The (Scientific) Benefits of Oil Pulling

Oil pulling involves taking about a tablespoon of sesame, sunflower, or coconut oil and swishing it around your mouth for 5-20 minutes. Most people recommend doing it at least 4-5 times a week. You spit out the oil afterwards (into the trash, not your sink!) along with the toxins that were pulled from your body.

Huh.

I first read about oil pulling last year, and brushed it off as another "Western people try to be Indian" fad. Don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing anyone of cultural appropriation here, I just get a little nervous when the same writer tells me that oil pulling clears out toxins and that holding a stone will balance my aura.

It's because I'm Indian. I'm Indian and I've never heard of some of these things from Indian people, and I get weirded out when Western people believe them because someone told them it's Ayurvedic.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to everything. Yoga? Awesome. Turmeric? It's good for you. Tea? It'll calm you down. Meditation? Yes. I believe that these things are healthy because Indian people still do them after thousands of years.

And then my mom told me that she used to do oil pulling.

Damn it. Fine, I'll look into it.

Dr. Sanda Moldovan, a nutritionist and professor at UCLA's dental school, was interviewed in an article by Tracy Moore. Here's an excerpt:

"In a nutshell, Moldovan told me by phone, the friction created by oil pulling has a soap-like effect on your mouth. It doesn't matter what type of oil it is, sesame is just what would've been cheap and widely available in the original communities who used it. Either way, it's a great method for helping reduce gingivitis. The reason, she said, is that oil pulling does reduce bacteria in the mouth — at least one study has shown it significantly reduces the strep mutans bacteria in plaque and saliva that causes cavities." (Read Moore's entire article here)

Essentially, oil pulling is a good substitute for mouthwash, but not for brushing your teeth.

That said...

Oil Pulling Helps me with Anxiety:

I do oil pulling (I oil pull?) while I meditate. I don't know if toxins are getting flushed from my system, but I do know that focusing on swishing oil around my mouth for 20 minutes makes meditating much, much easier. My thoughts bounce around while I meditate (and generally in life), and oil pulling acts as a sort of body scan--something physical to think about instead of "stillness" which is still really hard for me to do. Meditating in silence is hard. Quieting anxious thoughts is hard. Guided meditations and oil pulling, in combination, has worked best for me. Breathing exercises haven't been helpful for me because I just forget that I'm doing them. Doing something physical and, honestly, feeling something strange in my mouth is enough of a frame shift that it helps me quiet anxious thoughts.

Heads up: I tried oil pulling during a panic attack once, and it was a terrible idea. Breathing exercises are what you need there so, please don't reach for a jar of coconut oil if you experience a panic attack.

Click here for more ideas to help you feel less anxious..