For the past 7 or 8 years, the term “oil pulling” has become more and more of a household term. Especially since the release of the book, Oil Pulling Therapy by Dr. Bruce Fife, oil pulling has gained popularity and the claims of the benefits of oil pulling having become substantial. Before taking to this “new” dental phenomena, read this article and then there is a nice surprise discount at the end (oops, did I ruin the surprise?).
First off, what the heck is Oil Pulling?
Taken from the ancient Ayurveda practices thousands of years ago, oil pulling is simply the act of swishing oil in your mouth and allowing it to absorb unwanted toxins and bacteria. You then spit the oil out and rinse your mouth.
Second, how is this going to improve my health?
Over the past few years many claims have been made about the benefits of oil pulling, ranging from small cures such as reduced headaches to being a possible cure to cancer. Obviously none of these claims have been found to be clinically true, however there are a few facts that we can’t deny:
1. Oil has the ability to absorb bacteria and toxins
2. The bacteria and toxins in our mouths can be the source of many diseases and ailments
3. The practice of oil pulling was used in Ayurveda medicine, which has proven time and again to provide us with natural cures to many illnesses and diseases.
Oil can absorb bacteria and toxins?
Most microorganisms inhabiting the mouth consist of a single cell. Cells are covered with a lipid (fatty) membrane, which is the cell’s skin. When these cells come into contact with oil, “a fat,” they naturally adhere to each other. Oil has the ability to attract oil soluble toxins and carry them into the blood stream and then out of the body as waste.
Certain oils, such as sesame oil, are naturally anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory on the body, internally and externally.
Oil also has the ability to loosen material bound to objects, hence the reason we cook with oil in a pan to keep things from sticking. By swishing oil around your mouth you are allowing the oil to loosen and unbind bacteria, plaque, and tartar.
Do I use any old oil for oil pulling?
NO WAY! Do you use any old oil for cooking? I hope not! By now we should all be aware of what oils are good for us to eat. The top oils used for cooking and eating are: sesame oil, coconut oil, butter (Ghee is best), sunflower oil, and olive oil. There may be some other unique oils, but these are the most common. The oils to stay away from are vegetable, soy, peanut, and pretty much any cheap oil you can buy at the local supermarket.
With that said, which are the best oils to use for oil pulling?
Image Credit: Youngandraw.com
Sesame oil for oil pulling
Sesame oil is the preferred oil from the Ayurveda scripts of ancient medicine. The list of benefits of sesame oil is extensive and may require a whole other article to cover. In short, Sesame Seed Oil has been used extensively in India as a healing oil, including in experiments which showed it was useful in unblocking arteries. In recent experiments in Holland by Ayurvedic physicians, sesame oil has been used in the treatment of several chronic disease processes, including hepatitis, diabetes and migraines.
Coconut oil for oil pulling
Another oil that is used for oil pulling is coconut oil. Coconut oil also has an extensive list of benefits. The taste of coconut oil is either loved or hated, so it may not be the oil of choice to swish around your mouth for 20 minutes. As there is not real proof, it is said coconut oil is not as effective as sesame or sunflower oil.
Sunflower Oil for oil pulling
Sunflower oil has very similar properties to sesame oil. It has a strong ability to loosen and absorb bacteria and toxins within the mouth. Some may argue that sunflower oil is not as healthy as sesame oil when cooking, these arguments to not apply to oil pulling. You are not eating this oil during the process of oil pulling as you are going to spit the oil out.
So what are the benefits of oil pulling?
So we were told since we were young to brush, floss, and rinse our mouths with mouthwash and most us do this twice a day, except maybe the flossing. So why do we still have plaque, tartar, cavities, and gingivitis?
Well, it’s easy to answer when you look at what we are using to brush and rinse our mouths. Brushing your teeth with glycerin and rinsing your mouth with alcohol is not the recipe for a clean, healthy mouth. In fact, you are feeding the fire for a mouth full of problems.
I’ll leave the toothpaste subject for another day and focus on the mouth rinse. Rinsing your mouth with an alcohol, chemical based liquid such as Listerine, may leave your mouth feeling “minty” fresh (the “minty” meaning it is not even real mint), but what you’ve actually done is destroyed ALL the bacteria in your mouth, leaving an open battlefield for the strong, nasty bacteria to take over.
Alternatively, oil pulling doesn’t destroy the bacteria, it gently works to release and absorb it. This process is natural and works holistically with our mouths to leave a positive, wholesome environment for healthy bacteria to flourish.
Even modern medicine has proven many diseases and illnesses stem from bad bacteria and toxins in the mouth. Almost all holistic health practitioners say they can instantly tell the state of health of a person from simply looking in their mouth.
Diseases/ailments such as inflammation, hormone imbalances, eczema, migraines, constipation, nasal congestion, joint pain, and many more may source from the presence of too many bad bacteria in your mouth.
Without making any wild claims about the benefits of oil pulling, I am going to give space for you to put together the information provided in this article to decide if oil pulling is something you may want to try.
But, before you start oil pulling there’s something you should know…
The main reason why many people have an aversion to oil pulling is because of the simple idea of swishing around oil in your mouth for 20 minutes seems, for lack of a better word, gross.
The texture and taste of any type of oil may not settle well in our mouths, especially for 10-20 minutes (the ideal time to practice oil pulling for).
You may want to try each of the different oils; sesame, sunflower, coconut. But before you do and possibly create an initial aversion to the whole idea of oil pulling, you should try an oil pulling formula that is a special blend of both sesame and sunflower oils, plus the added benefit of herbs that promote the overall health of your mouth.
Oil Pulling Formula from the makers of TruthPaste not only tastes great, but it also has the added benefit of essential oils such as peppermint(REAL peppermint), turmeric, cinnamon, clove, tea tree oil, and many more, that not only leave your mouth feeling fresh and vibrant, but also promote healthy teeth and gums.
For a limited time there is a $5 off coupon for the Oil Pulling Formula
Click Here For Instant $5 Discount
Whether you are familiar with oil pulling or this whole idea is completely new to you, we’d love to hear about your experiences with it and any further research you have to share.
Recent Comments