Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting apple cider and is considered by many alternative health practitioners to promote overall health and well-being. Traditionally, apple cider vinegar has been thought to help with a variety ailments including gout, acne, arthritis, allergies and high cholesterol, but it came to be especially popular for its medicinal properties thanks to a bestselling book published in 1958, "Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health" by D.C. Jarvis, M.D. In the 1970s, many started to believe that apple cider vinegar could help speed up weight loss as well by increasing metabolism.

Several small studies have shown that regular doses of apple cider vinegar can help lower blood glucose levels, offering promising potential to those suffering from diabetes. Additionally, apple cider vinegar is used to restore alkaline acid balance and is a popular home remedy for zits and acid reflux. Apple cider vinegar is believed to have a positive impact on high blood pressure and cholesterol but more research is needed.

Apple cider vinegar can be ingested or applied to the skin in its natural form, though there is a small chance that it can cause burning. Subsequently, many users tend to dilute the vinegar with water and mix it with honey.

Check out AOL Health for more about Natural Weight-Loss Aids. Plus, stay up-to-date with Diet and Fitness News from That's Fit.

It's that time of year again. When my son plays outside until the very last minute I'll allow. Then, later, as he's lying in bed he starts to complain of this spot or that spot. Invariably, I don't see anything in the spots he's pointing to. It seems odd because when I get a bug bite I flare up terribly. But flare-up or no flare-up, itchy bug bites drive my son just insane.

I prefer to use home remedies on my son's insect bites more often than not. My old stand-by is mixing baking soda with a bit of warm water and creating a paste. It's soothing and seems to take the sting away quite quickly. I've used it on both mosquito bites and bee stings.

Health911 has some more ideas on home remedies for insect bites. Some of their recommendations include rubbing apple cider vinegar on the skin as an insect repellent, dabbing dissolved Epsom salts on insect bites, using ice packs to reduce swelling, and using a paste of meat tenderizer to reduce the sting of bites.

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There are some diet gimmicks that just don't seem worth it. Such as? Well, the Tapeworm diet comes to mind. And the baked bean diet. Not to mention using leeches to detox.

Here's another one: Superstar singer Fergie (real name: Stacy Ferguson) says she does shots of vinegar. Why would she do something so heinous? Apparently, it helps cleanse the colon, reduce bloating and cut cravings. Still, is it worth it? I'm still not sure about that.

Here's what Fergie herself has to say about it:
"I do vinegar shots. It has to be organic apple cider, unfiltered. Two tablespoons. For some reason I've noticed a difference on my stomach."

What do you think of this? Does it work, or is it just another one of those silly diet gimmicks?

(For more celebrity diet secrets, check out AOL Body)

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12 "healthy" foods that really aren't:

Why? Click to find out!

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Salma Hayak is human -- she gained a lot of weight while pregnant due to gestational diabetes and hasn't lost it all just yet, but she's not too concerned. As for the weight gain, she said, "This is just what it takes for me to have this baby, and I really want it!" She might not be quite back to the nearly-impossibly hourglass figure she had before becoming pregnant, but she looks healthy and happy.

OK! Magazine did a cover story on how Britney Spears lost 15 pounds -- find out how! Oh, wait ... she didn't. They just used a picture from five years ago to make it look that way. Now, honestly, if she loses weight or not isn't really the issue for Brit right now -- the girl seems to be making some progress mentally and emotionally, and it seems to me like that's where her focus should stay. Keep it up, girl!

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