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.
Brands of Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Amber (Flint, Mi) on 01/13/2010
Hi, I actually have a question and couldn't figure out where to post it. I have been using Apple cider Vinegar from the Meijer brand. I really like it, I like the taste. But I bought the Heinz brand because I wasn't sure whether the Meijer brand is derived from real apples or not. And if it would work just as well. Does anyone know if it is? Because I can't handle the taste of the Hienz brand, it is terrible! Any help on whether the meijer brand is okay to use would be great, thank you!
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Speedy (Columbia, Sc) on 01/09/2010
Use a drinking straw aimed at the back of the mouth to drink the ACV water concoction. It gets the drink past the teeth and most of the taste buds. Goes down smooth (almost.) Love this site.
ACV Chasers
Posted by Terry (Clarksville, Arkansas, United States) on 01/09/2010
Can anyone tell if there is any disadvantage to just taking two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar orally and just quickly getting it over with? I am one of those people who just likes to get it over with quickly when it comes to unsavory tasting drinks or food.
Recipes
Posted by Eli (Brazil) on 01/07/2010
I don't think it affects efficacy. For example, one tablespoon of ACV in one litre of water ingested is still one tablespoon of ACV when ingested, along from one litre of water, period.
However, concentration is important. Undiluted ACV is more acidic than ACV that is diluted and that has ramifications: for example, it may hurt your teeth enamel more than diluted vinegar (although some dispute that). It may also impact liver cleansing, I would suppose. But I'm just speculating: since ACV is not patentable, we will never know because there is no financial interest in paying for such studies in order to understand the effects of ACV on health.
There is also some people who advise on very diluted ACV all day long instead of having a couple of "doses" in a day. You just have to try each for a couple of weeks and see that works best for you. Everybody is different.
Recipes
Posted by Jd (Quezon City, Philippines) on 01/07/2010
What is the difference between taking ACV with 8oz water from drinking it undiluted ? Does it affect its efficacy ?
Thanks in advance
Bacterial Vaginosis
Posted by Kh (Oklahoma City, Ok) on 12/18/2009
I have used regular vinegar for years now to clear up any problems in the region. I just buy the disposable douche bottles in the box with solution already in them, pour the solution out and replace with 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water. Do this twice a day for 2 days and then Im fine. It does sting a little at first, but nothing unbearable. The vinegar odor does not last long at all (maybe an hour or two). ACV is alot more powerful than regular vinegar so I would imagine it works better.
Foot Health
Posted by Queenie (Houston, Texas) on 12/16/2009
★★★★★
Apple cider vinegar cured my hurting feet within 3 days i will continue drinking it for weight loss, i am so thankful.
Weight Loss
Posted by Jenny (Kaiser, Missouri) on 11/30/2009
★★★★★
I HAVE VERY GOOD RESULTS FOR WEIGHT LOSS USING ___S APPLE CIDER VINEGAR. IVE LOST ALMOST 20 POUNDS IN 4MONTHS!!!! AND ITAKE 4TABLESPOONS WITH 1TEASPOON OF RAW HONEY TWICE A DAY FOR BAD FATIGUE. I HAVE RHEAMOTOID ARTHRITIS. THIS HAS BEEN A LIFE SAVIOR!!!
Flus and Colds
Posted by Shabbycrafter (Dos Palos, Ca) on 11/14/2009
★★★★★
For the past two days my daughter has had a horribly sore throat with white spots on it. She's had a fever, body aches, and sniffles as well. After calling around and finding that the local doctors were booked up and the rural clinic would be $250 just to see the doctor, I decided to figure out how to help her myself. I remembered a friend suggesting ACV so I gave it a try. I gave my daughter (18 years old) 2 tablespoons of ACV in an 8 oz. glass of water. She sat and sipped on it for a while. Her sore throat immediately calmed to the point where she was able to fall asleep and slept most of the night. Around 6:30 am she woke up and did the same routine again and is up and around today looking better than she has in days. I should add here that along with the ACV I gave her an over-the-counter pain reliever as well. From now on, I've decided I'm going to treat everything I can in this manner. The treatment worked better than anything I've ever seen! Amazing!
