The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Stellams (Kuwait) on 01/03/2018:
I have been oil pulling for a couple of years now but not sure it has made any significance to my overall health. However, I was just about to open a new bottle of sesame oil and decided it was time to research, ie to see if it was still worth while doing it!
It was then I not only discovered I was doing the wrong process - using the oil like a mouth wash, ie rinsing and spitting out straight away - but also read that one of the side effects was stomach pains and diarrhoea, something I have been suffering intermittently from for the last two years.
I have tried to put the stomach pain and uncontrollable diarrhoea down to a particular food, to no avail. Then I read the research on oil pulling, but if I wasn’t doing it properly then would I have this digestion problem?
My question is this, if I give the oil pulling a rest, of say a week or two, then try doing the proper 15/20min version, would it work, ie would I feel the real benefits of oil pulling or wouldn’t it make a difference, ie would I still suffer from digestive problems?
Has anybody tried oil pulling for hormonal issues? I've been dealing with hormonal problems and gigantic uterine fibroids for years. I have too much estrogen or too little progesteron. Probably candida problem as well. I've been oil pulling for two month. I missed a day or two here and there, but not much. Started with extra virgin/virgin, cold-pressed coconut oil, then extra virgin olive oil, now coconut oil again. It definitely helps with my hormonal issues, and my fibroids, which is why I don't want to stop, but ever since I've started oil pulling, I've been having some serious flu-like symptoms. On and off, mostly on. Mainly sinus problems (that seem to be candida related) and bad fatigue. I'm pretty sure this is healing crisis, but how much longer is this supposed to last? It just would be easier not to give up knowing how much longer to hold on.
I have been oil pulling with coconut oil for almost 5 days now. On the evening of the second day I started a dense headache that has increased slowly and has now turned into a full blown migraine by the 5th day!! All week I did not take any OTC pain pills but I had to take something for the agonizing migraine. My question is, is this normal? My detox is horrific! I hear and read all these stories of how great people feel, I feel I've been hit by a bus! I want to continue OP, I'm am seeing positive results with skin and teeth but this detox is killing me. Do you have any words of wisdom?
Hi all. My local supermarket, here in Ecuador, has started selling Sacha Inchi "extra virgin" olive oil. I'd never heard of it before. Has anyone any experience of the oil or the seeds? I used it for the first time yesterday to oil pull and the detoxing effect was higher than when I've pulled with sunflower oil or virgin olive oil. Headaches, flu type symptoms, etc. I will, however, continue and see what happens after I've finished the bottle. Thanks in advance.
Liz From Atlanta, Usa (Atlanta, Georgia, Usa) on 05/10/2014:
I have a question about oil pulling. The benefits sound great and I really want to do this, but I can only hold a teaspoon of oil in my mouth for 1-2 minutes and then I start gagging and retching. I'm so glad I followed the advice to do this on an empty stomach! For the first week I used olive oil because that is what I had in the house, but then I bought some organic unrefined sesame oil and still I gag and retch. I've now tried 12 times and can't get beyond 2 minutes. I busy myself with with getting ready for the day to take my mind off the swishing, but that has not helped. So my question is, how can I overcome gagging and retching? Please advise.
My daughter and I started oil pulling about a week and a half ago. I have various health issues. Interstitial cystitis (aka painful bladder), heart disease, high BP and high cholesterol, allergies and arthritis, migraines. We use coconut oil to pull and I was hoping to feel better... Instead I have been really sick with the worst migraine ever and we both have this itchy rash. My daughter said she is stopping the oil pulling and I am wondering if I should do the same? My sinus did seem better, but now I have even more medicine to take (benedryl) because of the itching. Can you tell me what to do?
I tried oil pulling for the first time this morning using Meditteranean blend oil, which contains soya, sunflower and extra virgin olive oil. I did this before eating and drinking anything. I swished for 20 mins. , then rinsed with warm water, brushed my teeth and drank three glasses of water. It is now evening and I now have blisters in my mouth. Never had them before. Has this happened to someone else? Am I swishing too long, using wrong oil?? What can I do to avoid getting blisters. Thank you!!
