A benign ovarian cyst

What Exactly Are Ovarian Cysts?

Ovarian cysts are small sacs of fluid which form on or within the ovaries. They range in size from very small to larger than a tennis ball. While the vast majority (about 95%) of ovarian cysts are benign and harmless, they are occasionally associated with ovarian cancer and other disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome. For this reason, ovarian cyst symptoms should always be checked out by your doctor. The treatment options for cysts on the ovaries will depend on the type of cysts that you have; drugs and/or surgery are sometimes recommended, although in many cases benign cysts will clear up by themselves, or the symptoms may be alleviated with natural remedies.

You can read more about ovarian cyst causes, effects, symptoms and treatments in the following articles:

Different Types of Ovarian Cysts

Ovarian Cysts: Symptoms & Signs To Look For

Recurring Ovarian Cysts – Getting Rid of Ovarian Cysts Permanently

Ovarian Cysts and Fertility – Can Ovarian Cysts Stop You Getting Pregnant?

Ovarian Cysts While Pregnant – Should You Be Concerned?

Ovarian Cyst Treatments – Conventional Cures For Ovarian Cysts

Natural Cures For Ovarian Cysts – Alternatives To Conventional Ovarian Cyst Treatment

Ovarian Cyst Home Treatment Suggestions

If you want to find out how to treat your ovarian cysts naturally and effectively, click here to visit Natural Ovarian Cyst Relief Secrets for the information that doctors don’t tell you.

• Pain is the most common ovarian cyst symptom, and may be dull or sharp. It commonly appears in the lower abdominal area, as well as the lower back, thighs or genital region. It may be especially noticeable after sex or exercise.

• Menstrual irregularity (or no periods at all), or spotting in between periods
• Infertility
• Weight increase
• Acne
• A sense of pressure or bloating in the abdomen
• Nausea/vomiting
• Sore breasts
• High blood pressure unrelated to other causes
• Increase in body and/or facial hair growth
• Headaches
• Difficulty emptying the bladder or bowels due to abdominal pressure
• Period pains, or pains just before or after menstruation

Again, these are merely the most common symptoms of an ovarian cyst, and this list is not exhaustive. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms on an ongoing basis, you should seek medical advice. In particular, you should see a doctor immediately if you experience the following symptoms:

• Weakness, dizziness or fainting

• Severe pelvic/abdominal pain
• Prolonged pain, fever or nausea
• Noticeable lumps in the abdominal or pelvic area
• Excessive thirst or urination

Ovarian cysts are usually diagnosed via ultrasound, pelvic examination and/or CT scan, although additional tests may be carried out in some cases, particularly if polycystic ovarian syndrome or ovarian cancer is suspected. If you are diagnosed with ovarian cysts by your doctor, the recommended treatment will depend in part on the type of cysts you have, and sometimes a period of ‘watchful waiting’ is recommended to see how they progress.

Conventional ovarian cyst cures include hormonal drugs and surgery, although in many cases ovarian cysts will clear up by themselves given time, though they may cause significant discomfort in the meantime. If your cysts don’t require immediate medical intervention, you may wish to try a natural approach to treating them and preventing new cysts from recurring.

Natural remedies can help to avoid the side effects associated with drugs and surgery, and can help to boost your health so recurring cysts are less likely, and may be as simple as changing your diet to include more water and fibre, and eliminating junk food, drinking herbal teas and undertaking stress-reduction practices such as meditation. Natural treatments can often also be used in conjunction with traditional ovarian cyst cures, to boost the general health of the body and reduce the chances of the cysts recurring. You can read more about natural ovarian cyst cures by clicking here.

Women who are prone to ovarian cysts are often prescribed the birth control pill, which prevents ovulation – and thus prevents functional ovarian cysts from forming. Other cysts may be removed surgically. Such conventional ovarian cyst treatments aim to relieve the symptoms of the cysts, but don’t tend to adequately address the reasons why the cysts developed in the first place. As a result, many women find that cysts will recur, even after their initial treatment appeared to be successful.