General Health Tonic
Posted by Reader (La, Ca) on 11/10/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
To Earth Clinic: Roz from Calgary, Canada's comment on ACV as a general health tonic is mostly very positive, but she warns that a doctor thinks it caused her husband's stomach bleeding, so it would help readers if you label the post as also having a warning.
Website Articles
Posted by Rachel (Reinholds, Pa) on 11/04/2009
I agree that while Mercola has a lot of good things to say and is helpful in getting Americans to THINK about their health, he has a lot of interest in getting us to buy his things. ie imported herb etc. I am especially interested in helping folks relearn how to use the simple things at hand like apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper and activated charcoal. When we take back the responsibility for our own health we will be in better shape as a nation. Thank you Earth Clinic for your part in this re-education.
I have used ACV for the flu and warts before but I never did much research on it. Two days ago I bought a small book on the benefits of ACV. One paragraph got my attention. It claimed that ACV will lower the blood pressure. I am a good subject to try it on because I have extremely high blood pressure. (200/115) and none of the meds that the doctor has given have lowered it. I do eat a healthy diet and am a master herbalist and have tried ALL the right things and they did not work. I used the ACV - 4 times a day taking 2 Tbls of vinegar in a glass of water. I did not add the honey because I do not need the extra sugar. Today, after only 2 days my B/P is 175/100. That is dramatic since the b/p meds were not even bringing it down. I will try to report in week to tell you if it has continued to lower my b/p. I am hoping that it will.
Thank you all for this helpful information
Energy
Posted by Goji (London, England) on 11/03/2009
★★★★★
I've just reached the ripe old age of 72 years, but inwardly still feel 20. However, over the last few months I have been having problems finding enough energy to get through household and other tasks and, and life had lost its magic. I felt like an old person. In the past I'd tried a well known brand of organic ACV, but it did nothing to help how I felt. Then about a fortnight ago I came across an iconic brand (I'm not allowed to mention names) of raw, unfiltered ACV containing the mother, and I began taking one tablespoon in water sweetened with stevia three times a time just before meals. I now wake up with a song in my heart, the world has suddenly become beautiful again, and my energy has been restored. And I feel the way I walk has become more free, looser somehow, as though I am walking more like a younger person.
I just hope that the ACV continues to work its magic.
Hair Growth
Posted by Noreen (Los Angeles, Ca) on 10/14/2009
thank you
Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
Posted by Lisa (Thousand Oaks, Ca, USA) on 10/07/2009
You had me laughing out loud... Clown Feet! I can only imagine. And yes there is a difference in quality of ACV. When I first started trying ACV after coming to this site, I used Heinz since it was in my pantry and I was anxious to get started with ACV. It took me about 5 days to finally get to the health food store to get _____s- the one with the mother as they say. Without a second thought, I took a tablespoon of it as soon as I got home which was the night- about 8 pm. After going to bed I awoke about 3am with raging detox symptoms- sweating, chills, body aches which were excruciating and basically feeling sick. I rolled over and said to my husband that I felt really sick and he said," Don't you remember you took the ACV when you got home?" Never had anything with the Heinz. Big difference...
Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
Posted by Deirdre (Earth Clinic) on 10/07/2009
Not all apple cider vinegars are made alike.
Okay, yeah, I win this week's "ultimate dork" award. I have been faithfully following Tricia's remedy for cracked heels for days now. Yesterday, a dark and gloomy day in Atlanta, I proceeded with Tricia's remedy as usual and used a fine nail file on the cracked area of my feet and heels. Then it came to soaking them, and this is where I changed my protocol and decided to use cheap apple cider vinegar from Heinz that I bought at the store ages ago. Usually I use the organic, raw, decidedly more expensive ACV to soak my feet, but not this time. Heh heh. I filled up my casserole dish with 1 inch of apple cider vinegar (room temperature & undiluted) and then started soaking my feet as I worked at the computer. I lost track of time. Some time passed, maybe a lot of time. I came out of my Earth Clinic computer fog enough to register that my feet were FREEZING and that an hour and a half had passed. A trace longer than the half hour that I usually soaked. My feet did look pickled and prune-faced, but that didn't worry me. I went and rinsed off the apple cider vinegar. Heh heh. Then I sat down to apply the moisturizer, just as Tricia recommended, and that's when I saw my new feet. By new, I mean discolored, burned, orange-tinged feet with a dark line running across the bottom half of my ankle, showing where the apple cider vinegar stopped and the air began. They looked so ridiculous, the feet of a clown: half orange, half pasty white.
