The Curing Properties of Juice 

    Juice therapy uses fresh juices to provide a nutritional foundation for the body's curative processes, because fresh juices play an important role with almost any regime to cleanse the body and restore vitality. With juice therapy, nutrients are supplied in a concentrated, raw, and unprocessed form that is easy to consume and digest, making juice an ideal companion to fasting and health maintenance regimens.

Juicing is the easiest and most effective method for extracting the high level of nutrients stored within the individual cells of fruits and vegetables. When a fruit or vegetable is juiced, the fibrous plant cell wall is cut open and the juice of the cell, which contains the cell sap, sugars, starches, proteins, enzymes, and other nutrients, is released.

Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are a concentrated source of energy, and are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Dr. Steven Bailey, N.D., of the Northwestern Naturopathic Clinic in Portland, Oregon, says that by separating the juice from the pulp, you end up with a liquid that contains most of the nutrients with a much reduced mass. For example, it takes about five pounds of carrots to make one quart of carrot juice. Though eating five pounds of vegetables two to three times a day is nearly impossible, most people can easily drink two to three quarts of juice a day.

Such juices as citrus fruits or cabbage content vitamin C, which, when added to a meal, helps the body absorb iron. This is especially beneficial for the health of children, who often get inadequate amounts of iron from their diets.

Nutrient-rich juices, such as collard and kale, may also be added to soups and stews or used as a substitute for other liquids in cooking recipes. The juices should be added last to minimize heat destruction of vitamins and enzymes.

Since fruit juices have a high sugar content and ferment rapidly in the stomach, they should be diluted with water 1:1. People with diabetes or hypoglycemia should drink fruit juices only with food. Tomato and orange juices are not recommended as they are highly acidic and tend to upset the body's natural pH (acid-base) balance.

Vegetable juices are widely used in fasting and as nutritional supplements because of their high vitamin and mineral content. Fruit juices provide a quicker pick-me-up as they are immediately absorbed.

Fruit juices also remain stable for a longer period of time and "travel" better than vegetable juices, which oxidize quickly, breaking down the protective enzymes and vitamins. In order to maximize nutritional value it is preferable to juice fresh, organic fruits and vegetables oneself just before drinking. If this isn't possible, juices should be purchased from a health food store the same day that they are made.

Many fruits and vegetables have scientifically proven medicinal qualities. So far, scientific studies have documented only the medicinal effects of fruit juices, with very little research applied to vegetable juices. Cherie Calbom, M.S., C.N., a nutritionist from Seattle, Washington, and co-author of Juicing For Life, recommends the following juice remedies:

• Apple: Apples are rich in sorbitol, a form of sugar and a gentle laxative.
• Apple, grape, and blueberry: These fruits are a source of polyphenols (an antioxidant). In laboratory tests, polyphenols have been shown to kill viruses.
• Beet: Beet greens are rich in magnesium, beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Beetroot is rich in potassium, folic acid, and the antioxidant glutathione. Beet juice is valued for its vitamin, mineral, and nutrient content. Due to its strong taste, it should be mixed with other juices.
• Blueberry and cranberry: When consumed on a regular basis, these juices can help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections.
• Cabbage: Cabbage juice is famous for its ulcer-healing capabilities, but should be used only in conjunction with a doctor's prescribed therapy for ulcer treatment.
• Cantaloupe: Cantaloupe has a blood-thinning effect that can help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
• Carrot: Carrot juice is an excellent source of beta-carotene, potassium, trace minerals, and anticancer nutrients including phthalide and glutathione (antioxidants). Yellowish coloration of the skin may occur when large amounts are consumed. This coloration is harmless, and will fade when consumption is reduced.
• Celery: Celery juice contains the anticancer nutrients phthalide and polyacetylene (antioxidants). It is rich in potassium and sodium and helps lower blood pressure. Celery juice can be diluted with water and used as a sports drink to replace fluid and mineral loss due to sweating. It contains the same ulcer-healing factors found in cabbage juice.
• Cherry: A traditional remedy for the pain of gout.
• Garlic: This herb is a treasure house of healing compounds. It acts as a natural antibiotic and blood thinner and can reduce cholesterol levels. Juice a clove and add it to your favorite vegetable mix.
• Ginger: The root of the ginger plant has anti-inflammatory properties and will also protect the stomach from irritation caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Migraines and motion sickness can also be relieved by ginger juice. A small amount goes a long way; use only one-quarter- to one-half-inch slice per drink.
• Lemon: Lemon juice is a traditional appetite stimulant. Place one or two tablespoons of fresh, unsweetened lemon juice in a glass of water and drink half an hour before meals. This remedy stimulates the flow of saliva and digestive juices.
• Pineapple: The raw juice of this plant contains the enzyme bromelain. Bromelain has been shown to have gentle anti-inflammatory properties. Swish the raw juice around the site of a tooth extraction to reduce swelling or eat a frozen pineapple juice pop to soothe a sore throat.
• Fruit juice: A glass of fruit juice (lemon juice excepted) one hour before dinner will act as a natural appetite suppressant due to the sugar in the juice.

