I'm on a journey to find health and happiness through a more holistic and green lifestyle.

I find the world to be abrasive. =) That is to say, I feel the need to armor myself, physically and emotionally, in order to face life. Don't we all? Maybe. For whatever reason, it has become a priority in my life to rid my immediate environment of irritating things. And I'm sensitive! So there is much work to be done. But. I have thought for a long time that the things I come in contact with every day, and the stuff used to clean and maintain these things, need to be gentle and non-toxic. I have had eczema my entire life. For a long time I just dealt with it, and accepted that sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's not, and that it will fluctuate a lot. Gradually over time I have come to find that certain things, fabrics, cleansers, materials, are more irritating to my skin than others. Stress can exacerbate it. In more recent times, I have realized that every aspect of my life improves when I improve conditions for my skin. Hah! What a concept! Thus my (long time) interest in going green, and my more recent desire to live a more holistic lifestyle. (I think I've felt a desire for a long time to live in a harmonious way with myself, my surroundings, and nature, but didn't have a name for it.) Anyhow, this blog is a journal of my trials and errors, and basic crooked path to find a balanced and peaceful existence for myself and my family. Thanks for your interest! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!

Friday, August 29, 2014

Oil Pulling

Today I am starting to experiment with Oil Pulling. I have been reading about it for months, and as with most unusual practices, I've had to stew with this one for quite a while before giving it a try. First, a little information about Oil Pulling:

Excerpts from This Source include:

"The official definition according to Wikepedia is, “Oil pulling or oil swishing, in alternative medicine, is a procedure in which the practitioner rinses their mouth with approximately one tablespoon of ordinary cooking oil for 3-20 minutes, and then spits it out. This procedure is typically performed daily.”"

The benefits? According to this source, oil pulling helps with the following: "This form of alternative medicine according to Dr. Karach, who has done many studies on the efficacy of this treatment, is a miracle cure for almost any disease in the body...According to Dr. Karach the list of diseases that are cured from Oil Pulling are endless. “The Oil-therapy heals totally headaches, bronchitis, tooth pain, thrombosis, eczema, ulcers, intestinal diseases, heart and kidney diseases, encephalitis and woman’s diseases. Preventively the growth of malignant tumors is cut and healed. Chronic blood diseases, paralysis, diseases of nerves, stomach, lungs and liver and sleeplessness are cured.” (Emphasis mine) 

Hm. Really? I don't know about all that. But hey, what's the harm in trying it, right? I figure the worst thing that can happen is you feel a little goofy, right?

What I did: I took one tablespoon of coconut oil (various sources recommend various oils. I had this one on hand) and I put it in my mouth. First impression? Ugh. Gross. But I persevered. I have seen recommendations for varying lengths of time. I lasted about 6 or 7 minutes I'd guess. I swished, I swashed, I sloshed, I salivated. And I spit it out. It went into the trash, as according to sources it can clog your sink or toilet. I studied it. The resulting liquid is supposed to mean something. Let's see what I can find on that:

This website claims that you want to end up with a "thin, white foam" and that if it is still yellow, you haven't done it long enough. Well, seeing as I used a white oil, my results are not going to match these. This website recommends another, so I'm off to check out This Source. There is a ton of information on that site, plus a lot of feedback from people trying this and that. Check it out if you're interested. 

So, I'll give this a go for a while. One thing that would be a challenge for me is that Oil Pulling is supposed to be done first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Yeah. The first thing that enters my mouth in the morning is coffee. Period. So today's trial was post coffee and post breakfast. But it did result in me brushing my teeth afterwards, a practice I really must get better about in the mornings. So..... I will post if and when I notice any changes at all due to the oil pulling. 

I would love to hear from you. Have you tried Oil Pulling? What did you use? Why? What, if any, results have you noticed? How long have you been doing it? Share in the comments below. Thanks!