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Dear Lucy: I have been a nail-biter for as long as I've had teeth. For years, people have been telling me to quit. They tell me how gross it is that I ingest all those germs, but I rarely, if ever, get a cold. Isn’t it possible that I’m actually building immunity by continually ingesting minute amounts of harmful germs, and that’s why I rarely get sick? —Stubby

Dear Stubby: While Lucy has never dreamed of nibbling on her own impeccably groomed nails, she realizes you’re probably not the only one at MIT with this habit—though it’s quite possible you are the only one with this odd theory about its effects on your health. On the other hand, what if you’re onto something? Worried that she might be forced to ruin a beautiful manicure for the sake of good health, Lucy immediately sought the wise counsel of MIT Medical’s chief of medicine, Howard M. Heller, M.D., an expert in infectious diseases.

While Heller finds your theory interesting, he tells Lucy it doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny. After all, he notes, if it were true, people who wash their hands diligently would be the sickest among us, because they would not be acquiring as much immunity. “But hand-washing has been shown to reduce infections, not increase them,” Heller says. As to why you escape colds most of the time, you’re “just lucky,” he conjectures, “or already have a good immune system.”

Your theory has something in common with the observation that kids from super-clean homes have a higher frequency of allergies than those from, shall we say, less tidy environments. However, Heller notes, allergies are not the same thing as the illnesses you get from viruses and bacteria. Kids from messy homes get just as many (if not more) colds than those who live in neat homes.

Lucy suggests washing your hands regularly to get rid of germs before they have a chance to make you sick. She also suggests that you try to kick the nail-biting habit. Start by making an appointment with a clinician in MIT Medical’s Mental Health Service; together, you can come up with a plan to conquer your onychophagia. —Lucy

Information contained in Ask Lucy is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended as professional medical advice related to individual situations. Always obtain the advice of a qualified healthcare professional if you need medical diagnosis, advice, or treatment. Never disregard medical advice you have received, nor delay getting such advice, because of something you read in this column.