This article came to me today via one of my Google Alerts. It's about, among other things, apple cider vinegar and mentions that it can be used in connection with diabetes because of its "anti-glycemic" properties. Thought it might be of interest to you guys.

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbc.../806230301/1079

It als mentions other studies so it would give you a pointer to look elsewhere. For me the most telling quotation was this:

"Johnston argues the lack of studies is about the lack of a copyright.

'We just really haven't put (vinegar) to the test,' Johnston says. 'There's no funding for it. The drug companies obviously will spend a lot of money trying to demonstrate the efficacy of their products, but with a natural remedy there's no copyright on it, so who are you going to go to?' Johnston asks."

That says it all really. For all we know, there may be hundreds of natural remedies out there, but our doctors will never tell us because they only know about synthetic drugs produced by Big Pharma.

Thank goodness we have the internet today! I have made so many discoveries about natural remedies which work from the internet. I have suffered from two minor complaints in recent years where antibiotics were prescribed but didn't work, so that I then turned to the internet for information and hey presto, I found non-prescription, OTC herbal tablets in one case and tea tree oil did the trick in the other case!

Happy Reading!
amanda

I have heard a lot of great things recently about apple cider vinegar. i have suffered with costacondritis for 5 months now and to ease the pain all i can do is take anti inflamatories and strong pain killers. On sunday i went to a health food shop and bought a bottle of organic apple cider vinegar. you have to dilute 1dessertspoon of the vinegar with a glass of filtered, spring water twice a day. I have one glass in the morning and one in the evening. NEVER drink it neat. In two days i have already noticed a difference and i can actually sneeze now and not be in agony with chest pain. I have also lost 2lb since Sunday after being stalled for 3 weeks and it's TOM for me which usually makes me gain. I have no clue if this is because of the vinegar but i have read it helps when trying to lose weight.

Drinking it... Yuk!

We use it in dressings, or just pour it over stir fried veggies. Sometimes we use it in meat dishes.

Also, apples themselves are beneficial:

APPLE PECTIN

Acts as a detoxifier by eliminating heavy metals and toxins from the body; slows down the absorption of sugar; lessens the severity of diabetes; is an excellent source of soluble fiber which lowers cholesterol levels and regulates blood pressure; reduces the risk of heart disease and prevents gallstones; contains anti-oxidant properties which protect the lining of blood vessels; improves stool consistency.

Red wine vinegar is a little easier to drink.I did a shotglass of
red wine vinegar before each meal for 3 months.It had no
effect at all but I suppose it might help some people.I found
a study on the Internet that claimed 40 grams of soluble fiber
per day is a great treatmnt for diabetes.I'm not sure how a
person can get 40 grams per day of soluble fiber.
Cheers
Eddie

God, Eddie, that sounds nasty. I think that experience would put me off vinegrette salad dressing for life.

Fiber actually does work in the sense it slows digestion. I've read accounts about different things for years and it always turns out to be a highly individualistic, YMMV, type thing.

The only way to counter Dawn Phenomenon is to have enough insulin available when it happens, either your own insulin or injected insulin. DP is a natural thing that happens to everyone, only non-diabetics have the insulin they need to counter it. How you do stop that?

About 2 months ago I bought a bottle of apple cider vinegar with the intention of testing it. Every couple weeks I pull the bottle out from the cupboard and look at it, winch, and then put it back...

/smile

I can get the apple cider vinegar down; but it's not a favorite. I usually add a shot glass full of ACV to a glass of ice cold water w/ a packet of splenda; not bad. Makes it much more drinkable. I am experimenting w/ supplements and ACV, so I have felt pretty good; just don't know if its the ACV, the vitamins and minerals, or the combo of all! -Denise

winch, wench, or wince

Yes.

/smile

You left out retch.

I went through my herbal phase in the 80s. I still love herbs - to cook with.

Hi there,

I am not a diabetic, but when I saw this article, I thought it might be of interest/use/help to some diabetics who are open-minded enough to try out non-pharmaceutical options to help deal with their condition. Getting a bottle of vinegar from the store is certainly a lot less hassle than getting a doctor's appointment, getting a prescription and all that jazz. And cheaper, too. I have noticed that a few American members of the forum have mentioned that they don't even have medical insurance, so these people may have even more interest in solutions that don't involve doctors.

Your whole tone is one of mockery and ridicule (see quote above) and it makes me feel like I've received a slap in the face in return for wanting to help. Gee thanks.

I thought the general idea of this forum was for people to help each other out, not to use it as an opportunity to ridicule people who have slightly different views on life.

I use herbs to cook, too, but I would never mock anybody who was willing to try putting herbs in a footbath to ease aching feet, and tell them to go to the doctor instead!

Could we have a little more tolerance and a little less ridicule, please? I was only trying to help.

amanda

p.s. I do not generally suffer from a sense-of-humour failure, but this is one of those moments.

I apologize if I have seemed to antagonize or mock you. It is certainly not my intention. As I mentioned earlier I was open enough to try the vinegar suggestion and bought a bottle of it a couple months ago... just didn't have the guts to try it. I think many of us (and non-diabetics) do use humor as a way to get through the day sometimes and it is rare that we laugh at another person posting here. However, it is quite common for us to laugh with them.

I am probably one of the worst 'offenders' here in terms of using humor, sometimes it is cynicism in disguise but, for me, that is a better option than feeling sorry for myself.

I do thank you for trying to help. Please don't think otherwise. A great day for me is one where I can live, laugh, love, and cry. It helps me realize I am still alive...

Feel free to post here anytime... I mean heck, they haven't stopped me yet...

Take care and hope you are doing okay.
/smile

ACV is very good for stablilizing blood sugar.... There obviously would be no benefit for any pharmaceutical companies to back that type of study because as you said they can't copyright it...

ACV has helped with appetite suppression, TOM cramps, TOM PMS, and helps to stablize my blood sugars... It really isn't that bad when taking it in a full cup of water to dilute it. Some people even add a sweetener to make it more palatable...

Give it a try...

TJ

I drink it everyday, I even like it now. It tasts fresh and for me, it helps stablize my sugars, gout, blood pressure, it even helps give your skin a glow.

I take 2 tablespoons in a little cold spring water before dinner and before bed.

I also do oil pulling in the morning, google that, you might like it. Weird things but doing them consistently really helps me.

From LowCarbUgh/Susan:
"DP is a natural thing that happens to everyone, only non-diabetics have the insulin they need to counter it. How you do stop that?"
500 mg of Metformin ER worked well for me if taken at bedtime.
5 mg of Glipizide ER at bedtime also worked well.
Best solution FOR ME seems to be about 1000 mg bitter melon pills taken before each meal.I have been waking up with BG in low 90's. Unsure how my solutions would affect anyone else.
Vinegar was worthless for me but maybe it helps some people.
I think I will start a journal this weekend-it might keep me out of
trouble for awhile.
Cheers
Eddie