Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
(Parrish, FL)
02/04/2009
Dear Shabz,
Yes, you're doing it right. However, I would also rinse the mouth (before brushing the teeth with soap (pure olive oil soap - no other ingredients)with warm water, sea salt and baking soda. Rinse your mouth out well with this mixture, then brush, then drink two glasses of water. Also, would recommend cold pressed organic oil. Expreller pressed is ok if you cannot find cold pressed.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Michael
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
(BHOPAL, MP, INDIA)
01/17/2009
Shabana from Bradford, UK wanted to know what exactly is cold pressed. Cold pressed oil is oil straight from the "Oil Expeller". In layman's words it is oil that is not yet refined. Refined oil is also fine, but cold pressed is better. Coming as it is from a resident in UK, no doubt cold pressed oil would be hard to locate.
I have started oil pulling with seasame oil recently. Honestly, today (Jan 17th) is my third day. I am a diabetic, type-2. Lets wait and watch. I note to post my experiences after about a month. Its too early now to comment. But yes, the feel good factor is there. Could it be excitement, simple psychology or is it for real? Time will tell.
Mani
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
(UK)
01/07/2009
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
I've been doing OP for 1-2 weeks off and on (1 tbsp of sunflower oil). I am getting this awfully thick white goop in the oil when I spit it out and have to spit after 5-10 mins. as it is such a bad feeling in my mouth. My oil never comes out clear. Will it eventually turn clear once the toxins are out?? My skin has turned awesome by the way but I have lots of gallbladder problems and am having surgery next month to have it out. Will these be toxins from the gallbladder or MS?? Have no mercury fillings :). My back pain has worsened but hopefully that will improve with time. If this works it is much more affordable that anything else out there!
(Victoria, BC, Canada)
12/09/2008
Hey there Joanne! Now, I don't know your story except from what is posted, but removing your gallbladder is something worth reconsidering! I have friends and colleagues whose doctors have recommended removing their gallbladders for minor ailments - and I don't know why this is recommended! Your gallbladder stores bile for your body and is a very important component to your digestive system; we wouldn't have it if we didn't need it! Perhaps a gallstone cleanse is in order, at least as something to try before undergoing surgery. Best of luck.
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★☆
(Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
03/01/2008
Oil Pulling: Response to Shirin from Singapore 2/29/08 post. Hi, Shirin, You may be having a healing episode / crisis. Ted or one of the other contributors would know better than I. My perspective as a physical therapist is that you may be working your mouth / jaw too hard while you are oil pulling.
'I recently began oil pulling, and I noticed my TMJ (jaw joint) problem flaring up at first. TMJ problems can result in all of the symptoms you described, including the neck pain. This is because the neck and face / jaw muscles are very closely related during the functions of chewing, talking, opening/closing mouth.
I realized that I was working the oil too hard and too fast in my mouth (20 minutes is a long time). When I slowed down and did smaller movements with the oil, it was better. I also had to start with a little less oil until my coordination improved to the point where I did not feel like I had to swallow.
Try the following the next time you oil pull:
1. sit with good posture in a firm chair (not hunched forward over computer, sink, or desk).
2. put a pillow on your lap to support your arms. This will allow your neck and shoulders to relax a bit.
3. Be mindful of what you are doing; are you clenching your teeth? are you pushing / thrusting your jaw forward or sideways? are you tensing your tongue a lot? are you frowning or shrugging your shoulders as you concentrate? These are all things to avoid.
4. Try to work slowly and keep your face and jaw as relaxed as possible while working the oil. Your cheeks should be doing most of the work. You could practice by moving air around in your mouth as if you were swishing oil. I have a tendency to clench my teeth, so I monitor that carefully.
I have stopped trying to "chew" the oil because I can't do it without aggravating the TMJ. I have also started taking mini-breaks of up to 5 seconds where I just let the oil rest in my mouth so my neck /jaw / face / scalp muscles can relax a bit.
Possible remedies if this is due to TMJ (jaw) irritation:
1. applications of moist heat up to 15 minutes, 3-4 times daily. It can be done as often as every hour if necessary for pain control, but no more than 15 minutes! I do not know if it is ok to do right after oil pulling from a toxin standpoint, however I usually have my patients use heat right after eating if their symptoms become aggravated. Sometimes cold compresses feel better. The idea is to get the muscles to relax and break that pain cycle. Breaking the pain cycle is important so that this does not become a long-term problem.
2. Use your fingers to do gentle massage (with or without oil. I do without because my skin is naturally oily), or, better yet, get someone to do it for you. The forehead, under the cheekbones, in front of the ears, the scalp (especially over and behind ears), and VERY VERY gently under the jawbone from the back near the ears out to under the chin. Gently pulling the ear lobes down and slightly outward is also helpful. When my TMJ is flared up, I find it easier to do the massage with one hand at a time because using 2 hands causes my neck/jaw/face muscles to tense further. I hope this helps. Kristin
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
I have been using unrefined sunflower oil for a little over a week now and have a few thoughts to relay. My experience so far has been good. My teeth are whiter and I feel that toxins are being pulled from my body.
