You are right; you need to use whatever works for you, period!!
Felter said:
I don't need "real proof". It is enough that it works for me. It controls the soreness of my mouth, my sinus problems and nosebleeds, and has improved TMJ among many other things.
SGoddess said:
Oil Pulling is supposed to be done once in the morning before brushing ones teeth and eating, but there is no real proof that this has any effect on the dry mouth caused by Sjogren's. There is little to no proof that it works for the aliments that some claim that it is supposed help, such as diabetes mellitusorasthma. There seems to be no logic in this since you are swallowing all day and toxins are getting into your system anyway. Oil pulling and Biotene are all temporary methods of dealing with one symptom, dry mouth; I have found that changing ones diet is one of the best ways to help the system as a whole in order to improve the "battle zone", which is our bodies that are under attack. What we need to address is T-cells; further clarification of the role of T cells will open avenues for better treatment of SS, whose current management is still mainly supportive (only treating each symptom as it presents itself). We need to look for a cure; let's pull our energies together to speak with one voice to get some real attention focused on this debilitating disease!! RESEARCH!!!
I’ve been using pure organic coconut oil for oil pulling for about two weeks. It has helped. No miracle cure but soothing for sore dry mouth symptoms. My doc also gave me Spry rain oral mist spray. Not lasting but refreshing.
elizabeth said:
I tried something called oil pulling, that is supposedly a cure all for lots of things. What it is is putting a tbs of oil (light olive oil is my preference, but have also tried coconut oil) in my mouth and swishing it in my mouth for about 20 mins. You then spit it in the trash (not down the drain as it will clog them!!). It supposedly gets rid of the bacteria/toxins that accumulate in the mouth. Not sure if it works for that, but I noticed it does help a lot with my dry mouth. I know, it sounds horrible, but it’s not and it might help. Google “oil pulling”…lots of articles about it. Good luck
Maybe it's just me, but it seems that GlaxoSmithKline danced all around the fact that their new toothpaste formula burns like crazy. I did like that it foamed better but when something burns so much that it brings you to tears, well, something's just wrong with the product. I e-mailed them also and haven't heard a word but I'm guessing I would receive the same response. And I'm thinking they also have no SjS sufferers on their test panel!
I have not bought any gel lately, and don't use the spray, but have changed mouthwash from Biotene to 'Good Neighbor Pharmacy' brand, at about half the cost, and it seems to be working just as well. The next time I am at my local pharmacy, I will see if they manufacture gel or spray, so that you can make the comparison.