Tuesday, February 25, 2014

My experience with oil pulling...the good, the bad and the ugly


Sometimes it's overwhelming being a gemini who is into natural healing.  Everything is so interesting, I want to learn about and experience it all.  So, just so you know, when someone posts something weird and interesting on facebook, I am the one actually going out, buying all of the ingredients and trying it!  Whether it be the Clean cleanse, green smoothies in my vitamix, fire cider (awesome!) or oil pulling, I'm usually game!  I am as much into these things out of curiosity as I am for the health benefits.  I'm not a very extreme person with diet or lifestyle.  I enjoy moderation with my diet, enjoy coffee, meat and a glass of wine as much as the next person, but because it is balanced with really healthy foods, yoga and self-care, it seems to be a good recipe for a healthy balance.  But I'm getting off topic, here goes with my oil pulling review:)

For those who do not know, oil pulling involved 'swishing' organic coconut or sesame oil in your mouth for 20 minutes, to cleanse the toxins in the mouth and clean & whiten teeth.  It honestly sounded disgusting to me, but I'm always up for a challenge so I decided to go for it.

My first try was a tablespoon of organic, unrefined coconut oil.  It is solid when you put it in your mouth, which almost made me gag, but it did dissolve very quickly and did not taste bad.  I swished for about 10 minutes and could not do anymore.  Then I spit it out, rinsed my mouth with warm water, brushed my teeth and was amazed at how clean my mouth felt...I was impressed.

Second try was later that day, about a tablespoon of unrefined, organic sesame oil...and it tasted pretty awful.  I only lasted 5 minutes, but again, my mouth felt awesome afterwards and the effects lasted.

Third try was this morning.  All of the websites said to do it first thing in the AM to get the most cleansing effect, so I put some coconut oil in and got in the shower.  This was a bad idea.  I felt so nauseas and puked it all out!!  Ugh, not going to try that again for awhile.

So, now for the fourth and most successful try.  I decided to try a smaller amount.  I did a teaspoon of coconut oil this afternoon and it dissolved quickly and I was easily able to do it for 20 minutes.  I washed out my mouth and brushed and am absolutely blown away by the results.  My tongue and teeth both looked much clearer, my teeth look whiter and it feels as though I just left a cleaning at the dentist!

I absolutely recommend this to everyone to try and see how you feel.  I've read some amazing testimonials about the health results of this practice that seem to go well beyond the mouth.  Here are a few that I've read on-line:


The Benefits of Oil Pulling:

Brighter, whiter teeth
Healthier gums
Prevents bad breath
Increased energy
Clearer mind
Decreased headaches
Clearer sinuses
Alleviated allergies
Better sleep
Clearer skin
Regulated menstrual cycles
Improved lymphatic system
Improved PMS symptoms

Of course I cannot attest to these benefits personally because I've only started this yesterday.  But, the benefits to the mouth and teeth for me have been from the very first try.  I will try the sesame oil again with a little less amount, but for me, the best has been a teaspoon of coconut oil starting with 10 minutes or so and building up to 20.  Make sure to buy organic and unrefined coconut oil.  Coconut oil also has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties which add to it's benefits.

So here I go on my newest experiment; a daily ritual of oil pulling for a month or so.  I promise I will report back on my findings and please, if you try it, let me know what your experience is!!  Happy Swishing:)