Elle Macpherson, the famous former Australian model, sparked huge controversy when she publicly announced that will not undergo chemotherapy to treat his cancerdespite the fact that 32 doctors have recommended this treatment. Instead of following the experts’ instructions, Macpherson opted for alternative therapiesbased on meditation and an “intuitive and holistic” approach. This decision, as he stated, stems from his desire to treat the disease “with the heart”, rejecting chemotherapy in favor of methods without scientific evidence.
Macpherson’s position has sparked backlash from the medical community and cancer patients. Teresa Torres, president of the MUM association and a breast cancer survivor, has been one of the most critical voices. “Thanks to chemo, I’m here and I can talk to you about it,” said Torres, who beat the disease 13 years ago.These people who say ‘I’m not going to have chemo’ are doing a lot of harm.“A lot of damage, because there are people who can be saved and listening to this, they will not be saved,” he warned.
The Macpherson case recalls similar tragedies, such as that of Olivia Newton, John and Steve Jobswho also rejected conventional medicine to treat his cancer and, sadly, died of the disease. Oncologists stress that chemotherapy is a crucial treatment when recommended and that while healthy lifestyle habits can help reduce the risk of relapse, they should never replace conventional treatments.
Macpherson’s speech, which has been declared anti-vaccineis an alarming example of the dangers of spreading information that is not supported by science. Experts point out that science is the only validated resource for treating cancer and saving lives, and warn of the negative influence that public figures like Macpherson can have on spreading dangerous and ineffective alternatives.
