I don't think it's a magic potion, but it's good stuff. I've heard it being good for reflux, weight loss. It can help lower blood sugar. It's best to use the unfiltered kind with the mother in it.

I also heard that a couple of tsp of natural cider vinegar in water is good for arthritis. A friend of mine's husband swears by it.

"Magic potion" - before anyone else tells me it isn't a magic potion, I was only being facetious. It just seems like it's used for so many things.

Very good all natural stuff, I only use the one with the "mother". If you look into ACV you will quickly find out it's the best type. It is wonderful for preventing acid reflux - GERD. My gastro doctor is the one that put us on it. Works so well we have been able to get off the meds we have been taking for years.

I have used it for helping to quickly lower my blood sugar level. I drink some daily.

My little dog has had a serious reflux problem for years, the vet recommended adding a teaspoon of ACV to her food daily and it has made a huge difference for her.

My mom was a strong believer, she rubbed vinegar on her arthritis crippled hands and she drank some every day that she lived on her own.

Give it a try.

I have a big bottle of Braggs ACV with the mother in it. i use it for muscle cramping. Two to three cap fulls in ice water with a bit of stevia in it makes for relief and it tastes very refreshing on a hot summer day.

All i know is it's a mild acid, I think 5 %. I use it to wash my 50 year old linoleum floor in the basement.

I have heard many times it is a great natural remedy. When I had cockatiels, I was even advised by the Vet to use it in the water for a bird I had with health issues.

I mix it with honey and lemon for cough or sore throat

Vicsgirl you use Apple cider vinegar for the floors or regular vinegar? I use regular vinegar in the cleaning strength, you can get it in various strengths. ACV is not as strong. Regular cleaning vinegar is a great cleaner I have spray bottles of it I use all over for cleaning,I mix in some hydrogen peroxide and water, great stuff. In fact when all the mold problems were happening after the floods from the hurricane it was suggested to use a spray of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide rather than bleach to kill it. It was used widely in the wars to clean and disinfect. I also use it to wash my produce.

When used on the advice of a physician or vet (for an animal), you can count on there being a likely benefit because there is evidence of effectiveness.

When pursuing uses by word of mouth or as folk medicine "remedies", not at all.

I've heard of the observed benefit for acid reflux, though one needs to be careful of that condition because of possible complications. I'm sure you know that.

Vinegar to clear a throat, wash a surface - sure it's useful, it's acidic. To rub on hands for arthritis or for muscle cramping, not so much.

I've written before that a small spoonful of mustard does away with muscle cramps, and I'm sure it's the vinegar in the mustard that does the trick. Snidely, there's so much anecdotal evidence of this that I hate to see you poo-poo its use. There is no money in spreading the word about vinegar, and thus the medical industry shies away from it. :)

I use apple cider vinegar on my hair, as a rinse. I use distilled white vinegar for tons of stuff, including spraying my walkways and driveway to kill weeds.

sjerin, the term you used is correct but the meaning is exactly the opposite of how you've used it. Here's what Wikipedia says about the term anecdotal evidence :

" In science, definitions of anecdotal evidence include:

• "information that is not based on facts or careful study"[9]
• "reports or observations of usually unscientific observers"[10]
• "casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis"[11]
• "information passed along by word-of-mouth but not documented scientifically "

Science advances because researchers are always looking to demonstrate cause and effect, and other researchers work hard to replicate the studies to either duplicate or disprove findings. Secrets aren't kept, funded studies get published.

It's unlikely to be the case that someone's elderly neighbor or deceased grandmother discovered something that no one else knows about. So called folk remedies exist because they date from times and places when access to modern medicine and effective meds were limited so people made do with what they had. Nothing more. A very small few have coincidentally proven to have some effectiveness, most not at all. Most have long since been tested and found to be ineffective.

snidely....WHATEVER????!!!!!!!

Is the "mother" that stuff that floats at the bottom?? I have that in my cheapo store brand of CV. I tried drinking a bit in some water due to it's health benefits, but I couldn't, because of the taste. Maybe a bit of sugar will help.

