My Beautiful Life [Paperback]

Mina Dobic (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2007

As a top academician in her home country of the former Yugoslavia, Mina Dobic led a privileged life. That all changed in 1987, when Mina was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer that had metastasized to her liver, bones, and lymph system. Mina's doctors gave her only two months to live. She reviewed the literature and quickly realized that the chemotherapy and radiation treatment offered by her physicians was not a viable option. Instead, she did something remarkable: She decided to adopt the macrobiotic way of life. Six and a half months later, Mina Dobic was cancer free. My Beautiful Life tells her story. The course that Mina Dobic and her family took is a modern odyssey that weaves together many of the critical issues of the last half century--the struggle between repression and a free society, the conflict between conventional medicine and holistic health, and the forces that pull the modern family apart even as members strive to hold it together. During her journey to wellness, Mina passed from cancer victim to cancer survivor, from patient to healer, from student to teacher. My Beautiful Life not only eloquently explains how Mina recovered from cancer, but also details how cancer can be prevented through diet and a simple philosophy of living in balance with nature.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Dobic] has written eloquently about her own natural path to cancer healing." (Energy Times )

About the Author

Milenka "Mina" Dobic, PhD, was born, raised, and educated in the former Yugoslavia. She became a professor of Linguistics and World Literature, and later Director of Art and Education for several major national radio stations. In former Yugoslavia, she was honored with the highest award given in journalism, The Truth, equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize. In 1987, Mina and her family came to the United States to study macrobiotics at the Kushi Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. While there, she went on to become a teacher and counselor. In 1990, Mina moved to California, established her own macrobiotic educational center, and organized the first macrobiotic support group for cancer survivors in Hollywood. Vogue magazine called Mina Dobic "L.A.'s most expert macrobiotic health consultant." An internationally acclaimed macrobiotic counselor, Mina lectures throughout North America and Europe, inspiring others with her wisdom, love, and compassion.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Square One Publishers; 2nd edition (February 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0757002447
• ISBN-13: 978-0757002441
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #705,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Macrobiotics works!, March 15, 2008

By 

Richard A. Myer "retired teacher" (madera california) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Beautiful Life (Paperback)

I read this book and I am forever changed. I have adopted the macrobiotic lifestyle( for 3 years now) My brain tumor is gone as well as my high blood pressure, High cholesterol. arthritis and I also lost 45 pounds.I am also off of my seizure medication that I took for 17 years and the doctors told me I would never be able to go off of.I have been seizure free for 3 years also!! This way of life has been practiced by the Chinese and Japanese for thousands of years. I think it is about time that the American diet is put under scrutiny so that we can all be healthy. Richard Myer- 61 years old

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written and inspiring, but lacking in warning reader, October 5, 2011

By 

J. Monaghan "happydawg's humans" (Dallas, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Beautiful Life (Paperback)

After reading Mina's book my husband and I were given a shred of understanding that had eluded us for 3.5 years. The warning that should be given is, do not attempt to do this plan without a qualified Macrobiotic teacher. Our do it yourself mentality added more conditions that did not exist before this journey began. We had danced around the edges of macrobiotics and struggled through the diet for his disease found in Michio Kushi's book. However, when it became clear we were in over our heads, we took a chance and called the number in the back of "My Beautiful Life".

After a few weeks dealing with the financial enormity of traveling to Boston and studying for a week-long intensive course there, we realized it would be a matter of 'your money or your life' and our life was becoming the loser. Like the story Mina shared, my husband's family came to his rescue and sent him down there. He found a very vibrant 70 year old woman with a bright smile and confident demeaner. She discovered several conditions that had been overlooked or left as a mystery by the medical establishment. She diagnosed and then sent him home with internal and external remedies, a book of how to make these and a weekly menu to follow.

I highly recommend Mina as the Premier expert of Macrobiotics, with the caveat that you help your patient by simplifying the schedule of drinks and plasters to put on the fridge (DAY, TIME, How Long, etc)and either dictate on recorder or laminate the menu in bullet point form for ease of flow. The menu was not user friendly, especially to a 71 year old man who had never cooked more than a steak in his life and was too ill to decipher the overload of information. It is important that the patient cook for themselves and the support team just hangs on for the ride. If there are questions, read them over, then ask in one phone call as she insists on fostering independence. Be sure to read the complete booklet and recommendations in the beginning so you know what to expect and where to find the impossible to find groceries.

The good news is his condition drastically improved, most notably a tremor that had dogged him for 4 years disappearing in 2 weeks. Also recent blood work confirms that his Prostate Cancer (PSA)numbers are retreating which is also good news. Lastly, he has become more confident and has that feeling of value back that was lacking in retirement.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring story from a person who has changed our lives, April 12, 2007

By 

Ivan Pesic (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: My Beautiful Life (Paperback)

"My Beautiful Life" is the story of a truly extraordinary life. Whatever misgivings one might have about this book - and I agree that it could have been better written and/or edited - to conclude from it that Mina is a quack, as one of the reviewers on Amazon has done, is quite a stretch. From my own experience, nothing could be further away from the truth.

In 1996, after starting to have arthritic pains in the joints of her fingers and shoulders, my wife went for a consultation with Mina who was recommended by a friend. Mina prescribed a "medicinal macrobiotic" diet based mostly on organic grains and vegetables and said that the pains would be gone in about three weeks. I was rather skeptical about this claim, but my wife's arthritic pains did indeed vanish after about four weeks and have not returned since. After about three month of medicinal macrobiotics we started following a little less restrictive diet, still based on macrobiotic principles as delineated by Mina, and Michio Kushi in his books, and we have been on it ever since.

During the last six years I have not had as much as a common cold (my wife had a flu three years ago, but has completely recovered after only three days, and has suffered from a "cold", for two days, last year). For about ten years now we have not been taking any medications (pharmaceuticals), nor vitamins and other dietary supplements. My wife is 60 years old, I am 62 and we never felt so healthy before.

Five month ago, after experiencing blurriness in my vision, I was diagnosed by my ophthalmologist as having a cataract in my left eye. I have consulted Mina, who has told me that most of eye problems derive from liver deficiencies (which has not surprise me since I had Hepatitis B 30 years ago, and my liver was damaged as a result). She advised me to give up on my daily glass of wine and prescribed again a strict medicinal macrobiotic diet, combined with shiatsu massage and ginger compresses. The first thing I noticed after about three weeks of dieting was a surge in energy, and how calm and collected I was feeling. After three weeks, my wife has noticed that the wrinkles between my nose and my month have started flattening, exactly as Mina predicted. After less then a month I started noticing an improvement in my vision, and the blurriness in my left eye has completely disappeared after three month of dieting. Besides I have lost 11 lb. in the process.

We have known Mina for ten years now. All we can say is that she is a dedicated and experienced macrobiotic counselor who has tremendously helped me and my wife, as well as my wife's entire family, and a number of our friends and acquaintances. Both Mina and her husband are the most generous and loving friends, and we are immensely grateful to them for introducing us to macrobiotics and considerably improving our health and the quality of our lives.