Monthly Archives: December 2007

Apple Cider Vinegar in a non processed (unpasteurized) state still has the “mother” in it. The mother is a cloudiness or scum layer of bacteria that grows at certain ph levels. According to the health forums (remember these are not professionals) there is much benefit to be found in small doses of ACV daily. 2 Tbs. was the max recommended dose on most sites. Though some encouraged making up a pitcher and sipping on it all day for weight loss. If you do this, please look into cautions and warnings because there are tooth enamel issues and reflux issues if you don’t monitor the ph levels closely. Baking soda can bring the levels down. Google it.

Some groups also encouraged growing the mother to a larger, thicker state, and ingesting bits of the mother itself. (Let me know how it goes if you choose to do this….I’m not willing to try that. A little bit of cloudiness in my ACV works for me. I would find eating slime, akin to eating mold, and since mold has very strong properties, I don’t feel comfortable messing with it in larger doses, grown without knowledge of other chemical factors.)

The raw honey (never been heated above 110 degrees) is supposed to do two things. First it makes the tea taste sweet which helps with cravings. Second it still contains trace pollens that over time, help build up an immunity to some allergies. Some of the health nuts argue against using honey in the ACV tea, (the anti-sugar purists) and others encourage it as a healthier alternative if used within reason. Common sense says, if your going to eat honey in mass amounts, you might as well pick up your Snickers bar, again!

There have been several articles stating that ACV and honey have little to zero nutrient and homeopathic properties. While that may be true, there are lots more users claiming what the benefits were to them. Honey and vinegars were commonly used during Biblical times as foods and medicines. Both trace their medicinal uses WAY back but…… so is blood-letting and cauterizing which we know to be harmful today. Use common sense and be wary of “over the top” claims.

All this to say, I am testing things for myself. I want to learn more about health and medicine from a more natural approach. I would like to gain some working knowledge of home remedies in case there comes a time when we are unable to get outside help for awhile because of natural disasters or terrorism. Ya never know when it could come in handy.

What I’m trying currently:
I drink the tea 2-3 times per day. I mix 2 tsp ACV with 2 tsp raw honey, then add about 16 oz of warm water per cup. Make sure you google cautions and warnings for ACV and raw honey to see if they apply to you. Discuss with your doctor the effects of acidity on any of your medications. (I have approval from my doctor, though not endorsement, he wants to know what the results are over time and is willing to monitor any concerns related to it. We are working together to explore this avenue.)

It’s too soon to tell if it’s doing anything, but I like the taste of it and it helps with craving sweets. As always, research it for yourself because there are some things to be careful of.

Here are a few sites to get you started:

This is a retailer….take any claims with a grain of salt and an eye on your checkbook, but a good overall view!

This is a health site, Overview, Ted’s Questions, Warnings and Caveats, and Feed back sections were very helpful.

This site debunks ACV Remedies and explains why it has no medicinal value

Today I took the kids to the park to do a cookie exchange with a group that we participate in minimally (2-3 times per month). I tend to avoid most of their activities because I get the impression that they are polite and friendly to a person’s face but talk behind one’s back. I asked a friend that goes between both groups about it, and she doesn’t pick up the same red flags that I do. She thought it was just me, so I figured I’d give it another try. Besides, cookies……playgrounds……seemed like neutral territory to me!

We arrived and things seemed to go smoothly. We exchanged pleasantries and were chatting amiably. I found two moms that seemed to be genuine. They were new to the group, so I spent quite a bit of time visiting with them. As one of my new-found friends was leaving, one of the group leaders commented, “I know this is outright gossip, but…….” and she preceded to speak poorly of the mom who had just left. I tried to come to the absent mom’s defense and was met with silence and uncomfortable stares.

Then they preceded to talk about racism and how they “would never” but……. wasn’t this a funny story? The story was not funny. Especially if they were in the shoes of the family they were discussing! All the while, they were nodding that,”While THEY didn’t think that was right, the family should have known better than to move to that part of the city!” (This was from a group that calls itself Christian. One of the leaders was doing the talking and not a single one of her friends stood up for what was right!) It sickened and saddened me that people who claim God’s grace for themselves, treat others in this manner. No wonder the world views Christians so cynically.

I talked with Hubby about what happened and we agreed that we should pull the kids out of the few activities that we do attend within the group and focus on healthier associations. (Pagans that act badly would probably do less damage than duplicit Christians. At least they would have an excuse!) We used the opportunity to discuss racism and gossip with the children, and how even as adults, we need to guard our hearts and speech and always Represent God well.

