becoming whole

Reverse Diabetes

 

I just received this email from the folks at Physicians Committee for  Responsible Medicine and I thought many people would find it helpful with the epidemic proportions of diabetes in the population today. Here's something we CAN do that will help! Dear Mrs. Wolff, Thank you for your interest in our diabetes video support group. This exciting new series offers education on diet and diabetes, along with group support. The classes feature lectures by PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., and cooking demonstrations by PCRM nutritionist Dulcie Ward, R.D. The next class of this series will be this Thursday, December 27, at 8 p.m. EST. The session will last about 30 minutes. You will need a high-speed Internet connection to participate. All of the classes are free of charge. To connect to the session on Thursday, click here. The link will only work between 8 and 8:30 p.m., as the session will be live. The class will also be repeated this Saturday, December 29, at 1 p.m. EST. To connect to the session on Saturday, click here. If you are unable to attend Thursday or Saturday, you can acccess archives of the classes and download PowerPoint presentations. If you have any questions, please submit them by using the form at the bottom of the screen during the session. You are also invited to join our Get-Healthy Club listserv, which will allow you to post questions that will be answered by a team of health care professionals. We look forward to having you join us! Best Regards, PCRM Nutrition Department Have you been able to improve your diabetes with a vegan diet? If you've had success treating your diabetes with a vegan diet, and would like to help others combat their disease, please consider sharing your experience with us. We often hear from journalists looking for success stories and we may want to put them in touch with you. If you have a compelling story you're willing to share with the press, please contact Simon Chaitowitz at PCRM at 202-686-2210, ext. 309, or simonc@pcrm.org.

Sheldon's Story

I know I said I'd take a week off (!), but ... I got an e-mail from my friend Sheldon Rice, a macrobiotic counselor in Israel, and thought I'd share his article, as I felt it will inspire many people:

The “Feeling Better” Macrobiotic Guarantee
Macrobiotics is a wonderful way of life, discipline of appreciation and system of healing.  At its onset, a macrobiotic practice may seem challenging, like starting a new career or learning a language.  There is so much to understand and do, sometimes interwoven with fear when illness is involved.  There is no assurance of recovery.

But there is one guarantee that is always true:  when you practice macrobiotics you feel better.  This is assured because the fundamental nature of life is an overriding sense of well being.  Living in accord with natural law means that well being is dominant.  This is an unfailing source of encouragement:  macrobiotics offers a continued sense of improvement as you get more in touch with your true self.  Well being is the natural state of affairs.  Anything less is temporary.

Feeling better is a subjective state of being that everyone recognizes. Personal energy, mood and bodily functions improve.  At its best, feeling good is vibrancy, energized enthusiasm for life, good sleep and smooth elimination in a pain-free body with a mind easily able to handle stress.  Anything less is dis-ease in the literal sense of the word—uneasiness.

Actually, there is no need to explain to anyone what feeling better means.  It is enough to seek it in order to experience it for oneself.

I began learning these lessons in the mid-1980s when I recognized macrobiotics as the way I wanted to live.  I noticed that I felt better almost immediately after eliminating meat, chicken, dairy, eggs and sugar.  My focus improved, I could work in a more relaxed way and my energy was steadier.  This better feeling disposition increased as time went on.  To my amazement, long ignored health issues disappeared.  From this I understood that it is not attention to specific bodily conditions that creates health, but a general, wide ranging comfort within oneself, created by the food we eat and the knowledge that one has found a better lifestyle.  I discovered that a macrobiotic lifestyle coupled with the confidence that I could realize my desires was the best combination for a balanced, great feeling life.

I was fully into a macrobiotic routine for over a year and a half when a long ignored bladder condition required medical attention.  I had changed my eating but not my thinking habits, and I remained dis-eased.  A routine hospital CAT scan, confirmed by both allopathic and macrobiotic specialists, revealed a malignant growth between my bladder and spine.  I refused a biopsy and determined to heal on my own without the negative influence of doctors and hospitals.  I did not seek a name for my illness nor did I discuss it with family or friends so as to avoid their pity and criticism.  I focused only on my goal of well being as I followed a recommended program of macrobiotic living.

