Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson has received major backlash from doctors after an interview revealed that she went against experts’ advice and sought her own treatment plan when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
In her new memoir Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself, one of the lessons in trusting yourself that Elle disclosed with her readers was that it’s always important to trust yourself… over the advice of 32 doctors?
Macpherson describes in her autobiography how she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 53, and how fighting it for eight years was the “hardest thing” she’d ever done.
Apologies, her book is not an autobiography. My mistake.
It is in fact a “series of wisdoms she has learnt through the chapters of her most remarkable 60 years”, as per Macpherson’s interview with the Australian Woman’s Weekly.
An interview where it is important to note that the supermodel-turned-wellness-guru shared that instead of getting chemotherapy she sought “an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach” to fighting cancer.
Ya know, like Steve Jobs did? Now how did that go again….
What’s more is the fact that SHE ACTUALLY DID get surgery for pre-cancer, which experts say was a significant reason for her recovery. But instead her book gives the credit to her alternative treatments which she pursued after the surgery.
The interview with Macpherson got slammed by doctors online, with one directly calling it “incredibly irresponsible”.
“Holistic therapy is NOT valid treatment for breast cancer,” wrote Dr David Robert Grimes, a cancer researcher and award-winning science writer.
..colour me shocked that Elle Macpherson, who's selling a book, runs a "wellness" company, and dated antivaccine ghoul Andrew Wakefield long after his grift was exposed would mislead the public over her actual treatment to give cranks the credit for what medical science did 🤯
— Dr David Robert Grimes (@drg1985) September 3, 2024
But hmmmm, I don’t know, let’s hear a second opinion.
How about we see what the Australian Cancer Council has on its website about alternative treatments for cancer?
“Alternative therapies are often promoted as ‘cancer cures’, but they are unproven and have not been scientifically tested. They may cause harm or suffering to those who use them instead of conventional medical treatments,” the site reads.
Look, at the end of the day everyone is entitled to make their own health decisions, even Elle Macpherson. The issue here is not with what she chose to do with her own body, despite it being risky.
The issue is with Macpherson’s comments being used to promote unconventional and scientifically dubious treatments to people, who could then be harmed. It’s a pretty simple philosophical argument: you have the freedom to put yourself in danger, but not others.
Not that this is new territory for her anyway, unfortunately.
In 2020 she publicly promoted the BioCharger, a snake-oil COVID-19 treatment peddled by disgraced chef Pete Evans. Thankfully, her endorsement did lead to Evans copping a $25K fine. So that’s a win at least.
Ultimately, there isn’t a placebo in the world that would give me the energy to deal with these wellness gurus.
[Image: Getty]
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