It seems to me that it is best to do the oil pulling in a relaxed manner being gentle in your approach. And it is not necessary to slosh continually. Take a break frequently and just let the oil sit there for a little while. Keeping one's chin up all the time causes the oil to go to the back of the throat and that causes a gag reflex so I've found that looking down slightly while sloshing and then, every few minutes, looking straight ahead and sloshing the oil back and forth between my teeth reduces the gag sensation and still accomplishes drawing toxins out.
Also, I've noted from the postings here that some folks are concerned about being perfect in their approach. As a suggestion, don't worry about it. Worry itself interferes with detoxing. If you ate recently and it is not convenient to wait awhile to do the pulling, it is still better to do it than not doing the pulling at all. I believe the point of doing it on an empty stomach is mainly that the body will be more responsive to dumping toxins if it is not digesting food at the same time, however, the pulling still has value. The enzymes will draw out toxins no matter when you oil pull. If it is unpleasant to keep the oil in your mouth for 15 to 20 minutes, hold it as long as you can. If that is 5 minutes then you'll still receive benefit and, with experience, your body will adapt to the experience and keeping it in longer will probably become easier and easier.
Some people are also concerned about whether to use refined or unrefined oil. It probably doesn't matter from the standpoint of removing toxins. Sloshing the oil stimulates saliva production. Saliva contains the enzymes for drawing out toxins. Polyunsaturated oils such as sunflower and sesame may be more effective than saturated fats for detoxing because the molecules of polyunsaturates are open ended and attract and hold various substances. As is indicated, these oils become ripe with bacteria, viruses, parasites, yeasts, etc. so spitting the stuff out and rinsing thoroughly is a real good idea.
Tooth enamel: To get the best results from oil pulling I suggestion you brush your teeth with non-fluoridated tooth paste. Fluoride compounds harden the enamel, making it less porous. This is the effect that is touted as helping to reduce cavities. What is not generally brought out is that fluoride is indiscriminate in what it hardens. Drinking fluoridated water, rinsing with fluoridated mouth washes and brushing with fluoride tooth paste is serious overkill. Excess fluoride, and it doesn't take much at all to be too much, causes teeth, bones and soft tissue to become hard, even brittle. Brittle is not a good thing in a living body. Also fluoride accumulates in the body, hardening what it attaches to, and causes a person to feel more and more stiff. Enamel is meant to be somewhat porous. The initial studies on the benefits of fluoride were conducted in communities where the natural form, calcium fluoride, was present in the water supply. Sodium fluoride is what is generally added to city water supplies and tooth paste. This form is very toxic. Even the calcium form can cause bones and so on to become brittle if too much is taken. For instance, there is a herd of elk in Yellowstone National Park who live in an area with high concentrations of calcium fluoride in the water supply. They have much shorter life spans than elk who drink from sources without significant amounts of calcium fluoride. The elk who get a lot of fluoride develop brittle bones and teeth, which break easily, and so die prematurely from starvation and broken bones.
Saliva contains about 3 times more calcium than blood plasma. It is thought by some that the reason for this is that our saliva can lay down calcium on the teeth and repair minor cavities as well as strengthen the enamel in general. Excess fluoride would interfere with this. And, again, we benefit from very small amounts of fluoride. More in this case is definitely not better. If you are concerned about getting enough fluoride, rather than using fluoridated mouth washes and tooth paste, drink a cup of green, white or black tea a day. These types of tea supply plenty of naturally occurring fluoride.
One more thing. There is a very old form of breathing known as Ujjayi Pranayama. It is a safe and beneficial form that helps with a detox. It only needs to be done for a few minutes a day to see results. It oxygenates the entire body, improving metabolism and reducing stress. If you would like the directions for practicing it send an email to charliepah [at] rock.com (replace [at] with@) and I'll send the directions to you as a word document or as part of the email, whichever you want. I'd prefer to send it as a word document so it will print out correctly.
Enjoy yourself.
Charlie
Sunflower Oil Health Benefits
★★★★★
After three weeks of OP, I noticed that the sensitivity has completely disappeared. My teeth feel stronger, and have lightened quite a bit.
As for my energy, it has improved as well. I don't have the usual dying-to-take-a-nap-at-two-o'clock-in-the-afternoon-feeling any more.
I have been using one tablespoon of sunflower oil, twice a day, on an empty stomach, for about 25 days now. I am now convinced that OP is a valid therapy, and I will continue my regimen to see what other benefits will occur. Thank you!