AS A FORMER CONSULTANT breast surgeon who has battled breast cancer three times in the last 10 years, Dr. Liz O'Riordan knows a thing or two about treating the disease.
She has had a mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a hormone blocker to fight the cancer, and she will have to stay on treatment for life. For O'Riordan, 50, there was no question about trusting conventional medicine, but the same can't be said for everyone as there has been a rise in people attempting to treat cancer through alternative methods.
Australian model Elle Macpherson, 60, made headlines in September by announcing that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and turned down chemotherapy for a holistic approach instead.
Former MTV presenter Ananda Lewis, 51, was diagnosed with the disease in 2019 and refused a mastectomy. She recently said that her cancer has metastasized to stage 4.
Newsweek reached out to representatives for Macpherson and Lewis for comment.
Previous analysis suggested that there has been an increase in complementary and alternative medicine use over the last few decades, from around 25 percent in the 1970s to 49 percent after 2000.
And a 2023 study found that over 52 percent of cancer patients used CAM, with 5 percent delaying their treatment in order to try it out first.
O'Riordan, who lives in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek that she started looking into the subject online after her diagnosis in 2014 and was "horrified by the amount of misinformation" that she found.
"While a mainstream doctor can never promise a cure, there are alternative and homeopathic practitioners who will falsely promise one," O'Riordan said. "I've had several patients who turned down some treatments to stop it coming back and I really struggled with it. I found it hard to understand and I got really angry with them. I thought I should put some common sense out there to help people understand."
This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of Newsweek US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 15, 2024 edition of Newsweek US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Mystery of Ginger Cat Is out of the Bag
The genetics behind the vibrant orange color in feline coats is finally confirmed after 112 years
Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie
PARIS HILTON AND NICOLE RICHIE ARE READY TO BRING A LITTLE “SANASA” to the world with Peacock's Paris & Nicole: The Encore, their first project together since their reality show The Simple Life ended in 2007. What's “sanasa”? It's a song and phrase the longtime friends created as kids and popularized on The Simple Life. The show, a cultural phenomenon in the early days of reality TV, followed them over a series of blue-collar jobs. Now they're bringing it back as an opera. “I know this is just going to make people laugh, have fun, be nostalgic and just celebrate our friendship,” Hilton said. While Richie acknowledged “you can't do Simple Life again,” she said now “felt like the right time.” The famous pair also revisit some old jobs in Arkansas, like fast-food chain Sonic, where they now have drinks named for them. “I think that there is a part of our friend- ship that the show ended up showing that people connect to,” Richie said. As for this new special, Hilton is glad to do something positive for their fans. “It's been such a crazy past couple years, and I just feel like the world needs more joy.”
What Next for Your Drugstore?
Walgreens and Amazon are placing opposing bets on the future of retail pharmacy
AMERICA'S GREATEST WORKPLACES for Diversity
AS COMPANIES IN THE UNITED STATES CONTINUE TO navigate the evolving dynamics of the workplace, diversity remains a cornerstone of organizational success and social responsibility.
FIGHTING SPIRITS
ANDREA MCCARTHY TOLD FRIENDS and family when she gave up alcohol on January 1, 2024, that she would toast 12 months off the sauce with a drink to ring in 2025. As that anniversary approached, the Los Angeles-born content creator told Newsweek she had had a change of heart.
Lessons Over Lunch
Ninety-year-old volunteer Hugh showed me how the winter years can be full of purpose
Is California's Green Dream Hot Air?
The state aims to rely on zero-carbon energy sources in two decades' time but has hurdles to overcome along the way
Power Struggle
As the dust settles following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, new front lines could be drawn in Syria's old civil war
Downsizing Goes Bust for Boomers
Rising property costs are not just affecting young Americans—older people are ‘aging in place’ due to a dearth of affordable accessible housing
Ray Romano
\"I read about three scripts, and at the end of each there was a little twist, a little turn, [and] it was funny.\"