Most women do not want (or are unable to) undergo repeated surgeries, or to remain on potentially harmful hormonal drugs for the rest of the lives, whether because of the potential expense involved, or because of the side effects. Many of these women are now turning to natural ovarian cyst treatments instead, in an effort to eliminate recurring cysts for good.

Natural remedies for ovarian cysts aim to not only relieve the immediate symptoms, but to restore balance to the body, so the cysts are less likely to come back. Some women have found that with consistent application of natural techniques, ovarian cysts gradually reduce in frequency and in some cases are eliminated altogether. If the recurring cysts are associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome, this can often be managed by lifestyle changes also.

Examples of natural treatments include dietary changes and measures to relieve stress. For example, it is important to ensure adequate water intake, and to avoid foods and drinks that dehydrate the body, in order to help the body to effectively eliminate the toxins that may contribute to the development of ovarian cysts. Measures may also be taken to reduce pressure on the lower abdomen, such as urinating as frequently as possible, and avoiding tight fitting clothes.

Natural pain relief can also be gained from application of heat to the abdomen (using a heat pack, for example), and relaxation practices are also helpful, such as drinking herbal teas such as camomile, meditating and taking other measures to reduce stress in your life.

While these steps sound very simple, taken together they help to create the kind of healthy lifestyle that is the first step in permanently curing ovarian cysts.

If you want to find out how to treat your ovarian cysts naturally and effectively, click here to visit Natural Ovarian Cyst Relief Secrets for the information that doctors don’t tell you.

Why Consider Home Remedies For Ovarian Cysts?

Ovarian cysts are often very painful, particularly if they rupture. Conventional treatment involves drugs or surgery, and is often the best course of action for some women, but by no means for all, particularly as both drugs and surgery can be expensive (depending on where you live), and can cause various unpleasant side-effects. Not to mention the fact that they don’t really address the root causes of ovarian cysts, so in many cases they only offer a temporary solution. If you’ve consulted your doctor and have been advised that your cysts aren’t serious enough to require immediate medical intervention, s/he may have recommended ‘watchful waiting’, since many cysts will clear up by themselves, given time. This is good news, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re probably causing pain and discomfort in the meantime. If that is your situation, you may wish to try some simple ovarian cyst home remedies. (Read more about why you might choose natural ovarian cyst cures here.)

How To Treat Ovarian Cysts At Home – Some Examples

So, how do you treat ovarian cysts at home? DIY treatments typically involve treating the ovarian cyst pain, or rebalancing the body so that existing cysts clear up more quickly and are less likely to recur.

Home Pain Relief For Ovarian Cysts

There are various methods you can use to ease the pain caused by the cysts.

• Applying heat to the pelvic area is one solution – this can be accomplished by a hot bath (or sitz bath), a hot water bottle, or a heated pad.

• You could also try over the counter pain-relieving medications.

• Relieving pressure on the lower abdomen is important too, and may involve wearing looser clothes or drinking more water (to relieve fluid retention).

• Keeping your stress levels under control is vitally important too – try meditation, deep breathing and drinking relaxing herbal teas such as camomile. Any more general situations in your life that are causing stress should be addressed too, and changes made where necessary.

Lifestyle Changes To Eliminate and Prevent Ovarian Cysts

Although conventional medical option has it that ovarian cysts can’t be prevented, many women have experienced differently. While there are many factors at play in the development of the various types of ovarian cysts, and not everyone will be able to prevent them, there are changes that many women may find beneficial to their health in general, and their reproductive health in particular. These include dietary change – cutting out junk food (particularly refined sugar and flour) and eating a diet based on natural wholefoods may help to prevent ovarian cysts in some women. In addition, it’s important to maintain a healthy weight; polycystic ovarian syndrome in particular is linked with obesity. Exercise can help with this, as well as with maintaining good health in general.

Such ovarian cyst home treatments may sound deceptively simple, but when practised consistently, they can often help to relieve pain and create better general health, so cysts are less likely to recur. For more information about natural, home-based treatments for ovarian cysts, from a woman who has successfully cured here own cysts this way, click here.

