Jun
Your mouth is its own mini ecosystem. Over six billion bacteria and other microorganisms (viruses, fungi, and protozoa) are continually present in your mouth. There are essentially more bacteria populating the mouth than the number of people living on earth. As you go about your day, they go about theirs, working, feeding, defecating, mating, giving birth, and dying. Some of the bacteria such as streptococcus mutans feeds on sugar, starch and carbs which cause cavities. Many of the other microorganism are harmless as long as they stay in your mouth. Since the mouth is the passageway into your body for disease-causing toxins, germs, viruses, oral infections, fungi, and parasites, many of them escape your mouth and enter into your bloodstream. These microorganisms can enter your bloodstream via sores, wounds, lesion and punctures within the mucus membrane. Brushing or flossing your teeth to vigorously or too often can cause your gums to bleed and provide an opening for germs to enter your bloodstream.
Once these microorganism enter your bloodstream they can travel to any part of your body including the heart, kidneys, gallbladder, liver, eyes and brain. This can cause serious health issues such as localized infections, chronic inflammation, and initiating an autoimmune response that can lead to a multitude of health problems ranging from arthritis to heart disease, and in some cases death. For these reasons many dentist and scientist claim that all diseases start in the mouth. Dr. Bruce Fife in his book “Oil Pulling Therapy” wrote, “most of the chronic and infectious illnesses that trouble our society today are influenced by the health of our mouths.” Medical studies have indicated that the following health issues can be directly related to oral health and may respond to oil pulling therapy: Acidosis, Adult Respiratory, Atherosclerosis, Blood disorders, Brain Abscess, Cancer, Emphysema, Gallbladder disease, Gout, Heart Disease, Heart Disease, Hyperglycemia, Infertility, Kidney Disease, Liver Disease, Meningitis, Nerve Disorder, Osteoporosis, Paget’s Disease, Pneumonia, Preeclampsia, Preterm/Low Birth Weight Babies, Psychotic Episodes, and many types of Infectious Disease.
Oil pulling therapy works to improve your health by pulling bacteria and other debris into the oil, detoxing the mouth and preventing cavities. Oil pulling is the most simplest and inexpensive form of detox that is currently available. Grab yourself some coconut oil and swish your way into total wellness.
Oral Health Care: As previously stated, your overall health can be greatly attributed to the health of your mouth. A healthy mouth is a great preventive way to maintain overall health of your entire body. Although dental checkups are necessary, some dental procedures can cause many health issues, some of which can be severe.
• Root canal (a treatment used to repair and save a tooth that is badly decayed or becomes infected) During this procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed- Weston Andrew Valleau Price was a Canadian dentist known primarily for his theories on the relationship between nutrition, dental health, and physical health. Much of his work involved Root canals and his research brought him to the conclusion that no disinfecting agent completely rid root canalled teeth of bacteria, and that all root canalled teeth remained infected and, therefore, had the potential to cause local and systemic infections. These infections have the potential to enter into the bloodstream via open sores, wounds, lesion, or punctures in the opening of the mucus membrane and cause havoc and even death in some unfortunate cases.
Although the procedures of Root canals have improved, Dr. Bruce Fife wrote in the book “Oil Pulling Therapy” that the underlying problem with root canals still exists. Dr. Fife argued that the problem lies in the structure of the tooth. Bacteria that cause most root canal infections comes from the inside the tooth. He further explained bacteria often enters the tubules, particularly if the tooth has been attacked by decay. This is especially true for badly decayed teeth that are candidates for root canals. Once bacteria penetrate deep into the tubules, they can remain indefinitely. Antibiotics and disinfectants have no power over them. Bacteria have a safe haven where they can flourish and multiply. No matter how well the dentist cleans and disinfects a root canalled tooth, it will always harbor bacteria. Therefore, all root canalled teeth are potential breeding grounds for bacteria. George E. Meinig, D.D.S., one of the founding members of the American Association of Endodontists and author of Root Canal Cover-up says it is safer to pull a severely diseased tooth rather than plug and cap, forming a breeding ground of decay, sealing in poisons and bacteria that will leak into the bloodstream for the rest of your life. It is important to know that not all root-filled teeth will be painful or show noticeable signs of infections, not even on X-rays. Dr. Fifi wrote that every dentist knows x-ray pictures do not accurately reveal infection which can be present in teeth. If you have a tooth that is severely decayed, I highly recommend reading Dr. Bruce Fifi book Oil Pulling Therapy, and Dr. Meinig’s book Root Canal Cover-up so that you can make an informed decision. If you have had a Root Canal and a systemic disease, I also recommended reading these books to determine if having the tooth (teeth) pulled is a good course of action to take.
