An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Old Wives Tale or Old Wise Adage? by Alexis Mark

The other week I was in the supermarket waiting to pay for my groceries when I noticed the person behind me with a cart full of apple juice bottles (literally, her cart was filled ... I’m not exaggerating!). Now, despite realizing that apple juice was on sale that day, I still thought it a bit odd at the quantity being purchased. Perhaps seeing my bewildered expression, my fellow consumer explained to me about the wonders of the apple that resulted from drinking apple juice. After her daughter was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, she tried numerous drug and physical therapies to manage her pain. Some of the medications made her ill with unbearable side effects, some made the pain worse. After reading about the possible link between pain reduction and malic acid, a compound present in the apple fruit, she asked her daughter’s physician about the validity of this claim. Her physician recommended giving it a try. She says it has helped immensely with minimizing her daughter’s aches and increasing the quality of her daily life.

Intrigued, and maybe a little bit skeptical, I did some background research. Although complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is not new by any means, the validity of these therapies and treatments is constantly being questioned. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial study, performed by Russell, Michalek, Flechas, et. al described in the Journal of Rheumatology, analyzed the effects of a therapy consisting of a combination of 600 mg of malic acid and 150 mg magnesium versus a placebo. The therapy was administered twice daily over the course of four weeks. It was found to be safe, but no improvement was seen during the randomized-controlled phase of this study. However, after two months, pain and tender point scores markedly improved. Improvement was also seen after six months in tender point scores.

One article from 2001 in Current Rheumatology Reports discussed CAM options for treatment of fibromyalgia, some of which include magnesium, ginseng, valerian root, acupuncture, and osteopathic manipulations. Many of the effects of these therapies were believed to be short-lived but with low risk for serious complications. The authors noted the need for conduction of longer-term studies to adequately assess the benefits of various therapies and/or supplements.

So in this case, does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? For me, the jury is still out for the treatment goal of pain reduction. But with that being said, I am looking forward to discovering the possibilities alternative medicine has to provide for pain alleviation of fibromyalgia and other chronic illnesses. I think it’s important to stay open minded to learning something new, whether it is inside or outside of the classroom. Happy learning!