The Problem With Drug- and Surgery-Based Ovarian Cyst Treatment

While these methods can be beneficial in many cases, they don’t really address the underlying imbalances in the body which lead to cysts forming in the first place – so women who are prone to recurring ovarian cysts will usually continue to suffer when they come back. Covering up the symptoms is often a temporary fix at best, and drugs and surgery also have potentially nasty side effects, which many women wish to avoid, especially if they are pregnant or wishing to conceive.

How Natural Ovarian Cyst Treatments Can Help

Holistic approaches to treating ovarian cysts generally focus on finding out what’s causing the cysts to begin with, and addressing those issues. Ovarian cysts can have a variety of causes, and in some cases genetic factors may be at play; if women in your family have a history of developing cysts, you might have a genetic predisposition to them. However this doesn’t mean you’re doomed to suffer – just that you might need to be a little more proactive in taking steps to ensure that you stay in excellent health.

The conventional medical view is that ovarian cysts can’t be prevented in women who are currently ovulating. However, more holistically-oriented practitioners believe that lifestyle can play a role in the development of cysts in many cases, and that by adopting healthy practices, women can often get rid of existing cysts and prevent new ones from occurring. Such steps are often deceptively simple; examples of natural approaches to getting rid of ovarian cysts include the application of heat to the lower pelvic area (such as via a warm bath or heating pad), which can help to reduce the pain, inflammation and pressure associated with ovarian cysts. Dietary changes may also help to prevent cysts from recurring.

Such simple lifestyle changes can make a significant difference when practised consistently, and can help women to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on painful or short-term medical procedures to treat their ovarian cysts.

Are Natural Ovarian Cyst Cures Best For Everyone?

No – there are times when surgery or other conventional treatment methods are preferable, especially in cases of malignancies or problematic benign cysts. The point of this article is not to try to dissuade anyone from taking their doctor’s advice; rather it is to point out that conventional treatments don’t always adequately resolve the problem, and that other options are available and have worked for many people. Those women whose cysts aren’t posing any immediate or serious threat to their health may wish to try using natural remedies, and those who are undergoing drug treatment or surgery might also benefit from taking a more holistic approach, and trying some of the natural treatments in conjunction with their doctor’s recommendations (check with your doctor first).

Where To Find More Information About Natural Remedies For Ovarian Cysts

Unfortunately, most doctors will not tell women about the natural ovarian cyst cures that are available, and may not even be aware of them themselves. You could try to find a naturopathic doctor or a medical doctor that is open to a holistic approach. If that’s not possible, fortunately there is a lot of useful information available online (read more about some simple home treatments for ovarian cysts), often from fellow ovarian cyst sufferers who have themselves found relief the natural way – one example is Laura Hennings, who has written a book detailing her experiences, and provided information that fellow suffers can use – check it out here.
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Do Your Ovarian Cysts Really Need Treatment?

First of all, many ovarian cysts will disappear naturally within a few months without treatment. This is especially true of functional cysts, the most common type, and your doctor might recommend a watchful waiting’ strategy to see how things progress. So if your cysts are small and don’t pose any threat to your health, you might not want to treat them at all.

However, if your cysts are causing pain or discomfort, you’ll probably want to take steps to get rid of them. Many abnormal or very large ovarian cysts should also be treated if they’re causing other problems. Your doctor may wish to monitor the cysts, and will discuss specific treatment options with you, but most will recommend drugs or surgery.

Ovarian Cyst Pain Relief

If your cysts are causing pain, this may be kept under control by over the counter painkillers, or your doctor may prescribe something stronger. You can also try natural pain relief strategies, such as using a hot pack or hot water bottle, or acupuncture. Although ovarian cysts often cause some intermittent pain, if the pain is especially severe or persistent, you should seek medical advice.

Hormonal Treatment For Ovarian Cysts

Combined birth control pills are commonly prescribed as a remedy for ovarian cysts. They work by preventing an egg from being released by the ovary – which prevents the development of functional ovarian cysts. They can sometimes also help to shrink existing cysts. However they don’t help with all types of cysts, and are often a temporary measure; the problem may recur when the woman stops taking the pills (which is sensible – there is much evidence to suggest that extended use of birth control pills can have negative consequences for health).

