Oil Pulling & Cold Sores ……..

I had started oil pulling again and felt that “tingling sensation” and saw the bubbling near my lip.  A cold sore was brewing.  I can say that oil pulling expedited the cycle.  It went from minute blisters to a healing scab in three days.

Typically I use Abreva and opted to not use it this time to see what oil pulling would do on its own.  It did what Abreva typically does, only faster.  My son, unfortunately, has been sick.  He’s very talkative and it’s hard to swish for twenty minutes straight without his needing something or having a question, so the success has been stunted.  I imagine, however, that oil pulling AND Abreva would be a powerhouse for cold sores.

I don’t heal very well as a general rule.  Usually bruises stubbornly adhere to my skin long after the bruises of my healthier counterparts.  Cuts and sores take longer to diminish.  Since having Lyme Disease, it’s even worse.    Cold sores – and their scabby aftermath – typically haunt me for a couple of weeks or so.  Three days is VERY fast for me.

The elimination of a stubborn and colossal wart after embarking on oil pulling is another miracle – I had done nearly everything under the sun to get rid of it up until then.    It has not returned.

I have switched from coconut oil (which got rid of the wart) to sunflower oil.  I’m more tolerant of the taste and texture.  It seems to get equal results but for some reason the coconut oil seemed to do more for my complexion.

That’s my 50-cents for the day. Just one more good reason to try oil pulling if you haven’t yet.  🙂

Oil Pulling/Oil Consumption Update – Switching to Sunflower Oil for Pulling

As I write this, I am swishing with SUNFLOWER oil. I have finished the jar of coconut oil and bought a new one for consumption because I have heard of many benefits.

My research states that Sunflower oil is the oil of choice for oil pulling (either that or NOT TOASTED sesame – and I have been unable to find that). Now I have found I can’t just run into my normal grocery store chain and scoop up a bottle of sunflower oil. Locally we have a market called Guido’s where they have gourmet things as well as organics and hard-to-find supplements. I found it there. I could find coconut oil in any supermarket – usually in a peculiar place away from the other oils. But never sunflower. I still have not found a sesame oil that was not toasted. It must exist somewhere if it’s recommended.

So far my praises for the sunflower oil:

1. Taste : it’s more neutral. Coconut oil isn’t terribly flavorful anyway, but sunflower oil is less flavorful than THAT. I thought it might taste something like the seeds. Nope. Pretty neutral. Not one bit nutty/seedy.
2. TEXTURE. Coconut “oil” is almost a misnomer. It looks something like shortening and has a firmer texture (during our heatwave, we reached its melting point which is 90-something degrees, and it puddled in the jar. It has since firmed back up). I had to practically “chew” it to melt it down and commence pulling.
3. Price. I obtained 32 oz of sunflower oil for $14.99 (the place I purchased it IS pricey – may be cheaper elsewhere if you can find it), whereas the coconut oil in the ordinary grocery store was $10.49 but I only got 14 oz. If I bought two of these containers, receiving 4 oz less than the sunflower oil, then it would cost about $21.00.
4. Recommended: the internet sources/experts suggest it the most for oil pulling.

I cannot praise it much more than that at this point because this is my first ‘pull, using it. Too soon to reap any other benefits.

I will still consume coconut oil and I’m sneaking it into my son’s diet via grilled cheese, etc. He has not noticed. I’m not sure how many tablespoons this will amount to. He has tons of warts on his fingers and since it cleared up mine (it is now down to a tiny red speck surrounded by a flat circle), I thought the oil might be dandy for him! There are instructions to use the oil topically with sea salt, too, by the way.

As for swishing? I’ll opt for sunflower oil for now. I’ll keep you advised of any changes.

PS – Perhaps I was too premature in posting this before spitting it out. I didn’t anticipate having anything more to say so soon.

More benefits:

1. I have been keeping CLOSE track of my gums to see if there are any differences. After this ONE O.P. with sunflower I cannot believe how pink and healthy and evenly colored my gums are.
2. Rinsing – it seems to less stubbornly adhere to my mouth. The coconut oil seemed to coat my tongue, teeth and insides of my cheeks SO stubbornly. Sunflower seemed far easier to rinse (it still takes a few rinses and a brushing of the teeth, but nothing like the coconut oil). There! So far, so good!

Oil Pulling – 1st Time

Mmph, mmmph, phmmmph!!!

Yes. I’m oil-pulling as I speak.  Errr ….. write.

I had read about it several times and it seemed like “coconut oil” was the oil of choice.

