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Macrobiotic Diets for Treatment of Serious Illness

The macrobiotic diet has been around since the early 1900s, having been originally designed to treat a variety of serious illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension and cancer. The macrobiotic diet is a near-vegetarian, holistic approach to health which emphasizes consumption of organic food and specific techniques to prevent contamination while cooking. While science has yet to provide a definitive answer as to the efficacy of macrobiotics in treating illness, the diet encompasses a wide range of generally healthy behaviors.

  1. Macrobiotic Diet History

    • The macrobiotic diet was invented by a Japanese doctor named Sagen Ishizuka. The diet was his attempt to combine the precepts of Eastern and Western medical philosophy into one centralized approach. Additionally, the diet utilizes elements of Buddhism (such as abstention from the consumption of animal flesh) to provide a well-rounded strategy designed to keep its practitioner disease free.

    Macrobiotic Theory

    • The general theory behind the macrobiotic diet is that consumption of unnatural ingredients and foods introduces toxicity into your body, which can then lead to the development of disease. Thus, the macrobiotic diet requires that its adherents stick to consumption of only natural foods, prepared along specific guidelines to avoid contamination during the cooking process.

    Macrobiotic Rules

    • To follow a macrobiotic approach, base your diet around consumption of the following foods: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seafood and soy-based products like miso. Eliminate consumption of sugars, dairy, coffee, chicken, turkey and red meat. When preparing your food, do not use electricity or microwave your meals. The only acceptable cooking utensils on a macrobiotic plan are those made of glass, wood, metal, enamel or ceramic.

    Nutritional Evidence

    • According to the American Cancer Society, there have been no studies that conclusively demonstrate that a macrobiotic approach can be used to cure serious illnesses. The ACS goes on to note that the diet itself is extremely limited in acceptable food items, and could quite easily result in the development of malnutrition. However, the general precepts of the diet (consumption of a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables) has been linked to decreased probability of developing cancer, as the ACS recommends a similar approach.

    Tangential Studies

    • While the word is out on whether a macrobiotic diet can cure serious illness, there have been some studies that show a macrobiotic approach can reduce the risk of developing disease in the first place. An Italian study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention demonstrated that macrobiotics reduced the risk rate for breast cancer. Anecdotally, during a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 51 out of 124 medical practitioners surveyed had stories about their patients using macrobiotics to reverse serious diseases, including cancer, cysts and other chronic illnesses.

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