Ovarian Cyst Surgery

The other main treatment for ovarian cysts is surgery, which is most often recommended for suspicious looking, larger or more persistent cysts, as well as those that cause a lot of pain and those found in postmenopausal women. In some cases just the cyst is removed, whereas in others, it may be deemed necessary to remove the entire ovary.

Laproscopy is a common method, which involves making small incisions in the abdomen, rather than cutting it open. The surgeon passes a thin laparoscope into the abdomen via the incision, and uses this to investigate the cyst. The cyst may be removed completely, or a tissue sample taken for biopsy. Laparoscopy is less traumatic than traditional methods, although it still requires a general anaesthetic, and involves some element of pain, risk and expense.

Laparotomy is a more traditional procedure and involves making a large incision to cut open the abdominal wall. The cyst may then be removed or a sample taken. Laparotomy is more often used for very large cysts or those suspected of being malignant. In the latter case, a biopsy will often be performed while the patient is still unconscious, and if the cyst proves to be cancerous, the ovary and other affected tissues or organs may be removed at the same time.

Ovarian torsion surgery is a type of emergency surgery that is performed when a cyst has twisted and is causing severe pain and nausea or vomiting.

So, the usual ovarian cyst treatment typically involves surgery and/or hormonal drugs. Women looking for a cure for their ovarian cysts need to consider all of the available options carefully. In many cases, pills or surgery will provide relief, and in some cases they are certainly the best option (for example, if you have a life-threatening malignant cyst, it should certainly be removed). Unfortunately though, many women find drugs or surgery to provide a temporary fix at best, since they may not address the underlying imbalances that cause the cysts to develop in the first place. As a result, women suffering from recurring ovarian cysts can find that they keep coming back, with all their attendant suffering, until steps are taken to treat the underlying dysfunction.

Women with benign cysts who wish to take full control of their health may also want to look into the steps they can take to maximise their health, and to address the reasons why the cysts may be forming to begin with. Natural remedies for ovarian cysts are based on making lifestyle changes that get to the root of the problem, and are well worth considering if you want to be free of ovarian cysts for good. They can be used alone if your cysts aren’t of the type to require medical intervention, or in conjunction with traditional treatments if your doctor agrees.

Read more about Natural Cures For Ovarian Cysts

I started oil pulling in November 2009, and have kept a journal of my experience as I’ve been going along. This is really for my own use and probably won’t be very interesting to others, so I’ve also created this page to keep a record of any significant physical/mental changes, experiments with different types of oil and other notable parts of my experience with pulling oil. I’ll keep updating it as/when these happen (yes, I’m being optimistic, and assuming that I will have some notable results! But if not, I’ll note that too).

November 2009 – Beginning Oil Pulling With Sunflower Oil

Day 1 – experienced a mildly euphoric feeling after pulling, kind of like I’ve felt while juice fasting in the past.

Day 4 – experienced a relief of toothache during oil pulling, which lasted for the rest of the day. Though I am doing other things for my teeth too, so can’t be 100% sure the oil is responsible.

Day 5 – oil is now turning whitish in colour (as it’s meant to).

Day 8 – End of first week – skin on chest now has far fewer pimples. Toothache has stayed away apart from the occasional twinge here and there.

Day 11 – A small white spot at the corner of my eye has disappeared, after hanging around for about three months. My period is also three days late – I’m guessing the oil pulling is responsible, as it’s usually totally regular. Tried oil pulling twice today – once in the morning, and once early evening, as I had mild toothache and wondered if it would help. I added a drop of tea tree oil the second time – felt a little spaced and headachey for a short while afterwards, though the toothache cleared up. About an hour later, my tongue was less coated than usual.

Day 31 - End of my first month with sunflower oil. In summary, this month oil pulling has helped with toothache, and my skin is clearer than usual of pimples, although still not totally clear. I had a few health ‘challenges’ towards the end of the month (stomach bug, cystitis and the beginnings of a cold), which I put down to my immune system being a bit run down thanks to lack of sleep – I don’t think these symptoms are anything to do with oil pulling or detox. I also had a late period and bloating around ovulation, both of which are unusual for me – I do think oil pulling may have disrupted my hormonal balance a bit, as there is nothing else going on in my life that might have caused this. Hopefully things will be back to normal next month. Tomorrow I’ll start a month of oil pulling with sesame oil.