Certain substances found in fruits and vegetables can prevent carcinogens from reaching and reacting with the body's tissues.

The following qualities are found in specific juices and can be useful when dealing with cancer and other degenerative diseases:

Anticarcinogenic: Certain substances found in fruits and vegetables can prevent carcinogens from reaching and reacting with the body's tissues. These substances, dubbed "anutrients," are found in cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, oranges, grapefruit, and lemons.  Anutrients act as blocking agents to prevent carcinogens from reaching or reacting with tissues, and work by creating a barrier between the carcinogen and its target.

Suppressive: Certain nutrients act as agents to suppress the development of cancer in a cell already exposed to a carcinogen. These include D-limonene (an antioxidant), found in oranges; vitamin A, found in carotene-rich fruits and vegetables; calcium, found in leafy greens; and antioxidant nutrients (beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium), found in orange and green fruits and vegetables.

Growth Retarding: Cells that demonstrate a marked increase in their rate of division after exposure to certain chemicals are more susceptible to cancer-causing agents. Phthalides and polyacetylenes, compounds found in carrots, celery, and parsley, act indirectly to decrease cell duplication rates by regulating prostaglandin E-2 (hormone-like fatty acids) production. Other compounds found in garlic and onions also modulate prostaglandin synthesis, which regulates white blood cells in the body's immune system.

Detoxifying: Although the liver is capable of detoxifying some carcinogens, a large number of enzymes essential to the detoxification process require riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B₆) as co-factors. A deficiency of these B vitamins can slow down detoxification. Also, unidentified anutrients found in the cabbage family may detoxify estrogens (female hormones) in the human body, making them less likely to promote breast cancer.


Juice Therapy

For centuries, plant juices and extracts have been used for their curing and medicinal properties. Juice therapy uses the fresh, raw juice of vegetables and fruits to nourish and replenish the body. It can also be used as part of a thorough health maintenance plan.

Juice therapy offers a balanced way to supplement the diet, according to Steven Bailey, N.D., of the Northwestern Naturopathic Clinic in Portland, Oregon. "One of the most convenient therapies available is the use of raw fruit and vegetable juices to augment the typical diet. Juice can also aid in a patient's treatment program by stimulating the immune system, reducing blood pressure, aiding in detoxification, and protecting the body from harmful environmental factors. It is also used to help diagnose and treat food allergies, and is the ideal nutritional remedy for individuals suffering from nausea or digestive problems."


Benefits of Juice Therapy

Dr. Bailey uses juice therapy in the form of fasts and nutritional supplementation for a variety of conditions, including allergies and arthritis, and as an addition therapy with cancer and AIDS patients.

Fruits and vegetables contain supply of enzymes derived from the rich. Dr. Bailey says, when fruits or vegetables are juiced, their enzymes are released and immediately go to work when they are consumed. This aids the body in its constant work of dissolving and eliminating wastes, as well as speeding delivery of the vital nutrients contained in the juice.