Confidentally, I was certain the new color scheme would fade within the hour. But they didn't. Or they haven't I should say. Time has passed, almost 24 hours, and my clown feet have not returned to their original color. Wish me luck.
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/30/2009
Oh, no problem, Tanya. But be aware that the fermentation will draw fruit flys. And btw, the vinegar is ready when the cider smells and tastes like vinegar...let your nose and tastebuds be your guide. Also, homemade vinegar can vary in acidity and sometimes have a pH of above (meaning more alkaline than) 5, which is why it shouldn't be used for water-bath canning of pickles, relishes, etc. In other words, home made vinegar may not be acidic enough to deter botulism in water-bath processed home-canned goods.
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Tanya (Hailey, Id) on 09/30/2009
Thank you for this recipe! I have always wondered how to do this!
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Kathy (Dubois, Pa) on 09/30/2009
Grocery store ACV (acetic acid) starts out as "glacial" acetic acid...that is, water-free acetic acid, which has a pH of 2.4. They then take that glacial acetic acid and water it down to a pH of 5 to get a standardized solution of acetic acid that they label "vinegar"...in other words they "reduce" the acidity to 5 percent. That is what they mean by "reduced to 5 percent". I don't' know if what they call organic vinegar is also just diluted glacial acetic acid, so I'll find out by reading the label the next time I go to the store. Personally, organic vinegar is so much more expensive than regular vinegar that it is not worth the price. Plus, it is very easy to make your own organic vinegar at home. Buy a gallon of organic apple cider. Remove the lid, and cover the top with several thicknesses of cheesecloth, secured with a rubber band (to keep the fruit flys out). Stir the cider around to introduce air into it and in a few weeks, it will naturally turn to vinegar. Put the cap on and shake the cider every day to make sure that air is getting into it (acetobacteria are an aerobic species and need oxygen to do their work). You can also innoculate your cider with a small amount of vinegar (organic or regular) to get the fermentation going. Given time and oxygen, cider or wine will turn to vinegar.
p.s. and in case you haven't noticed, regular old grocery store vinegar will also develop a mother culture over time, so there is nothing special about organic vinegar except the price.
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Harold (Lantana, Florida) on 09/29/2009
After reading this website I went to the grocery store to buy ACV. All the brands had what was called 5% reduced> Are these effective as Organic? If not where do you purchase organic? And what do they mean by 5% reduced?
Thanks
Harold
EC: Many grocery stores are now selling organic apple cider vinegar. We've seen it stocked at Publix and Kroger in their "healthy eating" section.
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Carolyn (Hobbs, Nm Usa) on 09/29/2009
Premixing ACV and Honey
If you are having trouble getting the honey to mix with the ACV try this. I talked to the B__gg people and they said it is fine to do this. I mix 1 c. ACV and 1/2 c. Honey together and put into an empty ACV bottle. Then when I am ready to drink it I take out 1 Tablespoon full and mix in 8 oz. water and drink. I don't mix up any more than that because the B__gg folks said to not keep it over a week like that. Works great for me and saves a lot of time.
Thanks,
Carolyn
EC: Thanks for finding that out and sharing it with us!
Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
Posted by Tricia (Ireland) on 09/26/2009 84 posts
One thing that I forgot to say in my previous post is to mark your nail file in some manner i.e. nail polish. Make it obvious so that you never use it on your finger nails or that somebody else might use it inappropriately. If you are carrying an infection of any kind (and most people do) it will be transferred to the fingers. The nail file can be cleaned with peroxide or rubbing alcohol but the dust is so minute and nail files are not easy to fully clean without a steriliser. So make sure it is kept for YOUR feet. As we say in Ireland "to be sure, to be sure".
Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
Posted by Tricia (Ireland) on 09/25/2009 84 posts
To Deirdre Re cracked heels. I have had great success with the following -
Before you put your feet in any liquids use an emery board to remove any dry flaky skin. Your feet MUST be dry for this. Wet skin will only move with the emery board not fall away. The type of emery board is important. Here we use the black style. The types for nails that come in different colors i.e. pink blue etc. The reason you don't want to use the metal ones or the one designed specifically for the feet that are like cheese graters is that they are too hard and pull too much skin at once from what is already a very dry area. Think of how they would leave the cheese looking. I always recommend that this can be done while watching the telly or listening to the radio cos you can't damage yourself with these as you can with the metal type. Try to get the hard bit on the edge of the cracks without making yourself sore. You will be very surprised at the amount of dust that you will see coming away from your skin but this is normal. The brown old fashioned emery boards are too gentle and the black ones are perfect. When the dust stops flying move to the next part. If you are getting sore at all you have done enough for the day. More will come off tomorrow.
Rinse that dust off your feet as while it is blocking your pores you will absorb nothing transdermally. And it should only be dust, if you see larger bits of skin the emery board is too strong for you. At this stage you can soak your feet in any liquid of your choice i.e. anti-fungal, vinegar, peroxide or oils or salts for as long as suits you. Doing this with a couple of sports clubs some of the men chose to do it with plain old washing up liquid (detergent). So it is a case of whatever suits you. Use antiseptics or peroxide if there is any chance of an infection or dirt being caught in the cracks as it may close over the dirt and cause a diferent problem.
Then this is most important. Pack the cracks with some kind of thick oil. Our choice at the time we did this was vaseline but some would not choose this because of the petrolatum issue. Whatever you use press it over the crack to ensure that it has gone in the full depth. These cracks cannot heal while they are dry. If you had an operation on your stomach and the skin dried out to the same extent it would not heal either. We usually put large medical issue bandages over them to keep the vaseline on the feet.This won't suit everyone so a cotton pair of socks will do. The people we did this with all had to walk home so bandages were needed to keep the vaeline well packed. Wash next day as normal and leave bandage off. You want your feet fairly dry to repeat the process the next evening.
Remember it will be easy to slip on the floor until this is washed off. Do the same the next evening and continue til necessary tapering the amount of times done as they heal.
This worked within 3 days for some and some took approx 2 weeks. But it makes sense that the hard skin needs to go and the skin to be wet for the cracks to knit together.
As for the fungal infection. Many people will only treat the area that they can see the infection on. The human eye cannot see all of a fungal infection so if it spreading nor can they see it when it is at the last stages of treatment so it is very important to treat outside the area and for a lot longer that you can see it or feel it. My husband picks up an athletes foot while he is travelling for business on a regular basis. He never feels it but we can see it between his toes. We only know he has it when I catch it because I get the itching and burning long before I can see it. We use a providone iodine antiseptic wash which is normally used for pre-operation swabs in a footbath then antifungal medicated creams. Because he gets the moccassin type we bathe and cream his feet up to the ankles. I only get the moccassin type around the toe area so I only need to cover the shoe area. This is a long winded way of telling you how to do it but it actually doesn't take long perform it. The longest part of it is how long you choose to soak you feet and it is our tried and tested method.
EC: Tricia - Wow, thank you so much for these detailed instructions! Much appreciated. I will start immediately.
P.S. Your feedback has been cross-posted to the cracked heels page.
Apple Cider Vinegar Soak
Posted by Deirdre (Earth Clinic) on 09/24/2009
★★★★★
I started soaking both feet and toes in about 1 inch of straight apple cider vinegar in a pyrex casserole dish (the same one I use for the magnesium oil soak) a few days ago to treat nail fungus and severe cracks in my heels, which I suspect to also be fungus related. Well, it seems soaking is a great way to get the benefits of acv without drinking it! You know the rosy, healthy glow you get after drinking apple cider vinegar in water? Well, it's happening after soaking. Also a great increase in energy. Too soon to say if I am losing weight with the soak.
I was finding that drinking apple cider vinegar lowered my blood sugar levels drastically at times, making me feel faint, but have not had any side effects from soaking thus far. The blood sugar reaction from ACV is a new thing. I had been drinking it regularly for many years before that without any problems.
