Here Suzi Rice gives us the lowdown on what, why and how we can be too.
Recently, I threw a surprise birthday party for my partner’s milestone birthday and our return to Perth after vagabonding to incredible India and the soccer fanatic haven, Brazil. I thought I had everything returned to its proper place; however, a friend was perplexed when she found my beloved coconut oil on a shelf in the bathroom. She seemed quite baffled and looked as though she was preparing herself to hear something either totally kinky or considering the possibility that I may have confused the bathroom sink for the kitchen.
Cooly, I looked at my friend like she was the crazy person for suggesting that my oil was out of place “It’s there for oil-pulling, I swear by it!”
This lead to quite the conversation as it typically does with anyone I bump into complaining of a dental visit, sore gums, a cold, tired eyes, a fear of coffee stains or yellowing teeth.
What is this thing?
Oil-pulling is one of those fabulous ancient Ayurvedic techniques from Mother India that has been improving dental hygiene and curing over 30 types of disease for centuries. It is not a new discovery, but it has recently been featured in Western medicine bridging holistic practices with scientific medicines. And, thank God! Oil-pulling is believed to whiten teeth, strengthen gums and teeth, freshen breath, and detoxify our bodies. Medicinal practitioners often state that disease begins in the mouth; thus, I find it extremely believable that if oil-pulling really activates our enzymes to draw toxins out of the blood, then oil-pulling can most likely reduce our likelihood of disease.
Here’s How
I get it. Just the name oil-pulling sounds totally bizarre. But, it’s so incredibly simple and an easy add on to your morning or evening routine.
Essentially, we’re going to swish coconut, sunflower, or sesame seed oil in our mouths (your choice; they’re all beneficial) on an empty stomach (in order to really detoxify ourselves) pulling and pushing the oil in-between our teeth, around our mouths, over our tongue, etc. for up to thirty minutes.
Sooooo, That’s ambitious.
Start with two or three minutes, working your way up to twenty and, if it works in your routine, eventually, maybe try 30. Start slow, it can become quite a jaw workout at first and it’s best to create a habit moving at a pace that enables you to keep the habit rather than get sick of it. Then, after your swish swashing around, you want to spit out the oil. Do not swallow it. This oil will be full of mouth toxins that we want to get out of our system by spitting it into the toilet (easier to clean up) or into the sink (in winter be sure to rinse thoroughly as coconut oil hardens in the cold). Then, rinse out your mouth with water and get on your teeth brushing routine.
Me, the total believer:
I have this fear of new doctors, so upon returning to the U.S after living abroad for 18 months, I had a cavity and had a filling performed a few days before moving back to Australia. Worse, this filling was the most painful thing that has happened to my mouth since getting my wisdom teeth pulled out ten years ago. There was nothing I could do to numb the pain and I completely abandoned chewing on the right side of my mouth.
So, my cousin shared this article on oil-pulling and I started reading about it and figured it was worth a shot. Within three days of oil-pulling twice a day I could chew with the right side of my mouth again. The pain went away. Short of bewildered, I decided to keep going with it and have loyally been pulling since February of this year.
Pull It, Push it