At the beginning, the improvements came quickly and distinctly; in time the rate of change slowed.  Yet I always knew I was getting better—even when I was feeling lousy with temporary glitches as my body adjusted to the changes taking place.  Discharges were sometimes uncomfortable, but I knew intuitively that I was on the right path.  Counselor support helped me to understand these trends, and I was grateful for the encouragement I received.  My general development was always better and better until I gradually saw physical proof of what I already knew instinctively: I was healing my life.   

It took me three years to release the emotions that had created the tumor.  What kept me going throughout this experience was constant focus on just feeling better.  The lesson of my experience was that well being is not a quantum leap, but rather the accumulated result of feeling better daily.  There is a great chasm between the extremes of illness and health, but baby steps of feeling better are always within reach.  Moving from a state of disease to well being requires mental and physical evolution in incremental better-feeling stages.  Soon feeling better rather than being ill becomes the norm.

Illness is an indication that one or some specific aspects of the overall scheme have gone awry.  Focusing on these more than on the well functioning body parts is giving attention to that which is unwanted and only a partial picture.  The longer the unease persists in the mind, the stronger its physical manifestation.  It is the attitude of feeling good and getting better that reflects the whole, naturally healthy person.

Appreciation is the greatest asset in this quest.  Appreciation means focusing on what is wanted while ignoring what is absent.  It is shifting focus away from resistance, doubt and fear.  It is letting go of self denial and complaint, and consciously choosing a better feeling thought.  Appreciation is actively looking for ways to feel better.

As macrobiotic practitioners and teachers, let’s make the subtle shift from curing illness to seeking well being.  The method is simply small steps directed towards feeling better in the moment.  Anyone can encourage another to feel better without getting into the details of a specific illness and its treatment.  Symptoms of discomfort should be regarded as interesting trivia eclipsed by the day to day practice of seeking positive aspects.  The temptation to make claims of cure should be substituted by the absolute guarantee of feeling better.  Simply tell whoever asks, “It is my promise to you that by eating and living in a macrobiotic way you’ll feel better and better as long as you live.”  Nothing is simpler or more accurate.

Comments about this article appear in:

http://thericehouse.com/joy/feedback.htm

Free Stuff

OK, this is my first and last post of my "week off." I just got this e-mail from my son Francis who is studying Internet marketing and blogging. This is his first post, and it includes a tip about this company (Simpleology), where we can get free stuff. I'm going to check it out. He is psyched about it ... that's why I'm interested. Here's what he sent me:
                         
Simpleology Blog Course                    
Hi Mom, I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog. It covers:

• The best blogging techniques
• How to get traffic to your blog
• How to turn your blog into money

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Happy Holidays! Love, Meg

Holiday Gift Giving

As you consider end-of-year tax deductions and holiday gift-giving, please consider a contribution to the Cancer Community Center (in South Portland, Maine), via my Giving Back area at left.

The Cancer Community Center is a non-profit organization that provides "a warm and friendly place where people with cancer, their families and friends can come together to build social and emotional support as a complement to their regular medical care. The Center offers support and networking groups, creative expression and educational workshops, wellness programs, a one-on-one support program, work place support, a resource library and social events in a comfortable, caring setting."

The center also continues to offer a free monthly macrobiotic cooking class!    ***********************************************************************************************
On another note ... this is my last post of the year! I'm taking next week off from blogging to spend with my family, who will all be home for the holidays. I hope you have a wonderful time with your loved ones, too.

