Words from a Skeptic

Okay... I am a skeptic about these things, but I have been getting really annoyed by my gout attacks, and have decided not to go the drug route. I take Aleve when I feel an attack coming on, and that mitigates the symptoms pretty well, but the attack will still continue for several days. That brings me to report my experience with apple cider vinegar (ACV).

I was looking for a gout remedy online, and came across several articles on ACV. I figured it wouldn't hurt to try it, so I bought the Bragg's unfiltered raw ACV with the "mother."

I took some for several days a couple of weeks ago, didn't feel any different, so I stopped. I began to think that ACV probably had a placebo effect on people who were taking it.

Then I had an attack of gout in my left big toe this week. I took one Aleve every 12 hours, as I usually do, and went back to the vinegar treatment (about 1 TBS per day). I am happy to report that the attack was stopped dead in its tracks (and reversed) in about 2.5 days. That has never happened to me before, and I attribute it to the addition of the vinegar treatment to my regimen. I can also report that during the onset of the attack, I continued to eat salmon and drink red wine in pretty good quantities--so I didn't make any changes there.

As I mentioned, I am skeptical about "miracle cures" and things like that, but this does appear to work. I would like to know what the chemical mechanism is, and whether it has been laboratory-tested. The gout attack I had was literally reversed, and very quickly. It never became quite as painful as it has in the past. So I'll be sticking to the vinegar plan now.

If anyone can point us to an explanation of the chemical mechanism at work, that would be greatly appreciated.

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Jul 29, 2019
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Alternative cure
by: Anonymous

I am here looking for a way to dissolve my artheritis crystals on my knee. And by reading your comments it looks to work to an extent but let me offer you guys a cure i have found that has stopped all attacks for me and all is left are some cystals on my knee which is a mi or disscomfort in comparison to the attacks i used to get.i was getting 4 or 5 flare ups a month in my wrist, knees,shoulders and ankles. Now i have stopped taking methotrexate which was the meds supplied by the hospital specialist. Guys you should all try Black Pepper and Cucumin which is an extract of the root of Tameric. I use the poper herbs for cooking and i would consume about 2 traspoon of Tameric and 1 tea spoon of black pepper. Your body can not absorb cucumin because you stomache will break it down but eating with black pepper allows your body to absorb the cucimin. SO DONT BE STINGY WITH THE BLACK PEPPER.

Jul 26, 2011
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works in mice too
by: Anonymous

I am an Australian researcher working on gout, and recently a lot of information on the molecular mechanisms underlying inflammation in gout have come to light. we are preparing a manuscript that explains how vinegar works. we now understand the affects it has on immune responses and the molecules it works through. Acetate inhibits inflammatory responses through various pathways, and works very well in mouse models of gout. This is one of the best examples of a home remedy having a sound scientific basis. we hope to publish in next 6 months.

Jul 18, 2011
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Vitamin B9 works for me!
by: M. Allen Mancuso

I have had several gout attacks between 2004 and 2008. I tried NSAIDs, which worked fast to relieve the pain, but I didn't like what I read about its effects on the kidney and liver. Plus, I needed a prescription every time an acute attack came my way. Thus, I started trying several natural cures that I saw online, with very little success. A chiropractor friend of mine suggested vitamin B9 (folic acid). He said that men over 40 had a reduction of vitamin B9 in their systems which caused the body to produce more uric acid.

So, I tried it, and it works. I take two milligrams per day as a matter of habit. If I am going to eat food high in uric acid, then I will take up to 10 milligrams of B9. I don't know if this works for everyone with the gout problem, but it works great for me. Since I have been taking folic acid regularly, I have had only two acute attacks, mostly because I did not take enough B9 at those times. When the acute attacks come, I will take up to 30 milligrams of B9, and I take a natural anti-inflammatory, Optimal Acute. Both Acute attacks lasted less than a day which I know is hard to believe.

Try Folic Acid. It is very inexpensive, and you will not have to buy a book on the six steps to preventing gout.

Jun 10, 2011
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ACV and Gout
by: Harry.B

I believe that ACV changes the blood acid levels which can affect gout attacks. Also you might of had pseudogout which is similar but pseudogout is caused by calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate. I am led to believe that ACV reduces calcium in the blood and CPPD.
ACV affects the Ph levels in the blood.More alkalinity is better to prevent or slow gout down.
There are a few animal trials showing this but there is no pure scientific testing done in this area, more home remedy.But there can be side effects of constant use of ACV like calcium leeching of the bones, burnt esophagus,and possible organ damage when used excessively.
in a 2007 study published in Diabetes Care, researchers found that type 2 diabetes patients who consumed two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar at bedtime showed favorable changes in blood sugar levels the following morning. And in an animal-based study published in the Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, scientists found that diabetic rats fed an apple-cider-vinegar-enhanced diet for four weeks experienced an increase in HDL ("good") cholesterol (as well as a reduction in their levels of triglycerides, a type of harmful blood fat).
Some alternative practitioners recommend using apple cider vinegar to restore alkaline acid balance. The theory behind the alkaline diet is that our blood is slightly alkaline (with a normal pH level of between 7.35 and 7.45) and that our diet should reflect this pH level. Proponents of the alkaline-acid theory believe that a diet high in acid-producing foods leads to lack of energy, excessive mucous production, infections, anxiety, irritability, headache, sore throat, nasal and sinus congestion, allergic reactions, and increased risk of conditions such as arthritis and gout.

Despite being an acidic solution, some proponents of apple cider vinegar believe it has an alkalinizing effect on the body. As such, they recommend one to two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in water as a daily health tonic. Although this is a popular remedy, its effectiveness hasn't been researched.

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