Oil Pulling

I've been steadily feeling worse and worse with each new day I've had   back on the gluten. Yesterday I felt awful. Was wide awake early in the morning. Then had no energy all day. I had no motivation and when I realised I better get on with some chores I barely had the strength to do the washing up. My stomach was beyond painful and kept cramping up. So I basically gave up on the day, and sat surfing the web. 

That's when I cam across Oil Pulling.  Yes that's right Oil Pulling. I'd never heard of it until yesterday but needless to say once I did, I had to find out more. 
From what I've found It's basically just using oil as mouthwash, keeping it swishing for 20 minutes. Its called pulling 1) Because you're supposed to 'pull' it through you're teeth and 2) Because it apparently 'pulls' all the toxins from your body.

I constant read and research stuff and although deep down I'd really like to believe, I look at everything with a sceptical eye. Oil pulling seems to be the latest detox craze but I feel like this may be better than the others. 

There never seem to be sites that are in the middle. You find either bitter skeptics or sites full of nothing but praise. I tend to read the two then form an opinion somewhere in the middle from all the info. From what I found Oil pulling seems to work in about 90% of cases. About 50% seem to have amazing results.

So last night I thought it's worth a try. See what happens, after all what harm can a natural substance do? Unlike other fads, its not like I'm wasting any money. So I decided to give it a try. Have waited until morning as I read it's best to do it on an empty stomach (or 4hours after eating). Otherwise you may feel sick. 

I used virgin coconut oil since I have it in the house. Coconut oil is also good because of it's antibacterial, anti viral and anti fungal properties, and has a pleasant taste. 
So I swished and I pulled for just over twenty mins. I spat it down the toilet as apparently it's very toxic. I rinsed my mouth  with water then brushed my teeth. 

What I noticed was my teeth were very clean and smooth, and did look slightly whiter. However no disrespect to the principle but scientifically it's going to, putting any fluid in your mouth and essentially soaking your teeth for 20 mins is going to loosen and remove debris. Especially oil due to osmotic principles. Where the thicker  substance is going to diffuse itself. 

But weirdly this was not the only thing noticeable. Being slightly clumsy I accidentally spat a bit out. A tiny bit landed on my leg, a bit on my arm and a bit on my palm. I wiped  it away quickly but after a couple of minutes my arm and leg were fine. My palm was not, there was a small red area on my palm that felt like it was burning! It continued to 'burn' for a few minutes, then subsided and the redness went. Coincidence it might be, but very interesting none the less. 

Oil pulling is supposed to detox you apparently because nerves from all over your body end in your mouth. So  you can pull the toxins out from everywhere. 

It is also supposed to create a lot of mucus and clear out your airways. Some people notice streaming from as soon as 10 minutes in. I did not experience this, but oddly enough, did feel pressure related pain in my forehead whilst doing it.  Then not long ago I sneezed and a lot if mucus  came up from my throat. Not something that's at all common. 

So all in all I certainly haven't experienced dramatic miracle reactions like others. But I am thinking there might be something to it. I shall persevere, for all I know I might be so congested it will take a while to get the ball rolling. I might also try a different oil, Sesame is supposed to be the best as it penetrates deeper in the tissues.
Anyway we'll see!