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Apple Cider Vinegar: A Cure for Everything?
By Suzy Cohen, RPh on 10/29/2009
Dear Pharmacist,
My neighbor swears by apple cider vinegar and every time I complain about my health, she rants about the vinegar. I haven’t tried it, but I have to say she looks fairly healthy and never gets sick. Do you think there’s something to it?
--P.B., Lodi, California
Answer: Vinegar has been used for centuries for many purposes including cleaning, killing weeds and pickling. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) is sold as both a bottled vinegar, and a dietary supplement in the United States. It is a popular folk remedy. I don’t think that ACV cures everything, but I do find some studies intriguing. I use ACV almost daily in my kitchen.
Apple cider vinegar is a fermentation product of pulverized apples. It’s primary active ingredient is “acetic acid” and many holistic practitioners believe that a little acid can relieve symptoms of reflux disease and heartburn. Sounds strange to you doesn’t it, but the bitter truth is that symptoms of heartburn and reflux can sometimes be related to insufficient levels of stomach acid (termed hypochlorhydria) not high levels like many of you who take acid blockers assume. So the acetic acid in ACV sometimes brings relief to people with certain digestive disorders. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t take ACV without your doctor’s approval because it could damage the delicate lining of your digestive tract.
Here are some other sweet uses for the vinegar:
High Cholesterol- An animal study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (2006) showed evidence that vinegar could lower cholesterol. The scientists gave rats some acetic acid, and their cholesterol ratio improved. But they had permanent puckers on their face afterwards, go figure.
Weight Loss- A small study conducted in 2005 found that people who consume vinegar with meals feel fuller faster! ACV also contains chromium which helps balance blood sugar and suppresses cravings for carbs. Compounds in ACV appear to help a person break down fats easier too.
Arthritis- ACV is derived from apples which give us “malic acid.” This substance helps fight infections and also relieves pain. Malic acid may ease joint pain, fibromyalgia and gouty arthritis by dissolving uric acid deposits that form around joints.
Diabetes- This is ACV’s most promising effect. Several studies have concluded that it may help control blood glucose. A 2007 study published in Diabetes Care concluded that people with type 2 diabetes experienced about a 5 percent reduction in morning blood glucose levels.
Apple cider vinegar contains a lot of enzymes too, as well as minerals and vitamins. The naturally-occurring compounds could theoretically interact with diuretics, laxatives, blood-thinners and medications often used to treat diabetes and heart diseases so run this by your physician before use.
To use ACV, just add 2 teaspoons to water each day and drink it or use it as salad dressing. Look for organic, I prefer “raw and unfiltered.”
Did You Know?
Taking blood pressure pills at night rather than the morning can help offset side effects like dizziness, nausea and daytime fatigue.
Printer-friendly versionAbout the author
I'm a graduate of the University of Florida and has been a licensed pharmacist for nearly 20 years. People call me “America’s Most Trusted Pharmacist” because I've spent the last 10 years writing a syndicated column on health which reaches millions of people each week.
Read more from Suzy at www.dearpharmacist.com
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Comments
Lori
It has been suggest that I take Red Yeast Rice due to the side effects of simvastatin. How many 600 mg capsules equal 10 mg of simvastatin?
John G Hasse
I believe that is the wrong question. Your body is making cholesterol for a reason. (The brain is largely cholesterol) Cholesterol is a needed nutrient. In general, people with higher cholesterol are healthier. Don't be deceived by the medics, who developed a chemical which lowered cholesterol, and so needed to find a disease that toxic chemical 'cured', so viola, 'hyper cholesteral' became a disease. (See Chris Masterjohn regarding the need for cholesterol.)
Health Benefits of Apple
Take proper diet and exercises, improves your blood circulation which helps to keep your skin healthy and glowing.
Anonymous
My chiropractor said apple cider vinegar, honey, and a small bit of water is beneficial. However, I take Warfarin, so will this help or hurt? I have not tried it yet.
Thank you
Anonymous
Why drugs?
Where do drugs come from?
Can you get the same results or better with what nature offers.
Drugs are given to people because that is how big pharma makes money.
