From Wikipedia:
"However, at least one well-known
doctor sees nose-picking and mucophagy as beneficial. He states
that not only is the finger capable of reaching parts of the nose
that a handkerchief or tissue is unable to, thus keeping the nose
cleaner, but that eating the bacteria-rich dried mucus offers a
boost to the immune system, and is analogous to
immunization"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nose-picking
And:
Picking your nose and eating it is one of the best ways to stay
healthy, according to a top Austrian doctor.
Innsbruck-based lung specialist Prof Dr Friedrich Bischinger said
people who pick their noses with their fingers were healthy,
happier and probably better in tune with their bodies.
He says society should adopt a new approach to nose-picking and
encourage children to take it up.
Dr Bischinger said: "With the finger you can get to places you just
can't reach with a handkerchief, keeping your nose far
cleaner.
"And eating the dry remains of what you pull out is a great way of
strengthening the body's immune system.
"Medically it makes great sense and is a perfectly natural thing to
do. 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.
"Modern medicine is constantly trying to do the same thing through
far more complicated methods, people who pick their nose and eat it
get a natural boost to their immune system for free."
He pointed out that children happily pick their noses, yet by the
time they have become adults they have stopped under pressure from
a society that has branded it disgusting and anti social.
He said: "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."
And he pointed out that if anyone was really worried about what
their neighbour was thinking, they could still enjoy picking their
nose in private if they still wanted to get the benefits it
offered.
