Kevin dives into the concept of oil pulling, an alternative health practice that claims to improve oral health by removing toxins through swishing edible oils in the mouth. This episode critically examines the scientific evidence (or lack thereof) behind these claims, contrasting them with well-supported medical practices and offering insights into how to navigate health information responsibly.
Kevin dives into the concept of oil pulling, an alternative health practice that claims to improve oral health by removing toxins through swishing edible oils in the mouth. This episode critically examines the scientific evidence (or lack thereof) behind these claims, contrasting them with well-supported medical practices and offering insights into how to navigate health information responsibly.
Get-Fit Guy is hosted by Kevin Don. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hello, I hope all the listeners had a great holidays and are now looking forward to the New Year, if that is something you celebrate!
Have any of you heard the expression ‘long in the tooth’? It’s usually reserved for those of advanced years and comes from the fact that there is normally some gum recession as we age. This recession makes one’s teeth look longer. SO, for a couple of years now, I have had a recession on a single tooth, my front right canine. NOT because of my advancing years, but apparently because I am right handed and in the past have brushed my teeth like some kind of maniac. This ‘hard’ brushing has meant that tooth, in it’s location was more exposed to this and I have pushed the gum back. Not a big deal, until recently, when I have started to experience some sensitivity and have begun to avoid using the area to bite. So, naturally, I am keen for a solution. Research tells me that really I am down to two options. One being gum grafting and the other a pinhole technique where the gum is pulled back down. Both sound brutal. If there are any dentists listening, please let me know if there is anything else I can do!
So, those two options are the outcome from researching using critical thought and a hierarchy of evidence. If you are a long time listener of the show, I want everyone to be empowered to see through the nonsense and find relevant and powerful information. SO, the hierarchy I use when looking for info online is that if it comes from a website ending in .edu for academic websites or it’s from a study that has been peer reviewed and has some statistical weight, then that is my top ranked information. Below that is .gov websites, followed by .org and at the very very bottom is .com because anyone can have a .com and spout utter nonsense. Youtube is not a source. But I thought it might be fun to have a look at information out there that is not backed by research or science and see what is said. I came across something I have heard of before, in the holistic fitness arena, something called ‘oil pulling’.
A few years back I met up with a casual acquaintance for breakfast in Phoenix, Arizona. A girl I had first met when in a gym in Seoul, South Korea 8 years prior. At that time she was a Kindergarten teacher, then she went into CrossFit coaching because she hated teaching. Then she was in Hong Kong, then Abu Dhabi, then back to Hong Kong, Phoenix, Thailand and Europe. Her experience was that it was really difficult to make money or get ahead in fitness coaching and she was going to be rebranding as a holistic coach. She was going to be making recommendations for clients that had add ons she could make money from. The main add on she talked about was oils. She then went on to tell me all about oil pulling.
Now, in my book, this is really quite interesting. Many (although not all) holistic coaches have a real problem with the mainstream medical industry. The main beef is that doctors will often prescribe the drug that they happened to have partnered with a pharmaceutical company to use. In fact, one survey indicated that as much as 20% of a doctor’s income comes from pharmaceutical partnerships. Sounds pretty bad, if we are taking drugs that doctors are giving us because they are being paid to do so. I’m not so sure though. Even if a doctor is paid to recommend a drug, it is STILL the class of drug for the specific ailment we have. Doctors aren’t out there shoe horning us into drugs they are getting paid to recommend but we don’t need. Medical ethics is a thing! But that discussion aside, what is the difference if a holistic practitioner is selling us oils for oil pulling specifically because they can earn more money from you on an ongoing basis? Is there any difference?
I will argue yes there is. I would argue that the ethics are more suspect in the holistic recommendation because it is the only scenario from the two, in which the recommended prescription doesn’t work. It won’t help you with your intended outcome and is just there to fleece you. These things all fall apart when we apply a principle from the philosophy of science called ‘the demarcation problem’. This problem is the question of how we can tell the difference between science and pseudoscience. One good example is the difference between astronomy and astrology. In astronomy, we can have a hypothesis about possible states of affairs in the universe and if things do not follow, then there is a puzzle which is investigated to find a solution. Astrology has no such puzzles, because investigation cannot provide an answer. We just roll on to the next wild prediction or change our interpretation of the claim. In other words: science can be falsified. Pseudoscience cannot.
