One of the biggest concerns for a lot of people when they contemplate oil pulling is – Will I gag 26 times? Well maybe not 26 times, but it’s possible that at first you may gag. My 30 day oil pulling challenge starts in 5 days (16.11.15) and if, like so many of the population, you need to think through objections to what may sound like an entirely insane maybe even double, double, toil and trouble notion then the following info may help you along the decision process a little quicker. The good news is you still have 5 days to decide and you can even jump in and sign up after the starting date because there are no rules to this. It’s not a competition or a boot camp. Signing up is just putting your name on a private facebook group and joining in on discussion, posting ridiculous comments about XYZ in relation to oil pulling and having a laugh together while we watch and be amazed at the simple process of swilling oil in our mouths for 20 minutes and the amount of health benefits that can be acquired!
The Objections
Yes you may gag, choke or swallow the oil to begin with or worse – experience ridicule from somewhat unawares family members or friends! Don’t let it put you off though. Bring your sense of humor (how else are you going to deal with those looks) and read the following to help you work through the objections that you or others are using to convince you that this is a complete sign of insanity!
1. What a waste of time – swishing oil in your mouth for 20 minutes while you sort out your emails, do your bathroom routine, make breakfast or catch up on social media is hardly a waste of time. It’s not like it has an opinion or will interfere with any of those activities. It’s only a waste of time to those who desperately need you to answer them on some possible question that they could answer themselves.
2. Waste of energy/effort – Won’t this give my jaw a workout?  Think about it the jaw has to work on demand, sometimes up to 12 hours a day between eating, swallowing, talking, more talking, drinking and producing expression based on how you are feeling. Do your jaw a favour, exercise it. Oil pulling will no doubt give your jaw a workout! Of course, go gently, don’t overwork the jaw, but remember it is a vital member of your body that deserves some attention.
3. Help I’m gagging! – A gag reflex is designed to keep us safe. Don’t beat up on yourself if you gag. Basically gagging is when the throat muscles constrict and It can be brought on in 2 ways – psychological or physiological. Some situations that rapidly bring on the gag reflex are:
Having dental work done – sitting in a chair with your mouth open for a long time while machines hammer your teeth and nerves, alter the structure of your mouth and then deposit sums of metal (mercury!) before you are told don’t drink or eat anything for 30 minutes to an hour! (this is definitely me)
Seeing another person throw up or the smell of it.
Swallowing tablets – particularly big ones.
Anxious thoughts or panic attacks. – Hopefully not about oil pulling but most likely about visiting the dentist.
Eating foods that you are not fond of. Livers, fish eyes, Quiche!
And the thought of putting something in your mouth for 20 minutes that restricts you from talking and forces you to breath out of your nose! Oil Pulling anyone!
You may be among the small majority of the population who don’t have a gag reflex, but just say you aren’t and you really want to get the benefits of oil pulling then here’s how to overcome that gag reflex. There are many meridian points on your body that can be pressed either to use as distraction or that possibly the meridian points actually help to relax the throat muscles and ease the gag reflex.
A. Clenching left thumb inside left fist. – Said to aid as a distraction. Recommended by dentists for patients who struggle with lock jaw, frozen face muscles and holding your mouth open for long periods of time.
B. Pressing the point on your wrist just below your palm.
C. Pressing in on the point located in the concave between your index finger and thumb.
D. Pressing on the groove located between your bottom lip and your chin.
E. Try brushing your tongue with a toothbrush. A good thing in itself, but this trick can help switch the gagreflex off. By slowly brushing your tongue, starting from the front of the tongue and yes you will gag, however your gag reflex should start to quieten as it becomes associated with the touch. When you are comfortable with the process in the front of your tongue then you can move further back the tongue and continue with the brushing. This technique has been said to help with bad breath and many toothbrushes these days come with a ridged or rippled tongue cleaner underneath the brush part if you don’t want to use the brush you clean your teeth with.
4. Help my nose is blocked – If you have a cold or a stuffy nose then pick the times of the day that you can oil pull. Often your nose is very blocked first thing in the morning but you can get around it by:
Having a shower before oil pulling – the steam should help release the stuffiness.
Trying a neti pot or a nose hose – both can relieve the pressure and help drain the sinuses.
Trying a decongestant spray – I resort to this when my sinuses are very congested or I have seasonal allergies.
Try this pressure point technique – push your tongue against the roof of your mouth, place a finger on the point between your eyebrows and apply pressure and hold for about 20 seconds and your sinuses will start to drip. (Can’t testify to this but I would try it)
If you suffer with a permanently blocked nose due to sinus congestion, then you do have every right to feel a little anxious about not breathing for 20 minutes while you attempt to pull coconut oil to unblock your nose. 1 trick that I include in my summer remedies e-book is to drop a drip of coconut oil (melted) into each nostril and then tip head back and wait for the nasal congestion to loosen. Pulling oil does wonders for sinus congestion so if you can find anytime that your nose is not completely blocked then that’s when you need to pull the oil.
And finally if all those fail, and you are gagging, or nose is completely blocked or you are sneezing uncontrollably or the small person desperately needs an answer to the “why” question – there is only 1 thing left to do – spit the oil out and then start again.
While you are thinking about all of the above, here are some more thoughts to tussle over (sometimes called procrastination!)
Oil pulling can help with:
Bad breath
Plaque buildup
Gum disease
Whitening of teeth
Removing toxins and bacteria from the mouth
Loosen sinus congestion
Relieve dry mouth syndrome
Gently detox the body and allowing it to heal itself
For those of you that have jumped right in and signed up already then get yourself prepared with the following:
Do you know which oil you will pull with? I recommend coconut oil but you can use sesame, sunflower, olive or just about any vegetable oil you have.
If you don’t know which oil you going to use then you might want to taste test some to get an idea. Just pop a small amount of whatever oil you have and see what it tastes like in your mouth.
Once you’ve decided on which oil then make sure you have enough to start the challenge with.
So have you decided or are you still deciding. Just 5 days to go – plenty of time to sign up.
Click on the link to go to the facebook sign up.
Share this with as many friends and family as you like.
Cheers
Kerry
