# Re-swallowing my own

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 17, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377 "2002-08-17T19:04:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aka\_10003](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@aka\_10003](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aka_10003)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377/1 "2002-08-17T19:04:06Z")

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Just a bodily function question:

Sometimes after coughing some mucus out of my chest into my mouth, I swallow it back. You know—spitting it out can be a production, and how bad can it really be? Its not like it goes back to the chest to re-block it. It is probably harmless.

Am I right?

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**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377/2 "2002-08-17T19:08:06Z")

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Only an anecdotal cite but my grandmother asked the doctor this very question and he said it was entirely harmless.

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**Author:** ![Coilean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f6c823/32.png) [@Coilean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coilean)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377/3 "2002-08-17T19:23:23Z")

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Hmmm, you a smoker?

Either way, though it probably won’t kill you, you’re body’s making a quite an effort to get rid of the stuff. Why put it back in?

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377/4 "2002-08-17T19:45:31Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Coileán \*  
> \*\*…you’re body’s making a quite an effort to get rid of the stuff. Why put it back in? \*\*

This is not a waste product like urine. The body produces it to deal with an irritation, it then becomes inconvenient to let it sit there so we cough it out of the way. The body is not trying to get rid of the mucus.

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**Author:** ![scotth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b9e5f3/32.png) [@scotth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotth)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377/5 "2002-08-17T20:04:12Z")

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All I can say is that I am glad the OP wasn’t asking what I thought when I read just the title to the thread.

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**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-swallowing-my-own/124377/6 "2002-08-17T20:08:21Z")

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i second that, **scotth**.

although that’s probably marginally safer than swallowing one’s sputum.

jb