Guest guest Posted April 10, 2006 Report Share Posted April 10, 2006 Is cider vinegar the cure-all that fans such as Sir Ranulph Fiennes claim? If you stick the phrase “apple cider vinegar” into a search engine on the internet, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you had come across a secret cult where the elixir of life was being discussed by religious fanatics. This may be the 21st century for modern pharmaceutical companies, but these true believers write passionately about how apple cider vinegar (ACV to those in the know) has helped with everything from rheumatism, arthritis and weight loss to relieving fatigue, headaches, diarrhoea and insomnia. The testimonies claim to hark back to 400BC, when Hippocrates was swigging the stuff. And advocates even have a modern-day messiah in America’s Bragg, who has written books on the subject, and is owner of her own branded version of the drink. Dr Bragg claims that the minerals contained in apple cider vinegar — such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, natural silicon, pectin, and tartaric acids — are “important in fighting body toxins, inhibiting unfriendly bacteria... and helping the body to maintain its vital acidalkaline balance”. The claims are almost too good to be true for a product that, when a couple of teaspoons are mixed with water, causes you to suck your teeth and shake your head from the tartness at the first sip. And yet, mix it with a little honey and the more you sip, the more appealing it becomes. Just by drinking a daily dose while researching this article over the past six weeks I have lost half a stone, and I have no idea why. Apple cider vinegar seems to have a particular following among older people, especially those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, both of which can cause excruciating pain. According to the Arthritis Research Campaign, more than seven million people in the UK have long-term health problems due to arthritis or a related condition, of which the over-65s are most affected. Jackie , 82, who lives in Cheshire, discovered apple cider vinegar after having both her hips replaced at the relatively young age of 45. When threatened with yet another operation to help her arthritis, a neighbour lent her a book called Folk Medicine: Natural Remedies for Everyday Ills by D. C. Jarvis. “I could no longer open bottles with my hands, but I couldn’t bear to go back into hospital for yet more surgery,” says . She asked the doctor to put the operation on hold, and followed the suggested dose in the book, taking two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons of runny honey in water every day. After 12 months her fingers began to loosen up. “I don’t get any pain any more,” says , who has continued with the remedy for 37 years. “I can now use my fingers to take the lids off jars with no problem whatsoever.” Leone Cockburn, 64, from East Lothian, discovered the ready-mixed apple cider vinegar product Honegar when casting around for a cure for swollen joints in her fingers, caused, she believes, by holding an artist’s paintbrush while working in her studio. Cockburn found the remedy helped within weeks. “It certainly becomes worse when I am not taking it,” she says. “I take a slug in a tumbler in the morning, neat or with half an inch of cold water, for a lovely cleansing drink.” However, the medical profession does not embrace this “miracle cure” and, wherever it is mentioned, often in relation to arthritis, journals are quick to say that there are no studies to prove that it works. Words such as “fad” and “cultish” are bandied. And a study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association last year warned that some ACV pills don’t even seem to contain any of the ingredient. The Arthritis Research Campaign has invested money into researching two alternative therapies, magnetic bracelets and acupuncture, but says of apple cider vinegar: “We would like to see it scientifically tested. We don’t have a closed mind but we are a medical research council and there are so many anecdotal claims made for remedies that are often just offering the placebo effect. For example, some people swear by gin and prunes.” Jane Tadman at the campaign describes sufferers as “sitting ducks for manufacturers of all products”. Times nutritionist Jane e, who runs a practice in London, sees many patients taking the remedy. “I don’t understand why the biochemistry works in the body, but it does seem to for some people.” e would never prescribe it, preferring “to achieve results nutritionally”, but has seen patients who are taking it for gastric problems, irritable bowel syndrome and rheumatism. Her belief, shared by leading rheumatologist Professor Dieppe of Bristol University, is that it works in the mind. “It’s one of those wonderful remedies where there’s a huge placebo effect,” says e. “I don’t believe that the body becomes too acidic or alkaline, that’s more traditional Indian thinking.” For every naysayer in the medical profession, there are equal numbers of apple cider vinegar evangelists still spreading the word. , 79, who lives in Kimmel Bay, Wales, goes so far as to describe apple cider vinegar and honey as “two of my three gods, along with garlic”. So fervent is her belief that she recently cleaned a leg wound with the stuff after falling badly outside a supermarket. “I’ve taken it for 40 years, and I’ve had no rheumatism whatsoever,” she says. Like me, she lost “around a stone or so”, initially, by taking a couple of teaspoons before each meal. Which reminds me. I must take my tipple. Medical studies aside, I like myself half a stone thinner. Arthritis Research Campaign can be contacted on 0870 8505000, or visit www.arc.org.uk Conquering pain “Lazy” is how explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes describes all those who have refused his help with their arthritis over the years. “I don’t understand why people will suffer and not bother doing something about it.” His personal cure, is a product called Honegar, a mixture of apple cider vinegar and honey, which he has been taking for 22 years to relieve his aching joints. Few can claim