Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice used to help improve oral
health and detoxification. It involves the use of pure oils in order to
pull harmful bacteria, fungus, and other organisms out of the mouth,
teeth, gums and throat.Image credit:jessica mullen
So how do you
oil pull? It isn’t that hard at all – all you need is some coconut oil
or sesame seed oil, and you swish it around your mouth for a short time
each day in order to improve oral health. Oil can cut through plaque and
remove toxins safely and effectively without harming the teeth or gums.
The health benefits of oil pulling are quite
astounding! Many people online have documented their success and health
benefits they have received from oil pulling. Here is a list of10 amazing benefits of oil pulling to help improve overall health:
Reduces Bad Breath (Halitosis)
Often caused by the by-product of chemicals
and gases produced by bacteria in the mouth, halitosis can be an
embarrassing social condition. If you get rid of the bacteria in your
mouth through oil pulling, you can reduce bad breath! In fact, a study
found that in a group of 20 adolescents, oil pulling therapy
significantly reduced all markers for bad breath, and was just as
effective as synthetic drug-store mouthwash!
Prevents Diseases of the Gums Mouth
Like cavities, gingivitis and bleeding gums.
Gingivitis is inflammation of the gums, and occurs when the immune
system starts attacking bacteria in the plaque. Seeing as how coconut
oil is an anti-inflammatory, it is extremely useful in this case.
Cavities are also caused by build-up of harmful bacteria, which can
easily be alleviated by oil pulling.
Can Help Treat TMJ Jaw Soreness
Oil pulling helps strengthen the jaw, and so
it can help alleviate TMJ and other soreness in the jaw area. At first,
your jaw may be sore from the swishing, but over a course of time, your
jaw will get stronger, and the pain will eventually diminish!
Whitens Teeth
Ditch the chemical-laden white strips! Oil
pull instead! Did you know that conventional white strips for the teeth
contain bleach, fluoride, tar, aspartame, aluminum and benzene? It is a
toxic nightmare just waiting to happen. Almost every account of oil
pulling has proven that it can help whiten teeth instantly! After two
weeks, you will notice a much brighter, whiter smile, healthier gums and
a nice pink tongue.
Improves Skin Conditions
When you eliminate toxins from the body, your
skin will dramatically improve. Almost every account of oil-pulling I
have found online has reported that their skin problems went away after
just two weeks of pulling with oil. Conditions improved range from acne
to eczema, psoriasis, and a variety of other dermatitis-related issues.
Alleviates Headaches Migraines
A build-up of toxins in the body can lead to
headaches and migraines. The standard theory that tension headaches are
caused by widening of blood vessels, and migraines are caused by
constriction of the blood vessels may hold truth, but recent evidence
now shows that the major cause of both tension headaches and migraines
is the retention of toxins or other tissue irritants in the nervous
system. Oil pulling helps to eliminate bacteria and toxins from the
body, so it has been documented in a variety of cases to help alleviate
and even eliminate tension headaches and migraines!
Full-Body Detox
Overall, oil pulling is a great way to
achieve full-body detox. Our mouth is the home to many bacteria,
viruses, fungi, parasites, and the toxins they produce as a by-product.
Their toxic waste solidifies in our body and can lead to a variety of
different conditions. When our immune system becomes overloaded with
excessive stress, poor diet and environmental toxins, then these
organisms and their toxic wastes actually spread throughout the body
causing disease and illness as a result of chronic inflammation. Oil
pulling will help target these foreign invaders at the site of entry
(the mouth), and will avoid them from further entering the body, and
thus allow the body to completely detox. The benefits are astounding!
Supports Normal Kidney Liver Function
By removing toxins from their initial site
(the mouth), oil pulling helps alleviate the stress on the liver and
kidneys to help filter these toxins if they were to further enter the
body. Give your liver and kidneys, our two major detox organs, a break,
and start oil pulling today!
Improves Hormone Imbalances
Oil pulling is a great way to aid in the
correction of hormone imbalances, regulating menstrual cycles and
reducing symptoms of PMS. By improving the functioning of our immune
system via toxin removal in the mouth, we also improve the ability of
our hormones to function naturally. Having a compromised immune system
can throw a woman’s menstrual cycle off balance, and so oil pulling can
help regulate our hormones.
Helps Alleviate Asthma Congestion
A variety of documented cases online have
shown that oil-pulling has helped individuals completely eliminate their
asthma symptoms and helps clear up bronchitis and congestion. These are
largely the result of an inflammatory response in the body, which oil
pulling can help lessen or reduce completely.
How to Oil Pull:
Traditionally, sesame seed oil is used to oil
pull – I believe the main reason this is, is because sesame seed oil
was one of the most common healing oils back when this practice began.
Now that we have access to virgin cold-pressed coconut oil, which is an
anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and
basicallyanti-everything, I would suggest using coconut oil as a means to oil pull.
Since coconut oil is solid at room temp, you
might want to lightly warm up coconut oil in a little saucer, but make
sure you don’t heat it too high so you don’t destroy the healing enzymes
in the oil. On the other hand, you can just put the coconut oil solid
in your mouth, and it will eventually melt because the temperature of
your mouth will be warm enough to melt it into a liquid.
I would also recommend doing this in the
morning, after you wake up, and after you have drank 1 litre of warm
lemon water to help flush out toxins from the nights cleansing
fasting process.
OKAY! So. Here are the instructions to oil pull:
1. Scoop 1-2 tsp. of coconut oil into the mouth.I suggest closer to 2 tsp. Let the coconut oil melt in the mouth before you start swishing in step 2.
2. Swish oil in mouth for 20 minutes.
This 20 minutes is a magic number – it is long enough to break through
plaque and bacteria, but not long enough to allow re-absorption of the
toxins back into your saliva glands and mouth.
3. Spit out oil into a trash can.Do not spit this out into your drain! You can clog your drains by doing so. Also,do not swallow the oilor you will literally be swallowing an oil-full load of toxins.
4. Rinse with warm water. Warm water feels better than cold water, and helps to clean the mouth better.
5. Brush your teeth well!Brush your teeth with an all-natural fluoride-free toothpaste to ensure all bacteria is killed.
Join me in a 30-day challenge!
You can start whenever you want! I am going
to start at the beginning of April, but you can start whenever you
please, and continue for 30 days. I will post my results oninstagram, and you can follow me there! I look forward to this journey and the healing benefits it will provide me with!