Ear wax You feel a slight tickle in your ear. You look around. Nobody is looking. You reach up slowly with your finger and shove it in your ear. You scratch it. Ahhhhhhhh. Mission objective achieved. Now, let’s put this finger back to work and pick up a pencil…..oh…..my….goodness…….there’s a brown, waxy, alien on it. Call the police!!! Do not be scared. Breathe deeply. Calm down. Look at the little orangey, brown slime. This is important stuff and it’s saving your life! Ear wax is made of oils, dead skin, and hair. And…..you need it. Ear wax traps dust and gives you protection against harmful bacteria that may try to make a home inside your ear. Your body is full of something called glands that produce oil. Your skin is covered in them. The oil is usually made of fats, like coconut or olive oil, and these fats clear (yes, clean), moisturi
se, and protect your body. If you touch your eyebrows, you’ll find you have a bit of waxy, fatty oil there to protect your eyes from dust.
Here’s the thing: people think ear wax must be a terrible and disgusting thing because it looks like….alien poop? It looks like something quite horrid. However, ear wax is part of you. Your body makes it for a very useful reason - to protect you. Now, of course, too much can be a bit disgusting, but don’t go mining in there and take all of it out. Doctors say you should never put anything smaller than an elbow inside your ear, so leave your ear wax alone!
Bogies, snots, MUCUS!
You have a mission. When nobody is looking, grab a bogey out of your nose. Don’t worry. Nobody can see. Grab a mighty fine one. Raise it up on your finger like an Egyptian god and whisper, “Thank you, oh bogey, for all you do for me. Thank you for saving my life again and again and again. Thank you for protecting my lungs from dust, pollen, allergens, viruses, bacteria, and coconuts.” Then, say it again. Your snot, bogies, boogers - whatever you want to call them - are vital. They are superheroes. Your bogies are full of mucus. Mucus is a liquid that your body produces that does some amazingly essential things. Like the oil and wax in your ears, mucus moisturises ALL of your body - thank you, mucus. It keeps everything smooth and moving. It traps dust and fluff that might try to enter your lungs when you breathe - thank you, mucus. Finally, it is full of enzymes that fight against and kill viruses. And, best of all, when you’re sick with a cold or flu and you the river of snot coming out of your nose, the mucus is carrying, like a mailman, the virus out of your body after it’s been attacked by white blood cells. That’s why when you’re healthy, your runny nose is clear and transparent, but when you’re sick, it changes colour and becomes like some kind of thick, yellow gunk. When you look up into space, you’ll see the atmosphere that protects earth from asteroids and all kinds of things. Ear wax and mucus are your own atmosphere. They protect you for your entire life! Don’t let anyone see you grabbing bogies!