So, lets have a look at what oil pulling is and the types of claims that oil pulling proponents are making. The first red flag is the very description of it as an ‘alternative medical practice’. I’m not sure about you, but if I were unwell, I wouldn’t want an alternative to medical practise. Sign me up for the actual medical practise please. Alternative is its self alternative. It’s an alternative expression for unproven and based on centuries old ideas, before we knew what we now know. I have to laugh when people cherry pick things and say that the way things have always been done is the best way. Ok, thats fine, tell you what, if you ever need any invasive surgery, why don’t you do it the way it was always done and forego any sterilisation of the equipment and also oh yeah, anaesthesia is probably best shelved also.
Ok, so it’s an alternative medical practise, where an edible oil is swished round the mouth. That’s the ‘oil’ part of oil pulling explained. What is ‘pulling’? Ahhh yes its another one of those vague, unfalsifiable things…its pulling out ‘toxins’. What these toxins are isn’t mentioned, I’ll assume its the same toxins that recently got an alternative medical practitioner here in the UK jailed for life. He claimed that bruising from slapping therapy in patients who he had influenced to stop their insulin was toxins being released. I remember the same nonsense from a massage therapist I saw about pain but in 2012. Apparently the skin outbreak I had was all the toxins being released. It wasn’t, I was allergic to the massage oil they had used.
One of the biggest alternative health providers in the UK, who also, by no economic mistake, have 715 stores selling alternative therapies and supplements in the UK, make the following claims about oil pulling:
“Oil pulling works by quite literally pulling the plaque, and the bacteria that causes it, from your teeth and gums. The thick and sticky oil absorbs the film of bacteria that naturally develops over and between our teeth, helping to empty your mouth of germs before you’ve even brushed. Those who’ve taken up oil pulling long-term claim to see great results. It’s widely believed to improve the appearance of teeth, with many reporting fresher breath too. There is some science behind it too. Studies have discovered that Lauric acid, one of the fatty acids found in coconut oil, has antimicrobial qualities[1]. What’s more, a 2008 study observed a noticeable reduction in bacteria in the mouth within two weeks of starting daily oil pulling.
So, I read the study that they are referring to here, it was statistically weak, it was a study on 30 participants. But more than that, it was prime cherry picking, in that the study was comparing no mouthwash to chlorhexidine mouthwash and coconut oil. It was shown that coconut oil did reduce plaque compared to no mouthwash, but that it wasn’t even close to the dental mouthwash in efficacy. So, are they making a false claim by saying that there was a noticeable reduction? Well, no. There was less plaque causing bacteria compared to using no mouthwash. But to miss out the part where the study was on 30 people only and that oil pulling performed poorly compared to dental mouthwash is a little unethical, I would say.
Just follow the money when you want to know about anything. If there is money to be made and the claims are unverifiable, then you should probably avoid it. We know there is a huge amount of money in pharmaceuticals, but the difference is in the mountains of evidence, peer reviewed studies and statistical weight of said evidence. It’s like the people lapping it up that Elon Musk is sending people to Mars. No he isn’t. The astrophysicist, Neil De Grasse Tyson hit the nail on the head when he talked about that board meeting:
Ok, so you want to go to Mars?
Yes.
How much will this cost us?
Billions.
Is it safe?
Probably not, people will die.
What is the return on investment?
None.
Ok, meeting adjourned.
Have a great New Year everyone, I will be looking forward to continuing to share fitness, science and philosophy and whatever else I think I have carte blanche to talk about in 2025.
If you have any questions or would like to just say ‘hi’, please email me at getfitguy@quickanddirtytips.com
Get-Fit Guy is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. Thanks to the team at Quick and Dirty Tips Morgan Christianson, Holly Hutchings, the director of podcasts Brennan Goetschius and Davina Tomlin. I’m your host, Kevin Don. If you have a question for me, leave me a voicemail at 510-353-3104 or send me an email at getfitguy@quickanddirtytips.com. For more information about the show, visit quickanddirtytips.com, or check out the shownotes in your podcast app