Medical establishment seethes as supermodel reveals she beat cancer without chemo

Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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Members of the medical establishment are slamming supermodel Elle Macpherson for revealing that she beat cancer without chemotherapy treatments.

‘A holistic approach’

Macpherson, 60, has largely remained out of the public eye in the seven years since she was diagnosed with a type of breast cancer referred to as HER2-positive intraductal carcinoma. In an interview Monday to promote her new memoir, the model said she underwent a lumpectomy in 2017 to remove the cancerous growth — but stopped there.

Against the advice of 32 doctors, Macpherson said she bucked chemotherapy in favor of “an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach.”

“I realized I was going to need my own truth, my belief system to support me through it,” she told The Australian Women’s Weekly. “And that’s what I did. So, it was a wonderful exercise in being true to myself, trusting myself and trusting the nature of my body and the course of action that I had chosen.”

The “Friends” actress added that in addition to chemotherapy, her physician had recommended a mastectomy, radiation, hormonal therapy, and breast reconstruction, but she opted for a different path.

“I chose a holistic approach. Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder,” she wrote in her book.

“Sometimes an authentic choice from the heart makes no sense to others . . . but it doesn’t have to,” said Macpherson. “People thought I was crazy but I knew I had to make 
a choice that truly resonated with me. To me, that meant addressing emotional as well as physical factors associated with breast cancer. It 
was time for deep, inner reflection. And that took courage.”

Many of the important people in her life disagreed with her decision but remained supportive. Her son Cy, who was 14 at the time, was relieved.

“Cy simply thought that chemo kills you,” she explained. “And so he never wanted me to do it because he thought that was a kiss of death. [My older son] Flynn, being more conventional, wasn’t comfortable with my choice at all. He is my son, though, and would support me through anything and love me through my choices, even if he didn’t agree with them. My children were extremely supportive in their different ways but I knew they felt very scared.”

“Arki was really supportive,” she continued. “He didn’t agree with what I was doing . . . Yet he wrote to me to tell me how proud he was of the courage I was showing. Of course he was scared because I’d decided not to take a conventional pharmaceutical route. He considered that extreme. I, on the other hand, felt the chemo and surgery route was extreme.”

‘I’m in utter wellness’

Macpherson reportedly rented a house in Phoenix, Arizona, where she stayed for eight months while she followed a holistic regimen under the care of her doctor, naturopath, holistic dentist, osteopath, chiropractor, and two therapists. 

Eventually, her cancer went into remission — but she doesn’t call it that.

“In traditional terms, they’d say I’m in clinical remission, but I would say I’m in utter wellness. And I am!” she said.

“Truly, from every perspective, every blood test, every scan, every imaging test . . . but also emotionally, spiritually and mentally – not only physically. It’s not only what your blood tests say, it’s how and why you are living your life on all levels.”

Macpherson suffered an earlier cancer scare in 2013. Though it was benign, it drove her to look more closely at her health. She saw a nutritionist who told her to adopt an alkaline diet, and she developed a routine that reportedly includes 25 minutes of daily meditation, four-minute workouts, an alkaline diet, energy healing, sound healing, supplements, yoga in the sun, cold plunges, steam bathing, and more.

The establishment strikes back

The celebrity’s remarks drew backlash from medical figures and the media, who said Macpherson should keep quiet about her health experience.

“I think it's really hard to get my head around, we know that there is no evidence that alternative holistic treatments can cure cancer and it's really hard when someone with her profile decides to do this,” Dr. Liz O'Riordan, former Consultant Oncoplastic Surgeon at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust told iTV.

“My worry is that people will see her choice and not take treatments like chemotherapy and the problem is when women don't choose mainstream treatment and just have alternative treatments they are six times more likely to die.”

O’Riordan reminded the public that “[Elle is] not a doctor, you don’t need to do what she does” and urged doctors to “shout from the rooftops” how chemotherapy saves millions of lives.

Dr. David Robert Grimes, a cancer researcher, posted to X that Macpherson is “incredibly irresponsible” and insisted that “holistic therapy is NOT valid treatment for breast cancer.”

“Ample evidence this bullsh*t kills people,” he wrote.

Media outlets like the Daily Mail and the BBC were quick to cite establishment sources like Cancer Research UK, which states that "there is no scientific or medical evidence to show that [alternative therapies] can help to treat or cure cancer." 

The BBC added that according to Cancer Research UK, “some alternative therapies might be harmful and cause side effects.”

Social media users also expressed their outrage that Macpherson went a different route.

“This is shockingly irresponsible from Elle MacPherson,” said one. “She was lucky that clearly the lumpectomy removed all the cancerous cells and it hadn't spread, but implying she ‘cured’ cancer holistically is reckless beyond belief.”

“Totally agree I'm being treated for BC at the moment and I see people in oncology battling to stay alive I think Elle should be more mindful,” said another.

Another user wrote: “This is a worrying message, I'm not against holistic therapy and whatever gives you your best peace but if they hadn't got all the cancer removed I'm not so sure about remission. Cancer is unique to each individual unfortunately.”

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Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational and information purposes only and is not intended as health, medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a physician, lawyer, or other qualified professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, health objectives, or legal or financial issues.