Readers Digest; Icky Stuff; Earwax; Pimple Pus; Fingernail Dirt; Eye Crud; Mucus; Belly Button Lint; Blister Fluid

Sunny and cool.

Icky stuff!

The Readers Digest for December 2016 has a one page "eye opening" explanation of all that gooey, sticky, smelly and icky stuff that accumulates in our bodies.  In case you haven't read the article (by Kelsey Kloss), here is my understanding of the "Body Gunk" article:

Earwax

Now I know why my hearing aid doesn't work.  It's because my ear canal is clogged up with cerumen, also known as earwax.  Earwax is not wax... it is a mixture of sloughed off hair, dead skin cells, oil and sweat.  All of this "gunk" supposedly lubricates the ear canal and helps you hear. 

Unfortunately, this "gunk" periodically coalesces and clogs my ear canal and makes my hearing aid inoperable.  So, I travel to my ear doctor and she scoops out the "gunk" and sends me on my way.  With that procedure done, my hearing aid begins to work again... at least for a week or so.

Pimple Pus

(Kelsey calls pus puss, which could cause some confusion.. maybe to Mr. Trump. Also, it seems to me that cruel teenagers would often refer to another kid with zits as "Pimple Puss.")

Anyway, pus is what we squeeze out of zits.  Kelsey says it will contaminate surrounding pores when it "oozes out." (Sorry for that, but you'll have to yell at Kelsey, instead of me.)

Fingernail Dirt

Kelsey says that this "grime" is a combination of keratin (whatever that it), skin cells, hand-lotions and such, and, of course, good old fashioned "dirt."  And, you may not want to believe it, but there is probably contamination under your fingernails, placed there accidentally when using a toilet. (Ugh!)  Also, if you cook, you may have raw food residue there too.

Eye Crud

A lot of yucky stuff collects in the corners of your eyes.  You'll find it there when you wake up in the morning.  Kelsey says it consists of mucus, dead skin cells, oil and even dust.  At least, during the day, blinking gets rid of it.

Mucus

"...water, dead white blood cells, salts, and proteins..."  make up mucus (you know what it looks like). "Mucus protects you by trapping bacteria that enter the body."  I never thought of it that way. 

Belly Button Lint

Yes, researchers have discovered that some lint accumulates there, as well as dead skin, sweat, dust and even fat (how does fat accumulate there?)  If you are a cro magnum person, there is probably hair growing around your belly button.  Kelsey says: "Hair spirals around the belly button, directing debris inward."

(Speaking of debris... one summer, I worked shoveling out houses which had been buried in sand during a major New England hurricane.  The supervisor kept saying "Move that DEBRIZ!"
Of course, we smart-aleck college students "knew" what he should have said was "Move that DEBREE!"  However, some  years later I learned that lots of Brits say DEBRIZ.  So, as usual, we didn't know as much as we thought we knew.)

Blister Water

Clear fluid under a blister protects the irritated tissue during healing. Kelsey warns us to be concerned if the fluid is white or yellow rather than clear.  This could indicate an infection.

..................................................................................

Now, if you want to know more about this "gunk," get a copy of the Digest.. on page 122 is the original article, with some good internet references.

...................................................................................