Oil Pulling Helping Teeth & Whole Body

Submitted by Little Bit on March 26, 2011 - 11:58am
Body: 

Oil pulling (OP) is something that I just learned about a couple of weeks ago and since I just did a search and found that it hasn't been discussed yet on WW, I just had to bring it up. I will describe it briefly because there has been so much information about it put on the Internet. It is an age old Ayurveda process that was written about some 5000 years ago and was reported on by Dr.F.Karach,M.D., around 1992 in a Calcutta newspaper and later in a Russian newspaper but not in the USA.

I have tried this for about a week now and it really gives some fast results. I saw some benefits after the first time that I did this, like no plaque on my teeth and my teeth seemed whiter. I just went to the dentist on Tuesday for a cleaning and the cleaning only took 30 minutes this time, it has always taken one hour before. I have also noticed some improvements in my skin. OP is also said to help all the organs in the body as well as "women's diseases" (I know POP isn't a disease but I believe that is one of the things they are referring to.) The benefits are too long to list here.

Here is how it is done:
First thing in the morning before eating or drinking, swish the mouth with 1 Tablespoon of cold pressed vegetable oil. (I use Grapeseed Oil and 1 teaspoon is fine to start out with.) Sunflower Seed Oil or Sesame oil are used most often but other good quality oils seem to work, cold pressed olive oil can also be used.

Don't swallow the oil, just swish it around in your mouth for 5 to 20 minutes and then spit it into the toilet. It will have turned a white color and is full of bacteria from your mouth, don't swallow it and don't gargle because this is now toxic stuff.

Next rinse your mouth with water and then brush your teeth with baking soda and salt.

After this drink about 8 ounces of water.

That is it. So simple yet the results are amazing. You can learn more about this process at www.oilpulling.com where you can also read Dr. Karach's report. Also, if you do a search under "oil pulling testimonials" you are sure to find hundreds of testimonials from people all over the world that tell what OP has done for them.

Little Bit (Marcella)

bad_mirror

March 26, 2011 - 2:39pm

Hi Little Bit,

This is a subject I love; I have written several research papers on how good oral care is one of the most important nursing interventions that can be done for patients. (*And* for those who are not acutely ill). When I have a patient in the intensive care unit, I am brushing teeth every four hours. Humble tooth-brushing saves lives better than any other intervention! That is an evidence-based conclusion.

The mouth is a great generator for bacteria, and a direct route for that bacteria to enter the rest of the body via the bloodstream through microscopic tears in the mucosa. It is well known that there is connection between oral bacteria and the development of bacterial endocarditis, kidney disease, hardening of the arteries and cardiovascular disease, and pneumonia -- and who knows what else. Women with poor oral care suffer frequent miscarriages. Oral bacteria creates a constant inflammatory response that can have repercussions body-wide, and so could logically have implications on POP, which Christine has pointed out does have a connection with inflammation. I would invite anyone wrestling with an inflammatory disease to look first at their mouth in treating their ailment and see if that makes a difference.

While oil pulling sounds like a "magic" formula, it has roots in the mechanisms of common sense oral care. The oil moisturizes and prevents mucosal tearing once you get started brushing. The baking soda and salt are mild abrasives which is the best way to get rid of bacteria from surfaces and tastes bad enough to prevent swallowing. (The baking soda is a natural teeth whitener). The water promotes hydration which in turn promotes healthy oral mucosa that will resist tearing. Doing this all first thing in the morning is sensible too: after a night-long period for bacterial growth, it is eliminated before eating or drinking to prevent a "bacterial shower." Any brushing at all in the a.m. will aid health.

Good for you for taking such care of your mouth -- you should benefit greatly!

louiseds

March 26, 2011 - 8:45pm

Thanks for this info, BadMirror. My Mum, who lives in a nursing home is not cleaning her teeth properly and resists help to do this properly. Got any hints on how we could handle this? They don't currently have a paid oral health nurse. This is my next challenge, to get one one Staff, but for now it is a problem.