Now that I purchased the damned stuff – unrefined, organic, expensive. …. [cough, cough], I am reading that the favored oils for pulling are Sunflower and Sesame (NOT toasted …. organic, unrefined, and cold pressed if possible).

But .  I read many sites where some people have used Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil ……. I think they recommend none of the cheaper ones like Corn Oil or Vegetable Oil, and to stay away from toasted oils because they damage the valuable nutrients or whatever the magic secret is.

Oh.  What is oil pulling?  And How? And How! 

I mean……. oil is slippery?  How do you get enough of a grip on it to pull on it?

Think of pulling it through your mouth.

Think Scope or Listerine …. swishing, pulling through your teeth.

Ppppppt.

There.  I just spit it out.  18 minutes.

They say to do it for 20.  Some sites suggest doing it for 10 minutes twice if it’s overwhelming – or 5 minutes / 4X

Oh – and they say 1 Tablespoon.  Doesn’t sound like much until you get that heaping puppy in your mouth.  Graaaaah!

They say do NOT swallow.  Obviously oils are nontoxic and whatever impurities and toxins it draws were already in your body.  But many sites proclaim to spit it in the toilet and consider it “toxic waste.”  Others say if you spit it in the sink than to use antibacterial cleaners because the spit is teeming with germs.

Some say to rinse with water after – even tap water.  Others have rituals that involve using oil-based soaps (without toxins ….. some that are made with real lemon oil or something), and swishing with hydrogen peroxide.

Every site says to do it on an empty stomach, preferably 1st thing in the morning.  I don’t know why.  Speculation makes me wonder if it may draw out nutrients and “good things” as well as the toxins.  Perhaps it may draw out medications and things?  I hate to say I didn’t do this.  I’m NOT a morning person and I need to take my thyroid meds 1 hour before eating, so …….  I did it late at night lonnnnnnng after eating and ingesting any meds or supplements.

Here’s a site with a LOT of information:  http://foodfreedomgroup.com/2012/04/20/heal-and-detox-with-oil-pulling-the-what-why-and-how/

*Note – Not quite halfway down is an article called “Sandy’s Oil Pulling Compilation.”  It lists which oils helped which ailments.  I think coconut might be a winner for MY symptoms (worst being arthritis and fatigue).*  

What Was It Like? 

My first minute was thoroughly sickening.  The Coconut Oil I have it basically like a white butter, melting slowly – with some body heat and slow and reluctant chewing ……after that initial trauma, it wasn’t terribly bad.  For a while, I even felt like it was relaxing.  Like my mouth was bobbing around in a warm, thick pool.   I would get the urge to swallow or spit it out or something ….. but the urge passes and doing it while you’re doing something else (like blogging, taking a shower, reading, watching TV, running on the treadmill ……. oh , wait.  Do most of us run on treadmills?)

Swishing with water felt THICK and the taste was disgusting.  I opted for the peroxide to just bubble the crap OUT.

The oil itself seemed foamy like peroxide when I spat it out.  This surprised me.  But churning away in my mouth for all that time should do something.  They say it should be milky white and mine was.   My teeth appear a smidgen whiter …. or maybe it’s just me.   Maybe it’s because I put them to closer scrutiny.  😉

Uhhhhhh………..Whyyyyyyyyyy? 

Right.  Why would I rinse my mouth out with oil for such a long period of time?

1.  It CURES things (it is reputed to cure many ailments from arthritis to Lyme, from gingivitis to cancer, chronic fatigue to eczema, diabetes and PMS to Chrohn’s Disease and hemorrhoids……… TONS more including candida, asthma, reducing fibromyalgia symptoms …… TONS more)

2.  It supposedly increases the metabolism

3.  It is reputed to help with such trifles as hair texture and glowing skin

4.   Ayurveda (“the knowledge for long life” , a Hindu system of medicine/alternative medicine) first prescribed oil pulling    – here’s a site discussing the history of oil pulling:  http://www.oilpulling.org/oil-pulling/how-oil-pulling-started/

5.  It has antimicrobial tendencies and acts as a detoxification

In Closing ………

So!  There is a site devoted exclusively to oil pulling.  PLEASE ignore any that ask for money or suggest you order their oil or if they try to sell you a book.  It’s FREE (except the oil you buy and each serving is cheaper than one average multi vitamin).  Here’s the oil pulling site (it seems to be something like the consensus of the other sites I read …. I try to be wary of occasional departures of what other people seem to agree on):  http://www.oilpulling.com/index.htm

I’ll write more as I continue doing this.  Annnnnd…….. you know me.  I have a propensity for not sticking to things!  😉