Day 62 – Have been using sesame oil since my last post – that is a nice oil to pull with. My skin has stayed clear (by my standards), and my toothache has stayed away, except for a few days over Xmas when I was eating a lot more sugar than I normally have. I went to the dentist (first time in nearly 2 years) and found out that I need a small filling. I was surprised I didn’t need more than that, considering my less than ideal habits until a few months ago, so maybe the oil pulling has helped there. I’ve missed the odd day here and there over the last month, but oil pulling is part of my routine now, and I feel better for doing it regularly. Next I’m trying oil pulling with coconut oil.

I have just discovered oil pulling - an Ayurvedic healing technique that involves swishing a tablespoon of cold pressed sunflower, sesame or other oil around the mouth first thing each morning, then spitting it out. The idea is that the oil helps to remove toxins from the body, boosting health and in many cases curing various ailments. Having been into ‘alternative’ health stuff for many years now and tried lots of different techniques, it’s actually quite fun to discover something completely new to me!

Anyhow, I’ve decided to create an ongoing record of my experience with oil pulling – I’ll update it every few days, or when I have something to report. It doesn’t always get results for everyone, but the only way to find out is to try! So I’m going to do it for at least a couple of months, and see what happens. I’m in great health generally, although I have a few little minor things that could use improvement – occasional skin breakouts, some tooth sensitivity and other tooth issues, and chronic neck pain with no obvious cause. So hopefully oil pulling will help with those.

Note – this ‘journal’ is really for my own use and will probably be a bit dull to read. For those who are interested but don’t want to plough through all the waffle here, I’ve created a separate page which just notes the more significant parts of my experience, like physical changes etc. – My Oil Pulling Experience – Summary and Highlights

 
Day 1 – 6/11/09
I used a tablespoon of cold-pressed organic sunflower oil, and swished for 15 minutes (will do 20 from now on). I did this after having been up for 1.5 hours – I’d drunk a bit of water about an hour previously, but had nothing else to eat or drink (I know you’re supposed to do it before eating or drinking anything at all – but I really needed a drink!). I was worried in case I felt nauseous, but it was fine. After about 10 minutes it started to taste a little bad, but not too much. I spit it out after 15 minutes – it was pale yellow (not white), and my mouth tasted foul after spitting – kind of rancid. I rinsed with warm salty water, and the taste dissipated after a few minutes. About 15 minutes later, I noticed a very ‘light’ kind of mental feeling – like I’ve felt in the past while doing juice fasts & that kind of thing. It didn’t last very long, and might have been a coincidence, but was interesting.

I have ordered Bruce Fife’s book Oil Pulling Therapy: Detoxifying and Healing the Body Through Oral Cleansing – I guess I don’t really need a book, since there’s so much info online, but I’ve read and enjoyed his other books on coconut oil and am interested in what he has to say.

Day 2 – 7/11/09
It was a little more difficult today – the oil was stronger tasting, and I was having trouble not swallowing. Not that I wanted to swallow it, but it was like a reflex kicking in. I did use a tiny bit more oil (I filled the spoon up completely, whereas yesterday there was room for a little more), so that could have been why. I just did 15 minutes again, since the taste was quite unpleasant. I’ll go up to 20 as and when it feels natural to do so.

Day 3 – 8/11/09
Today I pulled oil for 30 minutes – longer than the 20 minutes I planned, but one of my cats was sitting on me and I didn’t want to disturb him. In the end I had to though, since it was starting to feel really disgusting in my mouth and I was getting slightly nauseous. When I spat it out it was paler in colour than the last couple of times – kind of yellowish white. I’ve read that it should be white, so that’s a step in the right direction I guess. I’m still going to shoot for 20 minutes as my normal amount of time, but if I feel like doing it for longer (or less time), I will. I think it’s important to listen to my body, and not try to impose an inflexible routine.

