Side Effects from Common Home Remedies

I started taking ACV/BS (Apple cider vinegar/baking soda) last year for weight loss. (ACV combined with lots of exercise does work for me as a weight loss remedy!) At one point I also tried adding Ted's lime juice/baking soda remedy. Taking both the ACV/BS and lime/BS I noticed my skin itched all over and felt terribly dry. I only used the lime mix a few times. I wanted to try it because Ted recommended it for decalcification specifically in regards to polycystic ovaries. But I knew, at the least, it was dehydrating me. Once I stopped the lime/BS remedy my itchy dry skin symptoms went away even though I continued with the ACV/BS.

Well, several months later and several months of taking ACV/BS and I began noticing increasing problems with vaginal yeast infection...much to my surprise. I have not suffered YI in years! I really could not understand why this was happening, but began to suspect it had something to do with the ACV/BS affecting the ph balance of my body.

The past two weeks I've come down with the cold/flu combination we've been hit with here in Kansas. I fell ill, I believe, because of a temporary lapse in my preventative supplementation measures. Plus, I work at a hospital so I'm exposed to everything. Flu bug symptoms included vomiting, terrible nausea, constant diarrhea (luckily I did not have this, but my boyfriend did!), horrible sore throat, mucus, coughing and stopped up sinuses.

To combat the illness I tried lugol's iodine, swedish bitters, h2o2, colloidal silver and salt water gargles for the sore throat. Outside of strep, I don't believe I've ever had a sore throat that lingered as long as this one did-about 4 days! I also quit taking the ACV/BS because I read long ago you should never try to lose weight while sick. I came back to EarthClinic to read about flu and sore throat cures and saw lots of feedback on cayenne pepper for sore throat.

I recently tried cayenne in an ACV drink recipe here that was so disgusting I had to pour the whole thing down the sink. It tasted foul and burned my mouth, so using cayenne for my sore throat was a last resort. But so many people said it was The Cure, so I had to try it. Here's what I did:

I emptied one capsule of cayenne into 3/4 cup of hot water and let it steep for a while like tea. I then drained the mixture through a coffee filter and into a small spray bottle. Then I sprayed the mixture on the back of my throat, gargled a bit, then swallowed. The spray completely bypassed my mouth, so no unnecessary burning. The burning in my throat actually felt kind of soothing and effective. And, what a miracle cure!!! What iodine, h2o2, colloidal silver and salt water could not do in 4 days, CAYENNE PEPPER DID IN 2 HOURS!!! It completely took away the sore throat and I continued to use it periodically for the next several days to ensure the sore throat did not take hold again.

Now, for the flu symptoms. After reading EarthClinic some more I learned ACV is the #1 flu remedy, and I had quit taking it!!! So, I started back on the ACV. I had severe nausea and sipping ACV/BS helped rid me of the nausea which would continue to flare up. The ACV/BS definitely seemed to help with nausea. I also noticed it helped unclog my ears.

I took a great deal of ACV/BS. My weight loss mixture has usually been 2 Tbsp ACV & 1/4 tsp baking soda with Stevia added to sweeten it up. After fizzing subsides I add about 1 qt water and drink through the day. I would do this 1-2 times a day. But in my attempts to rid myself of the flu I was taking 4-6 Tbsp ACV w/ BS in about 1 qt of water.

While I do feel this remedy has helped me heal from the flu, which I'm still fighting a bit, it has also had the unfortunate side effect of worsening my yeast infection! Two days ago I spent $12 on a bottle of probiotics to help. It's helped some, but not completely.

So, once again, I came back to EarthClinic and found the page on ACV/BS side effects. I see I am not the only one suffering from the yeast infection side effect of BS. So, I am now going to try ACV alone, no BS, mixed in water. I really wanted to use the BS because of all the good things I have heard and its ability to protect my teeth. But I am guessing it is responsible for my yeast infection.

Also, in my reading I discovered the suggested relationship between electrolyte imbalance and too much baking soda! For the past several months my heart palpitations had been getting incredibly severe, so I started taking various forms of electrolyte solutions. I found Ted's recipe of sea salt/magnesium citrate/potassium citrate to be a fabulous cure. But now I really suspect the baking soda might have been contributing or even directly causing my electrolyte imbalance and subsequent heart palpitations all this time!

