Oil pulling
| Against allopathy Alternative medicine |
|
| Clinically unproven |
| Woo-meisters |
Oil pulling is a very, um, unusual folk remedy for just about everything.[1][2] It involves swishing some oil around in your mouth for 10-15 minutes to detoxify your body.[3] While not usually dangerous, it has not been proven to even come close to doing everything it is said to do. (Also, oil pulling for long periods of time (10-20 minutes) may lead to accidental inhalation of some of the oil, which can lead to lipoid pneumonia.[4])
However, a study done in 2008 (a single study of 20 participants) showed that it does produce a statistically significant decrease in the amount of S. mutans bacteria, a major cause of tooth decay, in the mouth.[5] It doesn't have as much of an effect as mouthwash does, though. It is effective against Mexican food, so there's that.[6]
If you really want to wash your mouth out to get rid of dangerous bacteria, just use some mouthwash. It tastes much better. Swilling a shot of vodka around your mouth and then swallowing also works, and is much more rock'n'roll.
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References
- ↑ No, seriously — "Pull the oil through the teeth often and this oil will pull all the toxins from your body through saliva"!
- ↑ Yes, even cancer
- ↑ This involves using vegetable oils, not gasoline, diesel or motor oil. Mobil One is right out!
- ↑ Recurrent lipoid pneumonia associated with oil pulling.
- ↑ Asokan S, Rathan J, Muthu MS, Rathna PV, Emmadi P, Raghuraman, Chamundeswari. Effect of oil pulling on Streptococcus mutans count in plaque and saliva using Dentocult SM Strip mutans test: A randomized, controlled, triple-blind study. J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent 2008;26:12-7
- ↑ How To Make Hot Peppers Stop Burning