just kidding, i don't think that anybody who reads here is an oil puller. but you never know!
i first heard of this practice - oil pulling
- a few years ago on a facebook for hippies site called "tribe," where a
lot of alternative thinkers would post questions and solutions, most
with a decidedly natural bent. i was looking for carcinogen-free
toothpaste recommendations and saw a post about oil pulling. it was
interesting but i did not try it.
fast forward to last
fall when i was becoming aware of the wonders of coconut oil. i was
fighting a cold and there was a recommendation i saw online for mixing
coconut oil with eucalyptus oil and putting it on the bottom of your
feet to clear sinuses. it seemed like a better (less malodorous) idea
than the bowls of chopped onions i put around the house last year. the
same thread mentioned oil pulling. several commenters chimed in with
anecdotes of oil pulling easing everything from tooth decay to
rheumatoid arthritis - head colds, blood sugar stability, cramps, asthma, back
pain, skin problems, the works.
i bought a jar of unrefined cold pressed virgin coconut oil and was happy with how it plus eucalyptus helped my cold.
i figured the ancient Ayurvedic practice of oil pulling might be worth a shot.
basically
you put a tablespoonful of oil (unrefined coconut or sesame seem to be
the most popular) in your mouth and swish it around for 10-20 minutes,
first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. i floss my teeth
beforehand so the space between my teeth is bigger. after swishing
through your teeth, you spit it out in a jar or trash can *NOT DOWN THE
DRAIN* and rinse with warm salt water and then brush your teeth as
usual.
it supposedly works like an intense mouth wash
- the coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and it
collects all your mouth germs and then you spit them out.
bonus is the lovely trippy layered tiers of half solidified - half liquid coconut oil collected in the jar!
i
have been doing this for 2 months now. i can report my mouth feels
terrific! i cannot attest to any other health improvements at this
point, though i usually have a sore throat/ear pain at least every other
week in the winter, and i have not had a hint of either since
starting. considering i spend many hours per week in the germ nest of
thrift stores, and we went on a floating petri dish carnival cruise, i
am pretty happy.
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