# Sniff and taste it or blow and waste it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 14, 1999, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960 "1999-07-14T13:19:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 1999, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960/1 "1999-07-14T13:19:00Z")

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My wife and I have this argument everytime one of us gets a cold:  
A while back a friend tells me his doctor says blowing your nose all the time forces mucus back into your sinuses, and can cause ear infections, and that snorting was better.  
She says that her doctor told her that snorting causes ear infection and you should always blow.  
Anyone know what the real deal is?

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 1999, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960/2 "1999-07-14T14:52:00Z")

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I always heard that neither sniffing nor snorting was good for you. Instead, you should let it run and wipe your nose. Sniffing and snorting irritate the nasal membranes, and increase the flow of mucous. They also, as you noted, increase the possibility of blockage.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 1999, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960/3 "1999-07-14T14:59:00Z")

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I really wish I hadnt read this as I was going to lunch…se, from the title, I assumed it was about drugs.😛

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 1999, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960/4 "1999-07-14T19:47:00Z")

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I thought it was about the relative merits of belching versus farting.

* * *

President of the Vernon Dent fan club.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 1999, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960/5 "1999-07-14T19:56:00Z")

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Funny, I didn’t think it referred to snot, drugs _or_ flatulence.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 15, 1999, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sniff-and-taste-it-or-blow-and-waste-it/1960/6 "1999-07-15T01:31:00Z")

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falcon2, our noses are all constructed in their own way. Thus, what works for you, you should do.

Whatever makes you most confortable.

NOTE: Snot is simply a virus’s way of reproducing. It’s called ‘viral shedding.’