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you have this connection between your oral and your gut, and it's called the oral -gut axis. So the oral -gut axis is basically a connection, and if it comes in balance, right, your oral microbiome can lead to what's called gut dysbiosis. And that's just a fancy word for, you know, your bacterial gut in balance, which leads to digestive and inflammatory disorders. Welcome back to Keep It Good. I'm your host, Emily. And I'm your host,
Carly. So today we're going to be exploring the connection between our mouth, gut, and mind. So let's just jump right into it. Fun fact of the day. All right. Did you know that we have about 20 billion bacterias in our mouth? And our mouths produce about one liter of saliva a day. So really think about what you're swallowing. Like literally just swallowed hard like I am just it really grosses me out the more I think
about this whole System and how it works. Yeah, it's pretty wild and Yeah, we're gonna show you the good and bad of all of it. So I Mean, don't be too scared. I mean 20 billion bacteria. That sounds pretty terrifying, right? But there is good bacteria. So it's not all horrible, right? That makes sense Yeah, so we'll get into the bad bacteria later and like how to kind of go about that. But let's start with just some basic oral hygiene. Okay. Well, I mean, you guys all
know you have to brush your teeth. I'm going to go through a list of like daily what is ideal and what will be the best for your mouth and your oral care. So number one need to brush your teeth twice a day, even three times with my little ones. Our dentists suggest three times, you know, maybe after school when they come home to or after they have a snack. So I try to, you know, obviously just get the two in, but if we can
do three, that'd be ideal. Do you guys like, are your kids, my kids hate brushing their teeth. It was a, it was, yeah, it's, it's a constant like thing, but funny. That we did this episode today because my friend literally just told me yesterday about this awesome app that she got for her kids it's called home kids it's from colgate see download the app you get the toothbrush it's basically a game for kids but this is actually
really cool and because. I haven't i haven't gotten yet cuz i just learned about yesterday but i'm intrigued because her kids she has two boys like me pretty close in age. and they beg her to brush their teeth because it's fun. You like go along with the app, you follow it, and I mean, that's one game, yeah, I'm all for, and I will encourage that night and day, you know?
Yeah, I love that. We're always trying like, okay, we have three different toothbrushes going, what color do you want today, what kind of toothpaste do you want today, you know, trying to make it fun? Actually just updated our toothbrush. Well, I didn't, my husband did. And it's funny because the first night we did it, like we, I mean, your doctor says like, yes, the electric toothbrushes are the best, right? I always kind of had like a regular one for a while, but my husband bought
this like aquasonic. I don't even know what it is. It was like such an experience the first time we did it. Like my whole body was like vibrating. It kind of tickles, right? It's powerful. If Tim, the tool man, Taylor made a toothbrush, it's this because it's like just ultra powered, like, you know, like the craziest toothbrush you could like, it was just insane. I was like, I'm not even at the dentist have I ever felt this intense mouth clean, you know, but, but
it really did make a big difference. And so truly invest in a good toothbrush. Like it's so important. It's so important. Yeah, I agree with you there for sure. So floss daily. Floss, floss, floss. Get every little bit of debris you can out in between your teeth. Even at my work, like we keep those little handheld little dental flossers just in between foods, but use mouthwash. I use a very clean like, you know, has like oregano and clove. It's not maybe the best tasting, but
it's very clean. It's made of coconut oil. I really like that one. Eat a balanced diet. Avoid sugary food, sugary drinks, even coffee. You know, it can erode the enamel. So you have to keep your teeth clean from all that after, especially after you have something sugary. Stay hydrated. That helps keep your saliva production up, which does help protect your teeth as well. So you don't want a dry mouth. Visit your dentist two
times a year. Use a mouth guard if you're someone who grinds their teeth, like at night or puts a lot of pressure. On their teeth, we don't want your teeth to be cracked. Tongue scraping. Do you scrape your tongue? Oh, always. Yeah. Always. I know. Me too. I love it. I think it's great. I love scraping my tongue. But I've been using a plastic tongue scraper. Oh, me too. And I just heard, like, obviously, that's not good. You
need to use a metal one. And, like, a metal one would definitely scrape more off your tongue. Oh, yeah. It makes so much more sense. So we have to Amazon those like today. And then number nine, oil pulling. Love it. Love it. So this is what we're really excited to talk about. I mean, everyone knows how to freaking brush their teeth and do other things, right? But oil pulling, guys, like, ah, this is something that we've been doing. I mean, you started what? At 17.