Drugs control symptoms, they do not heal nor cure.
the side effects can be worse than the problem you take it for.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but...anyway.
Most drugs are created from medicinal plants... or herbs.
An herb is the term for a plant with medicinal properties.
Researchers, (MOST are paid for and controlled by big pharma, especially in colleges.) take the herbal plant and break it down to see what it's properties are.
They find and isolate the active part.
Then they chemically reproduce that part, spending millions and millions of dollars on this. If successful, they take that part and make the drug.
OK, so what so bad about that?? Well, all the checks and balances naturally occurring in the herb has been eliminated.
What makes the plant safe to take is gone... What is left is a drug that blocks symptoms, and creates all new problems.
Know this too, that if they fail to recreate a drug version of the medicinal plant, you wil never know that this herb could cure your cancer, diabetes, or any terminal or any other type of disease... If a researcher get a conscience and wants to tell the world, they are discreated and unable to get work in their field.
NOW, you ask, why not just take the herbal remedy? EUREKA !
Yes why not? Because there is no profit in it. Because big pharma will go out of business.
SO, what happens? You have big pharma get the FDA, and "our" representatives make laws to bar the claims of a cure, doctors go to jail, their offices, records and merchandise confiscated. Doctors have been jailed, but you don't hear about it.
Read about how the U.S. had an herbalist (a US Citizen, living in Ecuador as a legal resident ) kidnapped from there to be brought to the states for trial. WHY? Selling herbal remedies LEGALLY IN ECUADOR. This done and ignoring the protests of the judge and Ecuadorian law.
http://www.naturalnews.com/Index-Po...
Also check out Health Freedom Alliance to keep track of the secret amendments put into other bills to stop your ability to buy supplements, and sites like this from selling them. About Codex.
You see you have to be vigilant, the reason all this pressure to make laws to take away your rights to buy medicines that will cure you is that we are realizing how bad drugs are. Big pharma knows this and they will stop at nothing, nothing to prevent this.
http://www.healthfreedomalliance...
PS. Realizing that know one except a drug can say "cure". I rescind that word lets just say this... you will never have the same disease or problem again.
javed
There are two ways to resolve this issue---Pharma vs Natural remedies. Mobilize Public at large to focus on Natural remedies for most diseases--cancer, diabetes, or any terminal or other victims/patients are suffering from. Or apply pressure on big Pharmas to produce safe medicines that use actual herbs instead of emmulating the herb by means of chemicals.
Anonymous
hello sir,I am diabetic person,and having hypercholesteromia.My blood sugar level is 230 and cholesterol is 260.I have started medicine name "triglimiprex'2" that contain glimepiridine,metformin HCL,and pioglitazone.And also using "Nusar- AM" that contain (s)amlodipine and losartan potassium..So how safe this tablets are?And can this tablets reduce diabetes and cholesterol level?Is it right that apple can reduce it ?What are other precaution that i sholud follow?Any exercise or diet etc,.
Waiting for your kind response.
Anonymous
Can having molds and other toxins in your body cause fibromyalgia? And if you go through the detox treatments can it also go away?
Anonymous
check out www.knowthecause.com
mold can definitely do a lot of bad things to your body!
detox helps almost everything...
Imamul
My freind is suffering from Gout and severe pain on his right foot make him immobilized. He unable to put on his shoes or walk.
Is there any remedial drug or treatment to ease the pain.
Anonymous
I won't post a comment as I am a woman and all the silowettes look male. No thanks.
Anonymous
i agree, i am a woman also. no comment.
Alice Wessendorf
Hi Anonymous 11 and 12,
The silhouette is simply a neutral genderless default…neither male nor female…that is hard coded into the software until a profile is set up. Once you set up your profile and upload your photo it always appears with your comments like mine does.
We’d love to have you register (upper left hand corner…“New user? Register here.” link) and become a part of the conversation here.
Anonymous
I always catch my husband drinking the pickle juice out of the pickle jar ,he's very healthy and has very little if any body fat. My son 8 year old son was a bit pudgy but lately he's been eating pickles for snacks instead of other types of kid snacks and he has lost at least 5 lbs last Dr visit. Hmmmm..
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