Louise

alemama

March 26, 2011 - 9:44pm

When my dh was in school we had a friend with an auditory neuroma in the hospital. The messages her brain was sending were all out of whack- I would brush her hair and she would cry out in pain. It was awful.
But, one thing she liked was having her teeth cleaned. She couldn't talk and her coordination was not great- but she loved having her teeth flossed too.
l tried so so hard to get my dh to spearhead an effort to get the hospital (on campus) to create volunteer opportunities for dental students with all different patients in the hospital.
He was so overwhelmed by school he just couldn't take on a big project like that.
Still, it needs to be done on a national level. There is an entire hospital full of patients like my friend. And for that matter, there are so many elder care facilities and rehab facilities where students could begin to learn their craft.

bad_mirror

March 27, 2011 - 12:36am

Sorry, but I am unfamiliar with the nursing home system of Australia. What kind of staff attend your mum? How oriented is she? She is an adult, and it is a delicate dance for staff, I'm sure, between making sure she gets what she needs and respecting her right to refuse help. Would your mum comprehend a relationship between pneumonia and tooth-brushing if you explained? If not, I find that many elders place a lot of stock in "doctor's orders." Maybe a little fib . . . "I spoke with Dr. Hero, and he really thinks you should let Nurse Nancy help you with your teeth." Could you get her a sonicare toothbrush? It minimizes the need for physical strength and dexterity and stays on for the recommended amount of time. Or, would she be able to use a mouth wash? Research shows that oral chlorhexidine (not sure what Australian equivalent is) is as effective as toothbrushing. Just avoid alcohol-based rinses, like Listerine, as they dry out mucosa. Then maybe take her for a professional cleaning every three months instead of every six?
I'm convinced that the increased susceptibility of elders to pneumonia is directly related to oral neglect due to impaired self-care. I can only fathom the billions (money and lives) that would be saved by a campaign for oral hygiene in this population. You'd think Medicare and other insurance payers for retirees would be all over that . . .

Hope you find a solution, Louise!

louiseds

March 27, 2011 - 1:46am

Thanks BadMirror

Her Staff are all trained or trainee Carers, or enrolled nurses, who do all the hands on nursing tasks, administer medications and supervise other Staff. This is highly regulated in Australia, but in practice it is not so clear cut. Mum tells me she has no trouble cleaning her teeth, but she is the Mistress of Bluff, and I really don't think she remembers what happened 2 miinutes ago. I don't think she is capable of cleaning her teeth any longer, and has no concept of having brushed for long enough, but she still resists help, I think because she thinks she has them all bluffed into thinking that she is cleaning them properly, but her bad breath (the week after I had her at the dentist for a scale and clean and checkup) tells a different story. I am now ("not" was a typo!) taking her for a scale and clean every 3 months. The pneumonia thing wouldn't work because she would no longer remember what the word meant.

Thanks for the Chlorhexidine suggestion. I did notice the other day that she had a little bottle of Listerine in her bathroom bag. I will follow that up.

I really think the main problem is that by the time they are living in a nursing home the vast majority of them have full dentures, so caring for teeth and their associated gums is not skewed towards those who have only their own teeth.

Louise

Little Bit

March 27, 2011 - 10:48am

I am so impressed with what oil pulling has done for me in such a short time that I would do it even if I got to the point where I had to wear dentures. I would take my dentures out before doing it so that the oil could reach all parts of the mouth since it pulls out the toxins in the mouth. Now, there are some people that have written in some of the testimonials that they had cavities that went away after OP for awhile. Is that possible? I don't know but I intend to find out. When I had my teeth cleaned Tuesday, the dentist found a small speck of a cavity between my two front teeth, so small that I had not noticed it. He wanted me to come back in a couple of months and have it filled but I told him I would rather wait until after my next cleaning in 6 months to see if it gets any worse. I told him I had just started trying something new and wanted to see if it would work. I did not tell him about OP. So we will take a wait and see approach on this one. At least this new cavity is in a place where I can keep a good eye on it. It will also be interesting to see just how much plaque, if any, will need to be removed at my next cleaning.

I hope that anyone else who trys this technique will let the rest of us know if they see improvements in their mouth as well as other parts of the body. I discovered this information quite by accident after buying a pet product for a couple of cats that I have that had very nasty breath. This pet product has been around for several years and now there are copy cat (pun intended) products out there with the same natural ingredients. The stuff is safe for humans by the way. Anyway, the stuff does work and I checked out hundreds of testimonials on it before ordering it. The great thing about it is that you don't even need to brush the cat or dog's teeth in order for it to work, just need to get it in their mouth or where they can lick it off and that isn't always an easy task. I saw that grape seed extract was one of the ingredients and since I had some grape seed oil on hand, I started adding it to my baking soda, salt (I use "real salt" from Redmond, Utah with the minerals still in it.) and myrrh powder and was very happy with the results. That started me on an Internet search under "grape seed oil plaque" and came up with the oil pulling information.
Little Bit