I too get bad breath from O.P. It must represent the condition of some type infection or toxin in the body. I use mouthwash before and after O.P. , and also take 1 grm Vit-C before and 3 grms MSM after O.P. I also swish H2O2 occasionally to reduce the yellowing of the teeth.
I tried OP for the first time yesterday with pure virgin olive oil. Healthy with no known disease just wanted to try it. I was only able to do it for 5 mins. My partner said my breath was terrible the rest of the day, into the night. She even claims that when we woke up the whole room smelled a little "rotten". This morning I did more research and tried again, 20 mins. I rinsed with salt water after and brushed (I did neither the day before). I read through so many post and seems no one experienced bad breath AFTER, is this strange? I could only think it must be doing something if a tiny bit of olive oil is making that big of difference. Any thoughts or suggestions, should I discontinue use?
I have done oil pulling in the past, but never was a regular oil puller... I have been in good health, with no major complaints and had excellent immune system.
Since beginning of this year... Life has kind of been on roller coaster ride, fractured bone, death of family member, a miscarriage... Kind of have taken over my health and to add to that, something I kept ignoring until last week, white discharge from gums from couple of places... I was hoping it will go away on own.. but it persisted.
After visit to dentist... He said, most likely one of the lower front tooth will have to come out and I did not like hearing that, Came home and started oil pulling with coconut oil with few drops of oil of oregano... Feel my gums are bit better but the infection is still there, going to dentist tomorrow for cleaning (after 3 long years) and hope he will see some improvement.. plan to pull after the cleaning.
The biggest concern now is... I woke up today and felt like I was hit by a bus... Extreme fatigue.. Forced myself to work... Not able to concentrate... Want to sleep. With a toddler at home, hard to get any rest until its time to hit the bed... I had flu last week... And the cough and cold are still there. Should I switch the oils or continue and hope things will improve...
I want to know if someone had similar symptoms which subsided and got benefits...
I started OP just a few days ago to better my oral hygiene and also for help with my allergies. I'm starting with coconut oil because I am currently breastfeeding and wanted to start slowly with something mild then work up to the sesame/sunflower oil. What I've noticed these past few days is my teeth are whiter and my sinuses are draining but also I notice I'm experiencing panic attacks and feel a bit light headed at times. I'll continue to OP because I read a worsening of symptoms is a sign of being cured but are these symptoms "normal" or should I switch oils? Also I do feel completely drained and can't afford to with a toddler. Can I expect these symptoms to go away and if so, how soon? Thanks in advance.
I started oil pulling with organic VCO. I followed the procedure and even did the 5 minutes ted recommended instead of 20. My skin looked great and my gums started to improve but about a week after, I noticed that my teeth were sensitive. It was as if my fillings were loosening. I had to chew slowing and avoid sugar, even xyitol. After I stopped pulling, most of the sensitivity went away. Has anyone else experienced this? I'd like to continue but not if my fillings are going to loosen.
Betsy (Northampton, Northants, England) on 05/29/2012:
Just wanted to update you. My dry mouth has stopped without me making any changes, so it must just have been my body getting used to the oil pulling. I maybe should have mentioned I exercise a lot with respect to the amount of water I drink, twice a day most days so I need to keep hydrated. I also take multivitamins because of the goodness I lose in my sweat as recommended by a fitness trainer.
My spots on my face seem to be going and my skin is looking nice. I still have a decreased appetite and don't crave sugar at all.
I tried it for awhile and found the same dry mouth thing and took it for a "yes, I should be drinking more water" phenomenon. I stopped OP because it was inconvenient--shame on me? I only personally knew of one person doing it and I suppose I needed more encouragement/confirmation.
