Masumi began healing from the symptoms of a painful autoimmune illness after attending Kushi Institute’s February 2012 Way to Health program. After eating and living in accordance with macrobiotic principals and philosophy for over two years, her life has changed dramatically. Masumi lives without medications, has minimized the occurrence of painful flare-ups, and is now allergy free—an unexpected bonus of adopting a macrobiotic lifestyle. Over the course of the past year, she has also become certified to teach yoga, launched a website with a friend and business partner www.twofitmoms.com, has an impressive following on her Instagram site of over 99,000, and was featured in the June 2014 Yoga Journal magazine. We are honored to have Masumi join Kushi Institute’s 2014 Summer Conference Festival faculty.
“I was very fortunate to be born and raised in a macrobiotic home for the first 18 years of my life. I had a really healthy childhood. I was rarely sick, and never took any medications.
When I left for college, my eating habits began to change. Although I still ate plenty of fruits and vegetables, I started eating a standard American diet including processed foods and dairy (pizza, bagels, cereal, yogurt, etc.) It was also in my early 20’s that I developed incapacitating seasonal allergies. I did not make the connection at the time, but in retrospect, it is crystal clear that these allergies were associated with the dietary and lifestyle changes that commenced with my leaving the nest.
In the fall of 2011, I began having terrible pain in my hips and feet. Exercising (jogging in particular) was a big part of my life, so I assumed the pain was from running on a daily basis. Even walking became a painful activity! The aching in my heels was intense, and the burning sensation in my hip joints was so severe that I couldn’t fall asleep at night. I stopped running, sold my treadmill, and sought the opinion of a medical professional. After receiving orthotic inserts for my shoes and spending weeks in physical therapy with no improvement, my doctor ordered blood tests. I always thought of myself as a very healthy individual, so I was very surprised to learn that the blood work showed abnormalities.
Some of my results were consistent with rheumatoid arthritis, but because my disease featured very acute flare ups (versus gradual onset) that were not isolated to my joints, I was not diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. My doctor told me that I had my very own variation of an autoimmune disease that affects joints AND ligaments. I was then told that the drugs that are traditionally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and similar illnesses were harsh and could have side effects that were worse than the disease symptoms themselves!
Rather than taking drugs, I told my doctor that I knew of something else that could potentially help. I immediately enrolled in the Kushi Institute’s Way to Health program in February 2012. I decided that it was time to return to my macrobiotic roots. I even scheduled a private consultation with a macrobiotic counselor, Bettina Zumdick. Bettina assured me that if I followed all of her suggestions for diet and lifestyle changes, my pain would disappear. She also explained that in the process, as a side effect, my seasonal allergies would be gone by next Spring. Although I turned to macrobiotics to solely tend to my autoimmune illness, I was relieved and excited to learn that my new healing diet could help me with hay fever symptoms. My seasonal allergies had become so severe that I dreaded being outdoors between April and June. Even with allergy medication, my symptoms could not be controlled. I avoided being outside, I lived with my windows shut, and I showered often to remove pollen from my hair and skin. ”
“Since my return to macrobiotics in February 2012, I have been able to manage my autoimmune illness with food and lifestyle, rather than drugs, and the seasonal allergies that plagued me from 1996-2013 are gone!”
Masumi tries to spread knowledge of general wellness – fitness, yoga, macrobiotic healthy living/eating – by sharing her lifestyle on social media platforms to empower others to take charge of their own health and well-being.
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