I first want to apologize for neglecting this space for the past few months…just a lot of life things have happened, but I’m back to being in a good place and back to writing.
That being said…oil pulling! I first heard of it about a month ago, and my first thought was, really?! Swishing oil for 20 minutes! That’s too much work for this girl. Well, doing more research and talking to some friends about it has really gotten me into it. For those who don’t know what oil pulling is, it’s an Ayurvedic remedy where you swish oil around your mouth to improve oral and systemic health as well as detoxification. You can oil pull with different kids of oils (coconut, sesame, EVOO, sunflower oils), I prefer coconut. So what does oil pulling do? Scientists believe that the lipids in the oil pull out bacteria and prevent it from sticking to the inside of your mouth and reduces fungal overgrowth. Some benefits of oil pulling are the overall strengthening of teeth, gums and jaws, prevention of cavities and gingivitis, prevention of bad breath, and prevents dry lips, mouth and throat. Ancient Ayurvedic health practitioners believe that oil pulling can do more than just improve your oral health. The other benefits of oil pulling is headache and migraine relief, corrects hormone imbalances, reduces inflammation of arthritis, reduces eczema, helps support kidney function, reduces sinus congestion, reduces insomnia, and can even relieve you from hangovers. Sounds like magic, right?!
Here’s what to do:
1. Pour/scoop oil into one teaspoon. If you’re using coconut oil, wait a minute or two for it to melt, or you can go ahead if you don’t mind the solid consistency and let it melt in your mouth.
2. Swish the oil around your mouth for 20 minutes. Make sure when you are swishing that the oil reaches all of your teeth and gums.
3. Spit out oil and saliva into trash can. DO NOT SPIT OIL INTO THE SINK!
4. Immediately swish water in your mouth and spit a couple times to make sure you got all the remaining oil out.
5. Brush your teeth.
6. Repeat every day.
It’s important to remember not to swallow any of the oil. As you are swishing, bacteria is collected becoming very toxic and could make you very ill if you swallow it. I find it’s easiest to do this in the morning when you get up because the 20 minutes goes by faster as you shower, get ready, etc. This seems really tedious, but by multi-tasking for 20 minutes in the morning doesn’t seem tedious at all when it comes to bettering your oral health. Let me know your thoughts, whether or not you’ve tried it, and even your results if you already oil pull!
LavenderBones 