A frightening statistic is that more than 220 million people in the world have diabetes. In 2005 alone, 1.1 million people were estimated to have died from diabetes and the World Health Organization predicts that deaths from diabetes will double between the years 2005 and 2030. A celery diet is one suggested way of managing diabetes if you have it.
Celery and Insulin
The reasoning behind this plan is based on celery seed being known to act similarly to insulin in the body. It therefore goes to reason that if you eat celery seed regularly, this will aid in the management of your diabetes. However, there are two kind of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by not having enough insulin in your body, which is needed to regulate your blood-sugar levels.
Type 2 Diabetes and Celery
Type 2 diabetes, which is also known as adult-onset diabetes, is different. Having type 2 diabetes means that there is too much insulin in your blood and the excess insulin isn't able to regulate blood-sugar levels as it is supposed to. It would seem plausible, then, that eating celery seed regularly could help if you have Type 1 diabetes, since this would mean you don't have enough insulin and, since celery seed acts like insulin, perhaps eating celery seed would elevate your insulin levels. Adding an insulin-like property such as celery seed would not seem to make sense if you have Type 2 diabetes, however, since your body would already have too much insulin. The University of Maryland Medical Center, which provides information about hundreds of herbs, says celery seed may be used to treat a number of conditions, including unhealthy cholesterol levels, but does not include diabetes as a condition treated by celery seed.
Additional Health Benefits
Celery does have many beneficial qualities. Chinese medicine regularly uses celery to fight against high blood pressure. This is because celery can help to increase circulation due to the phytochemicals found in celery that work to stimulate blood flow and increase circulation. Celery is also an anti-inflammatory, so eating celery can be beneficial for anyone who suffers from arthritis. Celery juice is also a popular treatment for sufferers of eczema and has also been used for headaches and constipation.
Traditional Uses
Like the Chinese, the Greeks and Indians have also used celery as a healing agent for centuries. The medicinal part of celery is its seed, which is used to treat water retention, gout, colds and congestive heart failure. Celery seed is often combined with guaiacum, burdock, echinacea and nettle and suggested for use as an anti-inflammatory for sore joints and any other inflammatory condition. Many people think that celery is bland and doesn't have anything in it; however it contains small amounts of vitamins K, C and B-6, along with folate, manganese, potassium, molybdenum and dietary fiber.
Food Therapy Debate
There is some debate over whether so-called "food therapy" should be touted as a prevention, cure, or merely as just a healthy practice. Dr. Swee Yong Peng, vice president of the Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, believes in the benefits of a healthy diet and will even prescribe his patients certain foods to eat depending on their conditions. However, he says "It's a fact that diet is important for health. Nobody will dispute that. It is also a fact that certain plants and herbs can prevent or reduce the risk of cancer, but I won't go so far as to say any particular diet by itself can cure cancer. Prevention and cure are very different things."
References
- WHO: The World Health Organization
- "New Straits Times"; Almost a Cure-all Herb; Pamela Stone and Ron Shaw; Feb. 21 1995
- "The Gazette"; Good Diet Can Help Diebetics; Rosie Schwartz; Nov. 19 1997
- "The New York Times"; What To Do With the Rest of That Celery; Martha Rose Shulman; Nov. 10 2008
- "The Daily Telegraph"; Your Own Juice; (NO BYLINE); May 25 1998
- "The Daily Telegraph"; The Big Squeeze -- Exotic Juices May Be the Key to Curing Winter Ills; Anastasia Stephens; July 29 2002
