When I was in my early forties, I suffered severe blockage of the urinary tract which necessitated a transurethral operation on my enlarged prostate. Subsequent multiple adhesions required reaming, stretching, and splitting of the tube. This apparently caused a tumor to develop. By the time I reached my sixties this growth had become malignant. My urologist, believing he had caught it soon enough to hold it in abeyance by the use of hormones, instead of a major operation, placed me on a regimen of rather heavy doses of Stilbesterol, a female hormone. This was at about age sixty-three. Stilbesterol is one drug that so-called "female impersonators" use to change their physique, eliminate body hair, and develop full breasts. The side effects are pretty awful for a man who wants to remain masculine.

Some of the more depressing transformations are breast and nipple enlargement with extreme tenderness, fluid retention throughout the body — the legs in particular — with resulting inconvenience of hourly toilet trips, both day and night. Also, loss of fingernail substance results in painful split and torn nails. There are many other less obvious effects which are equally annoying,

After many visits to the urologist, with constant reminders to take my daily dosage for the rest of my life, I finally inveighed him to reduce the hormone strength by half. However, this didn't help appreciably.

As I approached age sixty-eight, with the tumor still testing malignant, a good friend and neighbor was diagnosed as having can­cer of the prostate. His wife, a novelist, was given a copy of Recalled by Life by her publisher. After reading it; they pursued the macrobiotic diet. Once read, the book was given to me. As I entered my seventieth year this book offered a possible solution to my discomfort, a meeting with a macrobiotic teacher at the Kushi Institute provided me with specific guidelines for my condition. After one month I felt more alive and much less depressed. I stopped taking all medications and vitamins and made monthly visits to my general practitioner for checkups. I made several more visits to the Kushi Institute for dietary adjustments. I also lost sixty-five pounds of old fat from all over my body.

Ten macrobiotic months later, I returned to my doctor to report on what I had accomplished. Very upset. he advised me that "If the results of the test showed any signs of cancer, you must immediately start major curative measures (chemotherapy). If the tests showed no cancer, then just keep on doing whatever you're doing." He had no knowledge of, or desire to learn about, macrobiotic. All tests came back negative. To be certain, I checked into the Dana Farber Cancer Research Center. After many tests and a complete bone scan, I was assured that I was "clean."

If you have no medical reason to consider macrobiotics, but would like a rewarding old age with health and happiness, you can gradually adopt a new way of eating. Your body will accept the change graciously. If medically necessary, first make certain that you have support at home, then seek out qualified help. Attend a program such as the Macrobiotic Residential Seminar presented at the Kushi Institute of the Berkshires that offers a peaceful and happy atmosphere while you are learning to cook and live the macrobiotic way. Bring your family support person with you, if possible, for a week or so of cooking instruction and practice. Follow the diet carefully when you return home and keep in contact with a macrobiotic teacher for fine-tuning and adjustments. At all times keep a positive menial attitude and use mental imagery to overcome your ill­ness.

Those of you who can accept a change in lifestyle will find many rewards in an exciting and beautiful future. If you can't accept changes, at least reduce your consumption of red meats, chemically contaminated poultry, sugar, refined table sail. and junk foods. Re­member that basically no diet will cure; it can only cleanse me body of toxins and fats. Then mental attitude and imagery can work to­gether to awaken the body's immune system to overcome the disease. The combination of these two factors in a relaxing environment almost invariably leads to better health.

As of November 1990.I am almost seventy-seven years old. I am still "clean" with almost unlimited energy. I can eat all I want without gaining weight, and look forward to another twenty or thirty years of excitement and happiness. 

Source: The Macrobiotic Experience, newsletter published by Herb and Virginia Walley, Newton, Massachusetts, November, 1990.