I am using the organic brand of acv right now, even though you can buy a gallon of regular grocery store acv for the same price. I am thinking about ordering organic acv in bulk, since it takes up almost half a bottle of organic acv to fill the small dish with enough liquid to cover my toes. I must admit, right now I am re-using the acv a few times, otherwise it just isn't cost effective. But yes, I wash my feet before soaking them!
Sorry to say that I have had cracked heels for 11 years now (coincides with when I started training at the dojo). Only recently did it move into toenail fungus. Getting rid of it once and for all is long-overdue. Bad idea to have a fungal infection lingering on for years and years. I am determined to keep this up for months if necessary.
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Pam (Orange County, Ca) on 09/23/2009
I have side effects after taking 2 TBS ACV diluted in a 8 oz cup of water twice a day - a lot of gas and bloating problem, even acid reflex, I think. Anyway, I couldn't sleep at night. That's how uncomfortable it made my stomach and chest feel. Then, I tried two ways to ease the problem. One is adding about 1/4-1/2 TS of baking soda to the drink. It worked. But, I was concerned about the side effects of using the baking soda mentioned on this web site, so I switched my ACV drink to a lower dosage - 1 TBS ACV with a full glass of water, and always drink it after a meal. Either way helps my problem. Oh, I also found out another great way to stop the gas/bloating problem - apples. It really works. But, it seems green apples work the best. Hope the tips would help anyone with the same problem.
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Crystal (Salyersville, Ky, USA) on 09/13/2009
I was having a terrible time trying to take ACV and then I followed a post that ted responded to and he said o mix 1 teaspoon ACV and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in a cup and then wait for it to stop fizzing and then add 1/2 a cup of water. I was so excited because you could not taste or smell the ACV. I am 39, female, with lupus and fibromyalgia.
Apple Cider Vinegar Tips
Posted by Bonnie (Stroud, Glos Uk) on 09/13/2009
I have discovered a great way to take apple cider vinegar with no taste. I bought some empty caplets 00 size off the internet.If you google empty caplets a whole list of companies come up. Then i use an empty dropper and fill them up and take them like that with plain water to swallow them. The kind of dropper i use is the sort you get for putting drops in your ears for ear wax etc as i have not seen any to buy . Taking them this way also protects the tooth enamel as it doesn't touch your teeth. I know you can get apple cider pills but there is a big question as to how much apple cider vinegar is actually in each pill and what do they do to it to get into the pill state. The empty caplet way is a sure way of getting pure apple cider vinegar in a tasteless way.You have to make them up fresh or they dissolve but it takes no time at all. I take 5 at a time as this is about a teaspoon full on the 00 size caplets
Yeast Infections
Posted by Meg (Edison, Nj, USA) on 09/02/2009
★☆☆☆☆WARNING!
ACV has a lot of benefits but one thing that ladies have to be careful about is Yeast infection. I am 29 and never got Yeast infection in life and now got twice in 2 months as I started ACV. But then I read that its because I wasn't using Organic one but just the regular store brand. I have the Organic one now but I am too afraid to try it as I cannot deal with Yeast Infection misery again. I thought I will inform the girls about this to be extra careful when using ACV...thanks!
Long Term Side Effects
Posted by Mia (Upstate New York, United States) on 08/06/2009
I am just wondering if ACV will deplete anything from your body such as pottasium or anything else that i should watch out for. I take it twice a day(2Tbl spoons with a small cup of Organic apple juice, then i drink a cup of water. In the evening i mix it with a tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses) and feel great, i am just worried that there could be some long term side effects from taking it everyday. I know that it can effect teeth, so i make sure it does not sit on my teeth. Thanks, and look foward to a response.
Gall Bladder Issues
Posted by Lindae (Ventura, CA) on 07/30/2009
If you are having gallbladder attacks, flush out the stones with a liver cleanse. olive oil, epson salt and grapefruit juice. You can use the apple juice to soften
the stones before you do the cleanse. The attacks could also mean that your liver is compromised by toxic materials like heavy metals besides the stones.
Energy
Posted by Sarah (Arlington, TX) on 07/23/2009
★☆☆☆☆
I have been drinking 2 tablespoons with 16 oz of water 2x a day, using ___ organic ACV. I have not noticed any results so far, what so ever. Not with energy, skin, sleep, nothing. What could be going on, and why is it not working for me? Thanks!
