User:Pat Palmer/sandbox/todo list/Macrobiotics
The word macrobiotics was first coined by a German physician, Christoph von Hufeland (1762-1836), in his book title (translated in English as) Macrobiotics or the Art of Prolonging Human Life.
a system of holistic principles and dynamic practices that guides choices in nutrition, activity, and lifestyle for physical, emotional, mental, social, and environmental health.
- macrobiotic, adj., such as macro-biotic philosophy or macrobiotic diet.
The first wave of the macrobiotics movement was led by George Ohsawa of Japan, who is widely considered the "father of macrobiotics", but his work was strongly supplemented by three contempary Japanese men: Herman Aihara (west coast) and Michio Kushi (east coast). Each first-generation man trained a number of other teachers, and since all the original three are now deceased, a variety of second-generation macrobiotics teachers, working in loose coalition, have added their own innovations to the movement. These include Denny Waxman (Kushi), Patrick Riley (Kushi), Carl Ferre (west coast), Alex Jack (?), Boston guy, NYCity folks, Michele (CA?), etc.
George Ohsawa (1893 - 1966) founded the movement.
Michio Kushi; (1926-2014) helped to introduce modern macrobiotics to the United States in the early 1950s. He lectured all over the world at conferences and seminars about philosophy, spiritual development, health, food, and diseases
Here from Ronald E. Kotzsch, PhD (Harvard, 1981), are 3 paragraphs exposing Ishizuka's central discoveries, MACROBIOTICS YESTERDAY AND TODAY (Japan Publications, NY, 1985), chapter 2: "Sagen Ishizuka: the Founder of Modern Macrobiotics", p.29:
"Ishizuka's theory is based on several simple concepts. First, he maintains that human health and longevity are dependent on a proper balance in the body between the salts of sodium and potassium. While western nutrition (then as now) was emphasizing protein and carbohydrates, Ishizuka maintains that MINERALS, especially sodium and potassium, are most crucial. The ratio between them determines the body's ability to absorb and utilize the other nutrients. The healthy functioning of the entire human organism depends on their being in proper balance.
A second principle is that food is the most important factor in determining this critical balance. Other factors, such as geography and climate and the amount of physical activity play a role as well. Living by the sea or in the mountains, in a dry or moist climate, being sedentary or hard working all have an effect. But it is what a person ingests through the mouth that is the main determinant of the Na/K ratio in the body.
Hence, thirdly, human health and sickness depend on diet above all. The basis for physical well-being is daily food that provides a proper balance of minerals. Such a diet will give one a long life, free from disease On the other hand, all sickness begins with an imbalance of Na/K caused by poor diet. Both contagious and degenerative diseases, Ishizuka asserted, originate in food. Bacteria and viruses afflict only those who are weak and susceptible because of their Na/K imbalance. A truly healthy person, even coming into contact with such pathogens, will not become sick. Thus allopathic medicine, seeking only to destroy disease-causing micro-organisms, rather than strengthening the person against them, is based on a total misconception."
"A total misconception": that is the Western approach of making war on viruses, which can never succeed. That is also the literal Chemical Warfare against the human body in cancer, which only shortens human lives.
https://ohsawamacrobiotics.com/gomf-home/what-is-macrobiotics
Concepts from Ohsawa:
HEALTH
Seven conditions of health: 1. Vitality. 2. Good appetite for natural food and life. 3. Deep refreshing sleep. 4. Good memory. 5. Cheerful pleasant outlook. 6. Clear thought and action. 7. Honesty and appreciation.
Self-reflection: Developing the ability to view life from the biggest perspective from a more objective and non-judgmental place. Living with self-awareness can guide each person toward health.
Intuition: An integral part of health, based on an inner knowing, that comes from a direct connection with nature and beyond.
Self-empowerment: The ability to influence your own life and health is one of the first steps to empowering yourself, leading to a creative, constructive approach to life.
WAY OF LIFE
Gratitude: Developing a love of life, making the most of every moment, and being grateful for whatever happens whether it seems positive or negative, is an opportunity to grow.
One grain, ten thousand grains: In nature, one seed becomes a plant that produces many seeds, thus giving back and increasing. This is a metaphor to continuously act with generosity towards others in all aspects of life, thus giving back more than you receive.
Values: Learning to accept people as they are and appreciate each person’s life journey. Seek to make honest and positive relationships that fulfil the highest ethics and values in life.
Everything changes: By embracing change, humans develop. Macrobiotic living is a way to create beneficial change in life, evolving through experience and as the world changes.
ECOLOGY AND FOOD
Body and nature are not separate: What we do to the environment greatly affects us. Food and breathing are our direct connection to nature. Through daily meals, regular rising and sleeping times, and daily exercise, we realign with the seasonal cycles of nature every day.
