Oil Pulling

We're trying something new that's a bit strange but has great health potential: oil pulling.

What is oil pulling?

Oil pulling is putting a spoonful of oil in your mouth first thing in the morning, swishing it around and in between your teeth for twenty minutes, and then spitting it out.

Why do it?

Bacteria in your mouth stick to the oil and are eliminated when you spit the oil out. This gets rid of more bacteria than flossing, brushing, and mouthwash can. It's supposed to be really good for your gums, and can also gradually improve a lot of other problems as the toxic burden on your body is decreased.

Who thought this up?

This is a modern adaptation of an old practice from India. I ran across it on the internet a few weeks ago. There were directions and testimonials from many people.

According to online reports, you can use any cooking oil. I tried a couple of mornings with olive oil, and then read Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansingby Dr. Bruce Fife. He recommends coconut oil, which turns out to be much more palatable for me.

The book explains the biology & chemistry of what happens when you do oil pulling. It also includes some diet and lifestyle suggestions--nothing I hadn't seen before and much of which I'm already doing.

I have even been able to persuade Tim to join me in oil pulling. We both have gum problems for which our dentist is recommending thousands of dollars of painful treatment. Improving that situation is worth swishing some coconut oil around in our mouths every morning. Tim says his gums feel better already.

The picture above shows Spectrum Naturals organic unrefined coconut oil on the left, which we have been using. It tastes pleasantly like coconut.

Yesterday I got some Spectrum Naturals organic refined coconut oilwhich costs about half as much (why? I don't know) and doesn't taste like coconut. It's slightly golden in color; the unrefined oil is white.

Until it got so hot this week, the coconut oil was solid in the jar. I used the smaller spoon to scoop some out and put it into my mouth. It melted there in a few seconds. Dr. Fife recommends melting it on the stove. We haven't found this necessary.

Now that the weather is warmer, the coconut oil has melted in the jar, and we use the larger spoon.

If all oil pulling does for us is improve our gum health, it's worth it. If it helps to cure other problems, great.

Are you willing to give oil pulling a try?