77 of 78 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A profound and revelatory book, July 28, 2005
This review is from: The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health: A Complete Guide to Naturally Preventing and Relieving More Than 200 Chronic Conditions and Disorders (Paperback)
To those who understand its significance, this is a profound and revelatory book.
Like all living things, food has energy in it. Macrobiotics is eating according to the energy in food, which allows us unprecedented control over our health.
The "vague" quality the previous reviewer objects to is inherent in Chinese medicine and is in fact one of its greatest strengths, permitting a view of health and disease based on concepts rather than data. (And in fact, the book isn't vague at all--this is just a reflection of her unfamiliarity with the ideas.)
Nor do the authors "mention all types of alternative therapies." For each category of illness, they outline the conventional medical treatment, provide references to medical studies (for those who feel the need for this sort of thing), and then discuss the macrobiotic approach.
The same goes for the comment that "a more specific macrobiotic way of eating would have been nice." This is a highly specific book on how to use macrobiotics to treat over 200 health problems without recourse to the toxic, invasive, and expensive techniques of conventional medicine. Nevertheless, the authors devote over 100 pages to macrobiotic philosophy and practice and another 20 or so to recipes. Anyone who feels the need for more information should investigate the numerous books on the subject by Michio Kushi and others.
As for repetitiveness, this is inevitable in a book intended even for those with no exposure to macrobiotics, because each condition requires modifications of the diet. Rather than giving the basic diet in one place and requiring readers to flip back and forth through the book and put it all together themselves, they've quite reasonably done so for us.
As far as wanting you to "buy more from their website," this 500-page book has a two-page resource list at the end, presumably for those without convenient access to natural-food stores. If that constitutes a shameless hard-sell, I'd like to see more of that attitude in the marketplace.
I've been macrobiotic for over 20 years and find this an extraordinary book, like all Michio Kushi's works. I buy copies and give them away to people I know who are sick, because my two decades of experience with this diet have convinced me that vegetarianism is essential to good health--and if you're going to be a vegetarian, I can't imagine doing it any other way.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the ultimate health book ever - highly recommended!, April 5, 2007
This review is from: The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health: A Complete Guide to Naturally Preventing and Relieving More Than 200 Chronic Conditions and Disorders (Paperback)
This is the most comprehensive and most helpful book that I've ever come across with. I have used it for myself, my son, my husband in our day-to-day health conditions (dizzines, fever, cough, cold, poor memory, skin irritations, etc). I was able to use it literally everyday from the day I got it. It gives easy and simple remedies using ingredients that are usually found in one's kitchen - how can you beat that? You don't even have to run to the pharmacy to get well! And you will not have the poisonous side effects of drugs!
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Reference Book to Have, February 11, 2009
This review is from: The Macrobiotic Path to Total Health: A Complete Guide to Naturally Preventing and Relieving More Than 200 Chronic Conditions and Disorders (Paperback)
Anytime Michio Kushi and Alex Jack team up and talk about macrobiotics and our health, we would do well to listen. Both authors have been at the forefront of the macrobiotic community worldwide, both are pioneers, both are wise beyond their years. The book is sectioned out with reference to common diseases and ailments, and takes a wholistic approach to getting healthy and on the right track to maintain that health. Diseases are listed in one section, then dietary basics and guidelines are mentioned, then recipes are given and a typical diet in fall, spring, summer,winter. Nice. Trouble is, with some of us, the discipline one needs to undertake the macrobiotic diet appears to be tough. Perhaps not so tough in the East and Left Coast, where macrobiotic communities are abundant. However, in the flatlands of the Midwest where I am from, it is difficult at best to follow the regimen, even though I know that this food and subsequent diet is some of the best dietary health anyone will ever see, period. Interestingly, when one gets back to this diet and eats its simple foods, after a few days, one nearly always feels much better. Basically: a daily soup with veggies, some seaweed and some miso in it, a grain of some kind at every meal, a veggie of some kind, and a bean product on occasion and fish on occasion, and you have it figured out. Don't forget to walk 30 minutes a day. That's it in a nutshell. Be especially sure to read the section where they talk about the wonder drug/aid: the effable umeboshi plum. Amazing what this little power house veggie can do for you. In the foreword, Alex talks about doing a follow-up book with other diseases and conditions not explored in this current book. That was mentioned about 5 years ago. It is possible another volume will come out, but perhaps not anytime soon. However, we would do well to have this book in our home as a "go-to" book with simple food, simple recipes, simple home remedies and positive health for each of us in our living adventure known as life. Highly recommended!
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