• Numerous materials are placed in our mouths by dentist, some of which are relatively harmless, while others, like mercury amalgams (a liquid metal alloy mixture used in dentistry to fill cavities caused by tooth
decay) are potentially deadly according to Dr. Bruce Fifi. Mercury has long been known as one of the most toxic substances known to science. Simply inhaling the fumes mercury produces can cause disease and sometimes death. In the early 1800s The American Society of Dental Surgeons deemed the use of mercury fillings to be unethical and forbid its members from using it but lost its influence by 1856 and was disbanded. After going back and forth several times in the 1960 concerns about mercury amalgams began to emerge again. Studies found that mercury vapor is constantly being emitted from dental fillings. Like oral bacteria, mercury can spread from the mouth to other parts of the body causing a wide range of symptoms and diseases. Evidence shows that mercury from amalgam fillings can contribute to a number of neurological problems, autoimmune disease (a condition in which a person’s immune system attacks their own tissues such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ALS, and Grave’s disease.), and other health problems.
Several European countries have restricted the use of dental amalgam. Dentist who understand the danger of mercury fillings and the issues regarding root canals will refuse to put amalgam fillings into patients’ mouths. These dentists understand that the medical treatments performed on your mouth and teeth can have a huge impact on your overall health. If you need dental work, or you are contemplating having existing amalgam fillings or root canalled teeth remove, in addition to doing additional research I recommend you seek out this type of dentist. You can find a dentist who has been trained in safe amalgam removal by visiting www.hugginsappliedhealing.com or www.holisticdental.org. You can also do an internet searches using the following terms.
• Biological dentistry
• Holistic dentistry
• Environmental dentistry
• Mercury-free dentistry
It is impossible to talk about oral health without discussing the impact that fluoride has on our health. The definition of fluoride various depending upon whom is defining it. Dr. Fife defined fluorine as an element that in its purest form is a gas. When combined with other elements it forms into a compound known as fluoride. Despite the fact that fluoride weakens our teeth, increases tooth decay, and potential causes gum disease it is often used by dentist when they work on our teeth and is also added to many different brands of toothpaste and mouthwash and even our water to help prevent cavities. According to research fluoride is indeed a poison, it is an active ingredient in both rat poison and cockroach powder. Dr. Gerson during one of her many documentaries pointed out that the Food and Drug Administration mandates that a warning be placed on all fluoride- containing toothpaste.
The warning states, “Keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age” and if more than a pea sized amount of toothpaste is swallowed to “get medical help or contact Poison Control right away.” But a popular toothpaste, despite all the scientific evidence that states otherwise implies that fluoride is safe for human consumption by defining it as a natural mineral found throughout the earth’s crust and widely distributed in nature. Fluoride, like bacteria in the mouth can be absorbed into the bloodstream while brushing your teeth via the mucus membrane and travel to other parts of the body. Fluoride has many negative outcomes on our health, such as skeletal fluorosis (bone disease), musculoskeletal and nervous systems resulting in muscle wasting, limited joint motion, spinal deformities, calcification of the ligaments, and neurological damage. It poisons over 100 enzymes in the body and has been linked to genetic damage. Due to all its harmful effects on the body it is best to avoid dental products with fluoride. However, if you live in an area that puts fluoride into your drinking water, it can be a little harder to avoid fluoride completely and you must do what you can. Some options include purchasing bottled water or purchasing a water filtering system which is a small price to pay for the health and wellness for yourself and loved ones.
Herbalist Sakinah Salam