Food: Consistent mealtimes and eating together promote health. A macrobiotic diet is based on combining healthy traditional food, including fresh vegetables, whole grains or their products, beans, fruit, nuts, seeds, pickles, fermented foods, herbs, seasonings, sea vegetables, and teas. Each person is unique and discovers the best food for health based on macrobiotic principles. Many thrive being vegan and some choose to include a little animal food. Macrobiotics is an open, flexible, and adaptable approach to eating that can include a wide variety of foods for social events and special occasions.
Principles for food selection: Prioritize food that has grown and adapted to your climatic region over many centuries or at least comes from a similar climatic zone. Prefer local and seasonal perishable foods from as close to home as possible and organic/natural foods with as little chemical additives as possible. Our food choices impact society and the environment.
Natural preparation: Use natural preparation, cooking techniques, and preservation methods to enhance the taste and quality of ingredients and to make nutrients more available. Cooking is a skill that can bring greater sensory and emotional satisfaction to each meal.
ADAPTABILITY
Order of the universe: Describes the way things comes into being in a logical progression through seven stages. This process forms the philosophical basis of macrobiotics.
Unifying principle of yin-yang: Illustrates the unity and diversity of all phenomena, connections and the relative direction of all things. Yin or yang cannot exist or be defined without the other. They are relative terms where things are more yin or more yang relative to something else. Opposites, such as day and night, complete and change into each other.
Five transformations: Phases of change based on times of day and seasons that combine with yin and yang for further insight and refinement in making daily food, cooking, health, and lifestyle decisions and choices.
THINKING
Living with curiosity: Learning to think for yourself. Macrobiotic education includes asking questions and developing curiosity to help explore life more deeply. Live with a beginner’s mind that is open to new and fresh ideas. Be ready to experiment and verify them for yourself. Study traditional cultures that have achieved health, longevity, and harmony with their environment.
Seven aspects of consciousness: Helpful guides for self-reflection as we grow and develop. These innate human qualities are physical, sensorial, emotional, intellectual, social, philosophical, and universal love that can turn antagonism into its complement.
Authors: Simon Brown, Carl Ferré, Anna Mackenzie, Isabel Moreno, and Denny Waxman
- Agreed upon by the International Macrobiotic Conference 2018 in Lisbon by 50 teachers, representing many schools, institutes, and organizations.
- The authors would like to thank and acknowledge the many people who sent thoughtful contributions, including Ana Luisa Bolsa, Mike Chen, Flora Laurent, Kristiane Ravn Frost, Michael Rossoff, Lino and Jane Stanchich, Bill Tara, Nigel Walker, and Melanie Waxman.
From Essential Guide to Macrobiotics by Carl Ferré
Macrobiotics as it is known today is the result of the tireless work and vision of George Ohsawa (1893-1966). Ohsawa developed tuberculosis at the age of fifteen. By the time he was eighteen, his mother, younger brother, and younger sister had all died of the same disease. His own illness had progressed to the point that the doctors had given up all hope for him. Determined to overcome his condition, Ohsawa began searching for alternative theories of health. He based his theory and practice of macrobiotics on Sagen Ishizuka’s (1850-1910) theory of balancing mineral salts, the early heaven’s sequence of the I-Ching, yin and yang, and other ancient Eastern concepts. He lived to the age of 73, devoting his life to teaching macrobiotic theory and writing on science, ethics, religion, and philosophy from a macrobiotic point of view.
The macrobiotic approach to diet emphasizes whole grains and fresh vegetables. For the most part it avoids meat, dairy foods, and processed foods. The goal is to provide the body with essential nutrients so that it can function efficiently without loading it with toxins or excesses that must be eliminated or stored. And since the body is always adjusting to changes in the environment and in its own aging process, its needs will always change as well. The idea is to balance the effects of foods eaten with other influences on the body, largely through diet, and to adjust to changes in a controlled and peaceful manner.
The main benefit of a standard macrobiotic diet is that the body becomes cleaner as toxins and old excesses are discharged. This alone can sometimes relieve minor aches and pains. As our bodies are cleansed, our minds become more clear and our natural good judgment begins to return. People who are in relatively good health may begin a macrobiotic diet after consulting books or relatives or friends who are more familiar with macrobiotic practice. The first section of this book provides all the information that is needed, but a good macrobiotic cookbook is also invaluable.
People with a serious illness should consult a health care advisor or a macrobiotic counselor who is familiar with the effects of dietary change before making big dietary changes. Most people need help learning to use macrobiotic principles effectively to remedy serious illness. A standard macrobiotic diet must be tailored to the individual’s condition. Even two people with the same illness need different dietary adjustments.
