I’m sure by now you’ve heard about Oil Pulling.  If not, give it some time you will.  I had heard about it, but didn’t pay any attention until my sister Abi brought it up.  Abi is a massage therapist and a professed Dr Oz addict. She is very knowledgeable about health and healthy living.  (Maybe I should clarify a little more.  Even though she loves Dr Oz she verifies what he says on his show by doing research from other sources before making any changes to diet, lifestyle etc.)  Now, because of this when she suggests something I usually listen to her, baby sister and all, because I know she has done her homework.

A month or so ago we went to lunch together and after we said hi, she showed me her teeth and demanded to know if they looked whiter.  Well, they did, but then she has always had beautiful, white teeth.  After the teeth staring she told me she had started doing Oil Pulling.  Sounded bizarre to me.  I mean how’re your teeth supposed to get cleaner and whiter by swishing oil around your mouth?  She was adamant that it made a difference and explained how many healthy benefits came from doing it.  I listened to her, but I was skeptical.  Still the next time I went shopping I picked up a jar of Organic Coconut Oil.  You can do oil pulling with olive oil too, but I prefer the taste of Coconut Oil and it’s supposed to be healthy for skin, hair, nails, digestion, tooth enamel, etc, etc…

Anyway I started oil pulling a few weeks ago.  I do it once, sometimes twice a day.  1 teaspoon of Coconut Oil in the morning while I am making breakfast, walking the dog, etc and gently swirl it around my mouth.  Now you have to do this for 20mins so you don’t want to swish it around like crazy and hurt your jaw.  Just gently swirling around and pushing between your teeth for 20mins.  DO NOT SWALLOW IT when you are done.  It’s full of bacteria from your mouth and teeth, so when the 20mins are up, SPIT.  Once you spit it out the weirdest thing happens, your teeth feel CLEAN.  Not just clean but CLEAN!!!  It’s freakin’ oil but your teeth and mouth feel like you just came from your yearly cleaning at the dentist!  Ok, so here’s the run down of benefits for spending 20mins each morning swishing oil through your teeth (I guarantee once you read this you’ll be doing Oil Pulling yourself in no time!):

• Brighten and whiten teeth – No lie, my yellow teeth are looking pretty damned white!
• Strengthen and repair tooth enamel – WHAT?!?!?!  Seriously folks, it can repair thin enamel areas, thus PREVENTING Cavities!!!
• Reduce allergies – Yes you Sacramento Valley Allergy Sufferers it can reduce allergy symptoms!
• Healthy Gums – it pulls the bacteria out of your mouth and from between your teeth which will make your gums healthier
• Save you money at the Dentist – Hello, healthy gums, strengthened enamel, and brighter teeth!
• Fresher smelling breath – it’s the bacteria that build up in our mouth that leads to bad breath, so eliminating those makes your breath smell nice and fresh, and like Coconut!

I am sure there are more benefits, but do you really need more?  I am completely hooked.  I do it every morning and I have seen a difference in the appearance of my teeth and gums.  My allergies have seemed to be lessening as well, so keeping my fingers crossed.

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