I've been doing it for a few years, but like we kind of went back and forth. You know, it's hard. It's it's a hard practice to really get into daily. I'm not there yet, but The benefits I mean, that's the goal right to get to the daily practice of it But yeah, this is something that we we've been doing for like over a year now and it's super beneficial Like it's it's just so cool. So Emily start us off with this oil pulling because I just I love it It is a really
cool thing. So yes, I first heard about it I don't know, probably 20 years ago from a woman I worked with. She worked at a naturopathic pharmacy and she was like, oh, you need to start doing oil pulling. I'm like, what is that? So basically what it is, it's an ancient Ayurvedic practice and you are putting oil into your mouth and you're swishing it around and pulling it in and out of like the teeth. So a little bit like mouthwash
if you can. You know picture that but you're gonna be doing it for longer and you really want to try and get it like I said Like in and out I mean you could kind of I like want to do it right now in my mouth to explain it but You're
basically swishing it around. Obviously. It's a thicker consistency than mouthwash because it's an oil But you're gonna do it ideally for like 10 to 20 minutes, which is a lot I mean, I think if you could start with five minutes and work your way up, or like one day maybe you get to do it for 10, maybe one day it's only four minutes, but you're still doing something to like get what I'll explain, like all the bad shit out of your mouth. Yeah. Now, okay, you
might be like 20 minutes. I don't have 20 minutes to do this and why do I want to, right? Yes. When I first started doing it, I started with five and then the next day or two days later, I would be at five minutes and I'm like, oh, you know what? That really wasn't that bad. So then I would change my timer and do another five minutes. All of a sudden, you got to kind of distract yourself, right? So I was like going through my to -do list, my whatever, just like
brain dumping, doing my thing. And then all of a sudden 10 minutes went off and I was like...
I'm still kind of in the middle of this project so I think I could keep going and then before you know it's 20 minutes and you're like that really wasn't that bad you know if you have a project lined up like when do you when when is the easiest for you to do it for 20 minutes I mean I've found for me while I'm in the shower so I might start a couple minutes before I get in and then the whole time I'm in the shower I'm doing the oil pulling so if I'm not washing
my hair maybe it's just 10 minutes if Because you really can't talk while you're doing it. So you can't talk to your kids. You have to kind of be in your own zone. Yeah. So I do it in the shower. I think that's easiest for me. I'm distracted because I'm shaving my legs and washing my hair, whatever. And that just seems to be the best time for me. But with that... When you're done, you also can't spit it down the drain. Don't take a shower and then be like, okay, I've done
it long enough. I'm going to spit this oil out down my drain because it can cause clogging in your sink. So you also don't want to spit it in the shower. It needs to go in the garbage, like a tissue. Yep. Yep. Paper towel, tissue, something like that. But you were saying too, you want it to look kind of milky and whitish. Yeah, when you spit it out, that's when you know that you got a lot of bacteria out is when it's that milky white color and the consistency. It's
so gross. That's so gross. It's so gross. Ideally, first thing in the morning is when they suggest you do it because you're sleeping, you're fasting, and we want all that nasty bacteria to come out before you start eating and drinking. I know a ton of people, they brush their teeth first, first, first, first thing before they even drink any water. But this is to also remove all that
gunk out of your whole entire mouth. I don't typically do it first thing in the morning, because with my morning routine, I'm going to have to get up at 4 .30 to oil pull. It's just not going to happen. So do it when you can. Yeah, like I said, we're not up to daily yet. What I've been trying to do is really on the weekends because I can sleep in a little bit more. We're not stressing to get to school. My husband's there to help
with breakfasts or questions or whatever. And you know, it's just easier with kids, especially with kids. It's easier on the weekends for me to just get that like 15, 20 minutes in. Yeah, exactly. So daily is ideal, but even three to four times a week, the results are incredible. I mean, even if you could do it once a week, though, even Sunday, Saturday morning, whatever. Yeah. And so there was a little bit of talk like, you know, I'm sure you're like, what are the
