Hopefully, your teeth look a little better than those in the photo, but no matter how great your oral health may be, perhaps you're looking for a natural way to support. By now, you may have heard of the crazy idea of oil pulling. Perhaps by now, you are taking part in that crazy idea of oil pulling.
But is it so crazy?
Oil pulling is a method of oral mouth care that, reportedly, also benefits your overall health. The practice of oil pulling dictates that you swish vegetable oil around in your mouth for about 20 minutes and then spit it out. But why?
Ayurveda.
Definition: Ayurveda is a system of preventive medicine and health care that developed in India more than 5,000 years ago. The word Ayurveda comes from two Sanskrit root words: Ayus, or “life,” and Veda, meaning “knowledge” or “science.”
Apparently, oil pulling is an Ayurvedic method of healing the whole body. The theory is that some bacteria enters our bodies through the mouth. When a person employs oil pulling, it helps to remove the toxins, bacteria and microorganisims that can cause disease and health issues. How does this work?
Theory has it that when you swish and pull the oil around your mouth, the fatty membranes surrounding the single-celled microorganisms are attracted to the oil. Thus, when you swish, you are gathering (sucking out the "ickys" hiding in your gums and crevices); and when you spit, you are removing these harmful bacteria and toxins from your body. It sounds simple, yes? But does it work?
The most common stated benefit for oil pulling is whiter teeth. People are swearing by this! I know I could use some teeth-whitening myself, and so I guess it's about time that I should start doing this on a regular basis also...and we'll see. I'm looking forward to great results! I did try this a few times, and yes, my teeth feel amazingly cleaner after oil pulling. It feels like when you just walked out of a dentist office after getting your teeth cleaned. (Admittedly, it's only because of being in a rush and/or sheer laziness why I didn't continue with it. Yes, I'm sure there's an oil for that!)
Besides whiter teeth, there are some huge claims out there about the benefits of oil pulling, but I'll leave the research up to you and you decide what you think about oil pulling.
It is so simple to do, that I guess it's one of those things that it doesn't hurt to try and see what happens. I'm sure it can't hurt!
Here is a simple step-by-step process:
* Brush teeth. (This is to remove the initial "easy to get" particles from your mouth.)
* Put a full teaspoon of oil into your mouth. I would prefer to use Coconut oil given the benefits of it, but if you are allergic to coconut, or don't have it on hand, then any vegetable oil is said to work. (My coconut oil of choice is Wildtree).
*Swish and "pull" the oil through your teeth and around your mouth. Mmmm...doesn't that sound yummy? (Yes, I am being a little sarcastic here. This was very hard for me to do the first time or two that I tried it, but you get used to it!)
* Spit it out. The true "oil-pullers" out there say to spit it out in the trash and not down the drain, given the fact that oil solidifies, and thus, could theoretically clog your drain. Better safe than sorry, I guess, right?
* Brush again.
A simple 1-2-3. Do your teeth feel sparkly clean?
My best extra tip here is that along with the coconut oil (or other chosen vegetable oil), is to add a drop of essential oil.
Both Clove oil and Peppermint oil are favorites for this. Peppermint because it tastes good and gives you a little "pick-me-up", right? Clove oil, because it has shown great support for oral health.
To be honest, I would personally even add Bergamot to the list, as Bergamot has shown to be beneficial for oral support as well.
One drop is all it takes, and my suggestion is to use only essential oils that have been FDA approved for consumption.
Okay, so are you ready? Go and start pulling! I'd like to know what you think of it. I'll do it also, and I'll come back and give my two-cents as well. Together we'll see how the claims add up! If you already oil pull and have a testimonial you'd like to share, go for it! We'd love to hear!
By the way, there are several books over on Amazon.com about the benefits of oil pulling. Check them out...you may find a great read! This one was actually recommended to me, and is only $9.99 for Kindle: Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing. (Enjoy!)
But is it so crazy?
Oil pulling is a method of oral mouth care that, reportedly, also benefits your overall health. The practice of oil pulling dictates that you swish vegetable oil around in your mouth for about 20 minutes and then spit it out. But why?
Ayurveda.
Definition: Ayurveda is a system of preventive medicine and health care that developed in India more than 5,000 years ago. The word Ayurveda comes from two Sanskrit root words: Ayus, or “life,” and Veda, meaning “knowledge” or “science.”
Apparently, oil pulling is an Ayurvedic method of healing the whole body. The theory is that some bacteria enters our bodies through the mouth. When a person employs oil pulling, it helps to remove the toxins, bacteria and microorganisims that can cause disease and health issues. How does this work?
Theory has it that when you swish and pull the oil around your mouth, the fatty membranes surrounding the single-celled microorganisms are attracted to the oil. Thus, when you swish, you are gathering (sucking out the "ickys" hiding in your gums and crevices); and when you spit, you are removing these harmful bacteria and toxins from your body. It sounds simple, yes? But does it work?
The most common stated benefit for oil pulling is whiter teeth. People are swearing by this! I know I could use some teeth-whitening myself, and so I guess it's about time that I should start doing this on a regular basis also...and we'll see. I'm looking forward to great results! I did try this a few times, and yes, my teeth feel amazingly cleaner after oil pulling. It feels like when you just walked out of a dentist office after getting your teeth cleaned. (Admittedly, it's only because of being in a rush and/or sheer laziness why I didn't continue with it. Yes, I'm sure there's an oil for that!)
Besides whiter teeth, there are some huge claims out there about the benefits of oil pulling, but I'll leave the research up to you and you decide what you think about oil pulling.
It is so simple to do, that I guess it's one of those things that it doesn't hurt to try and see what happens. I'm sure it can't hurt!
Here is a simple step-by-step process:
* Brush teeth. (This is to remove the initial "easy to get" particles from your mouth.)
* Put a full teaspoon of oil into your mouth. I would prefer to use Coconut oil given the benefits of it, but if you are allergic to coconut, or don't have it on hand, then any vegetable oil is said to work. (My coconut oil of choice is Wildtree).
*Swish and "pull" the oil through your teeth and around your mouth. Mmmm...doesn't that sound yummy? (Yes, I am being a little sarcastic here. This was very hard for me to do the first time or two that I tried it, but you get used to it!)
* Spit it out. The true "oil-pullers" out there say to spit it out in the trash and not down the drain, given the fact that oil solidifies, and thus, could theoretically clog your drain. Better safe than sorry, I guess, right?
* Brush again.
A simple 1-2-3. Do your teeth feel sparkly clean?
My best extra tip here is that along with the coconut oil (or other chosen vegetable oil), is to add a drop of essential oil.
Both Clove oil and Peppermint oil are favorites for this. Peppermint because it tastes good and gives you a little "pick-me-up", right? Clove oil, because it has shown great support for oral health.
To be honest, I would personally even add Bergamot to the list, as Bergamot has shown to be beneficial for oral support as well.
One drop is all it takes, and my suggestion is to use only essential oils that have been FDA approved for consumption.
Okay, so are you ready? Go and start pulling! I'd like to know what you think of it. I'll do it also, and I'll come back and give my two-cents as well. Together we'll see how the claims add up! If you already oil pull and have a testimonial you'd like to share, go for it! We'd love to hear!
By the way, there are several books over on Amazon.com about the benefits of oil pulling. Check them out...you may find a great read! This one was actually recommended to me, and is only $9.99 for Kindle: Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing. (Enjoy!)