I have a list that I keep tucked in my little book that I am constantly referring to, called “Daily Goodness.” It is just a reminder of a perfect day of self care. What’s on it, you ask? Everything from yoga and meditation to vitamins, to coconut oil pulling. What what?
Yes, it isn’t mainstream (and by now you may have figured out neither am I!). But the benefits of coconut oil pulling are numerous and I’ve benefited tremendously from my practice. I’ve even grown a fondness for the flavor of coconut which I simply didn’t have before. All good, so I want to share it with you.
I came to it when I had a raging ache in my wisdom tooth (yep, still have them all). I had just gotten my last silver fillings replaced with the white kind and my poor tooth screamed at me for a few weeks. When I called the dentist and asked how long something like this might last, they were horrified that I had endured it for so long and invited me back in. Sitting in the dentist’s chair, I learned it was time for a root canal to get rid of that pain. I even made the appointment.
In the meantime, a friend mentioned I should try coconut oil pulling. I read about it on the internet and was pretty impressed. If it could do half of what it claimed, I would be in excellent health in no time. And so I dove into the coconut oil. Just a little at first. I could only swish/pull for five minutes at a time at the very beginning. But for those first few days, I did it three times per day.
Surprises, surprises. The first one was that within a minute or so of my very first pulling, I found myself racing to the sink to spit out yellow/green mucus that was draining from my sinuses. This was pretty shocking as I did NOT have a cold or sinus issues at the time. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Where had that come from?!
The next surprise was that by the second day all the pain had subsided, and, you guessed it, I cancelled the root canal.
How and why does such a simple thing like this work?! The viscosity of the oil (once it becomes a liquid in your mouth) does the job for you, along with a pushing motion. Imagine you are trying to push and pull the oil through your teeth and especially your molars. That is the sensation you are aiming for and it may take time to get used to it. The oil is essentially grabbing the bacteria in your mouth–the stuff that is there that you might not even believe is there–and gets it out of your mouth. So spitting the stuff out is very important, as is rinsing and brushing afterward.
Recall anatomy 101, the mouth/nose/ears are all connected. Hence my sinus drainage after my first pulling. I still get a little drainage from time to time after a pulling. If you suffer from any sinus issues this could really be a fantastic tool for you! Start with 5 minutes and work your way up to 15-20 minutes/day to get the full benefits.
Here is the article I first referenced when I started, I hope you find it helpful, too.
Since I’ve begun coconut oil pulling my dental hygienist is always commenting on how white my teeth are, too. And no, I don’t use a whitening toothpaste or agent of any kind. Just an added happy benefit.
With so much to gain, don’t you think you should give it a try?