If vinegar is acidic, then how does that help with acid reflux? Could someone explain that? I don't have AR so I have not tried it for that. Over the years, I have tried ACV for different things (I buy Bragg's) but I have not seen any benefits for ME. I HAVE however, tried other non-RX treatments that have worked WONDERS for ME.

just google that question and you shall have your answer. It makes perfect sense once you understand exactly what is happening with acid reflux. I wondered the same thing more acid? But once my gastro doc explained the mechanics and science of it to me I totally grasped it. And it definitely works , better than the meds I had been taking for too many years. The problem with the meds like proton pump inhibitors is they stop a lot of the acid production in the stomach which can lead to a more alkaline environment(or very weak acid) rather than normal acid which is a very bad thing in the stomach. The esophageal muscle and sphincter at the opening to the stomach from the esophagus is triggered to snap closed with a concentration of acid to prevent a backflow, when the acid content of the stomach is weakened it is not able to make the sphincter muscles close properly leading to reflux. So adding more acid like ACV will bring the levels back to a more normal one and will make it work as it should.On people who have hernias you have another reason for the problem so it may not totally cure it. I do have a hiatal hernia but still get great results with the ACV.


You can add a little honey to the water and ACV or you can mix it with salad dressing and eat it in a salad you don't have to drink it. I put a teaspoon in about a half cup of water with ice get it cold and chug it like a shot takes a couple swallows. I put some in every one of my water bottles in the morning when I fill up. It is much like putting lemon in your water when put in with a whole glass or bottle very refreshing. I like to try lots of flavors of vinegar my favorites are pomegranate and pear and raspberry. I have a large selection of vinegars. IF you are buying regular vinegar it does not have the mother in it. You must buy one that specifically says it contains the mother, it will be settled on the bottom and is brownish so you have to shake it up really well to mix it up before using. Braggs is a common brand with the mother but Heinz also makes it. It will not be a clear vinegar.

Braggs

That must be a mother in the bottom of my little jug. It's a sedimenty stuff floating around like algae.

I tried it for hot flashes because it has been said that it helps for that but it didn't help, black cohash did help though. BUT, I think I may try it again just for the many benefits of ACV.

This is timely. DH has a cold. Going to sprouts today to get some for him. I actually love home remedies. I have developed serious allergies to certain pharmaceutical drugs (the statin group), so I now do as much naturally as possible.

sjerin - your mustard comment reminded me of when I was a child and had a chest cold, my grandmother would make a mustard plaster for our chest. All I can remember is her using a tea towel with mustard and vinegar spread on it. Then she would fold it up and lay it on our chest. Stunk like the dickens, but I think it help clear up the congestion. I might have to try drinking the vinegar and maybe I can stop using nexium. I tried to stop the nexium but the AR came back with a venegence. The Over the counter nexium wasn't strong enough, so I had to go back to the prescription. Wonder if the vinegar might help.

My husband takes some with honey every day. I should too....

Linda, it's common for one to have rebound effects when stopping Nexium-type drugs, making the symptoms even worse. Though I've had the reflux problem from time to time, I will no how/no way go on those drugs. You can go off, but you've got to take yourself off s-l-o-w-l-y.

Snidely, do you work for the pharm industry, by chance? Again, there is no money for the companies in researching acv.

I've always wondered . . . are you supposed to shake the bottle so the mother gets distributed, or what?

sjerin - I had 2 bottles of the OVC nexium, so I've been taking one of them one day and prescription one the next day, till I use them up. I think after that I'm going to try to take a prescription one every other day. On my off day I'm going to try the vinegar and see if that helps. I don't take too many prescrptions. I just take the nexum and 2 others for my high blood pressure. That's it besides my eye drops for borderline glaucoma.

sjerin, as you suggest, research like this would be done at a university or medical school, not a drug company.

Quacks, tomfoolery, and superstitious beliefs have long been a part of the health and medicine scenes. While one could say "No harm done by it", the real danger is for people who put false belief into ineffective or unproven treatments and as a result fail to get proper medical care.

I never worked for a drug company.

I for one, refuse to become a RX drug addict like the rest of our nation! When you go to a doctor, all the want to do is throw a drug at you and have basically no idea what is ailing you! Yeah they are "QUACKS" alright!

arkansas girl, deciding to avoid prescription drugs suggests you've decided that you're willing to die sooner and spend more time ill and perhaps debilitated between now and then? There's a word to describe such a decision, and it isn't "brave".

If you think your doctors are unhelpful, find new ones.

I also avoid prescription medications whenever I can (but I am grateful that they do exist if we need them). I also find that doctors are often pill pushers, but I don't blame them. The average person would rather take a pill than change their lifestyle, and many people have conditions that need treatment one way or the other. Every time I go to the doctor I walk out with 2-3 prescriptions that I never fill for things I don't want.

I think neglecting a dangerous health issue to avoid taking medication is one thing, but trying to life a healthy lifestyle to avoid the medications in the first place is another. Most prescription medications can be avoided with a healthy lifestyle.