zoeUK

March 27, 2011 - 4:45pm

Your comment led me to a little research online and as a result I have started Oil pulling today. I have receeding gums in a couple of places ( part genetic, part from years of brushing too hard) which I would love to see improved.
After doing this twice today I am already impressed.
Although it feels yucky at first, the oil soon thins out in your mouth and I pretended to myself it was mouthwash as just the thought of the oil and saliva made feel icky!
Well, I kept it up for 20 mins (1 tbsp of oil) and I must say my gums felt so wonderfully clean and supple afterwards that I am definitely going to give it a try for a good while. My teeth already look a little whiter too - seriously!
I would continue for these reasons alone, but am obviously hoping that there is some truth to the cleansing of toxins theory and that my health in general will improve.
I will report back. How exciting! Thanks for your post :)

gardengirl

March 28, 2011 - 4:26am

I really appreciate reading about oil pulling. Thanks for sharing that interesting information. Perhaps WW needs a dedicated forum for sharing health information that people have found helpful

Little Bit

March 28, 2011 - 11:16am

Hi gardengirl and zoeUK,
You are both so very welcome. It is the good Dr. Karach that we all need to thank for doing his research and getting that old, old information out there to start with. Like it said at the oil pulling site that I recommended everyone to check out, don't pay anyone for this information. There are people on the Internet that are trying to make a buck off of it but everyone can read Dr. Karach's report at the web site I gave and I am sure he reported on this for the good of humanity and it could very well be one of the most important health care steps that we can do for ourselves.

Now, this is something that I just discovered this morning. I have had arthritis for years and have controled most of the symptoms through natural supplements that I have taken since about 1994; however, I had to quit wearing my original wedding rings around 1998 because of my enlarged knuckles. I had to get them off the last time with soap and have never been able to get them on again. I wear a cheaper and larger size set now. I am right handed and the knuckles on the right hand are larger than the knuckles on the left hand. I have tried many times to put my rings on my right hand just to see if the knukles on that hand had went down any but I was never able to do it. This morning I was looking at my knukles and they looked a little smaller so I tried putting the rings on the right hand and they went right on with no problem and came right off with no problem. The only thing that I have changed recently is the oil pulling and to top it off, my knuckles are usually more swollen in the mornings. There have been many times that if I wanted to take my rings off for some reason, I had to wait until later in the day to do it. I have also noticed that the large veins on the back of my hand are not as pronounced as they once were. There are several reports in the testimonials about this where they refer to "the back of the palms", so I asume it is these veins they are referring to. My grandmother was a tiny little woman with HUGE veins on her hands and all of us kids use to worry that our hands would look the same way when we got older and my hands were beginning to. My grandmother lived to be almost 100 though and in the nearly 40 years that I knew her it looked like the wind could blow her away any day.
Little Bit

zoeUK

March 29, 2011 - 1:15am

Your description of your grandmother made me laugh - very cute!

My mum suffers terrible pain in her joints which is connected to a thyroid problem. She has started the oil pulling tonight too, so I can update on any improvements to her condition (I do hope so!)
I can't believe my teeth are so bright already, I've only done it 4 times and already there is a big difference.
I have been using organic rice bran oil.

edit: 29th March. Last night I was woken 5 times with night sweats. The night before twice. I hadnt thought the first night significant until it happened again last night. I'm thinking this can not be co-incidence and that it is some kind of healing crisis. My hormones have never been completely back to normal since having my son nearly 4 years ago. I will continue through it, but this is all very interesting - there's clearly more to this oil pulling than meets the eye!

marigold2

March 29, 2011 - 3:17pm

I tried the oil pulling today. I'm afraid it made me gag continually, it was all I could do to keep the oil in my mouth for a minute before spitting out.

Any suggestions for making it easier - anybody else have the same difficulty?

Good oral health sounds great, so I wanted to try it.

My other concern - can the baking soda and salt mix be damaging to enamel in short or long term?

Little Bit

March 29, 2011 - 4:05pm

Hi marigold2,
You can start with only 1 teaspoon of oil and it will still work. My mouth is small and I too have trouble with a full tablespoon. Also it may be the type of oil you are using. Grapeseed oil is light and so is sunflower oil as opposed to coconut oil being very heavy in my opinion.

I don't believe that baking soda and salt will harm the enamel on your teeth because dentist have recommended it for years and I have used it off and on for years and my teeth are very strong for the most part. It is a gum problem that I have had for years. I solved that with a product called OraParX but since it has some ingredients in it that I'm not crazy about, I'm hoping that the oil pulling will prove to be just as good or better and so far I believe it is better, not only for my teeth but my whole body.
Little Bit

marigold2

April 1, 2011 - 3:43pm

Thankyou Little Bit for that little bit of advice. i'll try a smaller quantity of oil and look forward to the benefits. It is so nice to share tips on the forums.

