I once read an article that gave solid advice for those of us who
often think we’d like to turn over a new leaf or try something new. It said that rather than try to create a new
lifestyle or tackle a New Year’s resolution all in one fell swoop, resolve to commit
to it for a 30 day stretch.
You can do (try) almost anything for 30 days. So try it out
for 30 days rather than committing to a lifetime of new practices. By
committing for a 30 day trial run, you have no guilt if and when you decide you
want to give it up. If after 30 days you
find that you actually want to keep going then by all means, keep going.
It’s that philosophy that has led me to try a few things I might
otherwise avoided. Oil pulling is one of
those ideas.
I missed the big oil pulling trend in 2013-2014, (I’m a late
adopter) so here I am in 2015 trying oil pulling for 30 days.
As an aid to myself I am going to try and track what (if any)
effects it has on me.
For those of you who have just immigrated from outer BF Egypt,
here is a brief description of what oil pulling is:
Put 1 table spoon of oil in the mouth.
Swish it around for 20 minutes.
Spit it out in the trash.
Swish and rinse with salt water.
Brush your teeth as normal.
That's it, that's all. It’s supposedly an Ayurvedic
treatment with (skeptical sideways glance) thousands of years of use. Look it up, I’m not kidding.
Anyway, the idea is to do it every morning (or night) and it will
have a positive impact on dental health and other health issues.
I'm trying it because I've read that some people have had good
results with chronic sinus infections, ear infections and other things. Since I have Meneir's disease, I'm hoping it might have a positive impact on my symptoms.
We shall see.
On the way home last night I stopped by the store to buy either sesame oil or coconut oil; I've read proponents of both. Coconut oil was less expensive; I bought coconut oil.
DAY ONE - APRIL 23, 2015
This morning I woke up and began my experiment with oil pulling.
Scooping out a tablespoon of coconut oil is reminiscent of
scooping out lard.....and it tastes about the same. Not a pleasant
experience to put solid coconut oil in the mouth, but after a moment it melts
and the swishing begins.
The only difficulty I had this morning with the 20 minutes of
swishing was trying to get my two boys ready for school. It's hard to
encourage them to "get out of bed" or "eat your breakfast"
when you are sloshing coconut oil around in your mouth. But mumbling and
pointing did the trick and we got through okay.
After a (carefully monitored) 20 minute interval, I expectorated,
swished with salt water (did you know there is no such thing as organic salt?),
brushed my teeth and carted the kids to school.
DAY TWO
It's a weird feeling trying to mouth a scoop of coconut oil off a spoon. I wish it could come in squeeze type tubes or something; which makes me realize it actually has the consistency of Chapstick or something.
Nothing new to report except to say that I wonder if they came up
with this idea to help the coconut oil industry.
Finally, 20 minutes are done and I can spit it out in the trash.
*NOTE: I’ve read that the oil turns white from all
the toxins it absorbs. I'm not buying that; it starts off white to begin
with. Also, if you have ever seen the
engine oil that has gotten water in it, it turns white-ish as well. I
think the whitish color (if it isn't from the fact that the coconut oil starts
off white) is from mixing with saliva.
Yeah, gross but turning white from absorbing toxins? I have
serious doubts about that but maybe time will tell.
Anyway, day 2 down, 28 to go.
DAY THREE
This morning, after a lazy lay in bed till 8:30 start, I began my morning ablutions with the intake of another tablespoon of coconut oil. It was no easier to put in the mouth than yesterday but at least I knew what to expect.
Which leads me to ask this question, if it's more a solid at room
temperature than a liquid, why the heck do they call it oil?? Shouldn't
it be referred to as coconut grease?
Anyway, day two led to no new revelations except that even on a
Saturday morning there are invariably things you want to use your voice for
that sloshing around a bunch of oil prevents. I had to sternly use notes
to get my boys to stop fighting. You
should try sternly writing notes, it’s quite an exercise.
Once again, a 20 minute gentle mastication of oil, a spit and
rinse with salt water. After a careful couple minutes of tooth brushing
action, day 3 was in the bag.
DAY FOUR
Maybe I was imagining things last night but it seemed like I had a bit less "blockage" or effects from my Meniere's disease in my left ear; possibly just a normal fluctuation.
This morning (prior to my Sunday-go-to-meeting outing) I started
my coconut oil torture and true to form, my two fine lads began raising a
ruckus again. This morning I commenced immediately with the stern look
(while mumbling and swooshing oil) and a short, snappy note about time outs and
such. Then I stomped back to my cave and kicked a few puppies.
This oil pulling stuff comes at damned inconvenient moments.
Either that or the inconvenient moments come at damned oil pulling time.
You know the routine so no descriptions this time, although I will
stress that when the directions say 20 minutes, I use a watch. I'm
nothing if not a stickler for details.
Rinse and brush and day 4 is in the history books.
DAY FIVE
So yesterday I think I really felt a decrease in symptoms of my Meniere's in my left ear. I noticed it most when I was out driving with the window down. Usually I don't really hear the cars passing in the opposite direction with my left ear but yesterday it almost felt normal. Again, I don't know if that is a fluctuation or an effect of the oil pulling. If it's oil pulling then wow!! Cool!!
We'll see.
Routine again this morning but in a more hurried fashion as I have
to drag my sorry butt to work. Trust me, I still did the full 20 minutes
(21 actually) but did it while hopping on one foot and making my brown
bag lunch.
Swish and a spit and put a big X on the calendar.
.......Oh, and I have learned that gargling with salt water can
actually feel rather pleasant after twenty minutes of tonguing coconut oil.
DAY SIX – DAY 30
It gets a bit old talking about how I scooped a tablespoon of coconut lard into my mouth so I am sparing you the day to day run down. If you've even read this far down, suffice it to inform you that I have religiously performed the duties for a FULL thirty days.
CONCLUSION
After thirty days of carefully following all the instructions and
going through a large jar of coconut oil, I can honestly say: I notice no change in anything. Nothing.
My teeth are NOT whiter, my gums still feel the same, my Meniere’s
symptoms are the same, I have not sprouted new teeth, grown thicker hair,
pooped nicer poop, or experienced any other noticeable effects.
Bottom line, do it if you like the routine of munching a mouthful
of oil every day, otherwise, don’t bother.
