website=wexnermedical.osu.edu |date=30 October 2017 |language=en}}</ref>

A study in the Netherlands published in 2023 found that healthcare workers who picked their nose were about three times more likely to contract [[covid-19|COVID-19]]. The same study found no correlation between COVID infection and nail-biting, or with wearing spectacles or having a beard, which could interfere with fit of protective equipment. The [[Observational study|study was observational]], finding a correlation without identifying a detailed cause.<ref>{{cite news| last=Davis | first=Nicola | title=Nose-picking healthcare workers more likely to catch Covid, data suggests |newspaper=The Guardian | date=2 August 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/02/nose-picking-healthcare-workers-covid-transmission-rhinotillexis}}</ref>