ACV and be ailment free
October 2016
By Jamuna Rangachari
Jamuna Rangachari explores the manifold benefits of the latest panacea in town, Apple Cider Vinegar
My 24-year-old son was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis recently. Apart from the regular medical tests, I consulted Jaya Gopi Das, the Life Positive website’s consulting astrologer. After giving me his astrological prognosis for my son (fortunately favourable), he advised me to administer apple cider vinegar to him. It was then that my exploration began.
The history of vinegar
Apple cider vinegar, otherwise known as cider vinegar or ACV, is a type of vinegar made from cider (an alcoholic drink made from fermented apple juice), and has a pale to medium amber colour.
There is much folklore that surrounds the discovery of vinegar. Legend states that a courtier in Babylonia stumbled upon wine when he consumed some unattended grape juice. This, it is said, led to the eventual discovery of vinegar. History also states that before 5000 BC, a civilisation of ancient Babylonia used vinegar as a cleaning agent. The Babylonians later discovered that vinegar slows or stops the action of bacteria that spoils food and so they started using it as a preservative, and as a condiment.
Another legend revolved around the imbibing of vinegar as a beverage by Ceasar’s armies. A related myth points to the Egyptian queen, Cleopatra, demonstrating its solvency powers by dissolving precious pearls in vinegar; she is said to have boasted that she could consume a fortune in a single meal.
Helen of Troy apparently bathed in vinegar to relax. Hannibal, the famous African General, used vinegar to help his army cross the Alps. According to the writings of Titus Livius, a historian who lived around the time of Christ, obstructive boulders were heated and drenched in vinegar to crack the boulders into small pieces in order to allow them to be easily moved away.
A tonic of health
When advising me to turn to ACV, Jaya Gopi Das was operating from personal experience. A few years ago, when he had his regular health check-up, it was found that his uric acid level was high, resulting in gout. He had severe pain in his toes and knees and could not even put his foot down and walk properly due to the pain. The pills prescribed by the doctor did not give permanent results. Six months back, he read an article on how to control uric acid using apple cider vinegar. On taking it, his knee pain went away and the uric acid levels also came down. His wife too obtained substantial relief from her knee pain through the remedy.
The universe sent me the experiences of many others too.
Raji Menon Prakash, the editor of Life Positive Jr, had been having it on and off in the recent past to aid digestion. Her daughter too, has been having it daily for the past eight months as it helped her deal with indigestion and acid reflux. Two months back, when Raji was diagnosed with kidney stones, a friend of hers advised her to make ACV a regular habit as it would help her for sure. Along with a proper diet and ACV, her kidney stones have vanished from her system. To make sure it does not come back again, she is continuing to take ACV, and has found it beneficial for her digestion as well.
Dr Meghana Dixit, a doctor and trainer in holistic wellness, shared that she herself does a detox for 21 days with two tablespoons of ACV to clear her gut of any toxins every four months. “I have seen my patients getting good results in diabetes, cholesterol, and weight loss,” she says, and states that it is also good to take ACV for acne, sunburn, itching and for dandruff in hair.
A friend of mine shared that she got totally healed from tonsilitis after just one week of using ACV a few years back. Another friend’s mother had her arthritis totally healed through regular use of apple cider vinegar. One reported a lot of reduction in blood sugar levels. Many reported weight loss, clearing the system of toxins, and better energy levels.
Surprising beneficiaries
Life very often gives us surprising answers for our problems from unexpected sources. Purnima Pandey, the assistant editor of Hindi Life Positive, consulted a naturopath on whether ACV would help her father combat a severe attack of gout. It turned out that his potassium levels were abnormally high, which counter indicated the use of ACV, which is also high in potassium.
However, the upshot is that her brother, suffering from a host of ailments including kidney stone, gout, high sugar level, high blood pressure and hypo thyroid, got interested and began taking ACV. This has helped him eliminate the toxins in the body, regulate his bowel movements, and bring relief to his cold. He has also lost a lot of weight, his skin texture has improved, and his sugar level has come down to normal.
ACV therapy is said to be a wide ranging cure for weight gain, kidney stone, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, and to help with lifestyle disease and health concerns including cancer, heart problems, irritable bowel syndrome, cold symptoms, dandruff, acne, bad breath, osteoporosis, renal failure and depression.
Take care
The best way to begin is to take one teaspoon of apple cider in one glass of normal water once a day, preferably in the morning.
As far as washing one’s hair or applying it on the skin, again one needs to dilute it in the same ratio of one teaspoon for one glass.
If ailing or on medication, please consult a doctor before taking it.
ACV’s benefits
- Reduces the acid in the digestion and aids metabolism
- Controls blood sugar
- Good for regularising uric acid and gout
- Good for reducing arthritic pain
- Good for kidney stones
- Lowers cholesterol
- Helps in weight loss
- Gets rid of dandruff on hair wash
- Clears acne
- Boosts energy
- Banishes bad breath if one gargles with it
- Whitens teeth on gargling
About the author : Jamuna Rangachari writes and manages the websites of Life Positive. She has authored three books for children, compiled and interpreted Teaching Stories-I and II for Life Positive. and published a book through Hay House