side effects of this, right? There can be, I mean, you're using your jaw and your cheeks and your tongue and everything to kind of do this vigorous movement for a good 20 minutes. So you can get a little bit of jaw pain in the beginning when you're not used to it. You can maybe feel a little bit of a headache at first. you definitely don't want to swallow. No, not you need to spit it out that if you swallow it, I mean, for one, think about all that bacteria are now forcefully
putting into your digestion. But it can cause a little bit of diarrhea and stomach ache if swallowed. But yeah, it's almost like doing face yoga. So I'm kind of you know, like you're really moving it around and Yeah, the cheeks can get a little sore or a little yeah. Yeah, like um, like fatigued Yeah, sounds weird because one of your cheeks then tired but well, you know when you laugh for like Forever with your friend like you're just like and you're like my cheeks
hurt. Oh my god I'm smiling so bad. It's kind of like that So yeah, I mean so oil pulling the oils that you would typically use you'd want to use about one to two tablespoons of either coconut, sesame, olive oil, or sunflower. Now, you give us a little bit of info on the sunflower and the sesame because I've never used that. Okay, neither have I. But the sesame oil is the traditional oil for the Ayurvedic process of it. So the benefits are that it reduces inflammation,
the sesame oil reduces inflammation. It contains a lot of antioxidants. It does have a milder antibacterial effect. than the coconut oil, but it's a strong flavor. Sesame oil is really strong. So that would be like what taste and, you know, of course, thickness of each oil will play a part too in your mouth. So it's kind of going to be personal, I think. Sunflower oil has a light flavor. I've never even cooked with it,
so I don't know much about sunflower oil. But light flavor, it does have some antimicrobial benefits. But I found that it was used the most in the clinical trials for oil pulling. So I thought that was interesting. So maybe we should give sunflower oil a try. Seems to be the doctors and scientists go to. Yeah, interesting. What about the other ones? So I was basically using coconut oil. for the majority because it takes
the best I think. But the coconut oil is loaded with antioxidant anti -inflammatory properties, right? So it decreases inflammation like gum disease, all these things. It contains lauric acid, which kills the bacteria that leads to decay. So right off the bat, I was starting that. But then I started researching the olive oil root. And olive oil is high in antibacterial properties and particularly this bacterium, Helicobacter pylori. And this is a bacterium that causes ulcers
and stomach cancer. And me, I mean, a couple of years ago, I got a stomach ulcer from stress, you know, and it just flares up every once in a while. So I was like, oh, interesting. I'm going to start doing the olive oil so that it kind of helps with that. And another thing with the olive oil is it helps to prevent any dry mouth. So if you have dry mouth, it helps with that as well. It's rich in polyphenols and it's thicker. So in turn, it kind of helps with anti
-inflammatory properties too. So I haven't done it yet. I'm still a little trepidatious about putting the olive oil. My mouth but that's I'm doing that this weekend because after I learned all this stuff about the ulcers Yeah, I'm adding that one to my list. You have to you have to give it a try. Oh, yeah, why not? Yeah, so yeah, I I mean I think the coconut oil would be the
best to first try. Yeah, cuz it's just it's lighter It's it's like a thinner when it melts in your mouth and you know kind of tastes like coconut So you get that little flavor in there. So like you said one or two tablespoons of oil Swish it in your mouth for as long as you can, up to 20 minutes. You're going to spit it in the trash or a paper towel, a napkin tissue, and then rinse your mouth. So you can rinse with plain water, a little bit of salted water, and then you brush
your teeth. Now you're probably saying, like, why am I going to be doing this with oils? Right, like, what's the point? What is the point? The oil pulling... Removes any of the lipophilic acids, which is your heavy metals your environmental
Toxins chemical and bacterial toxins. Okay, so like we were saying you have 20 billion bacteria in your mouth the oil pulling really prevents some of the harmful ones from entering your digestion and by doing so like if you have poor oral health it leads to A higher risk in heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, it can lead to lung infections, particularly pneumonia. There is a recent link that they've been kind of correlating with dementia,
diabetes, and sepsis. So I mean, when you think about oral health affecting the rest of your body, it kind of puts on a light bulb and you're like, okay, yeah, I do need to step up my game, you know? Yeah, well, your mouth is the starting point. It's a starting point of your digestive system. You put everything in your mouth, anything you drink, all your foods, your vitamins, medications. Like, it really is crazy if you take a second and think about it, you know? Yeah. So, okay.