So ... feel free to peruse my site. If you want to check out my archives for posts or recipes, it's easy ... just look on the left sidebar under "Archives" and click, or under "Categories" on the right sidebar. If you have comments or questions,  please feel free to post one ... and I WILL get back to all of you soon. See you in the new year! Love, Meg  

Christmas Came Early ... for early detection plate!

I recieved this fantastic email from Meredith Burgess who has spearheaded efforts for the Maine Specialty License Plate for Breast Cancer.

"Christmas came early ... I am thrilled to report that ... we received our 2000th and final reservation supporting the creation of the Specialty License Plate to Support Breast Cancer Services in Maine!!!!!!"

If you reserved a plate, you'll receive a notice next fall with instructions on when to go pick up your plate. If you don't want to actually display your plate, you can simply discard the letter or pass it along to someone who might like to display it.Your $20 donation covers the first year's plate fee. Each year thereafter, you'll be charged $15. ($10 of that will go to the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, The Maine Breast Cancer Coalition and the Maine Cancer Foundation. All money will stay 100% in Maine.)

Thank you for helping us reach our goal ... and have a wonderful holiday season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*NOTE: Today, I'm also happy to say that this is my 200th blog post ... with a total of more than 26,000 page views since April! It's fun, exciting & I've met so many wonderful people! Yes, you! Many thanks!

What Causes Breast Cancer?

I just had an interview with WMTW TV Channel 8 (Portland, Maine), about the Maine Specialty License Plate for Breast Cancer effort. It will air tonight, so please tune in at 6 & 11 p.m.!

I was listening to the Think Pink local radio telethon (promoting a specialty license plate for breast cancer awareness) a few weeks back, and an oncologist was asked this important question: “What causes breast cancer?”

The doctor proceeded to talk about genetic research, but she didn't answer the question completely about what causes breast cancer. She only answered a small part of it. Her answer would make the average person with a family history of breast cancer feel like a victim of genetics. But we don't have to be victims. There is A LOT we CAN do.

My thought on hearing this conversation was, “Yes, maybe some people are genetically predisposed to getting certain cancers, but wouldn’t common sense beg the questions ... Are we are leading the same lifestyle as our mothers? Exposed to the same cancer-causing chemicals?  Eating foods that are as high in hormone-disrupting chemicals (found in animal protein & processed chemicalized junk foods)?”

There is a cause of cancer, but few people in the medical field are focusing on the cause. Everything has a cause and effect. And there is plenty of evidence out there, but we don’t hear about it unless we do our own research. People need to know that the chemical carcinogens are concentrated in the high fat (any cut of meat is from 50 to 75 percent fat calories) of the food we eat. And they need it now so that they can take the necessary steps in preventing and healing their illness. There is a lot they CAN do. If we talk about ALL CAUSES, we can talk about SOLUTIONS. Yes, there are things WE as individuals can do to prevent and heal cancer.

As written by Dr. Janette Sherman, in Life’s Delicate Balance, the Causes and Prevention of Breast Cancer, breast cancer is caused by chemical carcinogens, ionization radiation, endocrine disrupters and genetic interactions.

It's now common knowledge that too much estrogen (a endocrine disrupter) is implicated in causing breast cancer. Xenoestrogens  chemicals that mimic estrogenic activity, are implicated as well (i.e. DDT, PBB’s, dioxin and many more). I realize that we can't protect ourselves from some things, but we can lower our estrogen levels by following a plant-based diet (organic grains, beans, & vegetables). These foods have negligible amounts of these toxins.

We can make a huge difference by what we put in our mouths. And, we can start right now. We don’t have to wait a zillion years until someone figures out a way to manipulate our genes. I wouldn’t be here if I had bet my survival on that.

Do You Knit?

I wanted to write about something fun today ... something fun like shopping ... on the Internet!