I’ve been having a bit of toothache from a cavity, and while pulling this morning, the pain disappeared completely for a while, until I ate some dried fruit (bad for teeth, I know!). It does come and go, so that could have been a coincidence, but oil pulling is meant to be good for oral health, so perhaps it was helping a bit. I have a dentist visit coming up, but not just yet (and I’d rather not bring it forward), so if pulling oil can help to keep the pain under control in the meantime that will be a good thing.

Day 4 – 9/11/09
I did 30 minutes again today. I started getting some mucus running down the back of my throat after 20 minutes, which was quite unpleasant. Then when I was approaching the sink to spit it out, it set off my gag reflex and I ended up spitting oil all over the place… nice! So as a result, I didn’t see what colour it was at the end. I’m feeling good about doing this though, and my toothache has diminished quite a bit over the last 24 hours – whether that’s as a result of the oil pulling or being extra fanatical about brushing my teeth every time I eat (and flossing, and irrigating, and rinsing with salt water, and eating xylitol…), I don’t know. But it’ll be interesting to see how the oil pulling pans out over the next few weeks.

Day 5 – 10/11/09
Just did 20 minutes today – it was almost white this time. Nothing new to report really – my toothache is still mostly gone, though I’ve had the odd twinge here and there. I have really stepped up my oral care regime recently, so can’t be sure it’s the oil pulling that’s responsible for any/all improvements in my teeth and gums. Ideally I’d rather just introduce one new thing at a time, and wait a few weeks to see what happens before trying anything else. That way it would be clearer what’s working and what’s not, but unfortunately I don’t really have the luxury of time to test things individually with my teeth at the moment – I’m just doing everything I can think of to help them rebalance. I think I’ll start a new post about natural tooth care – I’m learning a lot and experimenting as I go, so maybe my experience will be of use to others eventually.

Day 8 – 13/11/09 – 1 week in
The last few days have been pretty uneventful. I’ve been doing about 20-25 minutes each morning, and have noticed that I nearly always get mucus starting to run down the back of my throat around the 20 minute mark – detox maybe?

Oil Pulling & Teeth
Anyhow, I’ve now been doing oil pulling for just over a week. I haven’t had any hugely dramatic changes like some people seem to have experienced, but some things have definitely changed for the better. As mentioned, my toothache has almost disappeared – I still get the occasional ‘twinge’, but most of the time it’s just not there at all. My teeth are still the same colour – some people have mentioned a dramatic lightening, but I haven’t experienced that, or not yet at least. My teeth aren’t particularly yellow to start with though – more of a slightly off-white. To be honest I don’t want day-glo white teeth anyway, having always been told by the dentist that slightly yellowish teeth are actually stronger and healthier than brilliant white ones. Maybe it’s because I live in the UK, but we don’t really have that American obsession with having ‘perfect’ white teeth! So I’m not hoping for any colour change from oil pulling, although if it improves my cavities I’ll be very happy!

Oil Pulling & Acne
The other area where I’ve noticed an improvement is with my skin. I developed acne at around age 12, and now I’m in my mid-30s, and am still prone to the occasional breakout. It’s nowhere near as bad as it used to be, and isn’t really severe enough for others to notice at all most of the time, but I’m always conscious that my skin isn’t totally clear. I’ve tried just about everything to get rid of it over the years, from antibiotics and other medications to begin with, to natural remedies and major dietary changes suring my 20s – I was a strict raw vegan for several years, and also did various fasts and detoxes, and even then it didn’t clear up completely! These days I eat a vegetarian wholefood diet with lots of raw food (though I no longer obsess about the percentage), and have noticed that so long as I don’t eat much refined sugar, my skin looks ok – but still not completely clear. Maybe cutting out sugar completely would help more, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my once a week bar of Green & Blacks chocolate (practically the only ‘junk’ food I still eat), or to cut out fruit!

