I don’t want to join the crowd, but if I had ignored the doctors, I would be dead.

In many ways, this may be a failure of editing and journalism, as well as promotion. Some have said, let her tell her story, her truth. Why dismiss her choice to heal herself in another way? But, briefly setting aside the impact her account might have on less privileged women, no journalist should accept a first-hand account from a woman who says, “So yes, I decided to ignore 32 doctors and camp in Arizona, and that’s it!” Cured”Were any real cancer experts consulted, given Macpherson’s influence?

Charging

People and types of cancer differ widely. The prognosis for many breast cancer patients, especially in wealthy countries, is excellent. Recent figures cited by the National Library of Medicine show that both stage 0 and stage I have a five-year survival rate of 100 percent. The five-year survival rate for stage II and stage III breast cancer is about 93 percent and 72 percent, respectively.

Since Macpherson’s interview aired, a number of experts have issued warnings. Professor Cindy Mak, a surgeon at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, told the Herald“I have met many women with HER2-positive cancer who have refused chemotherapy, and they have done so at their own expense. And these are women who do yoga, are vegan, go on health retreats, exercise every day, do everything… and yet they still die from HER2-positive breast cancer.”

“Breast cancer is a progressive disease that is fatal without medical treatment,” said oncologist John Boyages from the ANU School of Medicine. “In my 40-year career, I have never seen breast cancer go away on its own or through alternative holistic treatments.” What he has seen, however, is people trying options that lack evidence and then coming back “in a much worse and desperate state”. “People go from curable to incurable conditions.”

Some experts were simply confused. Oncology professor Frances Boyle said Macpherson could have had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive pre-cancer for which surgery (lumpectomy) is recommended. Professor Chris Pyke, director of medical services at the Mater Hospitals in Brisbane, agreed, telling the Guardian“Intraductal means precancerous, meaning the cancer cells have formed but are still within the ducts of the breast. If left to develop on their own, a certain proportion of these cases will develop into invasive cancer within the next year. But the figure is not high – around 5 percent.”

Charging

So what is the danger? British surgeon Liz O’Riordan tweeted: “We have evidence that women… who choose not to undergo conventional treatments for breast cancer are six times more likely to die.” Six times.

Macpherson says in the interview that she doesn’t want to give people advice, and then continues: “I want to help and encourage others to follow their heart… to feel what truly resonates with you without the external distractions of other people’s opinions.”

In an age of anti-scientific propaganda, any self-healing claim must be forensically examined before it is published or promoted. Especially when those making the claims have global profiles and sell lucrative books, elixirs and and other expensive wellness products. Have we forgotten about the likes of “wellness warrior” Jessica Ainscough, who died aged 29 after trying to cure her cancer through alternative means?

Patients must learn to advocate for their own interests, however difficult that may be, and women are right to scrutinize invasive and patriarchal medical systems carefully. But in recent years, researchers have noted how often anti-scientific sentiment is disguised in the language of female empowerment, so that the rejection of expert advice is presented not as reminiscent of the dark ages of superstition and high mortality rates, but as something women must do to be strong and independent – ​​women in charge don’t run oncologists, they run holistic dentists! Come on girlAdd to this celebrities, profit motives, and wellness influencers, and the propensity for evidence to disappear from the map is even greater.

Charging

I don’t want to overwhelm Macpherson. I wish her good health and a long life. I also don’t want to dismiss those who seek to care for and nourish themselves during what can be brutal times. It’s smart to meditate, to move your body, to prepare good food, to eliminate stress from our lives. But I do want to protect those with cancer from being told to despise doctors.

I have been through the medical system as a cancer patient several times. I know the terror that comes after a diagnosis, the frustration of helplessness, the shortcomings of medical staff, the realization that there is often guesswork along with experience. However, I also know that I would not be here today without the competence and determination of my brilliant surgeon.

Julia Baird is a journalist, author and regular columnist. Her latest book is Shining bright: how grace changes everything.