Oil Pulling page

[Orannhawk]

I've been reading about "oil pulling" - as in the action of slowly swishing/moving a good quality oil (ie coconut) in the mouth each morning for 15-20 minutes, then expelling it to remove toxins, bacteria, etc. from the body.

I'm considering it, and I'm curious if anyone here is doing this, if you have seen or felt any differences ...

Here's a link to one of the articles I read:

Oil Pulling For A Brighter Smile and Better Health by Bruce Fife

[zoebird]

I don't think it removes toxins, necessarily, but i do enjoy doing it and we've noticed that our teeth have gotten whiter and appear to be stronger (DH looked like his were thinning for lack of a better word).

[Fern]

I tried this for about a week, I may just need to keep working at it but the longest I could go was 8 minutes, and I have a reflex that makes me want to swallow it for some odd reason and if even a tiny bit gets into my throat the only thing I can taste is vomit for the rest of the day. Really my week of doing it was horrible. I do want to try again sometime though.

[zoebird]

fern, try with sesame oil if the coconut wasn't working for you. it's traditionally done with one of those two.

[Fern]

Thanks for the tip zoebird, I really wanted it to work but I just couldn't keep doing it. I will go get some next time I venture into town and try it. Thanks!

[Blah]

Is it done morning or night?

[Turnstone]

My grandmother used to have a nasty skin disease in her mouth that didn't go away no matter what the doctors tried. She read about oil pulling and tried it, and her mouth healed. I don't know what oil she used (and she died years ago). My mom does it, too, but for no particular reason. I guess she believes it can't hurt if it helped her mother!

[rhee]

I don't think it removes toxins, necessarily, but i do enjoy doing it and we've noticed that our teeth have gotten whiter and appear to be stronger (DH looked like his were thinning for lack of a better word).

I agree with this. I do it every so often. I'm not as consistent as I once was. It made my teeth whiter and stronger. My gums are healthier and I enjoy the nonstick surface it creates on my teeth since I'm a coffee drinker. I do not think it will cure disease other than possible gum disease. I also do not believe peoples claims of miraculous weight loss as a result of oil pulling.

[crunchycon]

I do it a few times a week, and, while I haven't noticed my teeth getting appreciably whiter, I did have an excellent dental checkup last week. I also like the way it makes my teeth feel.

[carlh]

Sounds like bull to me but, hey, what do I know. I put "oil pulling for whiter teeth" into google and the first response had this obviously doctored image:



Coconut oil is good for skin, but what in it bleaches or cleans teeth? As for the removing toxins thing...well...are there more toxins in your mouth than the rest of your digestive tract? And does coconut oil somehow function to encourage the body to expel them? Would it work the same with water?...etc.

Lots of anecdotal "testimonies" - I'd like to see any actual science.