Oil Pulling-Do you?

Discussion in Health & Beauty started by Serena • Dec 5, 2014.

  1. Serena

    SerenaActive Member

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    Oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic practice that has been recently gaining a lot of attention. What is oil pulling? Oil pulling is a practice which pulls toxins and bacteria out of the mouth. Most diseases or viruses in the body start in the mouth. So, it's important to remove these toxins and diseases. With oil pulling, you put about a tablespoon of oil (I use coconut oil) in your mouth and swish it around and pull between the crevices of your teeth for about 20 minutes. If you do this while you're doing something else, it will take your mind off of the time. After the 20 minutes, spit it out and rinse your mouth out with water. My mouth feels really refreshed and clean after doing this. Do you do oil pulling?
     
  2. teabwoi

    teabwoiActive Member

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    I have never heard about this until I read this post I will have to take a look into this and see if this is something that is safe to do in the first place.
     
  3. Squigly

    SquiglyActive Member

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    Wouldn't the oil taste rancid in your mouth? I don't think I would enjoy such a sensation in my mouth for 20 minutes, and the science behind it sounds fairly sketchy. Would certainly like to investigate and see the medical reasoning behind such a practice.
     
  4. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    This honestly doesn't appeal to me, it just doesn't sound very hygienic. I'd rather stick to good old toothpaste as it gives you that fresh, minty taste. I feel like this method would leave your mouth with a bad taste and texture, and ultimately give you halitosis. I'd go with the dentist's conclusion and give this method a wide berth. It sounds to me like one of those trendy fads that come and go!
     
  5. Onionman

    OnionmanActive Member

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    Yes, I tried it for a few weeks in the past. Beyond the initial hassle factor of finding the time and remembering not to spit all the oil down the sink, the process was fine. Did it work? I kind of think so but I'm really not 100% sure. I think the change was quite subtle and not overly obvious. What I plan to do though is do it secretly in the New Year, not telling my girlfriend, and see whether she notices a difference after I've finished.
     
  6. tangela

    tangelaActive Member

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    I've heard about this before and I honestly don't know if I believe it. There's not enough scientific research and backing into this for me to believe that it is something that actually really works. I would also just feel kinda weird to swish the oil in my mouth for like 20 minutes or something. But once there is more scientific proof we'll see if I change my mind.
     
  7. NikkiDesrosiers

    NikkiDesrosiersActive Member

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    It actually sounds pretty gross to me. I hate the feel of oil on my hands, I doubt that I would enjoy it in my mouth. It seems kind of dirty and I don't see how it would be effective in pulling toxins out of the body.
     
  8. DianeC

    DianeCNew Member

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    I have done pulls however, I do it with cold pressed coconut oil which is very lite not like cooking oil...yuk! I did notice that my teeth were whiter after the first couple of pulls and it does help to drain the sinus. I do not do the pull for 20 minutes, I think 10 or 15 tops is sufficient.
     
  9. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    Yes, I have been doing it for a few years now. I mainly use organic coconut oil whenever I can get it. It works beautifully. I have been able to cure my gum disease with it. I also like using organic sesame oil and olive oil. My mouth always feels really good after swishing the oil around for about 10-15 minutes twice a day. It's also interesting how the oil starts tasting really bitter after a while.
     
  10. Winnie

    WinnieActive Member

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    Yes, I've done this after reading about oil pulling online, oh, about a year ago or so. It sounded kind of weird, but I decided to try it anyway. I don't remember what the results were, but I remember feeling like it was something that I wanted to keep doing, only I forgot to be consistent with it. I only did it for a few days, tops. I remember reading up on it quite a bit before trying it. I totally believe it works, that's why I decided to do it.
     
  11. clairebeautiful

    clairebeautifulActive Member

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    I've only done it twice in my life and did it with sesame oil. I didn't notice anything different except my mouth was tired. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever done, but it was tiresome and not worth the time it took to me. I guess if I had some oral-issue I was trying to resolve I might try again, but just for general health purposes there are so many other things that possibly work better and are far less time consuming and annoying.
     
  12. Polgie

    PolgieNew Member

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    While I've heard of it, I've never bothered to look it up before, so reading this it does sound really interesting. I'm kind of surprised that people think it sounds 'dirty' - as the two things it involves is oil and the inside of your mouth, either you're saying the oil is dirty (in which case, you shouldn't eat it), or the inside of your mouth (in which case, don't you think you should be getting that cleaned out?). As for the 'science' - I'm not a scientist, but wondering if the oil just smothers the bacteria, and the constant swishing loosens everything up?

    Saying that, I'm not sure I'd like to try it. I'd probably be too tempted to just swallow. And, by the way, what do you do with the oil afterwards? Like you said, spitting it down the sink is probably not a good idea.
     
  13. Adrienne Edwards

    Adrienne EdwardsNew Member

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    I have learned the benefits of oil pulling years ago when I decided to never use fluoride again. Yes it is a ancient Indian practice and it has done wonders. Out of all the places on our bodies our mouth carries the most bacteria.
     
  14. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

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    This is the first I have heard about this. My question is also what do you do with the oil after you have done the pulling and how often do you need to do this. I don't think this is something I will try, the sentation of the oil in my mouth does not sound like something I would like.
     
  15. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    Last year, towards the end of the year, I had some problems with my teeth. I had previously heard about oil pulling, and had be preparing to get some coconut oil and start pulling with it. I ended up inquiring about it to my dentist, and both he and his assistant had no idea what I was talking about, so I explained it to him. He said he would look into it, and the next time I saw him, he'd give me his opinion.

    He did say that it worked 70% of the time, but mouthwash was proven to work at a higher percentage rate. personally, I have bad experiences with mouthwash. I'd rather the naturalness of the coconut oil.
     
  16. saastil

    saastilNew Member

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    So do you melt the coconut oil before you swish it around? I have oil that is solid at room temperature.
     
  17. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    From my understanding, you are not supposed to melt the coconut oil prior to putting it in your mouth. I don't know of anybody who does or has, but for how vast and diverse out world is, I am sure that some people do. The only tip that I can offer is not to use too much, because it sort of multiplies in your mouth, and some people have thrown up from putting too much in their mouths.
     
  18. clauemi

    clauemiActive Member

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    I just read an article on oil pulling a few days ago.

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    It convinced me enough to at least try it. I'm also wondering about the feel in your mouth. It's going to be all greasy and I don't know how long I can stand that feeling.
     
  19. DreekLass

    DreekLassWell-Known Member

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    I heard that some people throw up when attempting to oil pull for the first time, because they end up using too much coconut oil. So I would find a good guide online or on Youtube to instruct you upon how to best go about oil pulling if this is your first time doing it. My dentist says that mouth washes are better, but they are brainwashed peons to me.