Dr. Bailey, considers that juice therapy in the form of juice fasts can help identify food sensitivities. A hypo-allergenic (lowered potential for causing an allergic reaction) juice fast of five or more days will frequently result in either significant improvement or complete elimination of chronic symptoms caused by undiscovered food allergies and sensitivities. The recurrence of old symptoms following a return to the normal diet allows the patient to identify and expel the allergic food.

One of Dr. Bailey's patients, a woman diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, had been on prescription medicines for twenty-five years with only minimal relief. A juice fast supervised by Dr. Bailey indicated an allergy to potatoes. Since their removal from her diet, she has remained symptom and drug free.

Many of Dr. Bailey's patients have been alleviated of symptoms related to allergies such as rashes, digestive problems, chronic urinary or prostate problems, emotional swings, muscle and joint pain, and respiratory problems, while on a prescribed juice program. Dr. Bailey asserts that conventional allergy tests can often be inconclusive for food sensitivities. He has found juice fasting to be one of the least expensive, most accurate methods available.

A thirty-year-old man with a three-plus-year condition of chronic prostatis came to Dr. Bailey as an alternative to conventional medicine which had yet to have any success with long term antibiotic therapy. The patient's symptoms improved with diet changes, increased fluid intake, and herbal medicines, but it was only after a two week juice fast with accompanying herbal therapy that he became symptom free. His prostate has remained stable and uninfected for seven years.

Dr. Bailey believes that juice therapy can help provide cancer patients with an excellent nutritional foundation and can strengthen the body's healing processes. The addition of juices to the diet can help supply the required nutrients in a form that is easy to absorb.

Dr. Bailey also uses juice therapy as an addition in the treatment of AIDS patients. At advanced stages these patients are often weak and nauseated, making normal eating difficult. Using vegetable juices allows them to maintain a higher nutritional state, and helps to retain strength and muscle mass.

For maintaining optimum health, Dr. Bailey recommends at least two- five-day juice fasts per year, one in the spring and one in the fall. One should not undertake juice fasts  during the cold months, as the body creates heat through the metabolic processes needed to digest a regular solid diet. Dr. Bailey recommends a beet/carrot/celery blend and excludes citrus and tomatoes, as he considers them common allergens, and too acidic.

Elson Haas, M.D., of San Rafael, California, also uses juice fasts as a form of medical therapy. Dr. Haas has used juice fasting regularly himself, as have thousands of his patients over the course of nearly twenty years. He says he did his first ten-day juice cleanse in 1975, and the experience changed his life and health. He realized the importance of diet and fasting in preventing disease and maintaining health. He cleared his allergies and back pains, normalized his weight, and felt a new level of vitality and creativity. Dr. Haas finds juice therapy very helpful with congestion of colds and flus, recurrent infections, allergies, skin disorders, and gastrointestinal problems, as well as other congestive or chronic disorders.

Juice therapy can also benefit athletic training, because fresh juices take a fraction of the energy needed to digest solid foods. Debra Myra, Portland marathon winner, set her collegiate personal records for one thousand, five thousand, and ten thousand meters while on a supervised juice fast with Dr. Bailey.

Juice therapy can be used to maintain an increased nutrient need, and can be combined with other dietary regimens. Because juicing expels the fiber from the fruit or vegetable, juices are not a whole food and should not be considered a dietary substitute for whole fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, juices in their raw and unprocessed form are an excellent supplement to a whole foods, low-fat diet. It is also important to use organically grown fruits and vegetables that are free of pesticides, as these often contain a more complete vitamin and mineral base.

 Some contraindications to juice therapy:

• Avoid juice fasts if you are pregnant or lactating. 

• If you react to sugars (are hypo- or hyperglycemic), dilute high sugar content juices such as carrot and beet with other low sugar juices such as celery. 

• Never drink juices from fruits or vegetables that you are allergic or sensitive to. 

• Always dilute fruit juices with water 1:1. Consider stabilizing blood sugar with juices of Jerusalem artichokes and green beans. 

• If yeast is a concern, add two cloves of garlic per quart of juice. 

• For diabetics, close supervision is required.

• Never juice fast with store bought, pasteurized, dead juices

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