Sally Ridgely Thompson

Sally Ridgely Thompson doesn’t get those long, quizzical stares from the cashiers at the Whole Foods Market at Mt. Washington any longer because, by now, they are used to seeing the slender, athletic young woman pushing a shopping cart overflowing with celery stalks towards the pay station. This is not the case for the average consumer, whose path she might intersect with during her daily excursions to purchase 10-12 celery bunches weighing more than 20 pounds. But, most days, she is too laser-focused to even notice the head-turning.

That’s because celery - more specifically the subsequent celery juice she produces - has dramatically improved the health of Sally, as well as several immediate family members and she has no intentions of ever stopping her regular ritual of visiting the grocery store in the morning, thoroughly washing the stalks once home, producing roughly 18 glasses of celery juice using a juicing machine and consuming the liquids. And then rinse and repeat. Rather than viewing this as a bothersome chore that endlessly sucks up hours each day, Sally considers the exercise a labor of love that has positively altered the wellness arc of her family.

Nearly three years ago, Sally was struggling to cope with debilitating symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, Lyme disease and hypothyroidism. Her young son was quickly sinking in school while fighting ADHD and, to top things off, Sally’s husband was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Her intuition kept telling her that the family’s diet and nutrition practices seemed to be the likely cause of the trio’s ailments, and the light bulb went off – and remains brightly burning today – when she was introduced to the book Medical Medium, authored by Anthony William.

The celery stalks are thoroughly washed prior to processing.

“Everything outlined in the book resonated with me and it was the first time I learned about the unparalleled healing and restorative powers of celery juice,” she explained. Her family now begins each day with the consumption of fresh celery juice – approximately 16 ounces each, although she has been known to drink four times that amount on a daily basis. It is important not to drink or eat anything for at least 30 minutes afterwards for full benefit.

“The health results were fairly immediate and, wanting to know more, I dove head-long into the subject and enrolled back in school to become an Integrative Nutrition Head Coach specializing in chronic illness. This was a complete lifestyle change for our family but the results are indisputable.”

Several months into the celery juice regime, Sally reported the disappearance of freckles throughout her body, which she further explained as liver spots, as well as all symptoms related to MS and Lyme disease. Her son is now thriving in school and in the top classes without the benefit of medication, Sally’s husband has overcome his illness and the entire family detects a discernable increase in overall energy, alertness and general well-being. With clear results in front of her, learning more about the healing powers of food became her full-time passion and she engaged into a deep dive that she expects to last a lifetime.

The juicing process produces a significant percentage of grinds.

“My first inclination when working with someone dealing with a chronic illness is to determine the root cause of the problem and investigate ways to heal the person naturally. Celery juice begins every conversation because it is an amazing cure-all that destroys pathogens and restores the transmitters that enable the body to heal itself,” she explained, “My ninety-year old father suffered a stroke and within two weeks after starting the juicing process, his constant shaking disappeared. A woman patient was suffering from chronically-sore knees and experienced a dramatic turnaround after starting the regime. Upon going on vacation for a week, and without the ability to continue drinking the celery juice, the pain returned.”

Sally explains that, although she uses an Omega juicing machine (retail price approximately $300), results are nearly as effective when using a standard blender and straining the juice with a cheese cloth. However, it is important to wash each stalk effectively with water to remove contaminants.

Sally has creative thoughts and tips on improving a person’s immune system – a subject with extreme importance these days. “The average person doesn’t realize they are walking around with tons of viruses and bacteria in their bodies including Epstein-barr which has 64 strains alone,” she explains. “We pick them up everywhere, including from doorknobs and other commonly-shared surfaces, but the trick is not to feed the virus and foster its reproduction.

“This is where healthy nutrition plays a vital role. I recommend reducing the intake or eliminating all-together the consumption of dairy products, corn, soy, canola oil, MSG preservatives and refined sugar,” she said. “Eggs are extremely inflammatory and among the worst foods to eat. Instead, people need to crowd out the hunger by eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking water throughout the day. Hunger is something to be avoided to protect the adrenal glands.”

Sally believes in moderation and, for people starting a new nutrition regime, moving slowly is the best course of action. “Going cold turkey seldom works as it represents a shock to the system and something that cannot be maintained. Instead, proceed using baby steps with the elimination of harmful foods,” she explains.

She sums everything up neatly using her fish tank theory. “What do you do when you notice a sick-looking fish floundering around in a tank filled with dirty water?” she asks.

“Rather than medicating the fish, you clean the tank so the total environment becomes cleaner and healthier. It is the same principle with humans – you get what you put into your body and food is the always the best and most natural medicine.”

Larry Lichtenauer drinks 16 ounces of celery juice every morning. He is president of Lawrence Howard & Associates, Inc., a full-service marketing, advertising and public relations agency and can be reached at Larry@lawrencehoward.com.