hi pauline here again. sorry for the long posts but this place is my only outlet. i told my brother about oil pulling. he one of the 4 people i know with kp. first time he did it in the shower and spit it out in the middle of the tub to see if it was white and frothy like it was supposed to be. the dummy slipped on the oil and almost cracked his head open! ha ha ) but seriously folks that was dangerous. i told him to spit in the toilet next time. well back to me again. on the subject of skin tags, i do have those too. i mentioned before that i figured out how i was allergic to nickel. i recall a few years ago when i put on a silver chain around my neck, after a few hours it started to itch there. i took the chain off and the next day i had at least 6 tiny skin tags on the base of my neck. weird! my mother taught me how to tie off a skin tag with a hair strand and after a few days it turns black and falls off. it works but you need someone with tiny, nimble fingers to do it for you. i also used to get them on my eyelids sometimes but since i switched to plastic eyelash curlers it doesn't appear there. yeah i use eyelash curlers, i'm asian, i don't have naturally curly lashes anyway. my kp questions are as follows...is it bad to brush my teeth with toothpaste after OPing? I kind of follow the blood type diet and it says to avoid coconut oil, since i am technically not ingesting the oil do you think its okay then? i read somewhere that different oils may get rid of different types of toxins so i'm using 3 different ones at the same time, do you think this is a good or bad idea? before OPing i just started taking niacin (b6) the flushing kind. to see if better blood circulation would improve my skin problems.do you think it would speed OP results? Has anyone tried light therapy on their kp? Does anyone think that pollution has anything to with kp? has anyone tried any of those scar reducing meds you can buy in the first aid aisle? any particular brand have good results? hey i could go on and on with the questions but i think i'm running out of ro

Pauline,
All the itchiness you talk about in your first post makes me wonder if you have a candida overgrowth. It has been linked with KP (see baronster's thread). You may want to talk to a naturopathic doctor about this, or do a simple home test:
http://newleafhealth.com/saliva_test_for_candida.html
Google to learn more about candida overgrowth if you don't already know about it.
To answer your questions from your second post:
Yes, brush your teeth when you finish OP. Then drink 1-2 large glasses of water. Drink lots of water throughout the day.
Try coconut oil and see if it agrees with you. It is not supposed to be for my blood type, either, but I use it regularly and love it. It makes my skin so soft.
I think different oils have different effects. For this reason, it is a good idea to change oils about once a month. If you have been pulling for a while and your oil isn't getting very thin any more, it is a good idea to change. It is fine to use 3 different ones.
I don't know if niacin will speed OP results, as I haven't tried it myself or read of anyone else doing it.
I don't know anything about light therapy. Perhaps you could find an answer on another thread.
There is no science to show if air pollution influences KP, but there is so little science about KP anyway. We eat toxins (pesticides and other chemicals), drink toxins (alcohol and impurities in water) and breathe toxins (air pollution). Our bodies do their best to get rid of all this, using liver, kidneys and skin, our major cleansing organs. If we are really over-polluted, our skin will show it.
I don't know anything about scar reducing meds. Perhaps another thread could help you.
Hope this answers your questions. This is primarily an oil pulling thread, with emphasis on natural treatment. Other threads may help you with different methods.

kebod

hi

i tried my first session this morning using 1tbsp of flax seed oil, does anyone else use this for OP? i did it for 10 min and found that the oil changed to a creamy yellow colour.
how many times a day should i do it?

thanks
gez

Gez, I'm impressed with you doing OP for the first time with flaxseed oil. I thought it was a strong tasting oil. Good for you for trying this.
Yes, others use flaxseed oil. Changing to a creamy, yellow color is OK. Try to work up to 20 minutes. Once a day should be fine, but if you get hooked on it, you might want to do it two or three times a day, as long as you do it on an empty stomach. I do three back-to-back sessions when I get up.

It is important to keep the flaxseed oil in the fridge, as it easily becomes rancid. When it tastes bitter or smells off, it is rancid.

Keep in touch and let us know if OP helps. Give it a month to see if it helps your KP, but be aware of other earlier changes -- better mood, pinker gums, sleeping better, more energy.

kebod

Hi

Kebod thanks for your reply. I dont really have a problem with the taste of flaxseed oil, i`m taking a few tablespoons of it regularly aswell.
when the bottle i have finishes ill probably buy some sesame oil and use that for OP. does sesame oil have to be refridgerated aswell?

so ill continue OP for atleast a month and report any changes

thanks for your help guys
gez

Gez,
Unless you live in a cool climate, all oils should be refrigerated, except for coconut oil, which is very stable at room temp. I go through olive oil very quickly in the kitchen, so I don't keep it in the fridge, but it is in a dark bottle out of light to help it stay fresh longer. Rancid oils are potentially carcinogenic, so no chance should be taken with them. This goes for regular cooking oils as well. Grocery store type oils usually have preservatives in them. Even they go rancid with time. Just take a sniff. If it smells off or old, it is.
If you buy sesame oil, be sure to buy untoasted.

