The Macrobiotic diet and breast cancer

References
(note: I highly recommend Amazon.com as a source for these books)

Books relating directly to subjects treated here can be obtained through this
secure-link in association with Amazon.com and additional reviews of suitable volumes will
added from time to time.

Cooking and meals

Hit the Amazon.com button (above) and use the "search" feature to get full details of the books
indicated below

Cooking the whole foods way: Christino Pirello, HPBooks, 1997

Review: This is a primary cookbook for our household. I depend on it regularly. The author, a
professional cook, used the macrobiotic approach to lead herself into a cure. This is good
because it has good and workable macrobiotic recipes but it also has life in it being not confined
to a continual succession of boring "brown-rice" type dishes. It contains a very good array of
desserts. There are lots of mixed recipes using both vegetables and grains so that out of a single
recipe one can produce a whole meal. (HH)

Practically Macrobiotic: Keith Michell, Healing Arts Press, 1988

Review: Macrobiotics is the logical extension of the current movement towards sustainable
development – from the community and down to the level of the individual. In a word it
represents a practical way to achieve individual sustainability in an increasingly dangerous world
governed by degenerative diseases such as cancer, heart disease and the like many of which are
induced by negative aspects of the degraded environment in which many of us currently live.

The philosophy behind macrobiotics is clearly presented and the argument for following the
approach, already adopted by traditional populations to ensure freedom from such diseases, is
presented in a compelling manner. Macrobiotics owes its core foundation to the dietary practices
of traditional Japan. However, macro (great) biotic (life) diets can be linked to many traditional,
grain-rich cuisines. The basic elements of the Japanese-based components of the diet are well
described and illustrated in color. The resulting account is sufficient to enable a novice to start
the diet and an old hand will find endless enjoyment in the suggested dishes.

More to the point, the recipes are sophisticated and mouth-watering while at the same time
complying with the essence of the macrobiotic philosophy which advises eating only whole
foods (no refined products) and maintaining around 40%-50% intake of whole (or FRESHLY
broken-down i.e. flaked, kibbled etc.) grains.
The book represents an excellent introduction to the practicalities of a macrobiotic diet and only
immediate tuition by a macrobiotic chef could improve on the presentation. I recommend this
book most highly to all those seeking to find their way towards living in a healthy manner on the
macrobiotic pathway. JREH

The Macrobiotic community cookbook: Andrea Bliss Lerman, Avery Publishing Group,
Garden City Park, NY, 1989.
Review: This has a large number of nice recipes from restaurants and chefs primarily from the
USA. Case histories of the people that have generated the recipes are provided which makes it
very interesting. The recipes are really good with particularly satisfying soups. The grains are not
well emphasized - i.e. it is not so good in the grains department. (HH)

The book of whole meals: Annemarie Colbin, Ballentine Books, NY, 1983

The macrobiotic brown rice cookbook: Craig Sams, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont,
1988

Whole World Cookbook: from Editors of East West Journal, Avery Publishing Gp Inc, Wayne,
New Jersey, 1984

Macrobiotic Rationale/Philosophy
The macrobiotic way: Michio Kushi, Avery Publishing Group, 1993. Michio Kushi is the
student of George Ohsawa who played the greatest part in introducing macrobiotics to north
America.

The Cancer Prevention Diet: Michio Kushi, St Martins Griffin, NY, 1993. Specific diets based
on the macrobiotic approach are suggested for different types of cancer.

Zen Macrobiotics (The art of rejuvenation and longevity), George Ohsawa, George Ohsawa
Macrobiotic, Foundation, Oroville, California, 1995.

Essential Ohsawa: George Ohsawa, Avery Publishing Group, 1994. Records some of the most
important episodes in Ohsawa's life and recounts the historical and philosophical steps in the
introduction of macrobiotics to the West. (JREH)

Directly Related
Cancer, its causation, prevention and cure: John Harger, MSc., Ph.D., C. Tinling & Co., Ltd.
(pub), Victoria Street, Liverpool. 1924.
Review: This book was published in 1924 by my Grandfather, a chemist (Ph.D., U of Heidelberg
by age 21). He had it right even then and our family was raised in the tradition of natural foods:
fiber reduced animal protein, no water at the table, vegetables etc. My grandfather had very good
credentials for adopting this view after careful research since he (together with a colleague from
Princeton University) was responsible for the creation of the (organic) nerve gases later named
Taurban and Sauran on behalf of the British War Office, towards the end of the First World War.
This exercise was accomplished in the summerhouse of his garden at "Gatacre" in Liverpool –
he held that the smallest drop if placed on human skin would result in almost immediate death.
He said "the Germans thought they had the better of us with Chlorine gas but we surprised
them". My Grandfather also developed the formula for Sunlight Soap, which he sold to Lever
brothers. I surmise that from this background he was easily able to recognize that most cancers
arose as the result of environmental contamination and that food was the primary vehicle. The
environmental analysis that he did was impeccable, encompassing a very impressive presentation
of the data available at the time. If one reads this book closely it can be seen that very little has
changed in terms of the basic analysis from that time to this. He knew then that the basic cause of
cancer was environmental, he formulated the correct dietary solution and above all he identified
the resistance offered by the biomedical community to implementation of the approach. This
same resistance is still widespread today although it is not by any means universal as our
experience with our medical team in New Zealand has shown. (JREH)