I am further dismayed by reading that BS can deplete your body of chromium, B-vitamins and iodine---some of the very substances I have been trying to increase my intake of! I have also noticed that this winter my face has really dried out in ways it has never done before, such as crepey skin on my forehead and increased wrinkles around my eyes. I have been lamenting this as premature aging, but now I suspect the drying effects of baking soda. I hope I see a reversal in these symptoms, because I have read a great deal about how ACV is supposed to make your skin glow. I was beginning to think I was the exception to the rule.

Of course, there are many many messages about how much ACV/BS has helped people. I'm guessing it all comes down to finding what works best for your body. I often think back to the blood type diet recommendations and how certain things work for certain blood types and other things don't. It appears that baking soda does not work well for someone like me who is O+ and has a naturally acidic body chemistry!

Dear Ted, I tried ACV with Baking Soda therapy for 3 days and felt mucus coming from lungs with coughs to clear it. Then I stopped and mucus production selleted in 2 days. Started ACV again, and noticed mucus in lungs coming out with coughs. (Also lime and baking soda, caused mucus). Please advice, if I should include anything else to neutralise the mucus causing affect of ACV or Lime. I was going to suggest ACV to my uncle, but will wait till you reply, as he is Asthma patient. Thanks a million. Ted and earthclinic team are doing great humanitarian job, God bless you.

9/21/2007: Sandhi writes to Ted -- Just wanted to put in my .02cents. I was taking the ACV + Baking Soda tonic three times a day. It's ironic now that I think about it, the way our bodies talk to us, the last few times I took the recipe, (and I'm very used to the taste of the ACV/BS tonic) my nose would turn up at the smell, it smelled furmented, almost like old wine. Then I got a yeast/BV infection...and after research and trial and error, I realized that what Sandhi mentioned was true, too much BS can reverse the body's alkaline and actually make it too acidic. So, after curing the Yeast infection with Hydrogen Peroxide, yogurt and water (monostat DID NOT WORK) and quitting the Baking soda, I feel much better. Every once in a while if I feel heartburny I'll add BS to my ACV, but I skip the BS most days and just take ACV and feel much better~!

I having taking ACV/Baking Soda, 2 Tbsp and 1/2 tsp respectively, twice a day for three days now. I've had weird feelings in my mouth, lips, and eyes. Then tonight, my face suddenly started to feel like it was burning and then my tongue and lips started to tingle. Now my whole mouth, including my teeth tingles and my eyes are burning. The face has cooled somewhat. I was wondering am I having an allergic reaction to this remedy? I've been checking my pH all day with a strip and it's been very good, not acidic, whereas yesterday, it was very acidic. So I'm so down because I was actually feeling so hopeful, and now this. I'm a little scared right now...thank you for your answers.

It's been a week that i've been using ACV with baking soda to lose weight. Instead, I've never been this tired. I have lost all the energy & slept most of the day. I STOPPED taking baking soda, & instead diluted 2tbl of acv with 1liter water, & 1/2 tsp. of salt. & drink it with straw. Without baking soda, I feel much better & energetic.

I have been suffering with Acid Reflux for a few months now. I am so thankful for your website. ACV + Baking soda works great for me, specially in the morning. But, if I take after 6:00 PM, it keeps me awake all night. I already suffered with insomnia, and it aggrevates it more. Now, having a good night sleep is my problem. Ted, what can I do for that?

Yes, I agree with Sendhi, I was taking baking soda (1/8 tsp) almost every night with ACV and water. It made me feel good, it even helped me lose a few pounds, and it gave me a feeling of calmness. When it wore off the next day, I noticed my blood pressure went up at times when I got frustrated, and that was unusual to me. I have always eaten nutritiously and with the baking soda remedy, I noticed changes in my health, body, and the way I craved foods. I definately was not craving fruits or vegatables. I was craving everything else. I even feel the circulation pain in the back of my thighs was part of the cause. I never in my life complained about my legs. Luckily, when things go wrong inside of the body, the body has the ability to heal and bounce back. I stopped taking the baking soda and have changed my eating style again. Back to fruits and vegatables. I feel so much better.