Hope we hear from you again.

kebod

Oh my!

I have never kept any of my oil in the fridge! My sunflower and my coconut are kept in my cabinet. However, a bottle of my sunflower oil only lasted about 1 and 1/2 month for me and my husband. I would think it would not go bad that fast.

I have never been told to refridgerate it. wow.I dont think I would like it cold.

If the climate is cool, it won't go off that fast. I just don't want to take a chance, so I keep everything, but coconut, in the fridge. If your sunflower had gone off, you would be able to tell by the taste and smell. If it tastes fine, it is. I guess because I keep most of my oils in the fridge, I'm used to it being cold when it first goes in my mouth. It quickly warms to body temp.

kebod

KP is back....with avengance...and I don't know why! This whole thing about KP being worse in the winter months doesn't apply to me...it seems to be the other way around! It was going great...I was watching what I ate and my KP was almost all gone..

About 2 weeks ago it started all over again...and I can't seem to find the reason why. It sucks man...I don't know what to do at this point! It seems I have tried it all...I'm starting back at the tanning bed tomorrow...it is the only thing that seems to help me. UGGGH!

I need some moral support...I am very depressed and don't even want to leave the house to go to work tomorrow. I have even gor so depressed I have thought about cutting off my arms...Im serious. Its really messing with my head!

Vegangirl,

I know this has to be so frustrating for you, to have KP return and not know why. You came to the "Cured at Last", the oil pulling thread, to voice your frustration. Have you been oil pulling? If not, consider trying it, as it is known to helps one's over-all sense of well-being, not to mention diminishing bumps.

I think this is your first posting here, but I see you have posted several times on the food allergy and food testing threads. You may want to consider seeing a naturapthic doctor if you have not and pursuing food allergies.

Hang in there. I always hope there is a remedy for everybody and you will find yours.

kebod

Yeah, there are a few of us where it's "backwards" but I bet if more was understood about KP and how it's triggered in different people, it would make some sense.
I can keep my KP pretty calm in super cold winters here. When I lived in mild, slightly humid, coastal climates, it was also very calm to _gone_ (I may have ate more fish and therefore EFAs then.) As soon as I got back to a drier location with greater temp variation, boom! in the spring and summer it really comes back! It's like especially when my body tries to sweat and it can't, the follicles _really_ protrude and more get infected - you know, papules.
I think that this is why some Dr.s say "no hot showers, and avoid hot foods", they're just saying "dont' aggravate it". buh!
So has the weather done anything extreme in your area lately? You getting too hot? not enough sleep? etc?
Are you doing any other therapies besides OP and watching what you eat, like, are you doing any exfoliation or taking EFAs or niacin?
It was really hot here for the last couple of days and even with the long term exfoliation I've been doing, I got about a dozen big-ish bumps on my thighs total, one papule on my calf. My arms are almost perfectly clear. That's actually a LOT less than it would've been last summer and I really appreciate being able to sweat this year. I think in some of our cases, it might take a long time to reach a state where maintenance is easy. Like I think it'll take me until next spring at least for my skin to be east maintenance, but I'm 43, it should take a bit less time for younger healthier skin! - bd

Sorry just frusterated an was venting lol...yeah I have tried OP...I have tried it all. Its hopeless for me obviously! But I hope that they come up with a cure soon...I will feel terrbile if my little girl has this and I can't do anythign about it when she gets older!

Vegangirl,
Don't give up. I hope you gave oil pulling and any other method you tried at least a month. For some, it takes a while to see results, and sometimes we need to find the right combination of remedies. Have you read Baronster's postings? Have you considered a colonic? It sounds extreme, but I wonder if we sometimes need a radical cleaning out so our system can start working like it is supposed to.
We are always here to listen and give an encouraging word -- you don't need to apologize for venting.

kebod

You know I really believe everything works different for people, regardless if its natural or perscription meds, each persons body reacts differently. I guess that is why God made us all unique!

For me sunflower has (again)completely rid me of my skin tag, where as my mother (whom I talked into starting op 3 weeks ago) has noticed her skin tags getting smaller using coconut alone. If I use only coconut my skin tag grows back.

Also, my husbands KP on his arms and legs are getting better. You can still see where they were, however you can not feel them anymore.

VeganGirl mentions the seasons difference. My 15 year old boys have KP and he does not oil pull, his KP has vanished this summer. We were out on the boat last weekend and I hugged him and felt his arm and was shocked. I was like, what happened, your kp on your arms are gone? Of course he had no idea why, but I believe it is seasonal. He spend A LOT of time out on the boat, in the sun this summer, very tan for the first time, and his arms are better than I have ever seen them. We will see what happens now that summer is over...I have a feeling it is seasonal, the sun helped and it may return in the winter.

As for OP, well I am still waiting for better results for my husband if he continues to get better and my sons KP returns this winter then I will have him start doing the OP.

All that being said to add my opinion that everyone is so individual and its impossible to find one solution that will work for everyone. We just have to keep trying and praying.