Momentum Issue 22: Oil Pull
This week we have another habit you may not have heard of, or at least may have never tried.
Traditionally from Ayurvedic medicine, oil pulling is becoming more and more popular in Western cultures and has benefits for your whole body.
This week, try oil pulling each morning for 10 minutes as soon as you wake up.
Importance
The main benefit of oil pulling is in regard to your oral health.
It’s been found to be more effective than flossing for reducing and preventing plaque build-up, preventing cavities, preventing and treating bad breath, preventing gum infection, and whitening teeth.
The mechanism behind these myriad benefits is that moving the oil around your mouth removes fat-soluble toxins and bacteria. This is in contrast to rinsing your mouth with water or mouthwash - as these would only target water-soluble bacteria and toxins.
However, the benefits of oil pulling extend far beyond just the mouth.
Benefits have been found for reducing:
Heart disease
Systemic inflammation
Acne
Furthermore, one research article explains how oil pulling can help detoxify the body:
“Oil pulling activates salivary enzymes which absorb toxins such as chemical toxins, bacterial toxins and environmental toxins from the blood and removed from the body through the tongue. Thus oil pulling detoxifies and purifies the entire human body.”
Astoundingly, oil pulling has been found to cure 30 systemic diseases, “ranging from headache, migraine to diabetes and asthma.”
Implementation
It’s important to do your oil pulling before anything else in the morning - before you take a sip of water, and before you brush your teeth.
As soon as you wake up, put about a tablespoon of your oil in your mouth, and swish it around for about 10 minutes. Make sure to force it between your teeth.
I like to use organic coconut oil with a drop or two of peppermint oil. However, sesame oil is the traditional oil most often used. If you’re using coconut oil, it will likely be solid and you’ll need to let it melt in your mouth first.
While you’re swishing, you can go about your usual routine - getting dressed, making coffee, reading.
After the 10 minutes is up, spit the oil out. Don’t swallow it, as it will be full of all the bacteria and toxins flushed from your mouth. Also, make sure to spit it in the garbage and not down the sink, as oil can clog your pipes.
Before you go
Podcast
A podcast which covers oil pulling:
Articles
Here are some free links to articles that may be of interest to you.
If You Want to Create New Habits, You Need to Understand This Rule
4 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Circadian Rhythm as a Shift Worker
The Best Way to Achieve a Goal Is to Forget About It
More Momentum
Over on the More Momentum newsletter this week we will be voting on the daily habit for June. If you’d like to join in with us and see what this newsletter is all about, you can subscribe here.
Each Tuesday I provide some more resources and information on the habit for the week, as well as a podcast of the week, book of the week, movement of the week, and my personal favorite, a habits tidbit of the week - where I delve into an aspect of habit formation and how we can use it to implement habits into our life.
We also do a monthly challenge where we all embark on the challenge of completing a certain habit each day for the entire month. I also often provide additional resources such as reflective audits for aspects of our lives, book chapters from the book I am working on, and any new research that has come out that I think would be of interest.