Little Bit

April 2, 2011 - 6:18pm

I am wondering if any of you who are oil pulling have noticed any improvement in your POP? I believe I am on my third week (I really wish I had started keeping a log from the very first day.), and have noticed an improvement in my POP within the last few days. I would say that I have went from a grade 3 to a grade 2. It may just be the posture, I don't know.

Also, my daughter (age 41) called me a few days ago to see if I am sleeping better and yes, I am. She told me that she was sleeping better too. She started oil pulling the day after I did. We are both calmer and both feel there has been a slight improvement in our eyesight.
Little Bit

kiwigirl

April 2, 2011 - 9:57pm

Hi Little Bit,

I started the oil pulling too, 5 days ago. Just 1 tspn of Macadmia cold pressed oil and 5 minutes of swishing.,DS 21 is also trying it and using cold pressed sweet almond.(this is using oils already in the home). There is not much time in the morning to swish longer before breakfast ;-0 .I got some info on the benefits of sesame oil especially, so think we will try that when stocks here run out. I do have an Asian sesame oil for cooking but its not cold pressed.I wonder if that would make a big difference. I was amazed at the health benefits of sesame oil for interior and exterior use on the body. Its worth anyone interested googling.I get email info regularly from Don Tolmans site, the online newsletter is free.Lots of natural health info.Hth someone :-)
Ill report back if I find POP improves, bit soon to notice much, other than my mouth feels extremely clean for most of the day,and I dont clean my teeth again until bedtime, and then with normal paste,sometimes I get chemical free one.Pretty expensive though. But having tried this I could make my own as a friend does and she gave me a recipe years ago.Btw she runs a retreat and health centre way north of where I live.Don't see her very often.

louiseds

April 3, 2011 - 1:07am

Hi Kiwigirl

Would you be willing to post the recipe?

kiwigirl

April 3, 2011 - 6:17am

Hi Louise,
here is my friend's toothpaste recipe as written by her -
TOOTHPASTE
3/4 cup baking soda
1/4cup Himalayan crystal salt (or simialar)
6-8 tspns water
4-6 tspns glycerine
3-4 drops of essential oil(eg peppermint,spearmint,fennel, clove)
Depending on the coarseness of the salt, grind it a little first. Add baking soda and mix along with water and glycerine until a good consistency.Finally add the essential oil. You will need to find a suitable container to store it in and will probably need to mix occasionally as it seperates.I keep a little wooden stick to stir and to scoop some so you don't have to put your brush in (important if you are sharing). Can be quite a shock to the mouth if you are use to the frothy tube stuff, but your teeth feel fantastic.
I also have another recipe from an online source so here that is....again Im quoting words as written...
4 tspns baking soda
1 tspn flavouring(vanilla, peppermint and almond are good)
1 tspn salt (or a bit less)
Mix together and store in an airtight container.Works really well.
Good luck Louise :-)

Little Bit

April 3, 2011 - 11:31am

Hi kiwigirl,
Thanks for sharing the recipes. My own is similar but I mix it fresh each time.

About 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of real salt (from Redmond, Utah with the minerals still in it.)
A pinch of myrrh powder
A couple of drops of grapeseed oil

I mix that in the palm of one hand and dip my toothbrush in it.

Your question about cold pressed oil. Just last night I found a site, don't remember which one, that said the oil from the grocery that wasn't cold pressed works just as well as the cold pressed. I don't know but I'm sticking with the cold pressed. I buy most of my healthy oils and supplements from vitacost.com. Their prices are all discounted and I've never had a problem with them in several years of buying from them. I'm using cold pressed grapeseed oil now and will probably switch to cold pressed sunflower seed oil when this bottle is finished and then try the sesame later on. It seems some believe there is a benefit to switching oils from time to time. Olive oil also seems to be a good choice. My teeth look almost like they have been professionally whitened. I do intend to start keeping a log so I can keep track of any improvements in my health.
Little Bit

clavicula

April 4, 2011 - 12:09am

Wow, I will give this a try, sounds promising. :)

Liv

Little Bit

April 16, 2011 - 9:24pm

Have any of you that have been oil pulling noticed any health improvements?

My daughter's plantar fasciitis pain went away about 5 days ago and has not returned even though she has not had a day off from work or anything else that she can attribute it to except oil pulling. She has had this for several months, much like a heel spur except it is closer to the front of the foot. The pain is like walking on glass. She was using thick insoles made specifically for the condition but it still seemed to be getting worse until about 5 days ago when she just woke up and the pain was completely gone. She thought surely it would come back but it didn't.

