Juicing and the Benefits of Celery Juice

Juicing has become all the rage with juice stores popping up all over New York city and lining fridges at Whole Foods. So, what’s behind the colorful garden in a bottle? It’s not just the next craze—it’s actually a great way to help the body cleanse, repair and get its daily dose of nourishment. Juicing has many healing benefits such as boosting your immune system, increasing your energy, supporting brain health and promoting weight loss. This all occurs as the nutrient dense juice floods the body with vital micronutrients, giving your digestive tract a break from solids to allow for rest and repair. Juicing helps break up and flush out any unwanted crud that accumulates from your diet and lifestyle, and has a role to play in the alkalinity of the body, bringing balance to your system.

There are many options out there and it can seem daunting knowing what to choose. Not all juices are potent health healers, so I would like to give you some tips on how to maximize all these wonderful benefits when juicing yourself:

-       Fresh is best: Within 20 minutes, those powerful vitamins and minerals tend to deteriorate being exposed to oxygen so the juice just isn’t as potent (but still healthy to drink). Juicing yourself or buying a freshly made juice at store is your best bet.

-       80-20 rule: 80% vegetables, 20% fruit. This ratio allows for a variety of micronutrients without flooding the body with fruit sugar. Some veggies can be quite powerful so a little bit of fruit can help balance out the taste. Using green apples and berries will add great flavor and they are lowest in fruit sugar.

-       Eat the rainbow: You need some of every color to benefit from the wide variety of nutrients, compounds and antioxidants they contain. So think of the rainbow when your selecting you veggies and fruit.

-       Organic produce: I feel it’s key to buy organic produce as it is farmed without the use toxic of chemicals. Steering clear of conventional veggies and fruit will keep the juice as clean and healthy as possible.

-       Daily routine: There are many juice cleansing routines, but you can easily incorporate juicing into your daily routine by simply adding a freshly made green juice in the morning. It will really help clear out the body after an evening of resting. Make sure to still keep you water intake high as well.

-       Make the swap: Try swapping out your morning coffee or tea for an energy boosting green juice. Green juices are full of chlorophyll, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, which are all powerful energy boosters. You’ll feel the natural buzz!

-       Glass jars: It's best to use glass jars to drink and store your juice. This keeps the juice fresh and allows you to avoid leaching (which can occur when using plastic). You can even bring your own glass jars to the store as it's less waste and no leaching! I also recommend stainless steel straws, which you can buy on Amazon. Keep some in your bag or at work—it will also save on waste. Winning!

All veggies have healing and restorative properties which vary depending on the type, where they were grown and the quality. Celery juice is the queen of anti-inflammatory and healing with extensive health benefits. You’ll want to have a glass every morning.

Acidity: The important minerals in this magical juice effectively balance the body’s blood pH, neutralizing acidity.

Energy: Celery juice acts as the perfect post-workout tonic as it replaces lost electrolytes and rehydrates the body with its rich minerals.

Blood pressure: Celery has organic sodium that actually reduces blood pressure rather than increasing it. Drinking celery juice every day for a week significantly helps lower blood pressure. A compound called phthalides help relax the muscle around arteries, dilating the vessels and allowing blood to flow normally.

Cancer: Celery is known to contain at least eight families of anti-cancer compounds. Among them are acetylenics, which have been shown to stop the growth of tumor cells; phenolic acids, which block the action of prostaglandins that encourage the growth of tumor cells; and coumarins, which help prevent free radicals from damaging cells.

Cleansing and detoxifying: Celery is a great internal cleanser and detoxifier due to its hydrating and alkalizing properties that aid in kidney function. It's a powerful diuretic as well, helping remove excess water weight from the body and flushing out toxins more effectively. 

Skin: With antioxidants and a high vitamin K content, celery helps preserve and repair the skin's firmness and elasticity. It's also a good source of vitamin A, C and B for healthy skin tone and color.

You can know see why this humble vegetable wears a crown, with an abundant amount of healing properties to keep our bodies healthy and in balance. Celery juice would be a great staple to add to your daily morning routine. Do so today and watch your health kick into gear!!

Celery Juice recipe:

From Medical Medium Blog

Ingredients

1 bunch celery* (makes approx 16oz juice)

*organic when possible

Preparation

Wash 1 bunch of celery and run through a juicer. Drink immediately for most therapeutic benefits. If you prefer, you can also blend the celery in a Vitamix, Nutribullet, or any high speed blender with a little water and either drink as-is, or strain as desired.

Optional: If you you find the taste of straight celery juice too strong, you can add a cucumber and/or an apple to the juice. Be advised, though, that this will slightly dilute its effectiveness. If you prefer a more gentle juice you can make straight cucumber juice instead, which is also very healing and beneficial. 

Chakras, Auras and More!