Betsy (Northampton, Northants, England) on 05/23/2012:
Better But With Side Effects
I am on my fourth day of OP with Coconut oil and since day 3 I have had a really dry mouth. This is not something I have ever suffered from before. I am drinking about 4 litres of water a day. I am ok when I eat something but about an hour later I am really dry again. Has anyone else suffered from this because I have read a lot of posts and not come across this side effect. I have also come out with a very spotty face which I am hoping is just my body detoxing. On the plus side I have much less hunger and don't crave any sweet food at all, most unlike me.
I have a similar question, I'm a 26 year old male in very good health, but ever since moving back to Portland, OR (cloudy wet and rainy) 3 years ago I have had sinus congestion and seasonal allergies pretty badly (I struggled with these issues as a child here as well throughout the grey winters and into spring). I started oil pulling and am now on day 7, the first four days I had really red eyes and heavier bags than usual every morning, which I assumed were detox symptoms and now the past three days I have had an increased heart rate with palpitations upon any activity, restlessness and minor abdominal pains. I have been taking some organic food-based vitamins with probiotics and making sure to drink plenty of fluids and electrolytes, but don't want to overconsume any minerals. Are these normal symptoms?
I have been alternating sunflower and EVCO every morning.
I feel great every year by the end of summer so I think there may be some sort of seasonal deficiency that I suffer from, but I wanted to get on top of this if I am going to live here any longer. Should I keep OPing? Are symptoms I am experiencing very unusual?
I've been oil pulling for five months, and I've noticed an increasing heart rate, which got up to around 95 bpm at the most. Usually my heart rate is around 65-72 bpm. I've felt increased energy and have lost weight, even more than I would like. After my heart rate shot up, I quit OPing altogether for a about a week and a half and am now OPing every few days. I realize that I could be going through a healing crisis, but how long do these crises usually last? I've had difficulty sleeping and feel very fidgety frequently. I don't understand it. Can anyone shed light on this? I want to continue OPing, but I don't want my heart rate to be out of control. I'm nearing 60 years of age. Thanks for any feedback!EC: Hi Dorothy, what type of oil are you using?
I've tried oil pulling for a few months with some short breaks. I'm using cold processed sesame oil. I've noticed a lot of benefits (reduced psoriasis, more energy--great substitute for morning coffee) but one side effect. My teeth seem to get more sensitive to cold and hot. Very noticably so. Anyone else have this problem? Would switching oil types help? By the way, I switched from Whole Foods brand to Spectrum and noticed a big change in freshness and taste.
I've been Oil Pulling off and on for about 4 years now. I always use organic sunflower oil. From reading all the posts here and my own experiences, clearly OP affects everyone differently.
To be honest, nowadays the only time I 'swish' is about 2 -3 weeks before a dentist appointment. For me, it definitely whitens my teeth and seems to tighten my gums slightly, but not much else. I have consistently observed that (for me) after about 3 days I actually start to sleep worse, unsettled and broken.
I am about 5 days into my vigorous routine as I write and last night had a quite a terrifying experience. Not sure if it was from OP or that it was just a coincidence, but while sleeping, I threw up, awoke and could not breathe, inhaled and all I got was stomach acid. Horrible. About 12 hours later, I can still taste it when I breathe. (Sorry to creep you out). Again, it could have been something I ate, but nothing like that has ever happened to me before. Bedtime is approaching.... but as of now, I do plan to continue with the OP.
I have been oil pulling for almot a week now and today I have noticed my stools are very light in color. Not quite white, but light tan. I understand how the gall bladder works, do I have a blockage in the ducts?
Hi Irene, in my experience you can oil pull until you develop teeth sensitivity.
I caught a pretty nasty cold within a week of oil pulling. Not being sure if it was a cold or some nasty detox coming up through a sore throat and wet cough, I decided to take the Saturday off for oil pulling as much as I could for a sort of hyper internal cleaning. I would oil pull 20 min with coconut oil, rince well, 20 min sesame oil, salt water gargle and nose wash, then drink a warm mug of water with apple cider vinegar and honey. Then set the timer for an hour, and after that repeat. I managed to do this 5 times total that day, with no side effects. That's a total of 10 oil pulls.
