Thursday, May 17, 2012

Modern Snake Oil


How do I manage to rile up hornets' nests?  I would think that the promulgating of a so-called macrobiotic "therapy" for cancer and other serious illness calls for the reasoning that went into that decision and the number of specialist opinions that were sought before that decision was made.  Otherwise, it seems to me that this is another case of (tm) True Believers preaching.  The nest was on our local UU church's chat list FYI.  BTW, I am also a retired Medical Librarian and  do know how to search.  The following comes from the About.Alternative Medicine, which is meant for the lay reader.  Personally, I would pursue a middle way.  

Because low-fat, high fiber diets are often recommended for cancer and other chronic diseases, the macrobiotic diet has been used by people with these conditions. The phytoestrogen content may be protective and reduce the risk of estrogen-related cancers such as breast cancer. However, further research is needed to clarify whether the macrobiotic diet is effective in cancer prevention and treatment.
People with serious medical conditions such as cancer or AIDS should always seek proper medical care. Some people try the diet because they heard it can cure their disease, but reseach has not substantiated these claims.

The macrobiotic diet is considered by some nutritionists to be too restrictive and lacking in certain nutrients, such as protein, vitamin B12, iron, magnesium, and calcium. Lack of energy may result from inadequate protein.

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