Vinegar The New Saline Solution
Surgeons at the University Hospital of Wales and the Spire Cardiff Hospital have discovered that acetic acid (vinegar) can kill harmful bacteria in the flesh around new knee joints. This harmful bacterium if left untreated can weaken the joints, and eventually more surgery will be needed. Currently, a surgeon administers saline solution or iodine to cleanse the knee after cutting the dead tissue around the knee joint.
Over 1,500 knee replacement operations occur in Ireland each year. This is a costly procedure of around €10,000. The surgeons have to wait about eight weeks after the first operation to perform the replacement knee surgery. Surgeons at University Hospital of Wales and the Spire Cardiff Hospital have found that by applying vinegar to the infected area around the joint, this kills the bacteria inside the knee and they can replace the joint in just one operation. The acid in the vinegar destroys the bacteria more effectively than the saline solution or iodine.
Dr. Rhidian Morgan – Jones, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the University Hospital of Wales and the Spire Cardiff Hospital says, ‘we have treated twenty five patients in a prospective trial to show it is safe.’ ‘They had no increase in heart rate, breathing or blood pressure, no signs of pain and no wound complications or delayed healing, suggesting that it is effective.’
He concluded that; ‘There is evidence that sugar can fight bacteria. It involves coating bones to create a hostile environment for bacteria so that they don’t stick to the implant initially, though we don’t know yet how long effects will last. Sugar and vinegar have been used in medicine for centuries and don’t create resistance as antibiotics do.’