The body has vortexes of energy constantly spinning in a circular motion which are called chakras. Chakra is a Sanskrit word which means “Energy Wheel”. The seven main chakras are located in a straight line in the center of the physical body and each governs specific body parts and organs as well as aspects connected to all levels of our being. To read more about each chakra's attributes read here. 

Each chakra vibrates at a certain frequency. That certain frequency has a specific wavelength and that's why the chakras have different colors. When life’s challenges, trials, and tribulations are not resolved, it might result in stagnation of energy referred to as blockages, in one or more chakras. Over time, this stagnation will manifest as disharmony on a physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual level. Therefore, if a chakra can be stimulated or unblocked before the manifestation of physical ailments occur, health can be achieved and maintained. 

In helping unblock chakras, these energy centers can be stimulated by colors vibrating at similar frequencies. So to help open up the throat chakra that is blue in color, one may want to wear a blue necklace or scarf or light a blue candle. Blue sunglasses can help too! The blue light goes into the eye and stimulates the brain to open up the chakra. Movement can also help open up these energy centers, and that is why I developed Chakra Class. It combines movement from dance, Pilates, yoga and basic exercises in a specific sequence to open up the chakras. The one movement to open up all the chakras at once is laughter. That's why they say it is the best medicine! Before every chakra class you can get your chakras muscle tested to see which chakra you need to focus on. After the class you can get muscle tested to make sure they are all open.  If you want your chakras tested it is something we can muscle test in the office too! 

Everyone has a field of energy known as an aura where the chakra energy vibrates out of the body and into this field. Much can be discovered when looking at the aura and knowing the meaning behind each color. 

The aura consists of the vital, emotional, mental, and spiritual body of a human being. It displays thoughts and emotions on conscious and subconscious levels. This connection of the mind and body is displayed by the colors in the aura. The photo above was taken using Kirlian photography which has the ability to capture auras. If you are interested in getting your own aura captured on film there is a place in Chinatown called Magic Jewelry that does it. 

Your aura is your energy field and even though we don't often think about it as a part of us that needs attention it really does need it.  It can be cleansed from picking up other people's energy or stimulated for an energy boost.  I fell in love with these Bali Auric Sprays  the first moment I used them.  

When to use it

• During meditation or yoga.
• To clear homes or public spaces.
• On your pillow before sleeping..
• When waking up and before bed.
• Possibilities are endless!

Purchase at the office for $25

Each spray contains a specific crystal formula that carries a certain healing vibration to tune into. They are handmade with organic oils. There is Palo Santo (sacred wood) from Peru, flowers, incense and candles always involved during production and all the production is handled in glass containers. The production process is finished with a special Balinese Ceremony performed by a Balinese Priest to strengthen and to elevate the healing vibration of the sprays.  This ceremony is celebrated under the full moon.

              

Here is Kirlian photography of an organic mushroom on the left and a non-organic one on the right.

You don't have to look twice to know which one has more life force and is healthier to eat! Life is energy and energy is life. That's why the more organic whole food you eat the better. Organic processed food is still processed. A rule to live by is if your great grandmother didn't eat it, neither should you. That's another reason why the main supplements we suggest to patients at the office are organic whole food supplements called Standard Process, which are made from a farm in Wisconsin. The body knows what food is and how to heal with it. 

Envy Pillow for a Good Night's Sleep

A good night's sleep is priceless. I have helped patients with sleep problems for over a decade now and I have realized that getting a good night's sleep depends on a multitude of factors. Stress level, caffeine and sugar consumption, how late dinner was and what you do right before bed are some of the factors that can make or break a good night's sleep. One tip I give is that it is ideal to go to sleep and wake up about the same time every night so you can train your body into a rhythm. Meditation before bed can help as well, to calm down the mind and enable you to sleep more deeply. Lavender oil is great to spray on your pillow or put into a diffuser. Lavender is known to be relaxing. 

As a chiropractor, the right support also matters. It wasn't until Envy pillow came along that I could recommend one pillow that would help the majority of patients. I am always trying to help patients find the right mattress or suggest a pillow to go between the knees (if they sleep on their side) to help. When it came to suggesting a pillow for the head and neck I was always at a loss, for there was never the perfect pillow that seemed to help. I would suggest a few and then the patient was left to figure it out for themselves. 

Once I was using Envy pillow and getting great feedback from patients I was so happy to find it! Envy pillow is memory foam with a bamboo pillow case that has sloped sides that cradle and tilt your head slightly, minimizing face-to-pillow contact AND in optimal neck support and alignment. It also has an elevated pattern in the center of the pillow that improves circulation by distributing weight and reducing pressure on the face. In this way reducing wrinkles and is wonderful after any face or sinus surgery.  

If it's something you are interested in we have pillows in the office that you can try! Your body will thank you.