I’ve started and stopped this post several times tonight. I’m certainly not one to fuel gossip and Belle Gibson of The Whole Pantry app is getting her fair share of media attention right now. But it is timely to talk about diet and cancer cures. And that very important element, hope.
Like most people my family has been touched by cancer. But it’s my time working as a hospital dietitian in paediatric oncology that gives me perhaps more insights than others. The memories of a sobbing mother nursing her 8month old baby with a newly diagnosed brain tumour or a family vigil as they wait for a bone marrow transplant match for their 8year old with leukaemia, stay with me forever. I’ve seen people at their most raw and vulnerable, when the only thing that keeps them going is a little ray of, hope.
So when media reports this week alleged that Belle Gibson (founder of mega best selling The Whole Pantry app with those divine recipes) may have misled her social media followers I just felt very, very sad. Sad for Belle if she truly has been harbouring secret lies and never had the multiple (terminal) cancers and medical problems she claims were “cured” with healthy eating. (I hope she is getting some support). Sad for the charities that are waiting on their promised funding. But most of all sad for the hundreds of thousands of followers, that may now have lost, hope.
Any healthcare professional, regardless of their code of ethical practice nuances, will tell you the first rule is to do no harm. We are far from having all the answers we need with conventional medicine. And we are getting better at learning how to embrace and merge more integrative and complementary therapies. But the overarching goal is to show compassion and care, and be honest and transparent when handing out, hope.
So where should you go to look up reputable advice on diet and cancer therapies? I asked one of my best friends, oncology specialist dietitian and now GP, Dr Jane Read. She recommends the comprehensive American National Cancer Institute Website specifically the guides in this section to Complementary and Alternate Therapies. She also recommends Sloan Kettering to look up evidence on herbal and botanical treatments and other nutrition therapies. They also have an app version called About Herbs.
We also recommend this advice from the Cancer Council Australia above when considering alternate cancer therapies. Information, support and confidential counselling is always available on the Cancer Council help line 13 11 20. And we hope you check out our growing list of bloggers in the Storehouse all with established nutrition credentials. Finally, take the time to jump over to Pip Lincoln who did an eloquent job on her blog Meet Me At Mikes this week warning about the like circle and pinning our hopes on much followed online “superstars“. With new research and advances in both conventional and complementary cancer therapies, plus support and a positive mindset, there really is hope.
