FORMER supermodel Elle Macpherson says she’s in remission from breast cancer after refusing to undergo chemotherapy.
She reveals that, after a lumpectomy seven years ago, she was diagnosed with “HER2 positive oestrogen receptive intraductal carcinoma” and doctors suggested a mastectomy with radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, plus reconstruction of her breast.
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But, despite most of her family wanting her to take this route, she went to a beach in Miami, prayed, and decided on “an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach” to treating her cancer.
In an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly to promote her memoir, Elle, she says: “Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life . . . It really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me . . . I realised I was going to need my own truth, my belief system to support me through it.”
Not to mention the eight-month rental of a house in Arizona where, under the guidance of “her primary doctor, a doctor of naturopathy, holistic dentist, osteopath, chiropractor and two therapists”, she spent her days “focusing and devoting every single minute to healing myself”.
On her current health status, she adds: “In traditional terms, they’d say I’m in clinical remission, but I would say I’m in utter wellness.”
Hmmm. Later in the article, the interviewer describes Elle’s Arizona stay as “a bid to rid her body of cancer”.
This is dangerous twaddle.
While it’s genuinely great news that the 60-year-old mother of two is cancer-free, the type she was diagnosed with can be considered as an early form and there’s a strong chance that it was contained within, and therefore removed by, the lumpectomy.
In other words, she perhaps just got lucky in her gamble to not undergo the follow-up medical treatment that might counteract any potential spread.
At no point has Elle advocated others following her example.
But as a high-profile figure on the world stage, it’s inevitable that others with cancer might read the unquestioning article and wonder if the “holistic approach” might work for them too.
Breast cancer is complex, comes in many forms and still kills around 11,400 women, and 85 men, in the UK alone each year.
So any suggestion that you can “rid” yourself of cancer by taking vitamins and using the power of your mind is deeply unhelpful.
It remains that if you’re diagnosed with any form of cancer, it’s best to seek professional medical advice and weigh up your survival odds before making a decision on treatment.
The dangers of alternative therapies for cancer
By Vanessa Chalmers, Health Features Editor
Anyone can refuse cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, if they wish to.
Complementary therapies may be used alongside conventional medical treatments to improve your quality of life and cope with cancer symptoms of treatment side effects.
Alternative therapies, on the other hand, are used instead of medical treatment.
There are various reasons why someone may choose to have alternative therapy.
Cancer Research UK says: “Using alternative therapy can become more important to people with advanced cancer if their conventional treatment is no longer helping to control it. It is understandable that they hope that alternative therapies might work.
“But, there is no scientific evidence to prove that any type of alternative therapy can help to control or cure cancer. Some alternative therapies might be unsafe and can cause harmful side effects.”
Cancer experts fear that those who promote alternative treatments give hope to people that they can be cured.
They typically rely on individual experiences from people who claim the therapy has helped them – but this is not enough evidence for it to be supported scientifically.
Cancer Research UK says: “Unfortunately, some alternative therapies are just money making schemes. People can end up paying a great deal of money for something that has not been properly tested. Or has not proven to work in scientific studies or clinical trials.
“This is very unfair on people with cancer. They might be vulnerable and willing to try anything they think has a chance of curing the cancer. This is one of our main concerns.”
Free spirit?
THE thrill of Oasis reforming has been dampened slightly by numerous fans being unable to secure tickets.
And some of those who were successful being fleeced by Ticketmaster’s “in-demand” pricing that, for example, saw a £72 ticket for the Dublin show being listed at €415. Yikes.
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The Bloke used to work at Sony and, consequently, saw Oasis many times.
Last weekend, I was clearing out some cupboards and found this pristine, unused ticket for their 1996 gig at Manchester City’s Maine Road.
Note the price – a mere £17.50.
Which, according to an online inflation calculator, is about £100 in today’s money.
Perhaps, once the reunion tour is over and all potential ticket sales have been rinsed, Oasis might take a leaf out of Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones’ book and reward fans with a free concert in Hyde Park?
Harry wises up to rules of marriage
PRINCE Harry has now let it be known through the same “friends” that revealed he was interested in returning to the UK that he has “no interest” in doing so.
What a tease to, er, build up our excitement then snatch it away so cruelly.
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Who knows the Montecito machinations that lie behind this confusion, but perhaps it’s because Harry is a wise husband who has learned the valuable lesson of marital compromise.
If he wants to return to the UK, and Meghan wishes to stay in Los Angeles, he has compromised by doing exactly what she wants.
Dress rental rage
AS you read this, I will be flying to Spain for my eldest daughter’s wedding.
By the way, if you’re a burglar – don’t bother – I have house-sitters staying with a large dog.
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But I digress. As we are being encouraged to go “green”, back in June I booked a dress on Selfridges Rental for my big mum-of-the-bride moment this coming weekend.
It was due to arrive yesterday, 24 hours before my flight, and on Monday the following email arrived.
“Hi Jane, I’m so sorry to reach out with bad news, but the previous renter of your item has returned it in a condition we aren’t comfortable sending it back out in.
“There is clear and visible damage, which will mean the item needs to be retired.”
Aaaaaaargh. Leaving me with just a couple of hours to find an alternative that complemented the handbag, shoes and pedicure I already had in anticipation of the orange rental dress arriving.
So I rushed to a nearby second-hand designer clothes agency and, luckily, they had a peach-coloured dress in my size that will just have to do.
First-world problem solved. But the mind boggles as to what the previous renter got up to in my dream dress.
Paintballing? Mud wrestling? Cage fighting?
Who knows?
But if you rented this Sau Lee dress in size 10 last weekend, I would like to extend you a heartfelt middle finger.
It’s a job to say no
MATTHEW PERRY’s doctor has been charged in connection with the Friends star’s death from a drug overdose.
Mark Chavez has admitted one count of conspiracy to distribute ketamine and has agreed to stop practising medicine.
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Quite right too.
Perry’s long-time assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, who administered the fatal dose, has already pleaded guilty.
But to my mind, his involvement is more complex than the doctors who are supposed to abide by the ethos of “First, do no harm.”
Many Hollywood assistants will tell you that saying “no” to a needy employer is likely to lead to you losing the job to someone more compliant.
So yes, Kenneth was in the wrong.
But unlike the doctors involved, there’s the mitigation that perhaps it was under duress.
Marr’s attack
MORRISSEY says his former Smiths bandmate Johnny Marr ignored an offer for a lucrative 2025 reunion tour.
Hardly surprising given that Marr posted in 2019 that any reunion would have to feature “Nigel Farage on guitar” – a nod to his belief that Morrissey’s politics were aligned to the then-Ukip leader.
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Besides, on bank holiday weekend I went to the Big Feastival, held on the farm of Blur’s Alex James and his wife Claire – and Marr playing solo was one of the acts.
He sang three Smiths songs, Getting Away With It (his Electronic colab with New Order’s Bernard Sumner) as well as his own material and it was my own personal highlight of the festival.
Morrissey who?