Stinky is good.

My office reeks of vinegar. At night the house does sometimes too. That's because I've been drinking apple cider vinegar and honey all week. After all the medicine and money spent at the pharmacy and doctor, nothing has really put me back on my feet after the bad chest cold I had a month ago. Apple cider vinegar and honey is an old folk remedy that is supposed to cure nearly everything you can think of.

This page covers ailments: arthritis, asthma, blood loss, colitis, coughs, diarrhea, dizziness, ear discharge, eczema, eyes (tired and sore), fatigue, food poisoning, hair loss, hayfever, headaches, hearing, heartburn, hemorrhages, hiccups, high blood pressure, insomnia, kidneys and bladder, and that's just A-K! It also helps you lose weight and helps you gain weight! Nifty!Here's another link with more info.

That's nothing though. There are whole books you can get on this miracle concoction. My mother swore that it cured her arthritis. She had been in traction, getting her head pulled up and released by a machine, and taking handfuls of pills every day -- then it magically went away after a regimen of apple cider vinegar and honey. I can't prove or disprove it, and doctors just shrug, say you're fine, and move on to the next patient. I think the high level of estrogen in the early birth control pills got rid of mine -- but again -- who knows, and who cares? It can't be proven or disproven.

Right now I'm hoping it will help clear the cobwebs out of my chest for less coughing and easier breathing. The side benefit is that people aren't likely to hang around in the office unless they've got business here (awfully busy these days), and the other benefit is that the ants in here are tickled to have the remnants of something sticky and pungent. I've washed the cup, emptied the trash and wiped everything off, but the air is still thick with vinegar. Whew!! Anything that smells this bad has to be good for you. Right?

I figure that it's powerful enough to scare off any lingering internal bugs, and besides, nothing else has helped. Anyone care to share a cup of snake oil?

Graphic from Vinegar and Honey Singing Telegrams. The title is a quote from an X-Files episode.