Episode #23 Hangover: Trend Alert: Oil Pulling

This last episode has got the wheels turning in my head about people and their beauty/health rituals. One of the latest trends seems to be something that is a little, well, non-traditional, and has me very, very curious. That trend would be oil pulling.

For those who have no clue what oil pulling is, it is the simple practice of swishing an oil (usually coconut or sesame oil) in your mouth, much like you would mouthwash, and then spitting it out - Normally you're instructed to swish for about twenty minutes.

Truth be told, I have yet to try oil pulling. I like to do a little research before I dedicate a whole twenty minutes to something. Especially when that something requires holding liquid in your mouth for lengthy periods of time without swallowing or drooling on yourself.

I'm curious.

Have any of you, my fantastic TVP readers, tried oil pulling? Is it all it's cracked up to be? Is oil pulling going to go the way of Tamagotchis and pet rocks or is it here to stay?

I did my homework; I took notes. I searched to the ends of the earth to compile as much data as I could to be analyzed by me and my team of experts. We slaved laboriously over mountains of testimony.

Actually, really, I just "googled" it and clicked on the first few links.

The Pros (or kinda pro's?): It seems the general consensus for those who are pro-oil pulling have listed positive outcomes in relieving symptoms of migraines, headaches, asthma, diabetes mellitus, acne...and the bonus is that it helps to brighten up those pearly whites in your mouth, decrease dental plaque, . However, most who tout these benefits seem to also give the disclaimer that these "facts" are unsupported by any scientific research or data.

The Cons: Oil pulling can lead to lipid pneumonia (from inhaling oil into the bronchial tree). And that's just no fun for anyone. The other downside is that the only thing that people can agree on is that their isn't enough scientific data to really agree on anything.

My curiosity is killing me but I have to admit - it's more of a curiosity about how this trend is actually becoming so popular. Is it's (dare I say) ridiculousness that is causing this "health trend" to blaze a trail across the internet? While I do try and make it a habit of trying anything that promises to cure a hangover right quick, I think I'll save my oral hygiene habits for toothpaste and mouthwash and I'll leave the job of detoxification to those little guys named my liver and kidney because hey, no one wants to be out of a job in this economy and they've done just fine for me this far.

Getting serious though, if you've tried oil pulling, let me know your thoughts. I'm all ears, sometimes even for more than 20 minutes.