The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Blanche (New Iberia, La) on 10/06/2009:
ACV for arthritis and nail fungus, and heartburn
I have been using organic apple cider vinegar daily for about 8 months now, internally and for nail fungus. It has been a godsend for my arthritis. I no long take pain killers for the pain and swelling in my hands and knees. Ted's recipe for toenail fungus has worked also, though it took a several months, my toenail is now just about normal.
I have been drinking raw apple cider vinegar w/ mother for almost 2weeks now. i am so thrilled that i no longer suffer from arthritis in my ankle. When i was 16yrs old i was in a car accident & shattered my right ankle & broke all 3 bones in my left leg. it wasnt until i was in my mid twenties did i start to notice my ankle would become so stiff and painful that i couldnt even walk on it w/out limping.I came across the apple cider vinegar recipe and decided what have a got to lose? I thank god everyday! i sip on this stuff everyday(with a straw because my teeth were turning yellow from it) and i have never felt stiffnees or pain or swelling since. The dose I take is 32 oz.'s of water with 2tsp's of raw apple cider vinegar w/ mother.
I have spinal stenosis and scoliosis and my back got so bad that I started limping. I had severe pain especially if I bent over. My back literally was killing me with pain. I was taking prescription naprosen (1000 mg/per day). That had little effect on the pain. I had arthritis in both index fingers, both shoulders and my back was full of it. I remembered that I had heard or read somewhere about ACV. I found this web site and read everything I could on ACV. I was so encouraged! I went out that day and bought a qt of organic ACV. The first time I took it I wondered how could I continue taking it. However the taste was not as bad as the pain I was going through. I quit taking the pain medication and just used ACV. I take about 3 ozs. to 4ozs a day in some water. After about 3 or 4 days, I noticed the pain throughout my body starting to subsiding. By the end of 2 weeks the pain was literally gone. I can bend over with no pain, hop around with no pain and play with my cat. No more NSAIDS, only ACV. I have been telling everyone I see about this MIRACLE CURE FOR PAIN. I hope I have encouraged someone sitting on the fence to try this. By the way, there are other benefits to taking ACV.
I have long used shots of ACV for painful arthritis in my thumbs, however today read about someone using it for sinus infections. I seldom get these anymore since I saline cleanse my nose every day but I have one now and just took a shot. We'll see (not enough time has gone by to comment on this yet). Also, unlike some folks I just drink it straight (kind of plug your nose first so you don't cough). Drink some water and voila!
I have been taking ACV for almost a month. I started taking it for arthritis which developed in my hands and feet this winter. I noticed almost immediately that the pain was gone, I was truly amazed. Another great side effect is that my adult acne has all but disappeared, and my skin is much softer, wrinkles less prominent, my nails are stronger, too. After researching the internet (including this site) I decided I also wanted to try ACV for weight loss as well. I want to lose about 60 lbs. total and in spite of eating a pretty healthy diet and being active I'm still overweight. I have not heard anyone else report this but since I have been taking ACV I've noticed my body shape is different, my waist is definitely a bit smaller, etc. but my clothes fit exactly the same. So I am not losing much weight yet. I will stick with ACV for all the other great benefits but the jury is still out on the weight loss.
I tried ACV for UTI's with great success and have already written in about that. I am also loosing weight, and my arthritis symptoms have completely disappeared.
I also installed a reverse osmosis water filter to remove fluoride from my drinking water. I don't know if it is the ACV, or the fluoride free water that is making a difference, but I feel great. I have more energy and no more "brain fog"! My pain is gone! Maybe it is the combination, but it works!
Hi to all those in the UK who are thinking of using ACV, it is absolutely amazeing! I am a 60 yr old RN and have had severe pain in my hips and lower back for 3 years, medics said it is because Im on my feet all day on the wards and gave me NSAIDs which were not effective and I would wake up in pain every morning and it was becoming so restrictive I'd even contemplated a double hip replacement. I then read about ACV on this site and gave it a go,WOW!! within 48 hours all the burning in my hips had gone! I could not believe it,even my wife noticed how fluently I was moving again, I use 2 tablespoons with honey twice a day, its even more effective with 72.5mgs Aspirin with my night time dose, Aspirin is a known anti inflammatory, I really cannot thank this site enough.As a person who has worked in the health profession for thirty years and put my complete trust in its remedy,s it is a real eye opener and has definately changed my opinions, Good luck everyone.
