How the Celery Juice Fad Is Perfect For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

How the Celery Juice Fad Is Perfect For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

From October 2018 to January 2019 celery juice sales has increased in the United States by 454%. The first youtube I watched actually had 3,106,717 views! 

In fact, hashtag #celery juice has had 171,380 posts on instagram this year alone. And Then there’s the celebrities, publicly touting they’re drinking celery juice including: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jenna Dewan, Naomi Cambell, Pharell Williams, Robert De Niro, the list continues.  

Yes it’s officially a health craze. 

However, my experience with celery juice started before this recent “fad” exploded.  More on my experience and that of my clients below.  

First, who really blew this up?  It seems like the current craze started with the Medical Mediums book which sort of implies that celery juice will cure everything. 

I don’t buy it.  But I do buy that celery juice can help. 

I think it’s cheap, and powerful try for anyone with pain and inflammation.Especially people who are suffering from any of the following issues:

• Hashimoto’s thyroiditis,           
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Lymes disease
• Lupus
• Celiac Disease
• Psoriasis

Seems amazing right that a simple plant could help this many health conditions.  On top of that you have 100,000’s of regular people and plenty of celebrities are drinking this juice does that mean it’s a cure all?  Well not everyone agrees. 

Some Doctors Think it’s Dangerous

• When you juice celery it’s much higher in sugar. (8 ounces of celery juice has 30 calories and 4 grams of sugar – which isn’t a problem in my world but some people think sugar is the devil.) 
• Celery is low-calorie and could lead to malnutrition. (Drink celery juice in addition to your regular diet) 
• Eating celery or drinking celery juice may cause goiters. (It would take many pounds of celery a day to get a goiter)

Why Celery Juice for Rheumatoid Arthritis Makes Sense

 The first benefit of Celery juice is that it helps with hydration. Research says that even a small amount of dehydration is hard on your mind and body.  You might think why don’t I just drink more water? And yes I do think you should be drinking more water but hydration is not just about water. The story is far more complex and interesting than that. 

Ever wonder why they tell you to consume electrolytes?  One of the reasons is that to have proper cellular hydration you need the proper balance of minerals in you body.  Too much water without minerals can and does kill people every year.  

Celery juice helps fix this.  Celery is 95% water and 5% nutrients.  It has a low glycemic index and at 30 calories per 8oz will help keep you hydrated as well as important vitamins like Vitamin A, B, C, folate,, iron, and phosphorous

It’s also filled with electrolytes.  Electrolytes are minerals and celery juice contains magnesium, sodium, calcium, and potassium that help maintain fluid levels, send important signals between nerves and muscles, and helps keep the pH in your blood stable.

Some of the vitamins in the list above (Vitamin A and C) work as antioxidants. Add the phytochemicals (luteolin and apigenin) in celery and you’ve got some aggressive fighters going after the free radicals in your body. The less your body has to fight off the free radicals the calmer the inflammation in your body will be.  

Here’s How Daily Celery Juice Helps RA

Celery juice contains the important phytonutrients luteolin and apigenin, research shows they both reduce inflammation in the body.  Not only can they reduce inflammation in autoimmune diseases like RA, they can also protect against chronic disease. 

A recent 2015 scientific article concluded this; “Luteolin is one of the most important bioactive flavonoids, which possesses potent neuroprotective effects. Luteolin also suppresses inflammation in the brain tissues and regulates different cell signaling pathways.”

Other studies show celery was effective at altering the activity of a specific enzyme that decreases inflammation.  Another in vitro study found celery to modify the production of certain molecules that cause inflammation.

So Does the Research Say Celery Juice is Safe for Everyone?

As you can see despite some of the celery juice backlash it actually contains some very important hydrating minerals and anti inflammatory phytonutrients. 

However when it comes to safety, it appears that some people can have an allergy to it and you won’t know unless you try.  So be on the lookout if your throat swells, or you have hives discontinue use and call your doctor or local urgent care center immediately.  

Lastly, Celery juice is high in Vitamin K, so if you are taking anticoagulants do not drink celery juice as it could thin your blood too much.  If you are on blood pressure medicine visit with your doctor to see if he wants you to drink celery juice, sometimes it interacts with medicine used to reduce blood pressure.

Also please use your head… more is not always better.  Don’t don’t drink over 16 oz of day there is simply no need to do that and of the people who have had big issues it was because they were overconsuming beyond this. 

My Experience with Celery Juice

As I mentioned I started drinking 2 – 8oz glasses of celery juice in 2017.  Back then I was nowhere near as healthy as I am today. My hands and feet were inflamed. I was having trouble walking and couldn’t clench my hands into a fist due to inflammation.  I was taking prednisone, plaquenil, and methotrexate regularly and was in enough pain, I would add in 800mg of ibuprofen to get through my work day.  

My first big breakthrough happened on day 4 of adding celery juice.  I noticed I spontaneously stopped reaching for the 800mg of ibuprofen add on.  

In the months that followed I was able to stop the prednisone, and a year later got off the methotrexate.  Now is that all because of the celery juice? NO! There is no “Magic Elixir” which will cure all diseases.  

But for me, celery juice did actually help me stop some pain meds.  Then in the following months as I continued to consume 16oz a day along with changing my diet, supplements and some functional medicine I got off my meds. 

I still use celery juice today anytime I start to get an RA pain flare up.  It’s also my go-to whenever I get run down and need support.  

My clients report they have less pain and swelling in 7-10 days drinking CELERY JUICE for breakfast on an empty stomach.  I suggest drinking 8-16 ounces for 10 days and see if you notice a difference!  

How To Cheaply Make Celery Juice

 Making celery juice is easy with the help of a juicer.  There are lots of different kinds of juicers. The one I have is the 700 watt Breville fountain. It cost around $100.00.

 To make juice, choose organic celery. Remember, celery is in the top ten list of vegetables with pesticide residue so organic really matters here. 

 When you are buying the celery make sure the celery stalks are firm, straight, and are not wilting

Step 1.  Wash the celery.

Step 2. Cut the leaves off the stalks. (they make the juice bitter)

Step 3. Run the stalks through the juicer.

Step 4. Drink within  20 minutes, so the juice doesn’t lose nutrients through oxidation. (yes it’s best to juice daily)

Normally One bunch of celery makes between 8-16 ounces of juice.  So if you plan to juice daily stock up!

I love the mild taste of celery juice, I throw a few ice cubes in mine to cool it off.

Some people complain about the costs and due to the recent popularity organic celery that used to cost .89 a bunch shot up to over $4.00’s.  However,. the supply is beginning to catch up to the demand so celery prices are beginning to level out! 

Long Live the Celery Juice Fad…

If you have RA 8-16 oz of celery juice first thing in the morning might be what you’re looking for to reduce your inflammation.  Celery is a diuretic which will help flush your swelling out and luteolin and apigenin in it are promising chemicals to help fight inflammation.

Celery is not a substitute for breakfast, go ahead and eat breakfast after you drink your juice!

If you want to learn about other foods, supplements, or lifestyle changes that will help quiet down your RA book a free 20 minute call with me here: https://shefightsra.com/free-consultation/

 I hope to chat with you.  I love helping people find easy and powerful ways to reduce their RA issues. 

Resources:

1. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708141622.htm
2. https://www.verywellfit.com/celery-juice-nutrition-facts-4169601
3. https://draxe.com/nutrition/celery-juice-benefits/
4. https://www.livescience.com/50640-celery-nutrition.html
5. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324932.php
6. https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/pictures/celebrities-who-drink-celery-juice-new-wellness-trend-benefits/sara-and-erin-foster/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26361743