A skeptic's conversion

I bought my first bottle of organic apple cider vinegar after reading a Twitter post.

I'll wait a few moments while you compose yourself.

The conversation (that's what Twitter is for, having conversations 140 characters at a time) started among @OaklandCtyMoms, @DADiaperBank and @OKE_News. Someone mentioned ovehearing a conversation about apple cider vinegar and weight loss.

It was close to New Year's. I felt bloated and uncomfortable inside my own skin. After a month of over-eating, I was vulnerable. Still, while everybody else started, I procrastinated. It wasn't until an impromptu trip to the grocery store required passing the salad dressing aisle that I finally picked up a bottle of Bragg .

Yes, even the brand name on the bottle sounds a little odd. But more than a month has passed, and some interesting things have happened.

First time out, I maimed the back of my throat. Took a tablespoonful straight, I did, thinking it would be like downing a shot of liquor. Au contraire, mon ami. Dilute,dilute, dilute. The bottle recommends 8 ounces of water. I'd go 12.

During the first week, I gained four pounds. That turned out to be a hormonal anomaly; however, I still haven't lost any weight. I'll be honest, I'm a little disappointed. The directions on the bottle say to take a couple of teaspoons three times a day, and I've only taken it morning and evening. So maybe that's the problem. Or maybe a person has to exercise, too. I don't know.

I do know I feel lighter. I seem to have more energy, more positive energy. And a mild case of rosacea on my face has cleared up.

A friend sent me a link to buzzle.com, and there I learned apple cider vinegar has been used as a remedy since the time of Hippocrates, around 400 B.C.

Apple cider vinegar is made from fresh ripe apples that are fermented and undergo a stringent process to create the final product. The vinegar contains a host of vitamins, beta-carotene, pectin and vital minerals such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, chlorine, sulphur, iron, and fluorine.

The article lists a number of ailments and deficiencies that might be remedied by this magic elixir, and my inner skeptic had a field day with those. I always have a hard time with "cure-all" remedies. Nothing is that good.

Still, I can't argue with one inescapable fact: I feel better. Better than I did a month ago. And the only thing I've done differently is apple cider vinegar.

Scoff if you must. Giggle, chortle, cackle. I will understand if you can't bring yourself to swallow what tastes for all the world like something I should be using to dye Easter eggs.

But there's something to this.

--JH-G