Apple cider vinegar all but eliminated swelling and pain. I am 58 and have been in good shape most of my life but had a low back injury over 3 years ago and have had severe pain and stiffness which has sent me to doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists and even a rolfer for 15 sessions! All of these helped but very temporarily. I have also been doing yoga and exercises from a book called Relaxercise (excellent by the way) which have also helped but only somewhat. I had been getting worse within the past few months and had develped knee, foot and hand pain along with swelling of these areas especially one ankle and foot which was twice the normal size. It hurt to walk or wear any type of shoe. My husband is an RN who looked at my swollen ankle and foot and told me it almost looked like gouty arthritis. This comment prompted me to research the subject and I found a blog of 100's of people all of who had been using ACV and all but 1 person rated the treatment 5 stars. I immediately went to a health food store and bought the organic, unfiltered ACV and started by taking 3 tablespoons in a large glass of water sweetened with organic raw honey. Following the first dose the night before, I woke to find the swelling reduced to about 1/4 of what it had been and the pain nearly gone. The stuff works like a miracle! I have continued to take it every day but have cut down the dose to 2 tablespoons 2-3 times per day in the same amount of water with honey. I have only a twinge of pain and 1 spot of swelling about the size of a quarter remaining on my ankle. Amazingly, my low back has less pain and more mobility than what I have ever had since the injury over 3 years ago. All this and I have only discovered this treatment less than 1 week ago! Amazing!!
I have been taking NSAIDs for almost 20 years--couldn't work without them.
My new chiropractor suggested 1 tsp apple cider vinegar in 16 oz of water 3x a day. Why have I not tried this before?
THE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR HAS TO BE FRESH--THE KIND YOU SHAKE UP WITH SEDIMENTS AT BOTTOM--not the strained kind you get in the vinegar section of the grocery store (yuk!)--in order to have the best effect. The organic ACV is quite sweet, and I don't need honey to sweeten it. I actually like the taste.
I mix up a big 64 oz drink with 1 TBL of ACV in it and drink it throughout the day in a big insulated cup.
My arthritis is feeling much better. I have days I forget to take my daily NSAID. I'm thinking more clearly, and since the pain and inflammatory pressure are lifting, my mood is improving as well.
I can't wait to try some of the other things mentioned here. Thank you so much for this site!
Renna (Bucks County, United States) on 09/02/2008:
I woke up another sleepless night-- my arthritis has been the worst this year-- At 51, I thought, I can't believe I am gonna end up in this kind of pain. I read the story from Sandy,from Merced CA and thought how that could be me. Then I read the rest of the stories. It was 6 am, and I thought what do I have to lose. I ran out and purchased ACV- Warmed up a bowl and immediately my hands felt 100% better. I am gonna try the drink mixture later of ACV & Honey. I AM AT A LOSS FOR WORDS. THANK YOU ALL.
Apple Cider Vinegar is the best thing that works for my fathers arthritis. When it gets so painful on his hands and arms he soaks a cloth or hand towel with apple cider vinegar (and wrings it out so that is is not dripping). He then wraps it around his hand and arm and puts a plastic bag over it (because the smell is so strong and also so that it keeps the cloth in tact, and keeps the vinegar of of contact with anything). He leaves this on for about 1/2 hour a few times a day. This really helps reduce the pain and it also gets his hands and fingers mobile again. He does reuse the same saturated cloth several times so he does not need to use so much acv. The other thing that helps him reduce his pain quickly is he heats them up by his wood stove. Out of many things he has tried these are the ones that work for him the best. So good luck. Let others know if this worked for you too. Thanks Ted and everyone else for all the great info.
ACV is a miracle, have stopped taking medication for nerve pain in legs, and for acid reflux. Arthritis is not a problem anymore, and have lost 25 lbs in 8 week. I feel 20 years younger, and will be on ACV for the rest of my life.
I strongly urge you to buy only the Organic, raw, unfiltered ACV, without preservatives. I am a 62 year old woman who suffers from arthritis and acid reflux. Every morning I mix 1 tbls ACV with 1 tbls raw honey in a 16 oz glass of lukewarm filtered water. I do the same thing at night time. Only I mix it in 6 to 8 oz water. Otherwise I would be up all night. My arthritis pain has gone away and I no longer suffer from acid reflux.
