PICKING YOUR NOSE COULD CAUSE LATE-ONSET ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE FOR EVERYONE
You can pick your friends. But you can’t pick your friend’s nose! That’s the childhood saying I keep hearing while thinking about this news. Picking your nose has always been a no-no. We all know not to do it. But, we all do it. Sure, some may do it more than others. Some may even do it in their sleep. We have these two nostrils, holes really, and we have fingers. That almost guarantees we’ll stick our fingers in those holes to see what’s there. Socially, it’s completely unacceptable and disgusting. We’ve all seen adults of all ages doing it while they drive, that’s for sure. But it’s relatively harmless, if disgusting. Or is it? A new study says that picking your nose could lead to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.
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PICKING YOUR NOSE, EVEN PLUCKING YOUR NOSE HAIR, CAUSES RISK OF DANGEROUS INFECTION
Frankly, it seems pretty silly to me, and the scientific lingo doesn’t make it any easier to take. The Australian study is titled, “Chlamydia pneumoniae can infect the central nervous system via the olfactory and trigeminal nerves and contributes to Alzheimer’s disease risk.” That’s a mouthful! But even if you’re not a scientist, you can see from the title that picking your nose could make it easier for a particular bacteria to get into your brain. The study was based on how this could happen with mice.
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NOSE PICKING AND ALZHEIMER’S STILL REQUIRES MORE STUDY, BUT WITH HUMANS
Scientists are continuing to build the case that C. pneumoniae infections in the brain are connected to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. But it’s not just picking your nose, it’s also plucking your nose hairs! Personally, I’d have to find a way to keep that hair growth down, or my mustache will end up with a mustache. But it is cause for some concern. Alzheimer’s is the 5tth leading cause of death for adults over the age of 65, and the 7th overall. Currently, 6.5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease. But don’t freak out yet; I’m not. Scientists still have to do a study that actually involves humans who pick their noses and track these C. pneumoniae infections.
In the meantime, I’m getting sharp nose trimmers and more nasal spray.
