The latest craze in healing modalities has turned to what is known as oil pulling. Perhaps you've heard about it already. Oil pulling was developed by Dr. Karach and presented in a paper claiming oil pulling will cure "head-aches, bronchitis, tooth pain, thrombosis, eczema, ulcers and diseases of stomach, intestines, heart, blood, kidney, liver, lungs and women's diseases. It heals diseases of nerves, paralysis, and encephalitis. It prevents the growth of malignant tumors, cuts and heals them. Chronic sleeplessness is cured" (Oil Pulling: A Wonderful Therapy, 2005-2006).Despite this astonishing, hard to believe list of conditions that oil pulling is purported to cure, it does not appear to be a get rich quick scheme for a natural practitioner or manufacturer. Quite to the contrary the only thing one needs to carry out oil pulling is oil. One might wonder just where this oil must be purchased and think it must be a special oil however it is easy to find on the shelf of most grocery stores. All that is required is a bottle of cold-pressed sesame or sunflower oil.
The procedure involves taking a tablespoon of oil and swishing it around in the mouth, sucking and chomping on it to create a thin foam for about ten to fifteen minutes each morning. Then the mouth is rinsed several times with water. The procedure can be done more than once a day though it is recommended on an empty stomach.
Skeptics may still be looking for a catch though there does not appear to be one at close examination. It certainly could not hurt to swish oil in the mouth and is worthy of a trial run.
It is recommended to keep the chin tilted back to reach the rear molars, use only sesame and sunflower oils for favorable results, and wait at least 4 hours after meals and one hour after drinking before oil pulling (Folk remedies and holistic cures: Oil pulling, 2006 ). A worsening of symptoms is an excellent indication that the disease/ailment is being cured and one should not stop oil pulling if symptoms are aggravated or side effects occur as this is a sign your body is healing (Folk remedies and holistic cures: Oil pulling, 2006 ).
After oil pulling it is recommended to clean the sink properly using some antibacterial soap because the spittle contains harmful bacteria and toxic bodily waste (Oil Pulling Therapy, 2006). It is said that if one were to see one drop of this liquid magnified 600 times under a microscope, one would see microbes in their first stage of development (Oil Pulling Therapy, 2006).
One of the first signs oil pulling is working is the tightening of loose teeth, the whitening of teeth, and a reduction in gum bleeding (Oil Pulling Therapy, 2006). Other conditions may resolve after several weeks or months. During the oil-pulling/swishing process one's metabolism is intensified, leading to improved health (Oil Pulling Therapy, 2006).
Dr. Karach believes that through oil pulling it is possible to "heal individual cells, cell conglomerates such as lymph nodes and more complex tissues such as internal organs simultaneously" and increase the human lifespan to 150 years (Oil Pulling Therapy, 2006). While that sounds a bit fantastical for modern day life, Karach claims that beneficial micro flora throughout the body are provided with a healthy continuum through oil pulling. At the very least no harm can be done by swishing a food as long as it is not swallowed with the harmful bacteria. Worth a try? Sure sounds like it! See you in the oil aisle at the grocery store!
References:
Oil pulling: A wonderful therapy(2005-2006 ). Retrieved December 26, 2006, Web site:
http://www.oilpulling.com/
Oil Pulling Therapy, (December 21, 2006). Retrieved December 26, 2006, from Life Technology News Web site:
http://www.lifetechnology.org/blog/2006/12/oil-pulling-therapy.html
