Health and Apple Cider Vinegar

For centuries, apple cider vinegar has been used for food and medicine for people and their pets, but the benefits from this vinegar are becoming more well known by many in today’s day and age. Apple cider vinegar has several healing properties because it’s not pasteurized, it’s fermented. It’s made from organically grown apples, then goes through two fermentation processes, allowing it to produce enzymes and other life-giving nutrients, turning it into the "mother of all vinegars".

Be careful not to confuse apple cider vinegar with clear vinegar, as they are two very different things. The biggest difference between these two substances are one is alive and one is dead. Clear vinegar has been processed and distilled, stripping away all nutrients, and has the ability to be detrimental to your health due to the fact that it’s dead. On the other hand, apple cider vinegar is full of healthy bacteria and live nutrients that are actually visible in the bottle.

Besides making you feel and look better, and giving you more energy, apple cider vinegar is a good remedy for heartburn, regulates blood sugar levels, improves bowel irregularity, clears skin and gives it a healthy glow, creates sleek, soft hair, may help with joint stiffness, breaks down fat so that the body can use it for energy rather than storing it, assists in weight loss, and cleanses and detoxes the body. For pets, apple cider vinegar is beneficial for controlling fleas and promotes a healthy, shiny coat.

A few of the nutrients in apple cider vinegar and their benefits are as follows:

Potassium - prevents brittle teeth, hair loss, and runny noses
Pectin - helps reduce blood pressure and bad cholesterol
Malic Acid - antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal
Calcium - helps create strong bones and teeth
Ash - an alkaline property, which aids the body in maintaining proper pH levels

A good way to take apple cider vinegar is by mixing it with raw, organic honey for quick dose of energy and to help strengthen your immune system. Another simple drink is mixing one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 32 ounces of water. Adding lemon juice to this mixture is tasty as well. I, on the other hand, like to mix one teaspoon of cayenne pepper with one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and shoot it. However, this method is quite strong, so it may be easier to mix it with water when first trying it out. Apple cider vinegar is also available in capsule form, however it doesn’t contain the living properties in this form as it does in liquid form. A great brand to use is Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, and is the healthiest on the market.

Happy health.

Words

My source of inspiration differs between my daily life and my writing. My smiling daughter, my bright future, my dreams and my goals are what get me through my hellish days at work, listening to my boss drone on about nonsense, and dealing with my daughter's father who was once my beloved man, but is no longer. They're what keep me on my path toward success and happiness rather than lingering through a dark forest.

Writing, on the other hand, comes from a different source, releasing itself elsewhere from within me. My love is a beautiful writer. His work, his words, inspire me to release my thoughts and emotions as they are guided through my fingertips, crawl through the pen, and melt onto the paper. When I borrow his eyes, I see my true ability to free myself from myself, into the paper, and out of my soul.

Though he allures me with each word he writes, his inspiring me is not what creates what you see of mine. My own writing creeps through a place buried deep within my soul, a place absent of light, a place of solitude.

Words are trapped inside my heart, pushing against my chest, feeling as if I can't breathe. My thoughts keep them hidden inside of me, because my words aren't good enough for the paper, or even for me. Screaming for freedom, unable to breathe, drowning deep in my soul, they'll hopefully, one day, be set free.

Anything is possible to heal if you change the way you feel

Lonely and Flora

As I sit here atop this shelf, watching everyone filter in and out of this bright, fluorescent-filled room, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to escape. How I wish I could return to my native homeland to be with those that truly cared. We all helped each other survive. No one here seems to care if I live or die. I'm just a dusty, old plant. No sunlight, no soil massaging my tired roots. I hope nobody can see my once-beautiful-green leaves drooping; I'm supposed to look pretty and add life to the room. Only the opposite of life is radiating from my roots.

I miss Cash. I had fun with him. He loved me. He used to nestle his fins between my roots and envelope himself within me while he slept. She took him somewhere - took him away from me, my only friend. I tried to help him get better. It wasn't my fault he got sick, was it? I'm sorry, Cash, my fishy friend. I hope you're okay, wherever you disappeared to . I hope you're being taken care of. I guess I wasn't good enough, just like I'm not good enough for this dungeon-of-a-room.

She gave me fresh water today. That was nice. Maybe she does care after all, who knows. It helped my posture; I'm standing taller.

I wonder what that other one thinks of this place, of these people - these people who don't seem to care about life outside this room. Bamboo, I think her name is. She's much more beautiful than I am, with her heart-shaped body and ceramic elephant stand. She gets more attention than me; she probably likes it here. Surrounded by her beauty, I turn away, hoping she doesn't notice my nearly lifeless petals.

"Hey, you," I motioned, waving my leaves ever so slightly as if there were a breeze in this windowless room, trying to get her attention. I want to tell her, the girl-who's-boss-hates-her, to go, escape this room, escape these people, escape this place, otherwise she'll end up like me - alone, trying to scream for freedom, but no one seems to hear. Time is escaping both of us; she needs to get out. And, when she goes, I hope she takes me with her.

About Lindsay...

Lindsay Kolpitcke is a nutritional coach and hypnotherapist. Following her passion for holistic healing, she decided to pursue an education, and eventually a career, as a transformational healer.

Studying remedies, such as holistic nutritional therapy, hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, and life coaching, Lindsay has gained a diverse background in the field of holistic medicine. Her goal is to act as a tool in others' transformational journeys to create balance and live a life full of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.

Lindsay resides in Boise, Idaho with her four-year-old daughter, Melanie.