I have this friend, Sallee, who makes the most beautiful things. This bag, made for carrying knitting projects, caught my eye on her blog, Knitnana. Sallee wrote:

"Ever since I was very young, I've been madly in love with cardinals. It's the state bird (Virginia), of course, but I'm madly, wildly in love with red and to my mind, there is nothing more beautiful than a snow covered field full of evergreens with cardinals flitting across it. The birds amaze me, mating for life, and sharing equally in the raising of as many as three nests of babies over a single season. I spent a couple of years watching a pair and their families mature in my mom's backyard. It's one of my favorite memories ... (umm..why yes, there are many, many cardinals in the ornaments on my Christmas tree, how did you ever guess)?"

Well, I love red, and I love cardinals, and I love this bag. And, I know a someone else  in my family that would love this stunning bag ... so... I ordered it for this special person as a gift!

If you'd like to peruse Sallee's site, there are many beautiful fabrics to choose from and different-style bags. Her business site is NanaSadieRose.

Hato Mugi

I received an email from my friend Eryn yesterday. She wrote: "Just a quick question: I'm having trouble finding somewhere to purchase hato mugi. I used to buy it at the Whole Grocer. Any ideas of where to find it? Also, I've been away at school and enjoying staying connected with macro-life by way of your blog site. I check in most every day and it's always inspirational, educational, interesting and funny. Thanks for putting in so much time to keep us all connected! Peace."

This inspired me to write today's recipe, and to put her question out there. Where are you all finding your supply of this wonderful barley, prized in Asia for its ability to restore the complexion? Is there any place that we can order it online or off? Eryn is in the North Hampton, Mass., area and I am near Portland, Maine. Where can we find our hato mugi since we no longer can get it from our (now closed) Whole Grocer?

BROWN RICE WITH HATO MUGI

2 cups of brown rice
1 cup of hato mugi
5-6 cups of spring or filtered water
a pinch of sea salt

Wash rice and hato mugi. Add water, pinch of sea salt and bring to a boil on high flame.

Cover, turn to low and simmer for one hour.

Note: If you want a smaller amount, use 2/3 cup of brown rice and 1/3 cup of hato mugi with 2 cups of water.

Whole foods chef Christina Pirello writes in Glow that, " this mild-mannered grain cleanses the blood of accumulated fat that can make the skin look lifeless and washed out." I know that you ALL want it now!

Do You Know ... ?

From a macrobiotic perspective, The Standard American Diet, high in saturated fat from animal sources (beef, chicken, pork, dairy (including cheese), low in fiber, and high in non-nutritive sugary “junk” foods, is not only implicated in aiding the development of cancer, but is also responsible for heart disease.

The best  “macrobiotic” book that best explains this connection between heart disease and diet is Michio Kushi’s Diet for a Strong Heart.  It goes through different heart conditions and explains the problems and causes, and ... helpful dietary suggestions. This book  is written with the help of cardiologist H. Robert Silverstein, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.A.C.P.

The bottom line is that a diet based on whole grains, beans and vegetables (plant-based) can not only prevent heart disease, but can sometimes reverse it, or dramatically improve it.

And ... as I was revisiting Dr. Silverstein's Web site, I noticed that he has just written his own book (along with prolific health writer, Tom Monte) titled, Maximum Healing.

"If you suffer from — allergies, asthma, high blood pressure or cholesterol, cancer,
chonic fatigue, headaches, heart disease, joint pain, skin disorder, or rheumatoid arthritis - then this may be the most important book you will ever read.

Inspiring case histories demonstrate successful treatment and prevention of these and many other illnesses."

So, here you have it ... a way prevent ... and HEAL your heart!

Bears repeating ...

I'm posting this again because of getting many recent questions about soy and other related issues. How quickly we forget about these important studies!

ORIGINALLY POSTED Nov. 1, 2007: It's About Time, Isn't It?

At the hotel this morning, I picked up a copy of USA Today and saw this front-page article: Study Strongly Links Fat, Cancer." I read it and thought ... Well, it's about time! For those of you who haven't read it yet, this article flat out says that a landmark study by the American Institute for Cancer Research & The World Cancer Research Fund shows that, "Every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed per day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%"..."beef, pork, and lamb." It goes on to advise "limiting red meat to 18 ounces of cooked meat a week."

