IT'S the morning ritual wellness warriors swear by but are they just pulling your leg?

Oil pulling is creating a bigger buzz than electric toothbrushes as swishers share its believed benefits.

The age-old method of oral cleansing, which involves swishing oil in your mouth, originates from Ayurvedic medicine.

More than 3000 years ago Ayurvedic Indian natural medicine text Charaka Samhita claimed that 'oil gargling' acted as a natural remedy for oral diseases.

It's supposed to "pull" bacteria and other debris from the teeth and gums, strengthen teeth and promote immunity, among other things.

Now alternative medicine advocates are loudly espousing the practice and websites devoted to it are sprouting up as health/wellness bloggers claim it's changed their lives.

The technique involves 'pulling' or sucking one or two teaspoons of oil around the mouth for 20 minutes each morning.

This latest health craze is like gargling a mouthwash, but for longer and on an empty stomach.

After pulling, the oil must be spat out because by that stage it's apparently loaded with toxins. Pullers should then rinse their mouth and clean their teeth as normal to kill any remaining bacteria.

Oil pulling is supposed to cleanse the mouth of toxins such as heavy metals, parasites, pesticides, preservatives, additives, hormones and environmental toxins.

Anecdotal evidence indicates the natural cleansing practice promises not just a brighter smile, but also better health.

Advocates of the 'medical miracle' say it promises to treat chronic pain, insomnia, cavities, allergies, thrombosis, diabetes, asthma, bad breath, gingivitis, digestive issues, meningitis, low energy, heart disease, kidney disease, PMS, leukaemia and even AIDS.

Despite its growing popularity, there's no scientific evidence to back its supposed benefits.

Australian Dental Association Oral Health Committee member Derek Lewis is sceptical.

"It's one of these things like drinking a cup of vinegar a day cures baldness and ingrown toe nails and everything else under the sun," he says.

"Some of the claims on oil pulling are really quite extraordinary. You have to be suspicious when something offers that broad spectrum of benefits.

"I'd rather patients spend 20 minutes just brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, flossing, eating the right foods and avoiding fizzy drinks - all the usual proven but boring things but the things that we know work."

Dr Lewis, a dentist for more than three decades, says it's unlikely to cause mouth damage.

"There's no potential to cause damage that I can understand because there's really nothing much in the oil but whether that amount of rinsing changes the bacteria load or changes the flora in the mouth for better or worse is unknown and it's unlikely there will be any research," he says.

"There's no evidence to show that it works so it cannot be recommended to be an appropriate part of oral hygienic measures and certainly shouldn't take place of routine brushing twice a day and flossing once a day."

Sesame, sunflower or coconut oil is most commonly used and is sometimes herbalized with turmeric to enhance its effect. Other oils such as olive and flaxseed oil reportedly taste too bad to tolerate for such a long period.

Hippocrates may have said 'all disease begins in the gut' but one American doctor reckons it really starts in the mouth.

In 2008 naturopath and nutritionist Bruce Fife published a book Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing.

Fife says oil pulling has a 'very powerful cleansing and healing affect not only on the mouth and sinuses, but the entire body'.

He says it cures more than just bad breath, bleeding gums, cavities and tooth pain.

"Simply improving the health of your teeth and gums can cure many chronic problems. More brushing, flossing, and mouthwash won't solve the problem. What will work is Oil Pulling Therapy," his book says.

"It is one of the most powerful, most effective methods of detoxification and healing in natural medicine.

"Although incredibly powerful, Oil Pulling Therapy is completely safe and simple enough for even a child. Oil Pulling Therapy guarantees to give you fresher breath, healthier gums, whiter teeth and help protect you from many chronic health problems."

Wellness blogger Kobi Kenzo recently wrote Why I'm In Love With Oil Pulling (And Why You Should Be Too) on wellness blog MindBodyGreen.

"This ancient practice of washing out with your mouth with oil every morning, or even three times a day, has completely detoxed my body," she wrote.

"I've been oil pulling for close to a year now and my dental hygiene is impeccable; my teeth are white, glossy and my gums are a healthier pink colour. That's just the beginning.

"Oil pulling can also rev up your metabolism and literally wakes you up in the morning. Coffee? What coffee? In the event your wine bottle tips itself into your glass too many times the night before, oil pulling works remarkably well to clear out that fuzzy morning fog."

Dr Lewis said he won't be adopting the practice any time soon.

"If it floats your boat. If they feel better from it … there's really unlikely to be any advantage that I can see. How it would work to whiten teeth I'm not so sure but if people feel better after it…," he said.

"I could think of nothing worse than 20 minutes of rinsing with sunflower oil. Yuck! 20 minutes is a long time and I'm not sure how many people could comply. You'd have to be pretty dedicated."

Do you pull?

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