Charlotte Foster
Caring

"Shockingly irresponsible": Elle Macpherson slammed for "holistic" cancer treatment

Elle Macpherson has been subjected to widespread backlash online after revealing she opted for a "holistic" cancer treatments. 

The 60-year-old supermodel has revealed in her book, Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself, that at the age of 53, she was diagnosed with breast cancer following a lumpectomy. 

She went on to share how she shunned the advice of doctors who recommended  a mastectomy with radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, plus reconstruction of her breast to fight the illness, deciding to forge her own path of "holistic wellness" to beat the disease without the use on conventional medicines. 

Since going public with her decision, Macpherson has been slammed online, with other cancer sufferers saying her comments are irresponsible and dangerous. 

One person wrote on X, "This is shockingly irresponsible from Elle Macpherson. 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."

Another person said, "Going through my own breast cancer battle atm I wish I there was a 'holistic approach' but there’s not... What I do have is different options & I’ll take whatever treatments both my oncologist’s offer me to ensure I live a longer life to be with my husband and kids."

A third person added, "A lumpectomy isn't holistic, and she wouldn't have even known about the cancer 'to treat holistically' had she not gone the conventional medical route in the first place."

Many took aim at the dangerous rhetoric, with one person saying, "There is real toxic wellness/positivity culture out there at the moment that is both unnerving and dangerous," while another added, "As a survivor, I am absolutely livid. This nonsense costs lives."

Image credits: Instagram

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caring, Elle Macpherson, cancer, treatment, backlash