Oil Pulling
By Tammy Alvord
What is it? Oil Pulling is the act of swishing approximately 1 T. of High Quality Cold Pressed oil in the mouth for 15-20 minutes (most people need to work up to 20, starting with 10 minutes instead). Swishing while taking your morning shower seems to be the most recommended way. This in-turn kills bacteria, loosens plaque, reduces inflammation of the gums, whitens teeth, and even gives you a small dose of the phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that are contained in the cold pressed oils. When finished swishing, you either spit the oil in the toilet or the trash (NEVER down the drain as it could lead to build up and clogs in the future). Then simply brush and floss your teeth as usual.
How long has it been around? Ayurvedic Medicine has used Oil Pulling with Cold pressed Sesame oil (it was the first oil to be pressed) for thousands of years to help cleanse and detoxify the oral cavity. They also believed it would help to improve other internal problems as well, like helping to improve: skin conditions (eczema, acne and psoriasis), respiratory problems and heart, kidney and liver health.
What does it really do? It is a popular belief among dentists, doctors and scientists that your oral health is a direct reflection of the health in your entire body. Studies prove that bacteria can enter the blood stream from the oral cavity and cause major problems in the heart and other organs. It just makes sense that if you improve the health of all your dental tissues, you will no doubt improve the health throughout your entire body.
More recently other oils like Coconut, Olive, Hemp, Chia, Flax and Black Sesame have been tried; great improvements in oral health have been noticed by most, with people having periodontal disease noticing the most improvement. I believe that this is because of the great properties of these oils. All of the oils have anti-inflammatory properties and each has numerous antioxidants. Coconut oil is antimicrobial, antiviral and whitens teeth. Flax and Black Sesame contain constituents that promote healing of soft tissues. Olive and Hemp oils contain chlorophyll which is known for its detoxifying abilities. It would appear that rotating two or more of these oils has an even better overall effect. I haven’t even mentioned all of the minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals that will be directly adsorbed by the body as you are swishing, another great reason to try it. The better the quality of the oil the better the results!
Where to get your oils? Foods Alive is proud to offer the following Organic Cold Pressed oils: Black Sesame, Golden Flax, Chia and Hemp. If you’d like to try Olive oil or Coconut oil make sure to look for Organic Cold Pressed-Extra Virgin oils.
So what are you waiting on? Place an order on FoodsAlive.com and try oil pulling to improve your oral health.