Apple Cider Vinegar and Aspiration: A Guide to Safety
Have you ever wondered what could happen if you accidentally aspirate some apple cider vinegar (ACV)? While the thought of harmful bacteria in your lungs might be scary, it is important to understand the actual risks involved.
Understanding Aspiration and ACV
If you are neurotic enough to fear the bacteria in vinegar, you might be overthinking things. It is incredibly unlikely that you aspirated ACV simply because you started coughing and felt slight chest burning. Choking prevents such incidents. Any bacteria in the ACV are more inclined to live in its acidic environment, not within your lungs.
Even if you did aspirate a small amount, running to the doctor would do little to determine if you did indeed inhale the substance, as there is no specific test for this scenario. Only if you experience additional symptoms, such as a fever, coughing up sputum, or shortness of breath that is not associated with anxiety, should you seek medical care.
Signs of Possible Aspiration
If you were able to have a good hard deep cough, that is a good sign. All that sputtering you experienced when it occurred was possibly from some aspiration, which is a common occurrence when drinking anything or even your own spit. However, thicker secretions are more concerning, and ACV, being thin like water, is less worrisome. The acidity of ACV might have caused some irritation, but the primary concern would be with thicker secretions like those from a general cold.
For the most part, any irritation from the ACV should subside within a day or two. As long as you can take deep breaths and the cough continues to lessen, you are likely not a severe case of aspiration.
Monitoring Your Symptoms
It is important to monitor yourself for any unusual symptoms such as a fever, persistent cough, weakness, or changes in breathing. While it is unlikely that you developed pneumonia from a small amount of ASV, it is not impossible. Most likely, you will experience some irritation and coughing for a day or two.
Stay calm, relax, and don’t worry. Enjoy your homemade concoction, as ACV may taste better than what you imbibed if you had some!