My weight has been stalling all month and I’ve been playing with the same 2 pounds. We’ve been alternating between increasing our walking speed and distance. But it’s having very little effect. In our quest to walk faster, I attempted jogging….and…promptly blew out my knee. (Note to self: big gals DON’T jog!) Ice packs, heat packs, and pain meds became my main staple for about a week.

In my immobile boredom, I sat and read the possible side effects of the over the counter pain med, and figured I should try something homeopathic that won’t potentially cause internal bleeding of the stomach lining. (Just a thought.) That’s how I found Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). The health forum touted it as helping with arthritis and joint swelling from injury or over doing. They encouraged mixing equal parts of ACV (with the mother, a cloud of happy little organisms, still in it) and raw honey (never heated over 110 degrees) into warm water to taste.

I started following links on both the honey and the acv and found the health community really likes this stuff. It helps with all kinds of things, but reacts differently for everyone depending on what nutrients you are low in. (To be fair, I also found a few sites debunking it as a myth.)

Several weight loss forums were touting it as an effective appetite control or toxin flush. Some claims were way out there, but I figured it was worth a shot. In one week I lost 4 pounds per the doctor’s scale! I’m hoping it wasn’t coincidence, but I plan to continue taking it for 2 months and see what happens. If it produces good results, I’ll see if Hubby is interested in trying it, if not, it’s not anything that can hurt me.

My total weight loss so far is 38 pounds in six months. Still a LONG way to go,but at least it’s a start. I’m trying to find a way to lose that I can live with. Banning carbs, swearing off sugar, eating like a vegan, and treating desserts, pizza, and Mexican food like the plague doesn’t seem sustainable in the long run. I’m trying to portion control and only limit things that I am willing to live with in the long haul. I’m losing much slower, but I am losing so I hope it will produce lifestyle changes that I can maintain once I reach my goal.

“If everyone could bring a little goody like candy, cookies, small toys, etc. for all the children in their groups. We will do like a valentines exchange. The reason for this, is last year, we had some older children upset when they got a “little kid” gift. They were trying to talk the little kids into trading and it was somewhat a fight over the toys. I don’t want the kids to come home upset.”

This was a blurb from an e-mail I received from one of our groups quite recently. I had several thoughts on the topic, but my first and foremost impression, was that the adults had cow-towed and rewarded the ill mannered, greedy, little monsters from last year, by insuring that they would receive 20 gifts to whine about this year. My second thought was why hadn’t the leaders stuck with the original plan of throwing a party with cookies, but in lieu of gifts, have the children bring a baby item or canned good to donate to a homeless shelter?

Why is it that adults are afraid to act like grown ups? Why do we reward bad behavior with promise of gifts/treats? Do we actually believe that 20 little trinkets or plying them with more sugar will cause ungrateful children to have a sudden character change? Also, if the older children were the problem, me thinks it’s time to sit them down and lay down the expectations. Older children can be reasoned with……and threatened by their moms. (IF their moms saw their behavior as a problem.) Another thought, where were the class teachers when the “somewhat fight” over toys began to escalate!? How sad. The peasants are revolting, and the adults are worried about them going home upset with hurt feelings. It’s going to be a scary kingdom, indeed, when these children are permitted to rule someday! I think we will be re-evaluating our membership with this group.

Seems Hubby is getting itchy feet and starting to look within the company to move out of the Sunshine State (or at least our little corner of the tourist trap). He came home all excited about a posting in Germany. “The guys that had been stationed there LOVED it! What better way for the kids to learn German than to be immersed? How cool to continue our adventure over seas for a few years!”

My mind shifted, balance….balance…..I tried not to squash his new found excitement with a knee jerk outburst of terror. The practical side of my brain reached my mouth first (thankfully, “the tone” was checked….I remember thinking, is this how Noah’s wife felt when he came home and announced he was going to build the ark?), “Um, Wow. GERMANY?!..Really?….That would be exciting….maybe?…. What are the homeschool and American-But-Lliving -In-A-Foreign-Country laws? What have you looked up about it so far?” Keeping an open mind, we researched how Germany would effect our lives over all. It ended up being a short lived foray when we discovered homeschooling is illegal and parents are fleeing across the borders to avoid being arrested for refusing to put their children into the school system.

Hubby still has itchy feet and is starting to scan company offerings for something interesting for us. He seems to be intrigued alternately, by International offerings (adventure) and finding a place to settle for good (security). I’m game for one more temporary move (2-4 yrs.) but would like to find a forever home after that.