Oil Pulling Therapy

Have you dared tried it? I've read up on this Ayurvedic practice long ago but the thought of gargling oil in my mouth did not sit right with me, let alone swallowing it. (This is why I never continued drinking VCO, I just couldn't swallow oil!) It turns out that you only swish the oil in your mouth and do not gargle at all.



Simplified instructions of this easy & cheap natural home remedy:
*Do this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.
* Use one tablespoon of any edible oil, preferably cold pressed VCO, and rinse in your mouth for at least 20 minutes. Sip, suck & pull through the teeth slowly.
*Make sure not to swallow any of the oil because this has already been contaminated with your body's toxins which you should NOT consume.
*The oil will turn from clear to yellow to white. If your oil did not turn white in color, that only means you didn't do it long enough.
*Wash mouth thouroughly after

Daniw and other residents of Bahay Kalipay swear by it so I was curious enough to try it for myself. Last week, I bought a bottle of local Palawan VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil) and started oil pulling everyday since. I only skipped those days I was in El Nido because I didn't want to bring the VCO bottle with me. Maybe if I continue doing this daily, I'll see results faster. For now, I can't really tell. But I'm sticking out with this because of all the health benefits listed below.

Dr. Karach lists these ailments which are alleviated by oil pulling:

* head-aches
* bronchitis
* tooth pain
* thrombosis
* eczema
* ulcers. (I do get some tummy pains so I'll watch out for this one!)
* diseases of stomach, intestines, heart, blood, kidney, liver, and lungs.
* cancer
* diseases of nerves
* paralysis
* prevents the growth of malignant tumors, cuts and heals them. (I've had surgery to remove a benign tumor before so I'm all for this benefit!)
* chronic sleeplessness

Now you might be wondering, HOW does it do that? Smart question, I've asked the same thing. After doing my research I found out that the tongue is mapped by organ-locations — that is, each section of the tongue is connected to the kidneys, lungs, spleen, liver, heart, pancreas, small intestines, stomach, colon, and spine. Thus, an oil-mouth-massage soothes and stimulates the key meridians where taste meets organ. It has an effect on our body's eliminatory system.

So, what do you think? Wanna give it a try? I'm continuing my oil swishing in the mornings while I check my emails for another 5 months before I give you a status report. By then, I expect to be in the pink of health!

photo credit: The Hindu Business Line