Natural Route For Better Health and Whiter Teeth
Whether your day starts with a 20 minute walk or catching the morning news- you could be on the road to better health and whiter teeth while going through your normal morning routine.
The Benefits are:
- Brighter, whiter teeth
- Healthier gums
- Preventing bad breath
- Increasing energy
- Clearer mind
- Decreasing headaches
- Clearer sinuses
- Alleviating allergies
- Better sleep
- Clearer skin
- Regulating menstrual cycles
- Improving lymphatic system
- Improving PMS symptoms
How can you receive these health benefits? This ancient Ayurvedic ritual made a comeback in 1992 thanks to Dr. F. Karach who claimed that oil pulling could cure a variety of illnesses ranging from digestive troubles, to hormonal disorders, to heart disease. Bruce Fife, who dedicated an entire book on the benefits of this technique explains in, Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing, “The oil acts like a cleanser. When you put it in your mouth and work it around your teeth and gums it “pulls” out bacteria and other debris,” says Bruce Fife.
“As simple as it is, this method has a very powerful detoxifying effect. Our mouths are the home to billions of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other parasites and their toxins. Candida and Streptococcus are common residents in our mouths. It is these types of germs and their toxic waste products that cause gum disease and tooth decay and contribute to many other health problems including arthritis and heart disease. Our immune system is constantly fighting these troublemakers. If our immune system becomes overloaded or burdened by excessive stress, poor diet, environmental toxins and such, these organisms can spread throughout the body causing secondary infections and chronic inflammation, leading to any number of health problems.”
Take a pull first thing in the morning.
Oil pulling is best done first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Take a closed jar of coconut oil and warm it up by placing it in a kettle of hot water. The oil will turn from a solid into a liquid within minutes. Pour one tablespoon of oil into a spoon, add two drops of oregano oil which is said to be an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal oil to the mixture, and begin to swish the mixture around in your mouth for the next 20 minutes.
*It should be noted that you never swallow the oil, as the swishing could render it full of toxins. Be sure to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth thoroughly afterwards. Having a separate toothbrush used just for brushing your teeth after oil pulling is a good idea.
The benefits may range from whitened teeth, to better sleep, to clearer sinuses and more. For those of you who have an active gag reflux, just give it a try for a second and third day… it should go away as you become use to the oil.
While there’s no harmful side effects to oil pulling, and the benefits are still clinically unproven, there are plenty of positive testimonies of from people who noticed various ways their bodies said ‘Thank you.’
As always, for overall healthy oral hygiene, be sure to see your dentist for regular check-ups.