Q. I have Hypertension. Started the vinegar with molasses and soda and HBP got higher. Could that be from the soda? I cut it down to 1/4t but did not seem to help. Thanks Betty in Colorado

I just need some help on the ACV remedy. I started taking it after a week of excruciating pain. Doctor gave me aciphex and reglan but both made me sleep for days! So I stumbled upon your site and have started the ACV remedy while stopping all Rx drugs. I've only taken it now for 2 days, but have had instant results. I've taken only one dose a night after dinner. However, when I go to bed, I'm having a hard time going to sleep or staying asleep and I wake up tired in the morning. I also am having muscle twitching and this morning my hands were aching. My heart also seems to be racing, but when I take my blood pressure, my BP is low and my heart rate is in the 50s-60s. Not sure what is going on there. I feel like I'm taking too much caffeine or taking sudafed, but I'm not. I've cut caffeine out completely when my pain started. Anyway, is this normal? Is there something else I should be doing? I want to continue the ACV therapy for my magnificent relief of all my GERD symptoms, but I don't want to harm my body by taking ACV. Do you know why I'm experiencing these symptoms? Thanks in advance!

I tried the apple cider vinegar (two tbsp with 1/4 baking soda), after lunch and dinner a few nights ago. (I had been taking two tbsp of the AC vinegar in a glass of water in the morning and evening for a week and a half prior.) That night I had a massive headache and thought I needed to go to the hospital. It was literally unbearable. I don't know why this happened, but am attributing it to this ACV remedy with the baking soda. I was fine throughout the initial week and a half, and had increased bowel movement, but that one night was a living hell. I'm scared to go back to it, but what I had initially been doing I think works best, at least in my experience.

I am 58, have had a lifetime of stomach problems - now diagnosed with hiatal hernia/acid reflux, taking omeprazol, 40mg a day, main problem is always have loose stools and worst very sore eosophagus/throat, had biopsy on what looked like Barrets but negative. However, dont like taking pills, tried 2 tbls acv with 1/4 tsp bicarb soda in 1/2 glass water for 5 days lst thing and last thing at night on empty stomach - also did oil pulling - immediately on drinking the remedy my eosophagus/throat hurt even with bicarb added, my mouth which has burned, esp my tongue, for 10 yrs, became even more sore and the "runs" worsened. first I thought it would improve but I couldnt sleep at all, felt agitated and as I have very high BP which medication isnt helping, I decided to go back on the stomach pills. Having read peoples positive results I felt sure acv would help me with my stomach/BP and high cholestorol - I eat a very healthy diet, dont smoke, exercise, am slim, I really dont know what to do next or why this acv works for so many and makes me worse - if anyone has any ideas Id be grateful? Thank you. Jaques

Dear TED, I would like to need your help. I have a diabetes, my blood sugar is undercontrolled . But after I have a blood test in fasting way , my doctor tell me that my kidney will be damaged in 2=8 years . I'm so depress and very sad. My hi blood pressure is 112/86, my pulse 102(always). I did apply your formula AC+BS, but my hi blood pressure is increased very hi 189/100.Oh! I forgot to let you know that my mycroalbumine/creatine is 483.11 ; memoglobin A1c 6.6 (refe.>8), my akaline phosphatase 61.,protein in urine 740. Please i need your help a lot. My body is insuline resistence. Does baking soda makes my blodd pressure hi ? I don't want to have dialysis. I'm 52 years old. I have many surgeries alreday. Thank you very much.

I suffer from all kinds of allergies, sinusitis and Rhuematoid arthritis. I have tried Acv and Baking Soda to cure these ailments, but to no avail. My arthritis pain has not only increased but my feet are now permanently swollen. My weight has also increased to alarming propotions. The remedy has simply not worked. Iam desparate. Can some one out there help me?

I was having burning and have long suffered with heartburn. I tried the ACV, baking soda and honey last night and it did feel much better. This morning I had a second dose - this time with the organic cider vinegar - but I immediately had the "runs" -. I am wondering if I should cut back to one tablespoon of ACV since constipation has never been one of my problems - just the opposite. The burning feels a bit better and I am belching a lot but I wonder if I should limit dosage?

I've read lots of people saying they've lost weight using ACV and baking soda. I've been using this formula for 3 weeks now and I've gained 3.5 pounds.Why would this be happening?I thought ACV was supposed to put you in alkaline range which I am. Could I be to alkaline?I test my saliva and urine every other day. I haven't changed my eating habits.I feel very bloated. any one experiencing this.