On the latest post dated 8/23/2007 by Crystal who has severe RA at such a young age. I am sure Ted will have some good remedies for her, but in the meantime, I would like to tell her my story.
I am 64 years old. About 4 years ago my arthritis got so bad, it was difficult for me to walk to the mailbox and back and when going up stairs, I would have to take one step at a time. By that I mean, get one foot on a step and bring the other to that step and so on. I had to go down them the same way and be very careful to always hold onto the banister. My knees and hips were very painful all the time. I read in a book I had about taking organic apple cider vinegar, honey and water for different health reasons. Not sure what I decided to take it for now, but it wasn't for the arthritis.
Anyway I did begin to take the ACV everyday. I took it twice a day. One day I came to the stairs and walked right up them without any problems. I didn't think anything about it until I got to the top. Then I thought about what I just did. I couldn't believe I did that without any pain or effort. From then on, I have been walking stairs and taking long walks without pain. I mean NO pain. I do know it was the ACV drink because for one thing it was the only thing I was doing different at the time. Then I didn't take the drink for a few weeks. I guess I got lazy. The pain started to come back so I started back on it and the pain stopped immediately Now I take it for about a week and off 2 weeks or more but I don't have to take it constantly and that's working out for me. You have to use organic apple cider vinegar not the distilled. It should be 2 tablespoons ACV with the baking soda (so the vinegar won't harm the teeth) plus 1 tablespoon raw honey in a glass of water. I think in my case the pain went away so slowly, I hadn't noticed the change until that day I climbed those stairs. Crystal, please don't give up. It may take a while but I believe it will work for you too.
I had joint pain continually in my thumbs... could hardly grip anything... tried ACV..able to use my thumbs again the NEXT DAY... 95% pain gone. I mixed it with orange juice and drank quickly... ran out of orange juice. only juice on hand was Friut Solutions... taste a lot better and easier to get down
I read about the properties of Cider Vinegar about 6 wks ago. I have Crohn's and after coming off an immunosuppressant some 18 months ago I developped a not uncommon side effect of Crohn's, flitting arthritis, quite intense, moving from joint to joint, generally in the wrists/hands, sometimes the feet, on a daily basis. I tried cider vinegar and after a few days I was virtually pain free for about a week, and then messed up the quantity required, and it came back. I have found that about 2 tbspns a day, spread through the day (with a slice of lemon and tspn of honey, generally 1 tbsn with a pint of hot water is a refreshing drink in the afternoon) and after a couple of days I was almost pain free (a vague awareness, not pain, of certain joints) and that has gone on now for over a week. I take 1 tspn in the morning with some lime juice and again 2 more lots of the same in the evening and just before bed
It also appears to be beneficial for the Crohn's, product/leaking.
Below that, even 1 tspn, the arthritis makes its presence felt, but much less so.
I have concerns about the acidity and the long term effect on teeth, so I am now trying it with some bicarb. I will report back.
Unfortunately it did not work on a wart on my finger, but then that has been resisting everything (surgery, freezing, caustic pencil, salicylic acid (3 yrs) duct tape) for the last 15 years.
I have been suffering from partial bowel obstruction from adhesions due to a liposuction that went bad back in the 90's. I have suffered from severe pain, nausea and hemerroids due to the inability to fully cleanse myself out because of the blockage. This has been on going for the past 5 years. I would have an "episode" at least once a week, sometimes 2 and 3 times a week. The pain was unbearable and would literally take my breath away. Since I started taking one shot of ACV daily I have yet to have an "episode". I now have the best movements in years! I am completely amazed! Also, I suffer or should I say used to suffer from arthritis in my hips. I have absolutely no pain at all now and I know it is from the ACV because I haven't done anything else to remedy. I wish someone would have told me about this a long time ago. It is the simpliest thing in the world to do and it is all natural! God Bless Apple Cider Vinegar! If you haven't tried it, YOU SHOULD! Also, my complexion is glowing!
