Elle Macpherson says she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago but is now in remission despite refusing chemotherapy.
The Australian supermodel and actress, who rose to fame in the 1980s, is publishing a memoir – Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself – in which she says she took a holistic approach to the disease, going against the advice of 32 doctors.
In a interview with the Australian Women’s WeeklyMacpherson discusses her choices after undergoing breast-conserving surgery seven years ago and being diagnosed with HER2-positive estrogen-receptive intraductal carcinoma, a form of breast cancer.
She says doctors have advised her to have a mastectomy along with radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and breast reconstruction.
But the founder of beauty and wellness company WelleCo – who was in a relationship with disgraced anti-vaxxer Andrew Wakefield at the time – decided not to practice traditional medicine.
Macpherson, 60, says she rented a house in Phoenix, Arizona, for eight months, where she “treated” her cancer holistically under the guidance of her family doctor, a naturopath, holistic dentist, osteopath, chiropractor and two therapists.
She said: “It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways and it really gave me the opportunity to dig deep into my inner feeling to find a solution that worked for me.”
Of her decision to reject traditional medicine, she said: “Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner feelings would have been even harder,” she later added that she found chemotherapy and surgery too extreme.
Macpherson says she is in clinical remission, which she described as “extremely healthy.” She told the magazine that her sons Flynn, 26, and Cy, 21, and her former partner Arpad “Arki” Busson have had mixed reactions to her approach.
Traditional cancer treatments are based on surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. There is no scientific or medical evidence that alternative therapies can cure cancer, says Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
The charity says that some patients use complementary therapies alongside conventional medical treatments, or alternative therapies instead of conventional medical treatment. Examples of complementary therapies include aromatherapy, acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage therapy, visualisation and yoga.
According to CRUK, some complementary therapies can help people feel better, but they can cause side effects. Some alternative therapies, on the other hand, can be harmful and cause side effects, as well as disrupting conventional cancer treatments.
Wakefield caused a major drop in vaccination rates in the UK and Ireland when he published a 1998 article in The Lancet – now retracted by the medical journal – claiming a link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism and bowel disease.
His theories were subsequently debunked and his medical license revoked. Nevertheless, Wakefield has made a living promoting his discredited theories.