This post falls under the category of Weird Stuff I Do. It's about oil pulling.

 

Oil Pulling face!

I have always had sinus problems and never had any problem taking medication to treat them.  However, as we all know most sinus medications are not recommended when you are pregnant.  

So when I got all knocked up with my daughter, my sinuses started laughing at me.  Sinuses are jerks.

I looked everywhere for a good homeopathic remedy that could relieve my sinus pain and pressure and not cause my baby to come out resembling a Mucinex bottle or something.  Among other remedies like eating whole garlic cloves and doing shots of apple cider vinegar, I found the ancient Ayurveda practice of oil pulling.

Oil pulling is kinda gross when you think of it.  Basically, you take about 10ml of your favorite oil (I like safflower oil) * and swish it around in your mouth for about 15 minutes.  Yes, the same 10ml of oil swishes around in your mouth for 15 minutes.  Then you spit it out and go on your merry way.  

When I read about it, I thought it was so silly it HAD to work.  Guess what?  It did.  After the first few days of oil pulling, I was blowing things out of my nose I never knew could fit in there.  But it did so much more than just that.

See, you are supposed to do your oil pulling first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything.  I'm not sure on the science of that aspect (or the science of ANY of it, to be honest) but the process goes beyond science for me.  Those first 15 minutes of the day are the calmest of the entire day.

My kids wake up and see me swishing, so they go about their business without asking me for anything.  If they do need something, we find creative ways to communicate with each other while I can't speak.  Today, my son and I had a great silent conversation about tea and his fluffy blanket using just our eyes and a sort of sign language.

I've been oil pulling for almost 10 years now.  I don't know if it has really helped me physically or if it's just in my head.  Maybe a little of both?  But I do know that it helps start my day off on the right foot most of the time.  Just thought I'd share it with you. 

 *I recently switched over to coconut oil because I heard it gives some energizing effects.  Boy, does it!  It's better than the first cup of tea in the morning.  Honest!