The Disgusting Habits that May Save Our Lives

From burping and eating their own boogers to drinking their urine, some people have the weirdest and most disgusting habits one can think of. Before dismissing this article and screaming the word "gross", may I suggest you read on and learn a little bit more about some of our most disgusting habits, you never know, this may benefit your health.

Burping and farting: while parents encourage babies to pass wind by rubbing their backs or massaging their stomachs, we usually don't tolerate older children or adults burping or farting in public. As we grow up, these become disgusting habits. It is understandable that while the digestive system of a newborn baby is not completely formed, babies need a little help in order to make sure their food gets properly digested. Even as adults, holding a burp or a fart can make us feel bloated and uncomfortable, but when possible it is better to do so privately, unless you are holding a contest. In some countries of the Middle-East, burping after a meal is acceptable and usually means that you have enjoyed the food.

Nose-picking is the habit of using one's finger to remove dried mucus and even has its own scientific name: rhinotillexis is practised by children and also some adults. Eating one's boogers (the mucus inside one's nose that solidifies when it dries) is a disgusting habit that is particularly popular with children, and even though parents usually try to stop their children from doing this, I am sure most adults have fond memories of themselves doing so; even so few would dare to admit it. In fact, some "grown-ups" still eat their own boogers. An Austrian doctor, Dr. Friedrich Bischinger, even claimed that eating the products of nose-picking could help strengthen our immune system as the dried mucus acts like a vaccine. So, should you really reprimand your children next time you catch them picking their noses?

Would you believe me when I tell you that there is such a thing called Urine Therapy? Uropaths recommend drinking or applying one's own urine as a way of treating certain diseases or even for cosmetic purposes. It is thought that about 3 million people in China are pee drinkers and some celebrities such as Jim Morrison, Keith Richards and John Lennon have been known to drink their own urine. While urine has not been scientifically proven to be beneficial to our health and in fact the majority of practitioners advise against drinking one's or anyone else's urine, some people believe that urine could be used to treat cancer patients. Now this is a truly disgusting habit.

These disgusting habits are often being laughed or sneered at, but what if they were actually beneficial to us? Should we keep dismissing everything that comes out of our bodies as dirty or should we try and learn a little more about bodily functions and how these could be used to keep us healthy, however disgusting they may seem?