You can heal your life: Louise L. Hay, Specialist Publications, PO Box 143, Concord, NSW,
2137, Australia, 1988.
Review: "Think about the mental cause of a sickness in seeking a cure" is the admonition that
sums up this helpful book, awareness is the first step in healing or changing. Ms Hay tenders the
thesis that one must carefully examine ailments to see how to deal with them, both in mental and
physical space. This is not a book that deals solely with mental healing but rather it presents a
fundamental outlook to be adopted by the whole person. It is an excellent book, heavy on the
emotional side but perhaps a bit light on the technical side. However, this is not really a problem
as most books on health are concerned exclusively with the purely physical aspects of health.
The discerning reader can readily find an overall balance between the two approaches. There can
be little doubt that mental and emotional states predispose a person to physical illness. For this
reason an appreciation of the initial mental state that leads to an illness is an absolutely necessary
prerequisite in successfully applying a cure and obtaining healing. Once the original mental state
has been redressed the appropriate physical inputs can be applied in order to obtain a successful
cure. As a summary, Ms Hay regards the probable cause of (the initial mental state preceding)
cancer as "Deep hurt. Longstanding resentment. Deep secret grief eating away at the self.
Carrying hatreds. What’s the use?" (JREH)

You can conquer cancer (prevention and management): Ian Gawler, Hill of Content,
Melbourne (pub) 1984.
This is an inspiring book. Mr. Gowler has operationally combined the two major dietary
approaches to controlling cancer: (1) Macrobiotics; (2) the Gerson diet; in his achievement of
survivorship in the face of a savage bout with cancer. The roles of self-analysis and meditation as
assets in achieving a cancer control-strategy are explored in depth. Highly recommended.
(JREH)

The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet: Dr. R. Bob Arnot, Little Brown and Company, 1998.
Dr Arnot has produced a very interesting book summarizing much of the information currently
known about dietary approaches to controlling cancer. He did this because his wife asked him
the question "how do you prevent breast cancer?" since her mother had contracted the disease at
an early age and she considered herself to be "high-risk". Knowing the indifferently successful
approach (cut, burn, poison) adopted by the mainstream medical profession, he set out to look at
the alternatives. There is one confusing passage dealing with soy-beans but the book is otherwise
very straight forward and spans most of the positive thinking on current diet as an appropriate
approach to deal with breast cancer. He has of course, been excoriated by a mainstream medical
group.(JREH) Internet ref (http://www.acsh.org/press/releases/Arnot111698.html)

A cancer battle plan: Anne E Frahm with David J Frahm, Jeremy P Tarcher/Putnam (NY),
1998.
This is the inspiring account of a survivor faced with terminal metastatic cancer originating from
the breast. Anne takes the course favored by the Gerson approach to dietary control of cancer.
This approach concentrates on the use of fresh juice therapy, coffee enemas and vegetarianism
generally. The Gerson Clinic itself operates out of Tijuana, Mexico and counts outstanding cures.
I recommend the book. (JREH)

The breast cancer survival manual (A step by step guide for the woman with newly
diagnosed breast cancer): John Link MD. Henry Holt and Company (NY), 1988.
A useful summary focusing on a sympathetic treatment of mainstream options plus a section on
"diet, exercise, herbs and vitamins". (JREH)

Breast Cancer (What you should know [but may not be told] about prevention, diagnosis
and treatment: Steve Austin, ND, and Cathy Hitchcock, MSW, Prima Health, 1994.
A husband and wife team fights breast cancer and analyzes the options available from both
mainstream and dietary approaches to survival. (JREH)

Breast Cancer? Breast Health! (The wise woman way): Susan S Weed, Ash Tree Publishing,
Woodstock (NY), 1995.
A very useful summary covering a wide range of natural remedies with insightful and practical
commentary.(JREH)

Some Internet sites

http://rex.nci.nih.gov/NCI_Pub_Interface/raterisk/rates43.html
Current estimates of breast cancer and other cancer rates by country
http://www.cancer.ca/stats/fig2ae.htm
Estimates of increasing cancer rates in Canada
http://WWW.cancer-free.com/book888.htm
An excellent account of a cancer patient’s search for a cure including his discovery of
macrobiotics: see page 17
http://WWW.macrobiotic.org:80/health5.html
A number of excellent bio-ecological articles relating to Macrobiotics
http://WWW.biosupply.com/whygrind.htm
Some of the equipment needed for preparation of grains – we have two of these
machines, a hand-grinder (stones) and an electric (?) grinder (stones)
http://WWW.turk.com/balance/bart.html
An article about macrobiotics and "balance"

Hint: to find out more about macrobiotics simply insert the word "Macrobiotic" into any Internet search-
engine and you will turn up many other references. Two search engines are available at the bottom of the
page
 Books relating directly to subjects treated here can be obtained through this secure-link in
association with Amazon.com and additional reviews of suitable volumes will be added.