Re: Can I OP with canker sores in my mouth?

Hi --

A couple of weeks into oil pulling, I got a huge canker sore on the underside of my tongue -- about 1" x .5" long. Enormous. The doctor said he had never seen one that big and prescribed codeine (it was extremely painful and maddening as a result...!)

I read that sometimes OP can force dormant viruses up and out -- I had been using a few drops of oil of oregano, and while I can't be sure that the ooo was the cause, I did some research indicating that ooo is used to expel dormant herpes viruses, for instance (I have never had cold sores or genital herpes, but apparently we all have dormant herpes.) That doctor also said that canker sores are really just in-the-mouth herpes -- he's someone I have a great deal of respect for, so that made sense to me.

Anyway, subscribing to the ideas of detox reactions and also that even though they can be bad, "better out than in," I did keep OP'ing until it was gone. I haven't had another once since, and in the 16 months I have spent on this forum I have seen a lot of people report mouth sores early on. In retrospect, it proves to me that OP a) works and b) is a deceptively powerful therapy!

Things I learned at that time were to apply clove oil, and if I had known then what I know now about cayenne, I would have used it -- initial pain followed by numbness. I did try lidocaine, Kanka, oragel, etc, but anything topical is just not going to last in a wet environment. Believe me, it was excruciating, and I had fantasies of finding someone with some cocaine and buying some to numb it entirely.

You will make it through this, and one thing might be to hold off on the oils other than sesame and sunflower -- coconut, oil of oregano, etc. are great because they do have these anti-viral/bacterial effects, but our bodies can only eliminate "stuff" so quickly.

Best and deep sympathies,

Laura Tweet