Let's talk gut. You have this connection between your oral and your gut, and it's called the oral -gut axis. If it comes imbalanced, right, your oral microbiome can lead to what's called gut dysbiosis. And that's just a fancy word for your bacterial gut imbalance, which leads to digestive and inflammatory disorders. Okay. Yeah. So digestion, your poor oral health can lead to a decrease
in the appropriate amount of chewing. Cause say your teeth hurt, you're not going to chew it or, you know, emaciate it or break it down as much as you would or you could. It will also decrease the saliva production. And saliva is so important because it contains these enzymes and these antibacterial properties which are so essential for both your oral and your gut health. So without the appropriate amount of saliva, this in turn really screws up your digestion.
and your nutrient absorption. So you could be eating really healthy foods, all these things, but if you're not producing the right amount of saliva, then you're not really absorbing the amount of nutrients that you possibly could, right? That's crazy. Yeah, it's pretty wild once, I mean, it's just wild. Your body is so insane. So along with digestion, the healthy microbiome helps with the immune system. So 70 to 80 % of your immune system is from your gut. Did you
know that? I did. Pretty wild. It is pretty wild. But it is wild. It is low. It's pretty cool. I don't know where I thought it was, but... Yeah. It's like that saying, you are what you eat, right? I mean, everything is connected to your stomach. So having this healthy microbiome...
Basically trains your immune system right to decipher between the good and bad like invaders or substances This will now prevent any autoimmune issues or chronic inflammation Say you have gums that are inflamed Now you're ingesting that and that can lead to things like leaky gut syndrome inflammation You know the list goes on and on and on another thing that is affected by your your gut Is your hormone regulation. So we're talking estrogen, thyroid, among many others.
Okay, but it's just, it's a big role in your hormone regulation. Again, with the inflammation, it's a prevention to heart disease, cancer, arthritis, right? Cause inflammation is like, it just causes all this, this junk in your body kind of circulate. And yeah, it's just gross. So when you have this strong intestinal barrier, it pushes away all that shit, that harmful microbes. So your risks for infection go down. Your risks for food sensitivities go down. And, you know, overall, you just feel
better and you move better. And another thing that helps is now your mind. You're thinking better because along with the oral gut access, we have what is called the gut brain access, which is another connection. So, I mean, we've said it in previous episodes, everything is connected, right? So when you have this healthy gut microbiome, you have these healthy productions of these neurotransmitters that are the serotonin dopamine GABA. This will in turn influence your mood, anxiety, cognitive
function. So when we sat and really thought about the real connection between our mouth, to our stomach, to our brain, it goes back to childhood as, brush your teeth, you know, the importance of oral health. Well, I think we need to teach a little bit differently in schools, the real
connection between the three. You know because I I never really understood the full connection until you know pretty recently But it makes sense when you think about how everything is digested broken down Distributed it's it all starts with what you put in your mouth and how you take care of your mouth, right? Yeah, absolutely. So what about You know, like I said, there's good and bad bacteria in your mouth. Okay You can't fight
all the bad ones all the time. Otherwise you'd be like stuck in the bathroom brushing your teeth all day long. So you're going to end up having a little bit in your gut. But there's also other ways to kind of help that gut stay healthy. So what are some foods that help with like retaining a healthy gut? Yeah, so I'm sure a lot of us are already doing some of these things just because they are healthy foods. But foods for healthy gut would be fermented. I feel like that's talked
about so much right now. Fermented foods, having a little bit of that on your plate every day. And fermented foods give you probiotics. So we're talking kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, kefir, miso, certain yogurts, and then high fiber foods, which would give you the prebiotics. That would be bananas, onions, leeks, garlic, asparagus, oats, flax seeds, and then polyphenols. Green tea, berries, cacao, cloves, and apples. And