Violetwest yes you shake it up so that the settled out stuff on the bottom is all mixed up in solution. I keep mine in the fridge.

I have always liked vinegar on foods. Mom and dad both ate lots of vinegar on food. Like boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, boiled shrimp or crawfish. I mix some with seasonings and pour it over it or use it as a dip.

My gastro doc tapered us down to get us off the nexus and prilosec, you can buy over the counter prilosec and Prevacid in decreasing strengths. We did that till we got down to one 15 mg every other day then we were able to stop but it took us a couple months at least to work it down slowly. If you go too fast you get reflux even worse. Just keep at it and reduce the strength all the while taking the ACV at least twice a day a tablespoon in a cup of water one in the morning one in the evening is how we did it. And if you get a bad reflux go immediately and do a dose. I don't recommend drinking it straight at all it can really burn the throat. I don't add anything to mine except water.

Now that we rarely get reflux we don't have to do as often. I just like it in my bottles of water.

I was one of the original test subjects in the Prevacid and prilosec drug testing projects. I was also in the one for time release tagamet it was terrible or I got the placebo, you are never told even after the testing is over if you had a placebo or a real medication. I was chosen because I had severe reflux with a high level of tissue damage in my esophagus. I was closely monitored by a team of gastroenterology specialist, I had to undergo multiple endoscopy exams through out the tests. I had to keep logs and journals. If I needed extra antacids I had to take only the ones from the bottle they gave me and it had to be documented and they counted them each time I reported in for checkups. It was very interesting and I found that both were very helpful in treating my reflux and therefore began my journey down the road of basically becoming addicted to proton pump inhibitors. Originally when I did the original drug testing for the drugs it specifically said that you can only take them for a few weeks and must stop. But they worked so well they just forgot about that warning and people kept taking them. I was on them non stop for years and years. I am so glad to be controlling it in a better way for me and am so glad I have a great gastroenterology specialist that educates himself to be not just pill driven. I am thankful for the medication that helped me for so long, and if it had been given as originally designed to be I don't think it would have been as big a problem.

That's right snidely, as usual take whatever anyone says that doesn't fit your idea of being correct and twist it into a nice little condescending nasty post. RX drugs have their uses but anyone with any sense knows that Americans take way too many RX drugs. Everyone wants the magic pill, "heavens NO, we aren't going to change our diet of sweets and fat, we want a dadgum pill!" HA!

OH and for what it's worth Snide, I'm NEVER SICK.

One of my favorite things to eat: vegetables roasted in olive oil with a sprinkling of kosher salt, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar. The vinegar really enhances the flavor!

I use apple cider vinegar in a few salad dressing recipes and things. It's a nice ingredient. Plain white vinegar is a nice house hold cleaner for some things like coffee pots and degreasing or getting stickiness off of plastics. But as a health additive. No.

If something is touted as a cure all for everything under the sun it isn't. That's not how science works. Here's what our bodies do with acids. They neutralize them and eliminate them. There is no useful purpose to add an acid to your gut.

Here is an older article explaining the real science behind it which is pretty much zilch. Of course followers of Oprah and Oz woo won't be interested but the minority on this thread that loves to gain knowledge and weigh things for themselves may like it.

Apple Cider

Just to give an example of taking drugs versus using common sense and eating right to avoid health issues. I have a family history of very unstable blood sugar so we all have to be cautious of what we eat. Most people would run to the doctor and say "doctor, give me a pill to stabilize my blood sugar!". I would rather eat a healthy meal instead of eating a cinnamon roll for breakfast to stabilize my blood sugar. I would like to think that I have enough sense to know that with unstable blood sugar, I cannot eat sugar and junk and expect to feel good! I do not need a pill if I eat a healthy diet.

When my son had a kidney stone, I read on the internet that he should take ACV. Asked his dr. about it and he said it was the worst thing he could take, as one component of kidney stones is acid, thereby ACV would contribute to the formation of the stones. I don't have any knowledge of this...just passing on what we were told.

watchmelol, nice to see someone else contributing with a balanced view and skepticism about unproven folk remedies. The link you provided has solid information from authoritative sources. Yet, some people shut down their thinking and aren't open to learning facts (yes, facts) that contradict their long held views.

arkanasas, it's true that millions suffer from so-called lifestyle afflictions brought on by poor living habits - inadequate exercise, poor food choices (like fast food) and eating too much. Diabetes, heart disease, strokes, etc., are brought on by these choices. Everyone's health can improve by living more healthy lifestyles.

