Alternative and Complementary Therapies

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Raw Juice Therapy

 

The juice therapy can also be called as juice fasting. Juice theraphy is a method of treatment of disease through a good diet of juices of fruits and vegetables.This can be used to restore health and rejuvenate the body.

The eliminative and cleansing capacity of the organs of elimination,namely lungs, liver, kidneys and the skin, is greatly increased and masses of accumulated metabolic waste and toxins are quickly eliminated with the help of this juice therapy.It affords a physiological rest to the digestive and assimilative organs. After the juice fasting or raw juice therapy, the digestion of food and the utilisation of nutrients is vastly improved.

A good diet of raw juices of fruits and vegetables results in much faster recovery from diseases and more effective cleansing and regeneration of the tissues than the fasting on pure water.During fasting the body burns up and excretes huge amounts of accumulated wastes. Our body gets cleansing process by drinking alkaline juices instead of water while fasting.Drinking alkali-forming fruit and vegetable juices, instead of water, during fasting will increase the healing effect of fasting. Elimination of uric acid and other inorganic acids will be accelerated and sugars in juices will strengthen the heart. Juice fasting is, therefore, the best form of fasting.

Juices have medicinal properties as they are extracted from plants and fruits.Raw fruit and vegetable juices have an extraordinary revitalising and rejuvenative effect on all the organs,glands and functions of the body.


Effects and facts :

They exercise beneficial effect in normalising all the body functions. They supply needed elements for the body’s own healing activity and cell regeneration, thereby speeding the recovery.

Raw juices are extremely rich in

• vitamins,
• minerals,
• trace elements,
• enzymes
• natural sugars

The effect of raw juices in treating diseases is attributed to the following facts:

The juices extracted from raw fruits and vegetables require no digestion and almost all their vital nutrients are assimilated directly in the bloodstream.

Raw juices are extremely rich in alkaline elements. This is highly beneficial in normalising acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues as there is over-acidity in most conditions of ill-health.

Generous amounts of easily assimilable organic minerals in raw juices especially calcium, potassium and silicon help in restoring biochemical and mineral balance in the tissues and cells, thereby preventing premature ageing of cells and disease.

Raw juices contain certain natural medicines, vegetal hormones and antibiotics. For instance, string beans are said to contain insulin-like substance. Certain hormones needed by the pancreas to produce insulin are present in cucumber and onion juices.

Fresh juices of garlic , onions, radish and tomatoes contain antibiotic substances.
Precautions

However, certain precautions are to be needed.The juices should be made fresh before drinking.Canned and frozen juices should not be used and one should have their own juicer for extracting fresh juices.
Only fresh ripe fruits and vegetables which are organically grown, should be used for extraction of juices.
Only as much juice as needed for immediate consumption should be extracted.The raw juices should not be stored for long as they oxidise rapidly and lose their medicinal value even under refrigeration.
The quality of the juices should be good that it has a distinct bearing on the results obtained.

Due to incomplete extraction, the effective power of the juices is proportionately reduced due to the absence of the vitamins and enzymes which are left behind in fibre and the pulp.

If juices are too sweat they should be diluted in water on 50 : 50 basis or mixed with other less sweet juices. This is especially important in some specific conditions such as diabetes, hypoglycemia, arthritis and high blood pressure.

Generally speaking, Fruit juices stir up toxins and acids in the body to stimulating the eliminative processes. Vegetable juices, on the other hand, soothe the jaded nerves and work in a much milder manner. They carry away toxic matter in a gentle way.


The vegetable and fruit juices are divided into six main types. They are:

• Juices from sweet fruits such as prunes and grapes.
• Juices from sub-acid fruits like apple, plum, pear, peach,apricot and cherry,
• Juices from acid fruits like orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry and pineapple.
• Juices from vegetable fruits, namely, tomato and cucumber.
• Juices from green leafy vegetables like cabbage, celery, lettuce, spinach, parsley and watercress.
• Juices from root vegetables like beetroot, carrot, onion, potato and radish.

The fruit and vegetable juices should not be used at the same time or mixed together.In any case not more than three juices should be used in any one mixture.


The following broad rules apply when using mixtures of juices :

• Juices from sweet fruits may be combined with juices of sub-acid fruits, but not with those of acid fruits, vegetable fruits or vegetables.
• Juices from sub-acid fruits may be combined with juices of sweet fruits, or acid fruits, but not with other juices.
• Juices from acid fruits may be combined with those of sub-acid fruits or vegetable fruits,but not with other juices.
• Juices from vegetable fruits may be combined with those of acid fruits or of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices.
• Juices from green leafy vegetables may be combined with those of vegetable fruits or of the root vegetable, but not with other juices.
• Juices from root vegetables may be combined with those of green leafy vegetables, but not with other juices.

