Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good For Rheumatoid Arthritis? Myth Vs Reality
As it’s cheap and really practical, apple cider vinegar is a home remedy for everything. Most people have tried it at least once, for a lot of different health problems.
But what about arthritis and inflammation? Is apple cider vinegar good for rheumatoid arthritis? Can it help, since it’s considered a remedy for everything? Or it’s just one of the myths of arthritis?
People have very different opinions on this topic, but I will try to find a real answer.
Benefit #1 – Fights Inflammation
ACV contains several substances inside, but there are basically 2 that matter:
Vitamin C – Compared to other remedies, there’s quite a high quantity in apple cider vinegar. Now, this vitamin doesn’t have anything to do with relieving pain or improving the joints. However, it’s a very powerful antioxidant. For this reason, it fights oxidative stress free radicals.
Vitamin C – Compared to other remedies, there’s quite a high quantity in apple cider vinegar. Now, this vitamin doesn’t have anything to do with relieving pain or improving the joints. However, it’s a very powerful antioxidant. For this reason, it fights oxidative stress free radicals. These are a major cause of inflammation, so this vitamin really helps. Also, it protects the joints from further damage, especially if you are older.
- Pectin – This substance absorbs the toxins build up throughout the body. Toxins can cause inflammation sometimes, so pectin really helps at this chapter. However, there are no certain sources that can guarantee for that.
Now, you’re probably wondering, what do all these have to do with arthritis? RA is indeed caused by inflammation, but it doesn’t appear because of toxins or oxidative stress. It has an internal cause. So ACV doesn’t treat the real cause of arthritis.
Well, that’s true. ACV doesn’t have a real effect in inflammation, like Boswellia and Turmeric do.
It can help, but it doesn’t decrease the swelling directly, as these do. So it can help RA, but not in all cases. That’s why it’s not my top recommendation for chronic inflammation and RA.
Benefit #2 – Anti-Uric Acid
It seems that apple cider vinegar can also help in gout. According to some reviews I read, some of its compounds dissolve the crystals of uric acid built up in the joints.
In this way, it reduces the pain and clams down the stiffness. From what I read, it can also decrease the flareups and make them less frequent. Gout attacks are extremely painful, so ACV could help a lot.
However, I’m not 100% sure it can really do this. I read about it’s anti-uric acid proprieties in several articles, but none of them were studies or scientific reviews. That’s why I can’t guarantee that ACV is so amazing for gout.
But it turned out to be true, apple cider vinegar would definitely become even more popular than it is today.
What Studies Say
That’s actually the major problem. The studies conducted on ACV were very few and their results were quite mixed up. As people use it as a home remedy for basically everything, scientists had a very hard job.
But as far as I know, there were several studies about its major uses: diabetes, weight loss, cancer and high blood pressure. The first 2 had positive results, while the last ones didn’t lead to any results.
However, when it comes to pain, studies didn’t reach any positive conclusions. It seems that drinking apple cider vinegar doesn’t help arthritis in any way. It doesn’t even reduce the pain, according to what scientists say.
That’s the reason why there are no evidence about this remedy. People continue to use it, but the research says it’s pretty useless. At least at this point.
For scientists, it remains just a myth. So I can’t really give you any scientific proof, because I couldn’t find any.
My Experience With ACV
I tried apple cider vinegar myself, just for the sake of trying it out. I had heard lots of good things about it, so I was very curious. However, the studies I read claimed it was just the fuzz around it and that ACV can’t really do anything for arthritis.
So it was time to let experience see.
I found apple cider vinegar in 2 forms: the regular one, which you have to drink, and a supplement form. Here’s my results with both:
1. ACV Drink – It didn’t do anything major. I took it for about a week but my pain didn’t decrease at all. I tried to use an organic source, so I don’t think this was the problem.
Also, I combined it with raw honey (because I couldn’t drink it otherwise). But even so, it didn’t seem to help me.
2. ACV Supplement – It really surprised me, in a positive way. I started to see some results after about 2 weeks. By that I mean that my hands weren’t as swollen and the pain was starting to decrease. I was also feeling more fresh and had more energy.
Now, the supplement didn’t do anything miraculous, if I compare it to turmeric products. But compared to the drink, it was way better. I didn’t really expect that, so now I have a pretty good opinion about ACV supplements.
My Conclusion: Unlike what the studies say, apple cider vinegar really works for arthritis and inflammation. It’s not the best remedy I know, in fact it’s far from that. But if you don’t like turmeric and Boswellia, ACV could help, at least partially.
I reacted much better to the supplements, so that’s what I would recommend (instead of the drink). Most of the brands I read about were designed for weight loss and energy boosting, but I think they work for inflammation as well. The one I tried really did.
My Final Verdict – Myth Or Reality?
Short answer: Reality. It’s not the best remedy for arthritis and inflammation, but it works for real. Don’t expect it to make miracles, as you could expect from turmeric. Compared to that, it’s not very strong.
But ACV itself really decreases inflammation, unlike what studies say.
However, in my case, it was the form of it that made the difference. As I said, the drink didn’t have any effect for my pain. I took it for about 7 days and I felt absolutely no improvement. On the other hand, the supplement really seemed to help, surprisingly.
So I don’t know if it was just me or not, but I liked the pills a lot more than the drink. Besides, drinking ACV was a nightmare for me, even though I mixed it with honey. So I prefer the supplements way better.
Would I try it again?: It depends. Turmeric really does its job for me, so there’s no need to change it. But I wouldn’t say no to apple cider vinegar, as long as I could take it as supplements. When it comes to the drink, I wouldn’t really try it again.
Maybe it’s just me, but the taste it really bad and it’s so hard to drink it. But other than that, ACV positively surprised me when it comes to relieving pain. So it’s definitely not a myth.
