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Kate (Glasgow, Scotland) on 03/30/2010
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Hi,

I have been oil pulling with virgin coconut oil for just over 4 weeks, to try to address the chronic allergic rhinitis and CFS that I have had for the last 10 years. (I have tried unrefined sesame and sunflower oils with no results in the past). I have been using one teaspoon of oil (if I use one tablespoon, I have to spit out constantly as my mouth gets so full of saliva) and using wild oil of oregano on a 2 week on 2 week off basis, and OPing 2-3 times/ day. Ever since I started, my symptoms of chronic sinus pain/ headache and general exhaustion/ aching limbs have worsened considerably. I have the odd flash of exhilaration and huge energy but this is quickly replaced with having to slog through exhaustion and sinus pain again. After about 4 days the symptoms were so bad that I had to stay in bed for several days before I could function again. After 26 days I have now developed a severe head cold, with a huge, constant downpour of clear mucous, sore throat, swollen glands, and, of course, aching limbs and sinus pain, with continual fits of violent sneezing. I am on my 6th day of these symptoms. This is the first cold I have had in 16 months, and I was beginning to feel quite smug about how well my immune system was holding up while everyone else was getting sick.

I did not expect chronic problems to be resolved quickly. After all, I have had these problems for 10 years, so why would they disappear overnight? However, I am beginning to wonder if it is normal to have quite such an extended healing crisis. Has anyone else experienced anything quite so prolonged?

Any advice or shared experience gratefully received.

Replied By Alex (Mumbai, India) on 04/14/2010

Kate, I think after a month you have made a point that coconut OP is not working for you. It's not working for me either but since I had only used it for a week I was looking for people who had been on it for a longer time to validate my observations. I feel more tired, dark circles around my eyes are getting worse, my skin is drier and crackling, sinus are swelling back after being cleared for a while, my whole body is stiffer but what alarms me the most is that my skin is loosing color! I have to admit though that I've been using coconut oil exclusively since one week not just for OP but in food as well. I wanted to know what was the exact effect of that oil on me. Following blood type diet, O type should avoid coconut products. I'm O type but I wanted to see for myself. One other thing that I find disturbing is that sticky feeling I get in my mouth and throat after using coconut oil. No other oil does that. I used olive oil and sesame oil successfuly in the past weeks for OP so I suggest you switch to those. OP can get you through some pretty harsh detox effects sometimes but even during that time you should see you general level of energy and positivity increase dramaticaly. If it doesn't happen then it's not detox and it's not working. For example, you won't stay tired all day, you can get extremely tired and will fall into deep sleep as soon as you lay down but feel rested afterwards, the need for extra sleep might go on for days and days but not slugginess, unless of course you don't listen to your body and stay up all night. I love the taste of coconut oil more than any other oil but since I got heart palpitations yesterday at the gym, I think I'll switch back to other oils. I might be saturated with saturated fats!

Replied By Karen (Henderson, Nv) on 07/03/2010

Hi, I just now found out about OP and after reading some of the posts of those using coconut oil and getting some pretty strong reactions the first thing I thought of was that you may have had a yeast reaction. Coconut oil contains caprylic acid which is a known yeast antifungal. Just google it and you can read about it. I think you are having a die off reaction to the yeast dying off especially those taking it also in food. You need to go slower. Look up candida and the spit test to check to see if you have candida and then do everything you can to cure it cause systemic candida is deadly. Good luck.
http://www.thecandidadiet.com/caprylicacid.htm

Caprylic Acid (or Octanoid Acid) is an anti-fungal agent found naturally in coconuts and breast milk. In the commercial world, it is found not only in Candida cures but also dyes and perfumes. http://www.fungusfocus.com/html/caprylic_acid.htm

Replied By Tammy (Seattle, Wa) on 09/24/2010

Have the people that are having such strong bad reactions considered allergy to coconut or nuts in general?

Replied By Ali (Swansea, Wales, Uk) on 02/17/2011

These reactions are perfectly normal detoxing reactions.

When we get a rash or feel nauseous, vomit or have diarrhea, we assume it is something bad, but these are all ways the body uses to expel toxins.

The body will 'grab' a cold virus (or in some cases, even 'make' one) to enable the body to detox. All colds are usually accompanied by lots of mucous and discharges. Even coughing helps the body to expel toxins from the lungs.

Many people, when they start to detox - and detox properly and more deeply, will get a 'detox' cold. Don't try to suppress it, just let the body do what it needs to do.

We don't always give our bodies the credit for being able to heal - always interfering and throwing drugs down our throats, which just ends up adding to the toxic burden.

Things like coconut oil are potent detoxers. It is better to start gently with it and gradually increase the dosage - both in oil pulling, and when ingested. People who start throwing the stuff down their throats will often get quite a major reaction and get frightened - it's not an allergy, it's a heavy detox reaction.

As with any food that encourages detoxing it is always better to start gently and let the body detox slowly, otherwise the toxins can flood and overwhelm the body and make people even sicker. They need to be disposed of gradually - safely.

We speak of 'die-off' reactions, but are they die-off, or are they really detox....?

For more information on slow detoxing, please check out 'Healing Naturally by Bee'.

Replied By Tee Tee (Kingston, Jamaica) on 03/10/2011

I did some oil pulling today with coconut oil. Though I could only do it for 2-3 minutes I still felt the effect. I feel lighter, freeer, more energized, definitely more healthy. I have been fighting a cold/infection for a while and after OP, alot of phlegm has been coming up and each time I feel better and better. My chest is completely clear now, all congestion is gone. My sinses are clear too, no more congestion. My mind too feels more at peace.

Replied By Old Hippie (Baton Rouge, La) on 05/24/2011

I tried coconut oil pellets approximately 2 years ago for one week. During that time, I had more energy and my appetite seemed to curb a little but... I broke out in maybe 30 itchy little rashes all over my body. The dark scars are still there. And no, I was not going to continue to use it to see if it got better. I was running out of skin room for more rashes.

Replied By Debbie (Melbourne, Australia) on 05/25/2011

Is there a thumbs down arrow? I meant to click that I didn't like the comment but it came up as an up arrow meaning I agreed with the comment and I didn't.

EC: Sorry, we (EC management and EC contributors) decided against having a thumbs down button. Will find out from the programmers if it's possible to remove it!

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