Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with snot

AMAZING SNOT EATING DAUGHTER

mattoxic — Tue, 12 May 2009 06:39:22 -0800

It's snot eating time again. My five year old has discovered the rich bounty her nose has on offer, and has started eating her snot. There are some great questions/answers/comments here, but none that specifically answer my question- how do I get my darling to stop. Mrs Mattoxic was helping out at school today, and she noticed daughter chowing down on booger burgers on more than one occasion. Has anyone had experience with getting a child to moderate this habit? And is there anything we can do apart from "Don't eat your snot, it's disgusting"

Chihuahua knows the nose

arniec — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:28:26 -0800

Why does my dog want to eat our snot? Straight out of our noses! I have two Chihuahuas, one male one female. And the female has a weird obsession with sticking her tongue as far up our nose as she can. She has done this since we bought her, so I don't know if this was a game at her birth-household, but when we are sitting on the sofa she will leap up on our lap or, if reclining, our chest and attack our faces with fast licks, and the licks start off all over the face, but will in less than 30 seconds become focused on the nose, and then she will start probing her tongue up the nose, even craning her neck to be below your nose for a better angle.

Of course this is NOT something we encourage. She has done it to my wife, to me, and to my father in law when he was dogsitting for us. Our methods of deterrence are fairly mild, by trying gentling methods such as saying "settle" in soothing tones (when possible...if you talk she will many times try to stick her tongue in our mouth as well). Often we end up covering our mouth and nose, and she tries to nuzzle her way in under the hand. She is persistent, agile, and quite industrious about getting under hands, and we really wonder WHY.

She seems to be so happy to be seeing us, to be with us, and it seems like a sign of affection so we have not punished her as hard as we would for, say, not being housebroken or chewing things she shouldn't. But it is something we have to be on the defensive of as it's quite unpleasant if she does succeed in penetrating our nostrils.

So why does she do it, and is there a way to stop it without really deterring her from showing any affection to us at all?

Boogey Nights

scruss — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 18:11:24 -0800

Nocturnal nose-picking: how to stop something I'm not even aware of doing? [slightly gross details follow] From the number of, um, magic nose goblins around the bed in the morning, it is evident that I pick my nose in my sleep. The quantity of nostril shrapnel evinced nightly is alarming, and ms scruss finds it unattractive.

I've tried to cut down on dairy products before bed, to little effect. Sprays help a little, but have strict limits on how often you can use them. Any other suggestions, short of hypnotism or a Dremel tool?

Cats are Gross

crush-onastick — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:20:43 -0800

My kitten is snotty. Some sort of permanent virus he picked up in the shelter. I've talked to the vet about his health, but she had no tips for keeping my house mucus-free. Help? The cat is generally healthy, if a bit wheezy, and I've checked with his vet several times about how to detect actual respiratory distress and what to do about it, &c, so that is not my concern here. My concern here is the projectile snot I find stuck to the walls or--my very favorite ever--got in the face this morning while I was still sleeping. Clearly, I cannot teach the cat to use a tissue (for all his fondness for unrolling the toilet paper roll), so I'm looking for alternatives. Do you know any cat homeopathic remedy that will cut down on the goo in his nose? Or any way to keep him from sneezing globs of it all over me & my house? Tips for cleaning it up?

He's a great little guy, but I am so not excited about a lifetime of cleaning cat snot off me and everything else.

I thought it may be good, but maybe it's snot.

Bathtub Bobsled — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:25:39 -0800

I've been eating my boogers/snot for the last 24 years or so, are there any comprehensive long term studies that show any positive or deleterious effects of this? I've found this Ask Mefi thread, and this Mefi FPP, but they don't answer my question. Should I try to quit? Also, should I be up front about this habit to my current girlfriend, or should I just continue to keep it my own little salty secret?

...That this foul deed shall smell above the earth with carrion men, groaning for burial

KokuRyu — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 17:58:13 -0800

Why does my snot taste like propane? My snot is thick and gluey, and leaves my mouth tasting like propane or swamp gas. As well, for the past two weeks or so, I've had this smell inside of my head. I often get this after colds, or while experiencing hayfever.

I haven't had a cold in a while, but I'm on the road a lot, and fly in small commuter planes about four or five times a month. Last week I was on the road, and was forced to spend some time in semi-smoking environments. However, I've experienced this smell and taste since before this trip.

I have asthma, and suffer from hayfever, usually in April, May and June. For some reason, I did not experience hayfever this year (this was the first time in my entire life!). As well, while I usually suffer from colds from October to December, I have not contracted a cold yet.

So what the heck is this smell and taste infecting my phlegm?

Help me find a specific XXXChurch video!

peripatew — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 19:11:02 -0800

I'm looking for a video by XXXChurch that was featured on their website a while back. I've looked everywhere, specifics inside, help?! It is an office scenario. The main character approaches his computer, a porn website flashes up, and he proceeds to beat the snot out of it with a bat or something. It ends with a verse about removing that which causes you to sin.

