London - Pain was part of everyday life for Linda Faulkner, an arthritis sufferer. Diagnosed with the incurable joint condition in 2006, she tried an array of treatments with little success, from painkillers to steroids - which helped in the short term - to supplements including fish oils and collagen.
Despite her efforts, the pain, which began in her wrists, migrated to her back and neck and was increasing. So when Faulkner read about church organist Sarah Gall, who had cured her crippling arthritis pain by drinking a mixture of cider vinegar and honey, she was willing to give it a go.
Remarkably, for the past two weeks - for the first time since she developed the disease - Faulkner has been almost pain-free.
Every morning and evening she drinks a mix of a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of vinegar with a dash of hot water.
The 58-year-old retired British pharmacist said: “I haven’t needed painkillers for the past few weeks. At first, I was almost frightened to admit it was working, but it really is. I still can’t believe it.”

Cider vinegar has been prized by herbalists for centuries as a health tonic, although doctors remain unconvinced.
“Some herbalists believe that arthritis is caused by acid crystals in the joints,” says consultant rheumatologist Robert Moots, of Liverpool’s University Hospital.
“Drinking vinegar is supposed to dissolve them. But the symptoms are not caused by crystals, but by the wearing away of the cartilage that lines the joints. The subsequent friction leads to over-growth of bone, pain and inflammation.”
“Other claims are that vinegar somehow influences the body's pH balance, but you would have to drink a vat of powerful alkaline to affect the acidic environment of the stomach. A change in pH would cause vital organs to stop functioning.”
Cider vinegar - which is produced by allowing the alcoholic drink to sour - contains similar nutrients to apples, including pectin, beta-carotene, potassium and magnesium.
Moots maintains: “I can see nothing of benefit, but it’s unlikely to do harm.
“I wouldn’t endorse it, but I would not dissuade patients from trying it.
“Who knows, it may just work.” - Mail on Sunday
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