Tavora (Brooklyn, NY) on 03/29/2009:

I have a question on oil pulling. I have been suffering from an inner ear infection (or at least that's what I was told) for about 7 months now. I think I've tried everything! Tried the meds the docs/ENTs gave me but they didn't work - my condition is now beyond the acute phase and is chronic. I have two major symptoms: a rocking/imbalanced sensation....and a tightness and suffocated pain in my right ear (the affected ear). I have other mild to moderate symptoms - like tingling and nerve pain but I generally try to ignore them. I had many tests done and all came back normal. However, my upper cervical and lower back are slightly misaligned so this may be causing some compression in terms of healthy nerve flow. I don't feel at a loss - thank God for maintaining faith and hope - but I would like to restore my balance and eliminate the pain in the ear. I feel like the ear is not getting enough blood flow and because the ear houses the balance organs in the body - I surmise this is why I am still dealing with the imbalanced sensation (ie. not enough nutrients and oxygen getting into the area). I've recently seen a nutritionist/ND who is helping me fix my diet and treat other issues but I wanted to know if anyone has experienced a similar issue to mine and saw good results with oil pulling. I actually tried it today for 10 mins w/ coconut oil and it did decrease the pain in the ear - in addition to helping my sinuses drain out (this part really amazed me!) - also important to note - the ND told me he believes the infection may have stemmed from some blockage in my sinuses and that by clearing out this area, I would be in a better position to attack the virus. Well, I did want to say that after immediately doing the OP - and coughing up whatever mucus that came out - I walked around for a bit and did notice that my balance felt a bit more stabilized. Just an observation but definitely worth taking note of. Your thoughts are appreciated. :0)