Sagen Ishizuka
Sagen Ishizuka was a notable Japanese physician born on March 6, 1850, and known for his pioneering contributions to food education (shokuiku) and the macrobiotic diet. His approach emphasized the importance of consuming a natural, seasonal Japanese diet that maintains a balance of potassium, sodium, acid, and alkaline. Ishizuka believed that health is fundamentally linked to proper food intake, advocating for a holistic lifestyle that includes diet, exercise, and hot baths to promote well-being and manage illness.
Coming from a modest background, he was largely self-taught in various scientific fields and languages, which enriched his medical understanding. After serving over two decades in the military as a pharmacist and physician, Ishizuka developed a preference for traditional over Western medicine, highlighting the effectiveness of dietary practices in improving health. He dedicated his later years to establishing a free clinic focused on dietary recommendations and conducted clinical trials that led to significant publications. Often affectionately referred to as "Dr. Miso Soup" and "Dr. Brown Rice," Ishizuka's legacy endures through his belief in the connection between food choices and well-being, making him a key figure in the macrobiotic movement and complementary medicine.
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Sagen Ishizuka
- Born: March 6, 1850; Japan
- Died: October 17, 1909; Japan
Overview
A Japanese physician, Sagen Ishizuka, pioneered the concept of food education (shokuiku) and the macrobiotic diet. His theory was based on a few guiding principles, including eating a natural, traditional Japanese diet in which the foods consumed are in season and have a correct balance of potassium, sodium, acid, and alkaline.
Ishizuka posited that a person’s health depended primarily on proper food intake, and he indicated that a person could couple a proper diet with physical exercise and hot baths to eliminate excess salts and minerals in the body to maintain health and overcome illness. His practices were rooted in the idea that the body is a self-regulating organism that, given proper fuel (food), could maintain health and balance. He suggested that proper diet and other natural practices could improve physical and mental health, leading to happiness and satisfaction.
Ishizuka chose to study traditional medicine at a young age, a decision that was seemingly guided by his being born into a family of traditional doctors. However, because he came from a modest background with little disposable income, he was apparently self-taught to a large extent. He reportedly taught himself several languages (English, French, German, and Dutch) and various scientific disciplines, including chemistry, physics, botany, and anatomy.
Ishizuka joined the Japanese army when he was twenty-four and served as a doctor in training. At the age of thirty-one, he received a degree as a military pharmacist and, later, the title of military physician. He practiced in the military for about twenty-two years and retired as a chief military pharmacist.
Ishizuka reportedly developed a distaste for Western medicine after several years of practice and, over time, became a proponent instead of traditional medicine, which he concluded to be more effective. He may have suffered certain ailments as a young man that could be overcome not with conventional Western medicine but with traditional Japanese medicine, including diet variation. Ishizuka would develop a theory that a person’s health was dictated by the person’s ability to strengthen the body internally by following a balanced regime, which was largely dependent on the person’s diet.
After he retired from the army, Ishizuka opened a free clinic around 1908 and treated patients solely by dictating dietary recommendations. He performed many clinical trials and published two large volumes of his work. Many of his Japanese supporters referred to him as Dr. Miso Soup and Dr. Brown Rice because of his recommendations for these particular foodstuffs.
Ishizuka's legacy in the world of complementary and alternative medicine lies in his promotion of the idea that food choices are connected to health and well-being. He is considered a founder of the macrobiotic movement, and his ideas on healthy eating and combining modern and traditional medical methods had a lasting global impact.
Bibliography
Aihara, Herman. "The History of Macrobiotics." Eden Foods, www.edenfoods.com/articles/view.php?articles‗id=66. Accessed 8 Sept. 2024.
Brown, Simon. Macrobiotics for Life. North Atlantic Books, 2009.
Hong Sookyeong. "Digesting Modernity Healing with Nature the Birth of a 'Natural' Food Movement in Meiji Japan 1905-1910." Global Environment, vol. 11, no. 1, 2018, pp. 105–129, doi: 10.3197/ge.2018.110106.
Kotzch, Ronald E. Macrobiotics: Yesterday and Today. New York: Japan Publications, 1985.
"Macrobiotics." In Complementary and Alternative Medicine Sourcebook, 7th ed., Omnigraphics, 2022.