Oil Pulling

Sounds like something you might have to service on your car. I was curious when I saw a post about this on one of my favorite podcasters so I bit... or more like swished.  Oil pulling is using a tablespoon of an oil like Coconut (my personal favorite), Sesame or Safflower, swishing it in your mouth first thing in the morning for 20 minutes then spitting it out.    This apparently clears toxins from your body via the mouth. 

This is a 1000 year old Ayurvedic practice that came to the US in the 1990's. Of course there are very few studies to back up these claims. No money to be made in a study on a pennies a day practice that could improve oral health along with anecdotal improvements on skin conditions, arthritis, asthma, headaches, hormone imbalances, infections, liver problems and more.  

How does this work?  It follows the idea that like treats like. Last year I was using an oil based paint when the can dropped and I caught it... all over my hands and arm.  I was scrubbing scrubbing scrubbing trying to remove the paint when my friend handed me a bottle of baby oil and said "here, try this."  Within moments the oil based paints lifted off and washed away. I was amazed. The baby oil was able to get under the oil paint effortlessly and left my skin super soft and smooth. 

Now apply this same idea to toxins in your mouth.  The practice is to use oil to swish first thing in the morning.  When you wake up how does your mouth feel? Not so great right? Morning breath is your body naturally pulling toxins to your mouth to get rid of them.  The oil being swished will get in up under the gum line and 'lift' the toxins out.  I have been pulling now for about 3 months. My teeth are whiter and I am noticing less plaque when I clean my teeth. (Full disclosure, I have a dental kit I bought on Amazon for $10 and clean my teeth with dental tools in addition to brushing/flossing.) Spots on my teeth that I could not get out, after about 2 months disappeared.  

How to pull:
Use up to a tablespoon of good quality organic  coconut, sesame or safflower oil. I prefer coconut oil for taste and the fact it is naturally healing and not a seed oil. You may need to start out with a teaspoon and over time work up to a tablespoon.  Its a lot of oil especially your first time. You ideally want to swish this around your mouth for 20 minutes. You may need to work up to tolerate this. On all sites I investigated, 20 minutes is the magic number as it is long enough to give the oil a chance to work under the toxins and bind. Don't go longer than 20 minutes as the body will start to reabsorb the toxins.  So swish for 20 minutes then spit in the trash (it's oil... don't clog up your drain!). You will have quite a mouthful as the oil mixes with your saliva. I then rinse with a hydrogen peroxide (roughly 0.5% so very diluted) and distilled water mix.  My mom failed to do this one day and was quite ill for several hours. Made a believer out of her!

"20 minutes!?!" Yes, it sounds like a long time to be standing there swishing. I have gotten in the habit of starting my day right off the bat with pulling. I keep a jar of coconut oil in the bathroom taking a tablespoon first thing then swish making the bed, swish making my coffee, swish checking my email or texts, swish unloading the dishwasher, etc.  Twenty minutes goes by quick! Spit , Rinse, Coffee. It was actually one of the easier routines I was able to incorporate.  And honestly, my coffee tastes amazing after a good pull!