I used to drink acv & honey 2 x a day and for some reason stopped. Started noticing a lot of pain in both elbows. Dr. said it was arthritis. Told me to stop lifting weights. I didn't completely stop, but did slow down. Started drinking the acv & honey 2 x a day again, for allergies. While looking at your website, it occured to me that I have not been having pain while lifting weights, even though I had increased the weight amount. I used to not be able to touch the bones on the sides of either elbow without it hurting...I just touched them and there is NO PAIN!! I really hadn't thought about the difference until I was reading your website. ACV & honey will be taken EVERY DAY...TWICE A DAY. Two capfuls of acv & 9 squirts of honey/2 tablespoons full. This stuff REALLY, REALLY, WORKS!!!
I just wanted to say I am truly amazed how ACV works for arthritis. I have little to no joint pain, since I have started taken the ACV cocktail, for two months now. I took pain medicine for years, with not half the benefit of ACV. Thanks so much for your site. It is a blessing. 1/4 cup acv 2oz of cranberry juice 8oz water. Two times a day.If it is to tart add some honey or apple juice it really is refreshing to drink. It really works...Good luck..
Well, this is my 4th day using vinegar in hopes of helping my arthritis. Wrote in last week saying I'd let you know how its going. I stand truly amazed. I don't even recognize my body. The aches thus far, are 99% gone. I literally can jump up out of a chair. What an absolute miracle. I am speechless. As for weight? Yes! I've noticed a bit of a change already. Will let you know more.
Rhonda (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) on 03/11/2007:
I read the articles on this site and started using acv with water. Right away the pain of arthritis went away! I had not been able to work, play or much of anything in over a year. I was getting worse by the day. I had not had a pain free day in over a year! After only one day, it eased up. After 3 days my pain was gone completely!!! I'm not joking here. Those of us with RA know how bad the pain is. I had to stop taking Celebrex because of stomach problems caused by the meds. Now my skin is smoother, I have TONS of energy (not hyper), and just feel better over all. I'm trying to get hubby to give it a try since he has acid reflux and a fuzzy-headed feeling for 6 months now. I'll get him to try it eventually! He's amazed at my lack of pain now. Thank you all so much for posting your findings, it's given me my old self back and I've missed it!
I have RA and have kept it at bay very successfully for 20 years primarily with an ACV and honey drink (water, 1 tbls acv, 1 tbls honey). I also avoid my trigger foods (for me are Citric acid and red meat) but if I feel any achiness at all coming on its back to my ACV and honey drink for a few days and I am good.
1 Tablespoon ACV with 2 Tablespoons water a day cured my arthritis and hot flashes. My friend told my husband and I to take ACV for our sore wrists and hands and we started 2 mos. ago. After one mo. I noticed I had absolutly NO hot flashes. This amazed me. I really had them bad night and day. I also noticed no acid reflux (quit taking my prilosec a month ago) and no restless legs to speak of. I also feel I have lost a couple of lbs. Of Course the hand and wrist pain is gone. This is probably crazy but my eyelashes are longer. Pretty funny huh?
I mixed 1 tablespoon of acv with 1 teaspoon of raw honey in 6 oz of water and drank it three times a day. It instantly cured my arthritis, I was suprised. And my appetite is suppressed. I recommend this to anyone , oh and i do not have to take an allergy pill' I highly recommend this to anyone who has any kind of problem. my grandpa used to use this and he is 76 years old healthy.
I originally tried ACV for weight loss; I have a stubborn 20 pounds to lose. I was pleasantly surprised as to how pain-free I became in a matter of a few days. My knees no longer 'click' when I go up stairs. I can bend and squat to play with my children and no longer suffer ankle pain from the effort. My acid reflux is gone as well. When I run out of ACV, in a matter of days, the pain returns and I'm like an old lady once more. It works for me!
In 1991 I had a cortisone injection in my I would need another every 6 months and would eventually need an operation. Having read Dr Jarvis's cider vinegar book, I drank daily about 500ml of mixture (1 tsp honey, 2 tspns cider vinegar to a glass or cup of water). Although it had no immediate effect, I continued to take it for general health reasons, but after 2-3 months, suddenly realised that I had no pain in hand/wrist. Despite having lazily ceased this practice, I still have no trouble in the hand. Perhaps my recent right hip replacement would not have been necessary had I continued treatment. I have now resumed the habit, making up a litre jug of mixture and drinking it frequently, in hopes of preventing the need for a left hip replacement as some signs of wear are apparent. I am convinced of the benefits, but warn people that it is not a short term fix. On the other hand, 15 years of no pain suggests that it is has a long-term effect. Go for it!