For some reason when I do get pimples they’re mostly on my chest, with a few on my face (though not on my back for some reason). Well, the good news is that since I’ve been oil pulling, the skin on my chest is now much clearer – not completely blemish-free yet, but it’s better than it’s been in months, and I haven’t made any dietary or other changes that could account for it. So I’m happy about that! My face still looks the same – a few pimples, although my period is due so that probably has something to do with it. It’ll be interesting to see if it all clears up completely as I continue pulling oil.

Dr Fife’s oil pulling book arrived too, and I’ve just started reading it – looks very interesting so far! I’ll write a full review when I’ve read it all and have been practising oil pulling for longer.

Day 11 – 16/11/09
I’ve noticed that a couple of tiny white spots that I’ve had at the corner of my left eye seem to have responded to the oil pulling. One has completely disappeared, and the other is smaller. Now I’ve had these before and they’ve always cleared up quickly by themselves, but these two have been hanging around for about three months. So I guess they would have just gone away by themselves eventually, but I think that the oil helped speed up the process.

Still having the occasional tooth pain, although not too bad. I think it’ll be bearable until I get to the dentist in a few weeks. However I’ve ordered some oregano oil, and am going to experiment with putting a drop of that into my sunflower oil before pulling. It’s a very powerful antiseptic, so perhaps it’ll help improve my oral health even more.

In other news, my period is three days late – which is worrying, although I’m 95% certain I’m not pregnant (which would be an absolute disaster lol). It’s normally as regular as clockwork, so I’m guessing that the delay is something to do with the oil pulling, as nothing else has changed in my lifestyle recently. Still, fingers crossed it starts soon. Since menstruation is an avenue for detox, it’ll be interesting to see if it’s any heavier/lighter/longer/shorter/otherwise different than usual.

I did a second session this evening, this time with a drop of tea tree oil added, in an effort to get rid of my toothache, which flared up a little. It worked, although I felt a bit spaced and headachey for a while too (which could have been the result of being hungry). My tongue looks a bit less coated than normal now. Note – I’m not suggesting that anyone do this, as it’s generally recommended that tea tree, like most essential oils, is not used internally. So if you want to experiment, do your own research first!

Day 12 – 17/11/09
I did two oil swishing sessions again today – the first just using sunflower oil as usual, and the second with a drop of oregano essential oil added. As well as being very anti-bacterial, oregano oil is an emmenagogue (helps to induce menstruation), so hopefully it’ll speed up my missing period. Warning to anyone who tries oregano oil – first of all check that it’s actually made from oregano (often oils labelled ‘oregano’ are actually majoram or thyme, which don’t have all the same benefits), and secondly, whatever you do, don’t use it neat on the skin or other tissues – it burns like hell, as I found out when I accidentally got some on my hand and finger (irritated red patch on skin), and then stupidly put my finger in my mouth (sore spot on tongue)! I’m finding that one drop in a dessert spoon of sunflower oil is very comfortable, but I don’t think I’d use a higher concentration than that.

Day 19 – 24/11/09
My missing period finally showed up last week, five days late (I drank lots of parsley and ginger tea – they also promote menstruation, so maybe they helped). It was as painful as usual, if not a bit worse, but hopefully the oil pulling will help to reduce that over the coming months.

My skin is definitely looking a bit better since I’ve been oil pulling – it’s not clear yet, but is clearer, and has a bit of a ‘glow’ that it doesn’t normally have.

My toothache remains mostly gone, with just the occasional twinge here and there. I’m going to add a drop of oregano oil every few days to help keep things clean. I don’t want to use it every day though – it’s not really meant for ongoing daily use. I accidentally used two drops today, which was a little ‘hot’ – I’ll try not to do that again!

I’ve also bought some sesame oil to try – I’ll do sunflower for 30 days, then switch to sesame for the next 30 days. After that I may try coconut or something else. I like the idea of experimenting!

Day 31 – 6/12/09 – End of my first month of oil pulling with sunflower oil
I’ve come to the end of my month with sunflower oil, and don’t have any more positive experiences to report. My skin is still looking better than usual, and my toothache has mostly stayed away, as before.

