"Antibacterial" and "antimicrobial" products

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circular
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"Antibacterial" and "antimicrobial" products

Post by circular »

Over many years I've heard countless vendors market skin, oral, microbiome and other health products as being great for killing bad bacteria and microorganisms. I don't understand how so many products can be proven to kill bad bacteria but not the good bacteria we want. Can anyone help me trust these claims more, if in fact there's reason to? Even the simple statement that coconut oil is antibacterial and thus good for oil pulling leaves me scratching my head. I was considering ordering Banyan's Daily Swish, but it contains even more products that—while apparently safe over centuries in traditional medicine use—probably don't have extensive peer reviewed studies to say that they kill all the bad guys in one's mouth and none of the good ones … or least maintain a favorable balance. It's a lot of time and money for something perhaps not proven, and I don't trust the biome tests for checking either, because I suspect our biomes change too rapidly to get a useful "read" based on point in time biome tests.

Am I being too skeptical and thus missing out on critical self care? Life was a lot easier when I didn't question everything in sight in an effort to be science based.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
circular
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Re: "Antibacterial" and "antimicrobial" products

Post by circular »

Here's an example, and I'm not trying to pick on Banyan Botanicals. I learn from their website and trust their product quality. I've been using their Everyday Massage Oil before a shower and find it really relaxing and mentally 'nourishing', so it seems to have subjective value for me. I'm also using their Nsaya nasal oil instead of my ENT's recommended Ponaris to help stop posterior nose bleeds. They have stopped, mostly or all due to the lubricating oil, but the added, thought-to-be, brain-friendly herbs may not hurt (I hope). I'm trying the Vata Massage Oil next.

But I'm having trouble bringing myself to order their Daily Swish oral oil pulling rinse. On their product page they 'recommend' a linked article on their website titled Oil Pulling 101: How to Oil Pull & the Science Behind It, which says:
...our mouths are host to over 600 different species of bacteria which populate the teeth, tongue, soft tissue of the cheeks and palates, and our tonsils. The oral cavity further adjoins the esophagus, nasal passages, sinuses, and the intricate ear cavities.6 You can see why bacteria in the mouth is a big deal!

Many of these bacteria are necessary for a healthy oral microbiome, and many of them, such as Streptococcus mutans, can cause problems if left unchecked—tooth decay, bad breath, gingivitis, and strep throat, to name a few.

Bacteria are single-celled organisms, enclosed by a lipid membrane. These bacteria are attracted to the lipid structure of the oil, pulled from the oral tissue by adhering to the fat molecules of the oil, then flushed away through the act of oil pulling and spitting out the oil.7 Voila!

Oil pulling is a time-tested method for improving oral hygiene that is endorsed not only by Ayurvedic practitioners, but Western doctors, scientists, and dentists too.
There's no shortage of web pages referencing studies that at least coconut oil reduces oral health issues. However, an October 2022 meta-analysis about oil pulling (which does not mention coconut in its abstract, and I haven't looked at the included RCTs) concludes:
Based on the results of this meta-analysis, the oil pulling may have a beneficial effect on reducing salivary BC count compared to the control group [that I assume would include lots of healthy bacteria]. There was no significant difference in the plaque index and gingival index score between the oil pulling and the control group. Therefore, future clinical trials should be more rigorous and better reported.[Emphasis added]
I also ponder what effect oil pulling could have on salivary enzymes that are important to digestion. I know most if not all are produced during chewing, so maybe this isn't an issue unless there is a baseline of such enzymes that's important and that for some reason are drawn to the oil and carried out too.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
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floramaria
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Re: "Antibacterial" and "antimicrobial" products

Post by floramaria »

circular wrote: Sat Jan 07, 2023 1:42 pm I don't understand how so many products can be proven to kill bad bacteria but not the good bacteria we want.
HI circ! I can't answer in regards to oil pulling's effect on the different strains of oral bacteria but I have heard and read that after using antimicrobial toothpaste and or mouthwash it is good to renew the good bacterial with an oral probiotic. This was specifically in response to a question about Dentalcidin. My interpretation of the comments I heard is that the dentist who answered seemed to think that for most people simply brushing with a non-antimicrobial toothpaste is fine. And there is no need for antimicrobial mouthwash.
We will have to let one of the oil pullers on the site reply about how oil pulling removes the bad and leaves the good bacteria, if that is the belief. I've only done oil pulling a few times myself. though I liked it, I never getting into the habit of doing it regularly.
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