ADA Does Not Recommend Oil Pulling.

LiveScience (5/21) reports on oil pulling, noting that the ADA does not recommend oil pulling “as either a supplementary oral hygiene practice, or as a replacement for standard oral health behaviors” due to “a ‘lack of science.’” The ADA “criticizes existing studies” on oil pulling “as ‘unreliable’ for a number of reasons.” LiveScience adds that “possibly the greatest risk of oil pulling is using it to replace time-tested treatments,” though other heath risks are also significant. For instance, Harvard Medical School “found that one out of five Ayurvedic herbal medical products produced in South Asia and available in Boston South Asian grocery stores contains potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury and/or arsenic,” and the ADA “also reported that oil pulling could cause lipoid pneumonia,” diarrhea or stomach upset.