Anyone have any idea how to find this video? I think it was used to promote an event or something. I've tried contacting XXXChurch with no luck.

Why does my nose run when eating spicy foods?

afx114 — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:25:10 -0800

What are the biological and/or evolutionary purposes behind a runny nose brought on by spicy foods? Why does my nose run when eating spicy foods? I'm curious as to what biological purpose it serves. Does it "cool down" the oral/nasal cavities? Or is the spice simply irritating/swelling the sinuses? Just a little something I've always wondered...

Snot Rags in the Stocking

breath — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:16:06 -0800

I'm trying to find some nice handkerchiefs for my lady. She uses them instead of tissues, and is often running out of them, so I'd like to shore up her supply. I guess any old square of cloth will do (indeed, she will use shirts, socks, pillowcases, and so on, once her hankies run out), but it's definitely possible to find handkerchiefs that are better at what they do: soaking up snot while not irritating the nose skin.

I'm looking for hankies that have fine fabric and nice patterns! I searched the internet, but it's really hard to judge the fabric based on a 100x100 jpg. What's your experience?

What's the difference between green snot and yellow snot?

winston — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 07:06:13 -0800

What's the difference between green snot and yellow snot? Someone once told me that yellow snot indicates a sinus infection while green was probably just a cold, but googling isn't turning up a reliable citation for that. In any case, sometimes it's green and sometimes it's yellow -- so something must be different about the process that produces it, right?

It's snot right

twirlypen — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 07:45:03 -0800

Okay, I've got a cold, and my nose is dripping. All day long, any medication or remedy is only temporary and the drip comes back. But my question isn't how do I stop it- it's why does it stop when I sleep? Why don't I wake up in a pool of snot? My nose is dripping all the time, so I'd expect that it would continue at night, and I'd wake up with litres of goo all over my pillow. Why not?

Is it because I'm horizontal? Because my body's working at a slower pace? I don't get it.

Stop the snot!

youcancallmeal — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:00:04 -0800

It's that time of year and I've got my first cold. I can deal with the body aches, the sore throat and the stuffy head...but how do I stop my nose from running?! I mean, it's so bad that I can't get to sleep because I can feel the drip and it's driving me INSANE. Help!

Boogers

brownpau — Thu, 03 Feb 2005 15:48:10 -0800

The snot question got me wondering: Is there a scientific name for boogers? Surely doctors and biologists don't go around talking about coagulated mucosal deposits as "boogers," do they?

I have so many questions about snot.

TheDonF — Thu, 03 Feb 2005 12:57:52 -0800

Snot! Does it have any calories? If so, how many? Is it a mystical celery-like substance that takes more calories to digest than is contained in it? If so, how much would you need to get through to lose a pound of lardiness? If it doesn't contain any calories, then why not? So many questions!

Do I Have Allergies?

nelleish — Tue, 13 Jul 2004 06:20:18 -0800

Do I have allergies? (more inside) First off: I'm not looking for medical advice, just comments from anyone who does have allergies and maybe recognizes my "symptoms" as such. If it does ever get worse, of course I'll go to a proper doctor, right now I'm just placating curiosity.

So here's the story: I have always tended to sneeze often, but I never really thought about it. However, over the past year or so I've had a constant overproductive nose. I haven't needed to blow it, but there's plenty of muscus and mostly not clear (but instead, other fun colors). It isn't anything truly irritating or impending on any part of my life, but it makes me wonder if I am allergic to something.

The points against it being an allergy is that it hasn't increased or decreased in response to any regular factor. My family has always kept many pets, but I don't live with them anymore. I've always been active outdoors and doubt it's pollen or anything else seasonal. It's been there winter and summer, and regardless of where I'm living (which has variously been southern suburban Ontario, coastal Maine, and rural northern Maine). The only thing I've every reliably concluded as being a trigger for a sneeze or two is ingesting strongly flavored/aromatic mints, otherwise I just sneeze more often than other people. I've used google many times to look up allergies, but I don't suffer from any of the comonly listed symptoms, no congestion or watery eyes, etc.

So am I just a snotty kid, or mildly allergic to everything? Again, I'm not suffering from it (the mint thing is actually a decent party trick), but I just wonder sometimes what causes it, and worry it might get worse, especially since the snot thing is a relatively recent development. Thanks!

What fate awaits the booger?

evinrude — Fri, 26 Mar 2004 12:02:27 -0800

Inspired by this thread, I have a question: what happens to boogers after they leave one's nose? If I left a booger on a kleenex for days, what would I see happen? Would it just stay... forever, or until a cat or a spider or something ate it? Or would it... evaporate eventually?