Navigating cancer care: The critical role of proven treatments over alternative remedies

A Netflix documentary, Apple Cider Vinegar, tells the true life story of Australian influencer Belle Gibson, who claimed to have cured her cancer using diet, detoxes, and alternative therapies. 

Rejecting conventional medicine, she built a massive following, launched a successful recipe app and published a cookbook. She claimed that she was donating much of her profits to charity until it was revealed she was an incredible fraud. 

The fallout was shocking. Her lies had devastating consequences for some of her followers who had abandoned proven treatments in favour of her alternative therapies.

Read more: Drinking apple cider vinegar may help with weight loss but its health benefits are overstated

One of the impacts of the documentary series is to successfully show how a cancer diagnosis can sometimes make patients and their families vulnerable to seeking out hope wherever it might appear, even if it means clinging to unproven remedies. 

In a world often overrun with instant gurus, viral hacks, and wellness conspiracies, separating fact from fiction has never been more critical. 

Daily Maverick asked three oncologists and a dietitian to give their perspectives on cancer treatments, conventional and integrative.

What risk really tells us and why it matters 

Do integrative therapies improve outcomes?

Hope without hype