My teeth started getting a lot whiter at the edges, in some teeth more obviously than others. The main battle was to not sneeze or cough while oil pulling usually about 5-7 min that always went away and the rest of the time it would be fine.
Where I messed up the next day was adding Oregano oil to help even more as I was getting impatient. I overdid it and my teeth started to feel sensitive. I stopped oregano, and will never add more than one drop.
It's been a few days after my marathon of oil pulling, and while I still have the cold it's nowhere near as bad as what a couple of my friends at school were going through recently.
After all that, I believe the first symptoms of too much oil pulling will be right there in how your teeth feel.
I have also been oil pulling (Sesame oil) for a week and noticed cramps in my lower right side. I don't know if I am detoxing or what. I do feel like I have more energy and less appetite for unhealthy foods. I want to eat more vegetables and avoid sugar. I will keep at it and post results as I continue in this regimen.
Has anyone experienced impacted wisdom teeth since beginning oil pulling? I Have been OPing with olive oil for four months and suddenly I have two third molars erupting on me at age 46! I lost a first molar to tooth breakage after a root canal about eight years ago. I do not have a bridge in that spot, so I'm thinking there is now room in the back of my mouth so the second molar has shifted which gives the third molar room to sprout. It is a whole tooth, crown, the works but it is lying lower than it should and is poking through the skin next to my tongue.
Also, I've lost a filling since OPing and another tooth has broken. LOL! What will happen next?
Hi I am doing oil pulling again Last time I did it was about eight weeks ago I started to feel better after about four days except for flem in the throat that was almost gone when I stopped. Teeth felt healthier and gums improved very quickly. I stopped as To many visitors and interuptions over festive season. Ive started again and this is my third day and I have severe pain in right side about kidney area. Ive had pain here before in the past when Ive eaten to much sugar or drunk a couple of glasses of alcohol so I dont do this very often. The pain is like a constant ache- any suggestions? Ive been drinking lots of water but a bit nervous to keep going with OP in case Im damaging something.
Hi Ted and all that read and respond to this site. Thank you for all this great information! I have been oil pulling for a week with sesame oil and I have been exeriencing dizziness, light headedness. Headaches and eye twitching. I believe this may be a healing crisis, but I want to make sure. Is this normal to feel worse and to feel dizzy and light headed? Is there anything else I should be doing. I began taking Apple Cider Vinegar and honey a couple of weeks ago, then started oil pulling with sesame oil a week ago, 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes before I go to sleep. Thank you for any help that you can give me. Sincerely, Flower
Hi, I have been oil pulling with sesame oil for a week and I have noticed that all my symptoms are much worse, almost exagerated to the point of not being to handle the pain! Everything I have read about oil pulling says that this probably is a "healing crisis" and I should continue with the oil pulling so that I can get better BUT I have to admit that I didn't think I would feel this bad!
I have the following symptoms: dizziness, pain in my neck, upper back and arms (which I have had some neck problems in the past), also the dark circles underneath my eyes are actually darker, I feel exhausted and my anxiety is through very high... Basically I feel and look like a mess!! I pull oil for 20 minutes every morning. Has anyone else had a healing crisis as bad as mine? I hope these symptoms will lessen soon. This site has been a HUGE inspiration for me! Thank you for all the information and personal stories! Therese
I have been oil pulling for a week today day #1pain in my head was gone. I feel like I am coming down with the flu , runny eyes /lots of mucus/pain in my shoulder/heel I think I will go back to using sesame oil maybe coconut oil is not good for me , let me know if these symtoms are part of a healing process.
I read the posts on the oil pulling. I have been doing it for about a week. I have sinus problems and it seems to be aggravating the sinus. I hope this is just a sign that my body is healing. I'm very sleepy with pressure in my nose so I'm taking taking ACV to help too. Also I'm taking Levothyroxine for my thyroid 75 mcg, the oil pulling won't affect that would it?
I have been oil pulling for 6 days now. However experiencing really bad stomach pains. More like cramps. Is there anyone else that has these going on? I wonder if I should stop, or is this just my body de-toxin??? Anyone! ?
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