then crunchy fruits and vegetables. So carrots, apples again, celery, pears, broccoli, and then leafy greens and antioxidant foods. Spinach, kale, turmeric, ginger. So there's some herbs and stuff in there as well. But I was just thinking when you were saying, you know, what's that saying? Like, what about, you know, an apple a day keeps the doctor away? Yeah, right when I eat an apple I my teeth feel so clean. Yeah, do you notice
that? Yeah, like that's yeah, like it's like really brushing, you know, yeah, like eating that crunch Yeah, that's that's a good point. Yeah an apple a day keeps the doctor away Yeah, no, I mean and again, these are a lot of healthy things I'm sure we're all incorporating a lot
of that. So we're already doing something good and not even Maybe realizing the full potential of it Yeah, I mean along with that list of foods too like you know say you're not into fermented foods right my husband actually started taking this pre and probiotic called seed and i did this like two week gut reset and it it's a two week process um but he takes it daily i personally am obsessed with kombucha and you know the things like that so i don't really feel like i need
to add in any additional pre or probiotics but the two week kind of reset was a good thing to kind of add into my system just to see you know i was just kind of experimenting a little bit um but he swears by it he takes the pre and pro it's all in one pill so you're just taking this because he's not really into kombucha and like these other things so that's that's a good way for him to get it in But along with the foods, you want to really lower your ultra processed
foods that you're consuming and your really high sugar foods because these promote inflammation, right? And that's harmful for your bacterial growth. Like it causes the bad bacteria to kind of multiply and just like a fermenting ground for that. Also, you had said stay hydrated, right? Yeah. digestion, being hydrated, which I have also increased my intake. You have upped it, and I am proud. I've done really good. Good girl. But it really helps just promote a healthy mucosal
lining in your gut. And like we were saying with the natural probiotics, all these things, really try and stay away from unnecessary antibiotics. I've seen it a million times in the ER. People come looking for antibiotics for the the most minor things. You don't need to fill your body with antibiotics all the time. Not every single thing needs an antibiotic. Your body can naturally fight these things if you just let it ride it
out, you know? But if for some reason you do need to take an antibiotic, there's no other way around it, really, really add in a probiotic during the course and after. Yeah, because the antibiotic kills both the good and bad. It can't
tell the difference. Yeah, so it just destroys everything and now you're like five steps behind, you know, which could like we like we just said it could in turn now cause anxiety or depression or all these things because now you're you're not You know kind of producing those awesome chemicals like the serotonin, the dopamine, the GABA, because everything is destroyed. So really keep that in mind. If you're taking an antibiotic, you got to pair it with a probiotic to keep it
kind of in balance. Good advice. Yeah. So I mean, that's just like a wild connection, right? It is. And I think the oil pulling, it just feels very clean. And so it's just a good start to know that you're doing So many good things by doing that. Your mouth is clean, your gut is clean, and hopefully your mind is clean. Yeah. Got the good vibes everywhere. Yep. Good gut,
good vibes. I love it. Well, and with the oil pulling too, like just to recap, you are moisturizing the mouth, you are freshening your breath, you are helping your gums, like. Yeah. possibly even whiten your teeth. Some people claim they feel like their teeth have gotten whiter from the pulling. I mean, it's just so beneficial all over. Yeah, but we hope that this made you think a little bit about how the body is all connected. Yep. Mind, body, spirit. Yeah. Now it's mouth,
gut, brain. I like it. I like it. So our quote today is by Dr. Michael Royzen. Hopefully I said that correct. It says, the mouth is the gateway to the body. And that it is. Yeah, it is for sure. So hopefully, hopefully you're brave enough to try the oil pulling. Um, and if not, I totally
get it. It's kind of weird, but really step up your game with your brushing, your flossing, all the things to try to implement that, you know, even just a few things off of the list to kind of help your gut microbes and it will improve your sanity little by little. So who doesn't need that? Right. But that's it for today. We hope you have a great week and as always, keep it good.