Many people who are beginning a macrobiotic diet, or are considering doing so, are taken aback by the number of Japanese foods in a standard macrobiotic diet. Japanese foods are often emphasized simply because Ohsawa was Japanese. The expression of macrobiotics is becoming less Japanese as more Americans write and teach about macrobiotics.
A second source of confusion is that there are three primary expressions of macrobiotics: that of George and Lima Ohsawa, and those of Ohsawa’s students Michio and Aveline Kushi, and Herman and Cornellia Aihara. This book unifies their three different expressions of the macrobiotic approach. Still, in consulting any source of macrobiotic information, readers may find seemingly conflicting advice.
A macrobiotic centering diet is a restricted basic macrobiotic diet, eating and drinking only what is necessary for one’s life, and toward the center of yin and yang balance. This means eating primarily whole grains, vegetables, beans, and sea vegetables. Sea salt either by itself or in miso, soy sauce, umeboshi, or gomashio, and liquid, usually bancha tea (kukicha), are also needed. Everything else is kept to a minimum or avoided altogether. This approach allows the body’s natural healing power to heal from within.
Origin: from Ancient Greek: Makros (large or long), Bios (life or way of living), and Thiké (technique or art of).
- Definition agreed upon by the International Macrobiotic Conference 2017 in Berlin by 45 teachers, representing many schools, institutes, and organizations. Revised November 2018 in Portugal.
No scientific evidence or research suggests that macrobiotic eating can cure disease. However, macrobiotic eating may provide health benefits to some people when used as a complementary therapy. The macrobiotic diet is largely vegetarian. It significantly limits animal fat.
You're discouraged from eating dairy, eggs, poultry, processed foods, refined sugars, and meats, along with tropical fruits, fruit juice, and certain vegetables like asparagus, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, and zucchini. You're only supposed to drink when you feel thirsty.
Macrobiotics is a way of eating centered around mostly plant-based whole foods, which are ideally locally sourced and seasonally appropriate. The diet is intended to be supported by lifestyle practices such as regular walking outside to promote health and well being. Macrobiotics is also a social movement that trains people in how to diagnose and care for themselves using macrobiotic principles.
George Ohsawa (1893-1966) is considered the "father" of macrobiotics because it was through his efforts, travels, and books that others around the world took up the study.
his work was strongly reinforced by two other contemporary Japanese proponents of macrobiotics, Herman Aihara and Michio Kushi.
Macrobiotics is a social movement centered around a diet of mostly plant-based, locally sourced whole foods, along with recommended lifestyle practices to support health and well being. The movement originated from books published in Japan by Sagen Ishizuka (1850-1909), a Japanese army doctor who used diet and lifestyle recommendations to treat sick people. In the 1920's, Ishizuka's ideas were taken up by George Ohsawa (1893-1966), who subsequently traveled around the world training others. Ohsawa is today considered the "father of macrobiotics", but his work was strongly reinforced by two other contemporary Japanese proponents of macrobiotics, Herman Aihara and Michio Kushi.
By the 1960's, Ohsawa's efforts had spawned several small, dedicated pockets of students in various parts of the United States, Great Britain and Europe. In the 1970's, macrobiotic advocate Herman Aihara (1920 to 1997) came from Japan to California and founded the Vega Study Center for macrobiotics in Oroville, California. About the same time, Michio (1926-2014) established a center for macrobiotics in the Boston area in the early 1950s. He lectured all over the world at conferences and seminars about philosophy, spiritual development, health, food, and diseases.
Dedicated students of the 1960's formed study and support groups in California, Philadelphia, New York, western Massachussetts, and Boston, and it is from the 1960's study groups and houses that today's senior macrobiotics counselors arose.
led by a coalition of highly trained counselors who learned directly from a lineage of teachers reaching back to Japan around 1920. Macrobiotic counselors teach nutritional principles, cooking skills, menu planning, and the use the diagnostic principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine to monitor one’s own health. Cooking, diet and lifestyle are ideally intended to be adjusted for each individual’s need based on their condition at a certain time.
As of 2020, I estimate that there are perhaps a dozen or fewer senior counselors available worldwide.
Macrobiotic counselor:
- Able to offer guidance for those with cancer, advanced cardiovascular problems,
HIV, Lyme disease, serious psychological, addiction or nervous system problems, and other immune issues.
The counselors train members of the public, but also certify some followers are macrobiotics coaches.
Macrobiotic coach:
- Has a broad understanding of macrobiotic diet, cooking, and lifestyle practices
- Helps people establish a clear direction for their health and life
- Helps to improve life of oneself and others through creating order and structure in diet, cooking, and lifestyle practices
- Provides support for creating order and structure
- Can provide a combined plan for what to do and how to do it based on the goal
- Can help with shopping, setting up a kitchen, menu-planning, and guidance on cooking and lifestyle practices
- Can offer support and encouragement, positive guidance, and lifestyle practices