Oil Pulling to Benefit Your Teeth and Improve Your Health
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A few weeks ago I mentioned I had a toothache. Fortunately it got better but then it began to hurt again. I followed the same protocol as before, reducing inflammation in my body and it got better again. I dentist friend of mine suggested, quite strongly, I get it looked at. Since I was coming to Woodstock for my women’s group this weekend I made a appointment for my dentist. He thought it was a bite issue and made a tiny adjustment. He also recommended OIL PULLING to support my gums, teeth and entire body.
I have heard about oil pulling for quite some time and have read testimonials on it’s benefits but never wanted to try. Since it is recommended to do first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything, it just didn’t sound like something I wanted to start my day with. Fortunately my dentist said you can experience benefits even if you do it a bit later, like when you’re in the shower or before meals. OK I am willing to give it a go. It is inexpensive and I see no downside to trying it.
In today’s post I am going to tell you how to do OIL PULLING and a little information on why it works.
What is Oil Pulling?
Oil pulling is said to be a powerful means of maintaining good health as well as an effective cure for a variety of ills. It also is said to be a natural tooth whitener.
The idea behind it is when you remove toxins and bacteria from the mouth it leads to detoxification of the body. Dr. F. Karach, M.D., who is responsible for introducing oil pulling to the modern world in 1990, claims it has the ability to treat various illnesses, ranging from digestive disorders to heart disease.
Oil pulling is an ancient technique, first described in 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic texts. Deepak Chopra notes that oil pulling is one of many Ayurvedic techniques valuable for purifying and strengthening the body. According to Ayurveda, organ meridians are present in the tongue just as they are in key points such as the hands, feet and ears. That makes the tongue important in preventing and treating illness.
How to Do Oil Pulling
The practice is simple. To perform it swish your mouth with a spoonful of high quality oil in order to “pull” bacteria, parasites and other toxins from your teeth and mucus membranes. Swish the oil vigorously, pulling “through” the teeth, and side to side for 15-20 minutes. It is best to do it on an empty stomach.
- Do it when you have an empty stomach. If you can do it first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking that is even better.
- Swish your mouth with 1-3 tsp of high quality oil in order to “pull” bacteria, parasites and other toxins from your teeth and mucus membranes
- Swish the oil vigorously, pulling “through” the teeth, and side to side for 15-20 minutes. (set a timer). If you swish for less than 15 minutes it won’t work. If you swish for more than 20 minutes you run the risk of reabsorbing the bacteria and toxins back into your body.
- You want to swish the oil back and forth between all of your teeth and side to side across all of your gums. You want to hit the cheeks and soft palate.
- Don’t gargle or swallow any oil.
- Spit into the garbage so you don’t clog your pipes, especially if you have a septic system like I do.
- Rinse mouth a few times with water and if you like, use a tongue scraper to remove the coating from your tongue.
*You can use a number of oils for this, but organic sesame and coconut oil are the most commonly used. I like coconut oil which is a powerful destroyer of all kinds of microbes, from viruses to bacteria.
Benefits of Oil Pulling
Does it work? We will see. You can get more information from the book Oil Pulling Therapy by Dr. Bruce Fife. Here are the benefits he says you can get:
- Improve oral hygiene significantly by removing bacteria, plaque and gingivitis
- Brighter, whiter teeth
- Improve joint pain and arthritis
- Improve/eliminate migraines
- Improve sinus infections
- Improve skin conditions, such as eczema, rashes and acnes
- Improve allergies
- Improve digestive issues
- Highly detoxifying
- Improve eyesight
- Improve mental clarity
- Increase hair growth
Oil pulling has been part of my morning grooming routine since March of this year. I get out of bed, walk to the kitchen & get my heaping teaspoon of virgin organic coconut oil, set the kitchen timer & read for 20 minutes while I’m oil pulling. After 20 minutes I go outside & spit (this also gives me a sense of the weather for the day) then I follow up with scraping my tongue, then brushing my teeth with a mixture of baking soda and salt. What I’ve noticed in the eight + months I’ve been doing this is: fresher breath all day, whiter teeth, healthy gums. I don’t know what else it is doing internally, but coconut oil is now one of my favorite things. I’ve stopped using my expensive facial lotions & have started using coconut exclusively on my face. It’s greasy at 1st, but then soaks in to the cellular level and works magic on my wrinkles & dry skin.
Hi Trish,
Your reply is very inspiring. I started a few days ago doing it while in the shower. It is good to know it has helped your teeth and gums. I too use coconut oil as facial and body cream, I love it. Thanks for the inspiration on the oil pulling.
Your recipes and other health information has been inspiring me for years…so glad I could reciprocate.
What a great way to get off coffee (3/4 decaf but love my coffee) in the AM!!! A spoon of coconut oil, sit ( or take Scarlett for a walk), then scrape and brush. LOVE IT ! I did the oil pulling last week when you wrote about it, Ingrid. I had done it once or twice a year or so ago. Not that hard at all. My mouth felt very soothed and refreshed. Thank you~~~~
Hi Frances,
I hope you can keep it up. I did it for 2 week but stopped. Now that I found your post I am inspired and am going to try it again. Love you.
Ingrid
Hi Ingrid,
Thanks very much for your post!
I use coconut oil for oil pulling and find that because the taste and texture are so much more pleasant than in other oils, it is easier to hang in for 20 minutes (still not easy, for sure, especially if there are a number of tasks to get through in the morning).
I also use coconut oil as body lotion and sometimes on my face (especially when the skin is feeling dry).
Hi Emmi,
Thanks for your reply. Yes 20 minutes is quite a bit of time, I like to listen to something to pass the time more quickly. I also use coconut oil on my face and body. I also use it with my partner to relieve any dryness. It works really great there too.
Love
Ingrid