For starters, I do own a few of the Medical Medium books. This is not actually how I first found out about the celery juice wave; my book was sitting unread on a bookshelf waiting for that special day. I have read about raw food diets in the past and a few months ago was wondering if juicing celery has any benefits. A quick google search later and it looks like celery juice might be the solution to many of my chronic health concerns. One of my passions is learning about healing modalities that don’t involve surgery, vaccinations, or antibiotics. Another passion is trying these healing modalities out on myself. According to what I had read, drinking 16 ounces of celery juice first thing in the morning supports liver, stomach, adrenal, and overall immune system health.
Let’s dig into this a little deeper
What is my motivation? My primary concerns include a history of low energy, excess hair loss, heart palpitations, difficulty falling asleep, regularly needing to take supplements to balance my endocrine system (primarily thyroid and adrenal issues), somewhat frequent tonsillitis, all over body aches as well as joint pain (I consider 35 way too soon to be dealing with this), age spots on my hands, occasional acne and rashes.
According to the Medical Medium books as well as information he provides in his blog, all of this can be due to the Epstein-Barr virus residing dormant in the liver. Since I had mononucleosis in High School, there is a strong likelihood I am still carrying the virus that causes this. The EB virus loves to feed off of heavy metals as well as cortisol, produced by the adrenals in times of stress. The actions of the EB virus on the body as well as the impacts of it’s waste circulating in the body, in the long run produces all of the symptoms I listed above. According to the author, almost any scenario where there are so many symptoms that it’s undiagnosable or autoimmune, it is actually this or a handful of other viruses…in the liver.
What is the solution? 1) Recognize that your body is overwhelmed and give it a break and 2) gently detox the liver. These are essentially the same thing. The liver is responsible for cleaning the blood, including invading pathogens and waste products of cells for example. It also produces bile – for digestion. It stores vitamins and other substances the body might need in the future. Oh yeah, the liver also produces a number of important hormones for the ongoing healthy functioning of our beings. Giving your body a break is giving your liver a break. The liver’s function of keeping toxins out of the blood means it is best not to aggressively detox, because a lot of that will end up back in the blood….for the liver to process again. This is where celery comes in; it slowly and gently detoxes the liver. If you’ve been living on this planet for 30+ years, accumulating toxins that your liver ends of storing to keep it out of the rest of your body – this may take MANY months. Have patience and endurance. As these toxins, pathogens, and waste products are released from the liver, and end up back in the blood, you will likely have flair-ups. Eat healthy, go easy on fats as that requires more work from the liver to digest, and drink fluids – warm teas and lemon water are especially helpful.
My experience: For three months I experimented with drinking 16 oz. of celery juice every morning. For three months I absolutely loved it. I felt so refreshed and energized I thought I was going to finally kick my morning coffee habit. There was hardly a day that I missed this routine because it just felt that great. Then the daily process of cutting, juicing, and cleaning up the juicer finally caught up with me and I took a break. Since then, I have not been able to get back in the habit of juicing everyday, though I do feel refreshed on the days that this does happen. Fortunately, the author of the Medical Medium books, Anthony Williams, has so many nutritional recommendations that I believe I could be busy for awhile trying everything out, even if not juicing.
That said, let’s jump into my 3 month experience with celery juicing!
Week 1: The first week I definitely experienced some digestive discomfort. According to the author Anthony Williams, this is 1)standard and 2) an indication of an overloaded liver. I developed a rash as a band across my lower rib cage, which corresponded with the area over my Liver. Prior pigmentation under my left eye which had faded over time came back. This can be explained as viral waste material being pushed out through the skin and interacting with elements in the skin cells. In the initial stages of detoxing it is considered normal for there to be flare-ups. This can also happen periodically over time as the body is able to cleanse deeper into organ tissue.
Week 2: The second week I started coughing up mucus. Yum. I also noticed swollen lymph nodes in my neck. I noticed an increase in thirst and my whole body aching like it usually does when I’m about to have the cold or flu. My craving for celery juice also seemed to increase this week. The good news is that the rash had started to fade. Most of these symptoms can indicate die-off of a latent infection and my body’s reaction to the increase in pathological material being flushed out of the cells and into the bloodstream circulating through my body before being expelled.
Week 3: Observations for this week included gas and bloating as well as being sensitive emotionally. As the microbiome of my intestines changes as well as material that has been there for awhile in pockets gets flushed out, it is likely that I will continue to experience these mild digestive concerns. Studies are increasingly showing our gut microbiome to have an influence on the neurotransmitters that influence our emotions.
Week 4: I woke up with what felt like tonsillitis at 6am Tuesday with very low energy for the next three days. With the onset of this I started a raw foods cleanse. This consisted of juicing not only celery but also apples, and eating mostly salads. I also noticed I was running a higher temperature than normal. By day 4 I had few symptoms of being sick. Normally, when I wake sick like this, I am sick for 2 weeks so I consider this an indication that my immune system is getting stronger.
The first month was the most challenging and also the month where I was experiencing the most “in-your-face” changes. In the following months my digestion started normalizing and I experienced a consistent increase in energy, probably why I eventually stopped juicing! When I did stop juicing I noticed an immediate drop in energy, but not so much that I felt I needed to start juicing right away. Even two months after I’ve stopped juicing regularly, my digestion remains better than it was before my experiment with celery juicing. As someone who tends to have dry wrinkly skin, I have noticed it to be more soft and supple when I juice regularly. I believe I would benefit from another three month phase though Spring might be a better time for that than mid-winter.
While I am not yet ready to dive back into another round of daily celery juice, Anthony Williams has a lot of other nutritional advice I consider equally beneficial. The following are other suggestions of his that I am also trying to incorporate into my diet.
Lately, I am drinking the Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie once a week. I have added Kelp and Bladderwack for a little more Iodine and Trace Mineral Support. To also help with gentle detoxing as well as hydration since I do not often enjoy drinking plain water, I add a squeeze of lime to my water as often as possible, especially first thing in the morning. I find that a little bit of flavor does a lot towards getting me to drink more fluids. Since my energy has been a little low and stress a little high, I have been supplementing with Licorice and B-12 to support my adrenals (as well as Ashwaganda in my smoothie) and to help them relax. Another way I am supporting the Liver and Adrenals is by always having dates with me. Since I have a tendency to hypoglycemia, I can regularly snack on dates and other dried fruit to make sure the liver is getting the energy it needs to function and my adrenals aren’t freaking out trying to compensate for my blood sugar levels being too low. I am taking Zinc to support my immune system in these changing seasons. Apples are also great at supporting the body with nutrients while helping to flush out what is not beneficial. And they are so accessible! I try to eat one of these everyday. Anthony Williams also provides many broth and tea recipes to support nourishing and detoxing the body, which I hope to try before this winter is over!
Supplements often require 3 months before significant results can be noticed, so my current plan is to take these until the bottles are empty and then reevaluate how I am feeling. Please keep in mind that this blog is a chronicling of my experiences and not a recommendation for you. Particularly if you are already taking medications, it is always wise to have a personal consultation with someone trained in the pharmacological impacts of supplements and drugs to make sure you are taking something safe for you at the correct dosage.
You can learn more about me and ways you can work with me at wellmanacupuncture.com.
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