If you have good health, your living habits contribute to that AND you've been lucky. You and I know there are plenty of people that fit your same profile who don't have good health. Marathon runners have heart attacks, bike riders get strokes, etc., Continue your good habits but don't go overboard attributing everything under the sun to how you eat.

raven, what do you consider "regular vinegar"? I always consider apple cider vinegar to be regular vinegar, as opposed to white vinegar. I'm interested to learn more - what's "regular vinegar"?

Regular vinegar to me is just basic white vinegar. I do get the stronger cleaning vinegar for cleaning, it's in the cleaning products aisle at the grocery store. I love flavors for putting on food and salads etc. I use the ACV only for my reflux as instructed by my gastroenterology specialist, he was spot on with his information and instructions proof is in the positive results.

"If you have good health, your living habits contribute to that AND
you've been lucky. You and I know there are plenty of people that fit
your same profile who don't have good health. Marathon runners have
heart attacks, bike riders get strokes, etc., Continue your good habits
but don't go overboard attributing everything under the sun to how you
eat."

OMG, there it is again, twisting up what I've said! Jeez oh Pete!Give it a rest would ya!? Please stop putting words into my mouth!

I agree that many people tend to want a magic RX pill for everything. and often don't want to be active in managing their health with healthier lifestyle changes.

However seeking out woo remedies or believing in the concept of good foods, bad foods super food pretty much the same type of thinking.

There is one and only one cure for the common cold. Time. The vinegar is not magic. The magic is the hot drink (or really the steam from it) if you happen to like hot drinks. Honey is no more magical for soothing a throat than a lifesaver. It's sweet, it temporarily coats. So does a popsicle. I don't care for hot liquids as a rule so my body tends to crave spicy food when I'm ill. Maybe it helps to clear the sinuses or maybe I like it because my taste buds are dulled too much for bland foods. I don't overthink it. Unless I develope an infection the illness will go away in X number of day no matter what I do or don't do other than rest and stay hydrated. I'm sure not going to tell everyone that the spicy chili verde cured my cold. LOL

That's why they always say that the person who finds a cure for the common cold will make a fortune. The "remedies" you speak of are for feeling less miserable not curing, so it's no surprise that that's all they do.

What's the big deal if Ravencajun attributes the control of her reflux to diluted vinegar? It works for her. I'm guessing that it might be the bacteria in the mother that do the trick. If someone were to try it on her say-so, what harm would it cause? Why is vinegar worse as a friction rub than alcohol? If it makes the arthritis feel better, and is mild enough not to bother the skin, where's the harm? We're not talking about trying to cure cancer with expensive apricot pits.

Yeah and how about all the horrible side effects they list for prescription drugs. Let us not forget they have their risks also!

A friend of mine suffered from seasonal allergies every year. He decided to try taking a couple teaspoons of local honey every day and has not suffered from allergies since. Who is going to tell this man that his honey trick isn't working? It certainly worked for him!

All this diatribe because of a simple post on apple cider vinegar? LOL I think everyone knows it won't cure cancer.

All this goes to show the human body is very diverse. Diet/exercise/medicines; many are affected differently by all these things. There is no ONE perfect regime for living well. What might work for one, might not for anyone else. People who experience pain, discomfort and have found modern medicine to not work for them look else where. I do not see the harm is a few suggestions, a few anecdotal fixes between friends. We are all free to take or leave these personal accounts. I hope no one thinks a suggestion here has any more or less credibility than some of the advertisements they see on TV!!!

You know I heard about this bread mold ... Oh wait that was penicillin! Imagine the remarks that one got and the laughs and jeers. And then there's the lizard spit... One of the most successful diabetes drugs, we still jokingly call it the lizard spit drug in the diabetes education classes I attended. How many beautiful flowers are the base for good medicine, digitalis comes to mind...

I mix about a quarter cup with a quarter cup blue mouth wash, and add enough really hot water to cover my toes...and soak my feet in it.

I also shampoo my hair and then work in some baking soda and peroxide and then rinse it out, follow it with a cup of apple cider vinegar to make my hair extra white.

arkansasgirl: You go girl!

That's strange I tried it felt like it was eating my stomach

Well, look at all the stuff they are pushing on to you to drink, to eat, etc. and people are falling for it all like the apple cider, my mother was all for it and went for it.They want you to buy, buy, buy and so they suck you into so much and hype it up that this cures all. Everyone has their own different thing they believe in that cures all and your neighbours is apple cider.