Oil Pulling: Ayurvedic Therapy for Oral Health

I discovered Oil Pulling a while back when I was searching for home remedies to help with my brother's reoccurring cysts. The website suggested using a vegetable oil to suck through the teeth for a time and all the toxins would eventually be 'pulled' out through the gums. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this therapy was swept under the rug by my brother and we tried other remedies instead. One year later I had to visit a Periodontal Specialist for a receding gum line and bleeding gums along with some halitosis.  Unfortunately I never took great care of my mouth with just brushing and occasional flossing.  This had become a very painful and unpleasant situation. I had my first oral exam ever, which was also not very pleasant. 

I was preparing to head to the Living Foods Institute so in the back of my mind I knew I was going to cure any 'dis-ease' the dentists were going to say that I had.  She didn't share my enthusiasm of my healing plans with wheatgrass and living foods.  Instead she ordered 24+ x rays of my face and proceeded to dig at my gums with a very sharp device that made me cry and bleed. 

After a consultation that cost a couple hundred dollars and intended plans to have more work done for my 'periodontitis' which was going to cost me a couple thousand dollars, I came home with a burn mark on my face where the xray machine had been.  That was the straw for me.  I knew those machines were no good and I knew there had to be a better way.  The next week I left for Atlanta to start classes at LFI and I had the ultimate faith that I would never go back to that periodontal doctor.

Of course the Living Foods Lifestyle was a win win situation for me and my health and when Oil Pulling came up in class one day, I was so intrigued.  After learning about what wonders this therapy could do for anyone, I hopped on that train as soon as I got back to the hotel.  So how does Oil Pulling work exactly?

Ayurvedic practitioners recommend using a vegetable oil such as sesame or sunflower oil. In my opinion I have found that coconut oil is by far the best and I will discuss this in further detail.  First thing in the morning before you drink, eat or brush your teeth, take 1 tbsp of oil and draw it through your gums in a sucking or pulling method. Be careful to not gargle or swallow the oil, there is a ton of nasty bacteria in there.  It is recommended for optimal health to pull for 20 minutes; obviously it may be difficult to start this long but you can work your way up and try at least 10 to 15 minutes at first.  Then discard of the oil and saliva mixture in a bag; do not spit it down the sink or toilet as this can cause clogging of the pipes not too mention how much bacteria is coming out.  Rinse your mouth out with water and you may want to drink a glass of water afterwards. I continue with brushing my teeth and I will be completely honest with you. I have never felt my mouth so clean. Ever. 

I have been oil pulling for over a year now (off and on) but I cancelled my dentist appointment that I knew was going to be just torture  because my gums stopped bleeding, in fact, they tightened up around the tooth and my gums lightened up from red to pink.  The halitosis was definitely gone and there was no more pain. As for the remedy that I had researched for my brother's cysts, apparently the longer and more dedicated you are to this therapy, you will experience many detoxifying scenarios. 

The reason why I use Coconut Oil is because it is anti-microbial, anti-bacterial, and anti fungal by nature so it just makes sense to treat the issue with the proper remedy.  I started with sesame but the coconut oil is far superior in my opinion. I recommend trying both so you can see the difference, however if you start this wonderful morning ritual whether it's with olive oil, sesame or sunflower, you will see a difference in just 7 days. One week is all it took to experience such a turn around for me and I recommend it to all my customers at the shop now. They all come back for their next jar of coconut oil with the most amazing stories! This is not an infomercial I promise, I just want to spread the wealth of healing from a far too common ailment such as gum disease. Just try it, what do you have to lose?  Below you will find a link to directions and reference for Oil Pulling Therapy. Here's to Good Oral Health!!! Enjoy :)

http://oilpulling.com/index.htm

**Note: If you have a major infection, abscess or any other painful oral ailments you can add a drop or two of essential oils such as myrrh, clove or frankincense to add a little more herbal assistance to your oral health regimen. I've been using one drop of oil or oregano (25%) to my toothbrush afterwards for extra anti bacterial assistance and my mouth feels clean as a whistle!