As we all know, oil pulling is the practice of swishing oil in the mouth for extended periods of time to enjoy certain health benefits. It is believed that by swishing or holding oil in your mouth, you can get rid of oral bacteria and toxins in the body that are soluble in the oil, thereby enjoying better oral and overall health.
While there are proponents of oil pulling, it also is a technique that has received a lot of flak and skepticism by the medical fraternity. Yes, there are scientific studies to support certain claims and benefits of oil pulling, but these studies are too small and have too many variables for the medical and scientific fraternities to accept them.
This post talks about the side effects of oil pulling. Would you like to know what they are? Keep reading this post.
The history of Ayurveda goes back to more than 3,000 years. This system dealt with holistic healing using natural means. One of the practices advocated by Ayurveda is oil pulling for optimal oral health.
It recommends using sunflower or sesame seed oil to treat oral conditions such as malodor, dryness of the throat, strengthening of the gums, teeth, and jaws, and preventing decay and gum bleeding. Ancient practitioners of oil pulling used two methods – Kavala Graha and Gandusha.
In Kavala Graha, you take just the amount of oil you are comfortable holding in your mouth. Then this oil is held inside the mouth for about 3 minutes, gargled, and spat out. On the other hand, Gandusha involves filling the mouth with oil and holding it for about 5 minutes before spitting it out.
The proponents of oil pulling keep pointing out the numerous benefits that are scientifically backed. However, there also is scientific evidence supporting the side effects of oil pulling, some of which are very unpleasant.
So, without much ado, let’s go ahead and check out the major side effects of oil pulling that you should be aware of.
While oil pulling is known to keep the throat from getting dry, it can be counterproductive as well. One of the common side effects of oil pulling is excessive dryness of the mouth. Many people who consistently use this oral health practice find their mouths getting too dry after the cleansing process. There is a reason for this. The swishing causes the oil to mix with the saliva, thereby completely removing it from your mouth. Hence, after you finish the oil pulling, you will find your mouth is extremely dry.
One of the scariest side effects of oil pulling is lipoid pneumonia. Many people don’t know the correct method of swishing the oil inside the mouth. As a result, they end up inhaling the oil, which is loaded with bacteria and toxins. This contaminated oil enters the lungs, causing lipoid pneumonia. This fact has been reported by the American Dental Association and also by the U.S. National Library of Science.
The American Dental Association also reports that oil pulling can lead to an upset stomach or diarrhea. Again, the reason is ingesting the oil causes the bacteria to enter your stomach. As a result, it leads to diarrhea as your body has to expel the contaminated oil in your stomach in one way or the other.
There are reports of people coughing up mucus. Proponents and supporters of oil pulling claim that it is nothing to worry about, as your body is cleansing itself. However, the swishing that is supposed to be done for 10 to 15 minutes causes the mucus in your throat to thicken, and then your body has to expel it. It is done by coughing it up, making the whole process rather unpleasant.
As oil pulling is done on an empty stomach, some users have reported experiencing nausea. Again, this can be attributed to swallowing a little amount of the oil that is loaded with bacteria and toxins that cause your stomach to heave, leading to nausea.
People who use coconut oil may experience a hangover-like sensation. This is primarily because of the medium-chained triglycerides present in the oil. According to an anecdotal experience of one user, a doctor claimed that a high-carb diet coupled with coconut oil for swishing could lead to this particular experience, as the body tends to react negatively to the oil.
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