Oil Pulling - my dentist speaks

:drinker:

WHAT ABOUT TOXINZ????

Sorry, I must be out of the loop. What is Oil Pulling???

Yeah. I don't know. It sounds like something related to fracking.

From Wiki:

Oil pulling or oil swishing is a folk remedy where oil is "swished"(Kavala Graha) or "held"(Snehan/Snigda Gandoosha) in the mouth. [1] [2]

Practitioners of oil pulling claim it is capable of improving oral and systemic health, including a benefit in conditions such as headaches, migraines, diabetes mellitus, asthma, and acne, as well as whitening teeth. Its promoters claim it works by pulling out toxins, which are known as ama in Ayurvedic medicine, and thereby reducing inflammation.[3] [4][5][6]

Oil pulling has received little study and there is little evidence to support claims made by the technique's advocates.[7] In one small study, sesame oil was found to be effective at reducing plaque and oral bacterial load, but was less effective than chlorhexidine (a chemical antiseptic mouthwash) , otherwise the health claims of oil pulling have failed scientific verification[7] or have not been investigated.[7] There is a report of lipid pneumonia caused by accidental inhalation of the oil during oil pulling.[8] Coconut oil, in rare cases, can act as an antigenic agent that causes contact dermatitis.[9][10][11]

I don't do it for health benefits, but I tried it so see what the hoopla is about and I have found one thing that it does well: freshen breath.

If I've eaten a particularly garlicky or oniony meal the night before, even after brushing before bed I still have that breath in the morning, and pulling with coconut oil for about 10-15 minutes really helps get rid of it. I then brush and floss as usual.

The first time I tried it was gross, but it gets easier after the first few times.

How do you swish for that long? Reflexes will make you swallow.

I had a little oil work done and I thought I would ask my oiler about "dental cleaning." He asked me if I was serious (implying "am I nuts"). I said I was curious if it helps, hurts, etc. Told him about MFP, some web sites, etc.

Short version - he said why would anyone want to do 60-90 minutes of teeth scratching every 6 months when oiling your teeth, gargling, and spitting takes like all of 20-30 minutes per day and is "proven" to do a better job.

He also said that the health benefits that are claimed are probably true if you have no access to a oil, oiler, spittoon, or french bidet. He made it clear that the health claims made do not apply if you do standard oil pulling.

Has Dr Oz gotten behind this yet? It sounds like his kinda crap. But to be fair it may be the only thing available in some parts of india. though i'd rather chew on some tree sap like it's gum, probably works as well or eat an apple.

Yep!!! I saw it there first. Didn't know it was called oil pulling, but it was on the show!