The article goes on to say that, "the report is drawing fire from the food industry." The National Pork Board & The National Cattleman's Beef Association is up in arms about the report. "Mary Young of the National Cattleman's Beef Association says the group engaged scientists (their scientists?) to review the scientific literature on the topic, and they concluded there is no evidence red meat causes cancer."

So, my BIG questions again are these: Can our doctors now put this important nutritional "piece of the cancer puzzle" into their practices? Will the American Cancer Society focus on this, too? Can we keep this information in the media's focus so that it becomes real to people?

I'm certain we'll be seeing articles by scientists and journalists who work for these powerful food industries, trying to discredit this important research, or confuse the general public with articles saying the opposite. I hope not, but I've seen it all too often. This information needs to be out there so that people can make the necessary dietary changes to help with cancer prevention and recovery. Everyone needs this important and life-saving information!

I'm posting this again because of getting many recent questions about soy and other related issues. How quickly we forget about these important studies!

ORIGINALLY POSTED Nov. 1, 2007: It's About Time, Isn't It?

At the hotel this morning, I picked up a copy of USA Today and saw this front-page article: Study Strongly Links Fat, Cancer." I read it and thought ... Well, it's about time! For those of you who haven't read it yet, this article flat out says that a landmark study by the American Institute for Cancer Research & The World Cancer Research Fund shows that, "Every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed per day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%"..."beef, pork, and lamb." It goes on to advise "limiting red meat to 18 ounces of cooked meat a week."

The article goes on to say that, "the report is drawing fire from the food industry." The National Pork Board & The National Cattleman's Beef Association is up in arms about the report. "Mary Young of the National Cattleman's Beef Association says the group engaged scientists (their scientists?) to review the scientific literature on the topic, and they concluded there is no evidence red meat causes cancer."

So, my BIG questions again are these: Can our doctors now put this important nutritional "piece of the cancer puzzle" into their practices? Will the American Cancer Society focus on this, too? Can we keep this information in the media's focus so that it becomes real to people?

I'm certain we'll be seeing articles by scientists and journalists who work for these powerful food industries, trying to discredit this important research, or confuse the general public with articles saying the opposite. I hope not, but I've seen it all too often. This information needs to be out there so that people can make the necessary dietary changes to help with cancer prevention and recovery. Everyone needs this important and life-saving information!

ORIGINALLY POSTED Nov. 1, 2007: It's About Time, Isn't It?

At the hotel this morning, I picked up a copy of USA Today and saw this front-page article: Study Strongly Links Fat, Cancer." I read it and thought ... Well, it's about time! For those of you who haven't read it yet, this article flat out says that a landmark study by the American Institute for Cancer Research & The World Cancer Research Fund shows that, "Every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed per day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%"..."beef, pork, and lamb." It goes on to advise "limiting red meat to 18 ounces of cooked meat a week."

The article goes on to say that, "the report is drawing fire from the food industry." The National Pork Board & The National Cattleman's Beef Association is up in arms about the report. "Mary Young of the National Cattleman's Beef Association says the group engaged scientists (their scientists?) to review the scientific literature on the topic, and they concluded there is no evidence red meat causes cancer."

So, my BIG questions again are these: Can our doctors now put this important nutritional "piece of the cancer puzzle" into their practices? Will the American Cancer Society focus on this, too? Can we keep this information in the media's focus so that it becomes real to people?

I'm certain we'll be seeing articles by scientists and journalists who work for these powerful food industries, trying to discredit this important research, or confuse the general public with articles saying the opposite. I hope not, but I've seen it all too often. This information needs to be out there so that people can make the necessary dietary changes to help with cancer prevention and recovery. Everyone needs this important and life-saving information!