to have such an extreme lifestyle as this 62-year-old, who ran seven marathons in seven days on seven different continents in 2003, just months after having a double heart by-pass operation. But Sir Ranulph is not offering himself up as an unusual case, but as someone who has found something that works for his arthritis and stuck to it. With the same determination, no doubt, that made him the first man to visit both the North and South poles. Sir Ranulph came to Honegar via his mother, who developed arthritis at 82. “Desperate” to alleviate the pain, she took the advice of a nurse who advocated honey and cider vinegar. “It took between eight to twelve months but the daily dose worked,” he says. His own complaint had dogged him since his army days in the 1970s, when sleeping rough in the jungle and canoeing made his fingers and hips sore. After three months of taking two tablespoons of Honegar in boiling water, Sir Ran found himself pain-free. He is certain that it was the Honegar because when “I stopped taking it, the pain returned”. He takes it on all his expeditions. He has tried making his own concotion with honey and apple cider vinegar once, but “it didn’t seem to work”. Honegar (£3.75 for 500ml, £6.95 for a litre bottle) and unprocessed apple cider vinegar can be bought from Holland & Barratt www.hollandandbarratt.com/ and other good health food stores. Further reading, Folk Medicine: Natural Remedies for Everyday Ills by D.C. Jarvis (Pan, £5.99); Natural Healing with Cider Vinegar, by Margot Hellmiss (Sterling, £41.75), both available on www.amazon.co.uk http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8125-2078094,00.html *** Honegar is a European folk medicine made from honey and apple cider vinegar. It is used as a preventive medicine and is sometimes known as honegar syrup. It is sold in some European pharmacies. The most common recipe calls for equal parts of honey and vinegar heated in a non-metal pan until the mixture thins. Let the mixture cool, then bottle and store in the refrigerator. Common dosage is between 1-2 tablespoons of the above mixture per 8 oz of water. http://www.acadine.org/w/Honegar *** Honegar - The Pain Relief For Active Joints Exploration superhero Sir Ranulph Fiennes keeps his rheumatic aches at bay with daily doses of Martlet Honegar, a naturally nutrient-rich drink blended to an old folk recipe. Martlet Honegar is perfect for those that suffer from aching joints and rheumatic pains as a result of an active, high-impact lifestyle. Those regularly participating in outdoor action sports such as rock climbing, kayaking, windsurfing and mountaineering are sure to benefit from Honegar’s healthy properties. Honegar can also help soothe the aching joints of footballers, rugby players, tri-athletes, yachtsmen, racket sport players and runners. Used daily by Sir Ranulph - in the words of the Guinness Book of Records the ‘World’s Greatest Living Explorer’ - Honegar is simply a blend of cider vinegar and honey, created by using a traditional recipe trusted by our ancestors to promote good health. Famed for his countless polar explorations and more recently for his seven marathons in seven days across seven continents, Sir Ranulph considers Honegar as being an essential part of his dietary and fitness regime. “I have taken Honegar for the past 22 years and insist on packing quantities of the product on all my expeditions,” explains Sir Ranulph. “I first discovered Honegar through a story about a nurse who had stopped her chronic rheumatoid arthritis by a treatment that included taking Honegar daily. This same condition had plagued me for years and after a few months of using the product, my fingers and hip stopped their arthritic aching.” Martlet Honegar Martlet Natural Food & Drink is the only manufacturer of Honegar. Based on a folk recipe that has been passed down by generations, this unique product combines all the goodness of cider vinegar with pure unpasteurised honey - carefully processed to safeguard its natural goodness. Cider vinegar, reputed to have been used by the Ancient Greeks, is packed with vitamins and minerals. Made from the finest whole dessert and cooking apples that have been allowed to ferment, the cider vinegar featured in Martlet’s Honegar is 100 per cent natural. Importantly, it is processed using traditional acetators to ensure the goodness is retained in the final product. Like cider vinegar, honey has been consumed for centuries. A natural sweetener, honey contains antiseptic, soothing and cleansing properties and is also recognised as a high-energy food – one of nature’s natural pick-me-ups. In addition, honey is packed with amino acids, trace elements, enzymes, protein, phosphorus, carbohydrates, calcium, niacin, potassium and iron – a golden liquid multi vitamin pill. Recommended Dosage: Like with any natural supplement, Martlet Honegar needs to be taken regularly to take effect. Martlet recommends one tablespoon of Honegar be added to warm water and taken twice daily with meals ‘like a wine’ to reap the benefits. http://www.cricketworld.com/general/detail.asp?articleid=4501 & menu=0 & sid=40 & sn=H\ ealth *** Honegar 1/2 c Honey 1/2 c Cider Vinegar Combine the honey and vinegar. Use as a concentrate: 1 Tbs to a glass of water. Yield: 1 servings Note: You can also mix honegar with sour cream, cucumber, yogurt, and fresh dill for a summer salad. Makes about 1 cup. Recipe By: An American Folklife Cookbook - ISBN 0-8052-3914-6 *** I discovered an old folk remedy called " honegar " and it seems to be helping me tremendously. Like you, I'm not sure if it is the placebo effect, mental programming or if it really works. It certainly has helped my chronic pain condition. I have an inherited form of rheumatoid arthritis and scoliosis. Honegar has been nothing short of miraculous in removing my pain. I think whatever was causing my pain was affecting my nervous system too. My theory is that it is all tracable to hyaluronic acid. http://adhd.blogzone.net/index.php?option=com_content & task=view & id=24 & Itemid=2 *** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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