Health & Wellness: Oil Pulling
Have you heard of Oil Pulling?
I've been reading more and more about it lately and finally convinced myself it was time to try it. I'm sitting here doing my obligatory 15 minutes of oil 'swishing' as I type this. ;-)
For those of you that don't know about it, I encourage you to read about it. It's definitely got some interesting research results and after reading about how many germs live in our mouths (especially in the a.m.) I thought this might be healthful/helpful for me. On a slight tangent (but not, actually), I am an avid Egyptologist kind of gal and having watched every NatGeo show on the topic (especially Pharaohs) and having read and read many books and finding out how dental disease basically killed one of the Pharaohs (a bad tooth sent infection/bacteria in the king's bloodstream, basically killing him) it reminded me of the proven results of oil pulling so I said 'why not?'
I'm struggling with weight issues. I know I've reached the age where menopause and other hormonal things are starting to happen and that basically messes with the metabolism. Lovely, right? It takes even more effort to keep weight off at an older age. Supposedly, one of the potential benefits of oil pulling is some weight loss since it helps rid the mouth and therefore the body of germs, toxins, etc. It has helped people that struggle with headaches, arthritis, diabetes, and many other problems. The amazing dental benefits really struck me too. Every positive report mentioned firmer, non-bleeding gums (I have that problem too!), good color on the tongue, less plaque, and whiter teeth.
It's a fascinating subject. I hope you will read up on it. I'm only on my 4th day so I don't have much to report. I have noticed that my knees (which have always caused me trouble since I was a kid) have been feeling less creeky/arthritic and a very painful shoulder had some immediate pain relief (although a musclular, achy feeling is still there), and get this, a little bit of weight loss. Can't say if if it's the oil pulling or the lo-cal eating I did this weekend but I do feel/see a difference.
One more thing....if you don't want to look it up but still want to try it here's some tips:
1) Use coconut oil if you need something that doesn't taste like oil. It is in a solid state but will melt in your mouth quickly. Otherwise, any oil works. Some people prefer tasteless oil but I like the mild coconut taste. FYI - coconut oil has MANY amazing uses!
2) The books all say to use 2 tsps but work your way up to it. Because the swishing the oil in your mouth creates more saliva, you might feel like you have too much liquid in your mouth and you can't swallow this because you'll be sending all that bacteria into your body! If you need to work your way up to the full 2 tsp, it's totally okay. Also, if you need to spit it out because it's too much and start over it's totally okay.
3) The mouth has the most germs in the a.m. so it's a good idea to do it then. Of course, it's encouraged to do it whenever it's most convenient but if you really want to eliminate those germs, bacteria the morning hours are best. The book I have said to try to do it the same time every day.
4) Don't spit this down the drain. Daily practice will clog up your pipes.
5) Once a day should be fine. You can do it up to 3 times a day if you're using it as a real therapy.
If you'd like to read a good book on the subject check out this book on Amazon.com by Dr. Bruce Fife. He is a bit redundant but he does quote medical facts and findings and that's actually okay by me. I read one of his other books The Coconut Oil Miracle, and found it to be a bit more interesting since it covers many things that coconut oil does. That's a whole topic I could really go on about but I will save it for another day!
I've been reading more and more about it lately and finally convinced myself it was time to try it. I'm sitting here doing my obligatory 15 minutes of oil 'swishing' as I type this. ;-)
For those of you that don't know about it, I encourage you to read about it. It's definitely got some interesting research results and after reading about how many germs live in our mouths (especially in the a.m.) I thought this might be healthful/helpful for me. On a slight tangent (but not, actually), I am an avid Egyptologist kind of gal and having watched every NatGeo show on the topic (especially Pharaohs) and having read and read many books and finding out how dental disease basically killed one of the Pharaohs (a bad tooth sent infection/bacteria in the king's bloodstream, basically killing him) it reminded me of the proven results of oil pulling so I said 'why not?'
I'm struggling with weight issues. I know I've reached the age where menopause and other hormonal things are starting to happen and that basically messes with the metabolism. Lovely, right? It takes even more effort to keep weight off at an older age. Supposedly, one of the potential benefits of oil pulling is some weight loss since it helps rid the mouth and therefore the body of germs, toxins, etc. It has helped people that struggle with headaches, arthritis, diabetes, and many other problems. The amazing dental benefits really struck me too. Every positive report mentioned firmer, non-bleeding gums (I have that problem too!), good color on the tongue, less plaque, and whiter teeth.
It's a fascinating subject. I hope you will read up on it. I'm only on my 4th day so I don't have much to report. I have noticed that my knees (which have always caused me trouble since I was a kid) have been feeling less creeky/arthritic and a very painful shoulder had some immediate pain relief (although a musclular, achy feeling is still there), and get this, a little bit of weight loss. Can't say if if it's the oil pulling or the lo-cal eating I did this weekend but I do feel/see a difference.
One more thing....if you don't want to look it up but still want to try it here's some tips:
1) Use coconut oil if you need something that doesn't taste like oil. It is in a solid state but will melt in your mouth quickly. Otherwise, any oil works. Some people prefer tasteless oil but I like the mild coconut taste. FYI - coconut oil has MANY amazing uses!
2) The books all say to use 2 tsps but work your way up to it. Because the swishing the oil in your mouth creates more saliva, you might feel like you have too much liquid in your mouth and you can't swallow this because you'll be sending all that bacteria into your body! If you need to work your way up to the full 2 tsp, it's totally okay. Also, if you need to spit it out because it's too much and start over it's totally okay.
3) The mouth has the most germs in the a.m. so it's a good idea to do it then. Of course, it's encouraged to do it whenever it's most convenient but if you really want to eliminate those germs, bacteria the morning hours are best. The book I have said to try to do it the same time every day.
4) Don't spit this down the drain. Daily practice will clog up your pipes.
5) Once a day should be fine. You can do it up to 3 times a day if you're using it as a real therapy.
If you'd like to read a good book on the subject check out this book on Amazon.com by Dr. Bruce Fife. He is a bit redundant but he does quote medical facts and findings and that's actually okay by me. I read one of his other books The Coconut Oil Miracle, and found it to be a bit more interesting since it covers many things that coconut oil does. That's a whole topic I could really go on about but I will save it for another day!
Comments