A proper selection of juices in treating a particular ailment is very essential. Thus, for instance, juices of carrot, cucumber, cabbage and other vegetables are very valuable in asthma, arthritis and skin disease, but juices of orange and mosambi aggravate their symptoms by increasing the amount of mucus.

Treatment of Diseases

Some common ailments are:

Acidity	Grapes, orange, mosambi, carrot and spinach
Acne	Grapes, pear, plum, tomato, cucumber, carrot, potato and spinach
Allergies	Apricot, grapes, carrot, beet and spinach
Arteriosclerosis	Grapefruit, pineapple, lemon, celery, carrot, lettuce, and spinach
Anaemia	Apricot, prune, strawberry, red grape, beet, celery, carrot and spinach
Arthritis	Sour cherry, pineapple, sour apple, lemon, grapefruit, cucumber, beet, carrot, lettuce and spinach.
Asthma	Apricot, lemon, pineapple, peach, carrot, radish and celery.
Bronchitis	Apricot, lemon, pineapple, peach, tomato, carrot, onion and spinach.
Bladder Ailments	Apple, apricot, lemon, cucumber, carrot, celery, parsley and watercress.
Colds	Lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, onion, celery and spinach.
Constipation	Apple, pear, grapes, lemon, carrot, beet, spinach and watercress.
Colitis	Apple, apricot, pear, peach, pineapple, papaya, carrot, beet, cucumber and spinach.
Diabetes	Citrus fruits, carrot, celery, lettuce and spinach
Diarrhoea	Papaya, lemon, pineapple, carrot and celery
Eczema	Red grapes,carrot, spinach, cucumber and beet
Epilepsy	Red grapes, figs, carrot, celery and spinach
Eye Disorders	Apricot ,tomato, carrot, celery, parsley and spinach
Gout	Red sour cherries, pineapple, tomato, cucumber, beet, carrot, celery and spinach
Halitosis	Apple, grapefruit, lemon, pineapple, tomato, carrot, celery and spinach
Headache	Grapes, lemon, carrot, lettuce and spinach
Heart Disease	Red grapes, lemon, cucumber, carrot, beet and spinach
High blood pressure	Grapes, orange, cucumber, carrot and beet
Influenza	Apricot, orange, lemon , grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, onion and spinach
Insomnia	Apple, grapes, lemon, lettuce , carrot and celery
Jaundice	Lemon, grapes, pear, carrot, celery, spinach, beet and cucumber
Kidney Disorders	Apple, orange, lemon, cucumber, cucumber,carrot, celery, parsley and beet
Liver ailments	Lemon, papaya, grapes, carrot, tomato, beet and cucumber
Menstrual Disorders	Grapes, prunes, cherry, spinach, lettuce turnips and beet
Menopausal Symptoms	Fruits and Vegetables in season
Neuritis	Orange, pineapple, apple, carrot and beet.
Obesity	Orange, pineapple, apple, carrot and beeLemon, grapefruit, orange, cherry, pineapple, papaya, tomato, beet, cabbage, lettuce, spinach and carrot
Piles	Lemon, orange, papaya, pineapple, carrot, spinach, turnip and watercress
Prostate Troubles	All fruit juices in season, carrot, asparagus, lettuce and spinach
Psoriasis	Grapes, carrot, beet, and cucumber
Rheumatism	Grapes, orange, lemon, grapefruit, tomato, cucumber, beet, carrot and spinach
Stomach Ulcers	Apricot, grapes, cabbage and carrot
Sinus Trouble	Apricot, lemon, tomato, carrot, onion and radish
Sore Throat	Apricot, grapes, lemon, pineapple, prune, tomato, carrot and parsley
Tonsilitis	Apricot, lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, carrot, spinach and radish
Varicose Veins	Grapes, orange, plum, tomato, beetroot carrot and watercress

In raw juice therapy, the prescribed juice should be drunk every three hours. One can thus take juices five to six times a day. A glass of water mixed with lemon juice and 20 to 30 grams of honey may be taken first thing in the morning on arising. After, the prescribed juice may be taken at three-hourly intervals. The quantity of juice on each occasion may be 250 ml on the first day. Increase this quantity by 50 ml each succeeding day till one takes 600 ml on each occasion. The juice diet can be continued for 30 to 40 days without any ill-effects. The patient should take adequate rest during the raw juice therapy.

Advantages :

Raw juices act as a cleansing agent and start eliminating toxins and morbid matter from the system immediately. This often results in symptoms such as pain in the abdomen, diarrhoea, loss of weight, headache, fever, weakness, sleeplessness and bad breath. These reactions, which are part of the cleansing process, should not be suppressed by the use of drugs.

After the raw juice therapy, the return to normal balanced diet should be gradual, and in stages. In the beginning, two juice meals may be replaced by milk and fruits. Then gradually juice meals may be substituted by a balanced-diet.