In the mid to late 1980's I was working in an Extended Care Unit in a hospital, working as a Care Aide. All through out this time I had been seeing my doctor because of constant pain due to arthritis. My back and knees hurt so bad sometimes it was near unbearable. My knees were so bad I could not touch a knee cap with a finger it hurt so bad. X-rays were taken of my knees, showing spurs under the knee cap itself. X-Rays also take of the small of my back, the doctor said he'd never seen arthritis so bad in someone so young, that everything was becoming one, even my fingers were beginning to twist. He tried me on different arthritis pills to see which would work the best, one finally JUST eased the pain slightly. Now working in the hospital that your doctor works is not to good at times. I was attempting to kneel down and had a extremely hard time of it trying to stay more on my side and very hard time trying to stand; my doctor happened to be on the floor at that time and saw this, told me to make an appointment to see him, he then told me I would have to find other work because I couldn't live like this. The pills the doctor had me on cost $60 a month. He said I would have to take them the rest of my life. At home I thought of this, then remembered something my chiropractor told me, take 2 teaspoons acv, 2 teaspoons of honey in water, adjust to taste. One day (no longer working at the hospital) I ran out of pills, out of money, then remembered what my chiropractor said. I thought there would be a transition period for the acv to work, I was preparing myself for a whole lot of unbearable pain. I started the drink that night and every night for 1 week. Besides flushing my kidneys out, there was NO transition at all. There was no pain, absolutely nothing...and still there is no pain. So I followed my chiropractors instructions because obviously he knew what he was talking about. I then stopped taking it. I found I would get cravings for it, so I took this as my body telling me it needed it. To this day I had not taken any pills from the doctor for arthritis. It has now been 16 years. If you read the instructions how to clean a drip coffee machine, it says to use vinegar. Vinegar dissolved calcium build in the machine and I've found it dissolved the build up in my body. I am back taking acv, this time daily...do not plan on stopping this time. This really is a miracle for me and do advise people to try it, it really does work, besides what have you got to lose other than pain, and you can't beat the cost. It won't hurt and anything as far as I'm concerned is better than taking pills from doctors who treat symptoms...not cure.
I have arthritis of the spine and a friend of mine gave me a recipe with apple juice, grape juice and Apple Cider Vinegar. I have been taking a 1/2 cup daily for about a month and I know that it is helping me tremendously. I can get out of bed in the mornings without having to stand still for a few seconds. It has also helped me curb my appetite.
I am a huge proponent of RAW apple cider vinegar. My husband and I have been using it three times daily for about five weeks. He no longer has the joint stiffness and pain associated with arthritis. We did quit using all sugar and white processed flour as well.
I suffer from chronic arthritis of the ankle due to a serious injury several years ago. There is no cartilage left between my joint according to my X-rays. After being prescribed Celebrex I was concerned about finding out later that it caused adverse side affects like Vioxx. After hearing from a friend about the healing affects of ACV, I went cold turkey off Celebrex and began using ACV. I had been taking Celebrex for about two months and I thought that once I stopped the drug I would be in extreme pain. After two weeks of using ACV only, there is very little pain or swelling any more. I will continue to use ACV for other ailments as well.
(1) 
I have spinal stenosis and scoliosis and my back got so bad that I started limping. I had severe pain especially if I bent over. My back literally was killing me with pain. I was taking prescription naprosen (1000 mg/per day). That had little effect on the pain. I had arthritis in both index fingers, both shoulders and my back was full of it. I remembered that I had heard or read somewhere about ACV. I found this web site and read everything I could on ACV. I was so encouraged! I went out that day and bought a qt of organic ACV. The first time I took it I wondered how could I continue taking it. However the taste was not as bad as the pain I was going through. I quit taking the pain medication and just used ACV. I take about 3 ozs. to 4ozs a day in some water. After about 3 or 4 days, I noticed the pain throughout my body starting to subsiding. By the end of 2 weeks the pain was literally gone. I can bend over with no pain, hop around with no pain and play with my cat. No more NSAIDS, only ACV. I have been telling everyone I see about this MIRACLE CURE FOR PAIN. I hope I have encouraged someone sitting on the fence to try this. By the way, there are other benefits to taking ACV.