I do believe that oil pulling is actually helping my POP. I do stay in WW posture as much as possible. It was just before Christmas that I sent for the bundle and I feel there has been improvement since then.
Little Bit

kiwigirl

April 17, 2011 - 12:33am

Hi Little Bit- I hope that is the reason your daughter's foot is no longer paining her . Ive had that condition and yes it's a feeling like cut glass...ouch!
Alas Ive had several health probs this last month ( 1 to do with POP) that I stopped oil pulling, and so did my son lol for his own reasons. I did like how clean it made my mouth feel.I get up early and theres not much time to do it before I drink/eat. An excuse I know.... its another discipline to get myself around :-( I do want to try again!
On another subject....remember we and our daughters were trying MSN? Ive finished my bottle and daughter has stopped hers for now while she is pregnant.We are both not sure if it's made a difference. This was her first bottle whereas Ive been on and off it for years. I reckon I go back on it when I get the cut glass feeling in my ankles, that stops me dancing! Have you and your daughter stopped taking it ?

Yellow Daffodil

April 17, 2011 - 3:19am

After reading your post and then doing some research, my husband and I both started OP and do it pretty regularly, almost daily. My teeth are brighter and tighter and other healthful effects seem to be from OP.....Thank you so much for the tip! Y.D.

Little Bit

April 17, 2011 - 11:47am

Yes, my daughter described the pain in her foot as like walking on cut or broken glass. We've done a lot of research on the Internet and it seems the condition is very hard to heal because the foot keeps getting injured from just using it. Her pain is completely gone though and she can think of no other reason except oil pulling.

About the MSM, neither my daughter or I have taken it. When my horses were alive and had the connective tissue disease known as DSLD/ESPA, I tried MSM with my mare but could see no results. I stopped that and started giving a garlic supplement from Springtime which has natural MSM in it plus many other benefits. If my memory is right, I believe we were discussing glucosamine and how neither of us wanted to take it because it is derived from shellfish and I believe we both have reactions to shellfish. I started taking a product called "Tonic Blend" from Springtime which has some of their concentrated chondroitin sulfate in it among many other things. About the only thing it doesn't have is vitamin D so I take a cod liver oil capsule to make sure I get that. It was the concentrated chondroitin along with a concentrated form of shark cartilage that helped my horses the most with their connective tissue disease. D/E is probably the worst thing that a horse can have. Most horse people consider colic and founder to be the worst but at least with colic and founder there is hope but there is no cure for D/E and it affects the entire body of the horse although they thought several years ago that it was only the legs because it was usually when a horse went lame that the owner or caretaker first realized the horse had something wrong with it.
Little Bit

Little Bit

April 18, 2011 - 1:39pm

Hi Yellow Daffodil,
When I first found out about oil pulling, I thought that surely it could not help so many things, now I'm just amaized at what it has done for me in about a month's time. I believe I have read about every testimonial that has been written on it and most of those people seem to have nothing at all to gain from it except the satisfaction (and good karma) of helping someone else. There are several people on the Internet trying to make money off of it but all the information that anyone needs is right there at no cost. I am sleeping so much better now than I have in years and I know that has to be the OP. That alone is worth the price to me of a small bottle of oil but I'm seeing other benefits too. The whites of my eyes are the clearest they have been in years. Nearly every morning I would get up and my eyes would look almost bloodshot, not now and everything just seems brighter. That was mentioned in several testimonials and it was around the first part of the 4th week that I noticed how clear my eyes looked. I thought it was too good to be true the first day but they have stayed that way. I don't know if this will prevent cataracks or not but it wouldn't surprise me if it does prevent them. I just can't think of anything else that I have came across that was so simple and cheap and did so much good. I have never used any mouthwash that kept plaque at bay like oil pulling does.

My POP is certainly getting better. I said in an earlier post that I went from a grade 3 to what I believe is a grade 2. Last week we had a couple of really nice days here and I worked outside more than usual and didn't take my little 15 min. or so nap in the afternoon. Those 2 days I was down to a grade 3 again but after that I have made sure that I do stop and rest some each afternoon and things are back at a grade 2 now. I am a firm believer in WW posture. I know that has helped me and Christine's book is something that I treasure as a reference. I have noticed some additional improvement in my POP since I started OP so I believe that is helping too. The doctor that more or less told the world about oil pulling claimed that it would help "women's diseases" so I wonder if POP is one of those things that he was referring to.
Little Bit

nancy001

January 29, 2020 - 6:05am

Spammer, link removed and user blocked by Surviving.