On the downside, I’ve been feeling less than 100% over the last week or so – I’ve had slightly dodgy guts, a cystitis attack (I’ve always been prone to this), and now what feels like the beginning of a cold. That is kind of strange for me, as I haven’t had a cold in over 4 years! I suppose some people would put these kind of symptoms down to detox, but in my case I think I’ve just succumbed to some bugs I’ve been exposed to recently, as I’ve been feeling a bit run down as a result of several nights of disturbed sleep this month. (BTW, I find d-mannose, bearberry leaf and bucchu to be helpful with cystitis, and vitamin C megadoses can sometimes help to see off a cold if taken at the first symptoms.)

I was also feeling very bloated for several days around ovulation time last week, which is unusual for me, and indicates that my hormones are still slightly out of whack – I do put that down to oil pulling, since my period was also late last month after I started doing it.

I’m quite pleased with oil pulling so far, even though my results haven’t been dramatic. My skin is definitely clearer with fewer pimples, and it’s having a positive benefit on my oral health. I’m sure there are other things happening ‘behind the scenes’ too, and I realise that some changes will take longer than a month.

Tomorrow I’m going to start on the sesame oil, and continue with that for at least a month – will be interested to see if anything new happens.

Day 32 – 7/12/09
I accidentally used olive oil today (the bottles are very similar, and I didn’t look closely). Now I wasn’t planning to use olive oil for oil pulling, since I hate the taste of it, thanks to a failed gall bladder cleanse a few years ago, when I ended up throwing up a load of olive oil and lemon juice. As soon as I recognised the taste today, I had my reflex reaction and was like – ugh! – but it was just about tolerable, so out of curiosity I decided to see if I could pull with it. The flavour and the nasty peppery aftertaste actually disappeared after a couple of minutes, which was pleasantly surprising, and after that it was ok. It did leave a very heavy coating in my mouth afterwards, which I didn’t like, but it went away with lots of hot and salt water rinsing. I’m now feeling pretty good today – I’ve been feeling under the weather as I mentioned yesterday, but not so much right now, although I don’t know if that’s anything to do with the oil pulling.

So anyhow, I think I’ll add olive oil to my list of oils to experiment with, since the experience wasn’t as unpleasant as I expected. I’m not sure if I’d want to pull with it every day for a month, but I’ll see how it goes when the time comes. Tomorrow I’ll change to sesame oil as planned, unless I start feeling ill again – if so, I’ll stick with sunflower, rather than risk getting detox symptoms from a new oil, which would be a bit much right now.

Day 62 – 14/01/10
It’s been a while since my last update, as I don’t really have much to report. I’ve been using sesame oil since my last post – I find this a really nice oil to use, although I haven’t noticed any dramatic effects. I’ve missed about 5 or 6 days in total (though not consecutively) – but oil pulling has become part of my routine now, and it feels wrong not to do it. My skin has stayed clear (by my standards – it’s not flawless), even when I ate sugary chocolate and some other foods I don’t normally eat over Xmas. However I did get some toothache from all the sugar, which disappeared a couple of days after I stopped eating the chocolate – so oil pulling hasn’t made me totally immune to that!

I mentioned in a previous entry that I had a dentist visit coming up – I went earlier this week, and almost got the all clear, until he did an x-ray and found a very small cavity that needs filling (though not in the area I was getting toothache previously). I was surprised not to need more work than that – this is my first check up in nearly two years, and until around September late last year I was eating a lot of chocolate (with sugar – these days I have chocolate with xylitol, and much less of it), and my dental hygiene routine wasn’t as rigorous as it is now; I was just brushing, whereas now I use an irrigator, floss, pull oil and eat xylitol as well. So I thought that more damage would have been done over the last couple of years, but apparently not – perhaps the oil pulling has helped! So I’ll get that little filling next month – a white one, not amalgam – and hopefully that’ll be the last one I ever need, unless any of my current fillings need replacing at some point.

Nothing else to report really – oil pulling has come to feel normal for me now, and I don’t feel quite ‘balanced’ if I miss it for more than a day. My skin is definitely better than it was before I started pulling, and my teeth seem to be benefiting too. Next I’m going to experiment with more different oils, starting with coconut this week.

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