Well, it’snot good news for most people.
Some 90% of the population picks their nose — sometimes several times a day. This may seem like a harmless habit, but frequently digging for gold may have dire consequences.
Dirty fingers can introduce bacteria into the nose, causing infections that can lead to crusting, tissue damage and nosebleeds.
Researchers are investigating the theory that trauma to the nasal lining can transmit germs to the brain, potentially triggering inflammation and the formation of amyloid plaques.
These are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative condition affecting over 7 million Americans.
Scientists have been unable to pinpoint exactly what causes Alzheimer’s, which gradually impairs memory, thinking, reasoning and judgment.
Some researchers have focused their attention on the crucial nose-brain axis, a direct pathway between the nasal cavity and the central nervous system.
Because the brain’s smell-processing centers are among the first areas damaged by Alzheimer’s, smell tests have become a non-invasive way to screen for Alzheimer’s risk.
Perhaps doctors should also ask their patients if they are incessant nose pickers.
A 2022 study out of Griffith University in Australia found that nose picking can usher Chlamydia pneumoniae, bacteria that can cause respiratory tract infections, into the olfactory nerve in the noses of mice. The bacteria can then travel to the brain.
As a result, brain cells deposit amyloid beta protein. These fragments cling together to form sticky plaques that disrupt cell communication and cause brain cell death, leading to memory loss and dementia.
“We’re the first to show that Chlamydia pneumoniae can go directly up the nose and into the brain, where it can set off pathologies that look like Alzheimer’s disease,” neuroscientist James St John said when the research was published in Scientific Reports.
“We saw this happen in a mouse model, and the evidence is potentially scary for humans as well.”
A separate 2023 scientific review suggested that Alzheimer’s neuroinflammation “might be partially caused” by pathogens entering the brain via the olfactory system.
Researchers theorized that these harmful microorganisms change the bacterial makeup in the nose, potentially leading to a chronic low-level brain infection, neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s.
In reviewing this research last month on social media, board-certified neurosurgeon Betsy Grunch recommended practicing good nasal hygiene to avoid damaging the lining of your nose.
That means not picking boogers and plucking hairs from your nose.
If this is a habit you have picked up and simply cannot put down, frequent hand washing and hand sanitizer use are suggested.
When it comes to your nasal health, don’t blow it!
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