Traveling to new places can be very stressful on the body.
Besides the physical stressors caused by flying, there are a host of other potential risks that could leave you feeling ill on your vacation instead of fully enjoying it. Especially this one...
Bacteria
Exposure to bacteria while traveling is a big problem. Not only are you are exposed to a bunch of it in public places, such as the airport, but you also pick up foreign bacteria your body may have never been introduced to.
In different parts of the world there are different forms of bacteria. The reason many people feel ill from drinking water in Mexico, for example, is that they had never been exposed to that specific strain of bacteria and Montezuma's Revenge sets in.
Our mouths are a wonderful breeding ground for bacteria. Whether we touch something that contains bacteria and then pick up our delicious burrito for a bite, or consume water that has harmful bacteria, there is a good chance our mouth will encounter potentially harmful bacteria while we travel.
Here's what you can do about it with a little help from our friend, coconut oil.
Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is an age-old, natural remedy to whiten teeth, improve gum health, and remove harmful bacteria from teeth.
It is super simple, easy, effective, and perfect for on-the-go travel.
It began in India thousands of years ago, long before commercial mouth wash and is a much safer and more natural way to clean your mouth. Mouth wash contains harsh chemicals which may harm your teeth and gums and removes good bacteria along with the bad.
And of course, good bacteria is essential for health...especially when we are experiencing the stressors of traveling.
In addition to helping you stay healthy on-the-go, oil pulling has a bunch of other benefits: healthier, whiter teeth, clearer skin, decreased headaches, improved asthma symptoms, and improved hormonal balances. Which makes sense given the fact most of our bacteria enters through our mouth and into our bloodstream, which then affects multiple body systems.
How to do it
1. Put 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil in your mouth.
Opt for organic coconut oil if it's available, but sesame oil will do the trick as well.
2. Swish around for 20 minutes.
YES, 20 minutes. It may seem long but you need to break down the plaque build-up and bacteria so it's not reabsorbed back into the body. The beautiful thing about this is you can do it anywhere.
During this time, try not to swallow. We are trying to get rid of the bad bacteria so we don't want to risk swallowing any of it.
3. Spit the oil & bad bacteria into the trash.
Don't spit into a sink as it may clog the drain (since it's pure oil). Remember, try not to swallow.
4. Rinse mouth with warm water.
Brush without toothpaste if desired to remove excess bacteria.
That's it
Boom: you just used an ancient remedy to stay healthy as you travel our modern world.
And you learned about it from the ether of the inter-webs.
Don't we live in a cool time?
