Elle Macpherson controversially rejects conventional cancer treatment | 60 Minutes Australia

Summary

In this interview, supermodel Elle Macpherson discusses her unconventional approach to treating breast cancer, which included rejecting chemotherapy, radiation, and mastectomy. She opted for an intense, holistic protocol involving natural medicine, spiritual work, and a focus on well-being. Macpherson, now in remission, shares her journey and the importance of making decisions that resonate with one's own values and beliefs.

Takeaways

• 🌟 El Macpherson, known as 'The Body' in the 1980s and '90s, was one of the most photographed Australians and a supermodel.
• 💔 El faced significant personal challenges including alcohol addiction and a marriage breakdown.
• 🏥 In 2017, El was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent two lumpectomies, but she rejected the recommended aggressive medical treatments including chemotherapy and mastectomy.
• 🌿 El chose to follow a natural treatment protocol for her cancer, which included natural medications, dentistry, osteopathy, chiropractic care, and spiritual work.
• 👩‍⚕️ El consulted 32 practitioners before deciding on her unconventional cancer treatment, which was guided by two holistic doctors in Phoenix, Arizona.
• 🔍 The script highlights concerns from an Australian breast oncologist about El's choice of treatment and its statistical impact on the risk of cancer recurrence.
• 📈 Despite the concerns, El believes in her body's capacity to heal and has been living a holistic lifestyle, focusing on well-being rather than the fear of recurrence.
• 👨‍👦 El is a mother to two sons, Flynn and Sai, who are now young adults and forging their own paths.
• 💕 El is currently in a relationship with American musician Doyle Bramhall and speaks about love and relationships.
• 📚 El has written a book sharing her life's challenges and lessons, including her unconventional approach to dealing with cancer.

Q & A

What was the significant event in El Macpherson's life that she discusses in the interview?

El Macpherson discusses her unconventional treatment for breast cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2017.

What was El Macpherson's initial reaction to her breast cancer diagnosis?

El Macpherson was shocked by her diagnosis, questioning how it could happen to her given her healthy lifestyle.

What conventional treatments did El Macpherson reject after her breast cancer diagnosis?

El Macpherson rejected treatments such as mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone blockers.

What alternative approach did El Macpherson take to treat her breast cancer?

El Macpherson followed an intense natural protocol that included natural medications, dentistry, osteopathy, chiropractic care, and spiritual work.

How many practitioners did El Macpherson consult before deciding on her treatment?

El Macpherson consulted 32 practitioners before deciding on her treatment.

What was El Macpherson's reasoning for choosing a natural treatment over conventional methods?

El Macpherson chose a natural treatment because it resonated with her holistic view of the body and her lifestyle.

What is El Macpherson's current status regarding her breast cancer?

El Macpherson is now clinically in remission.

How does El Macpherson view her past struggles with alcohol and her decision to get help?

El Macpherson sees her past struggles with alcohol as a part of her life's journey and is open about her decision to seek treatment.

What is El Macpherson's perspective on the use of conventional medicine?

El Macpherson believes there is a time and place for conventional medicine but prefers a more natural approach for maintaining her health.

How does El Macpherson describe her current relationship and life?

El Macpherson describes her current relationship as deeply loving and is at peace with her life and decisions.

What is El Macpherson's view on the word 'cure' in the context of her cancer treatment?

El Macpherson prefers the term 'healed' over 'cured', emphasizing the body's capacity to heal when addressing the root cause.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Supermodel El Macpherson's Controversial Cancer Treatment

El Macpherson, known as 'The Body' in the 1980s and '90s, discusses her unconventional approach to treating breast cancer diagnosed seven years prior. She chose to reject conventional medical treatment, which included mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation, and hormone replacement, in favor of a holistic approach. This decision was deeply personal and not driven by vanity, but rather by her belief in natural medicine and holistic well-being. El had been following natural medicine for the past 20 years and wanted to address the emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical aspects of health. Despite the controversy, she stands by her choice, which included an intense eight-month protocol under the guidance of two holistic doctors.

05:02

🥂 From Supermodel to Overcoming Addiction

The script delves into El Macpherson's past struggles with alcohol addiction, which she overcame by checking into rehab in Arizona. She discusses the pressures of maintaining a perfect image and the realization that the party culture of the '80s and '90s, filled with alcohol and recreational drugs, was not sustainable. El's journey to sobriety involved attending AA meetings and making a conscious decision to change her lifestyle. She also talks about the stigma associated with alcoholism and the importance of recognizing addiction before it's too late.

10:03

💔 El Macpherson's Personal Life and Relationships

El Macpherson reflects on her personal life, including her relationships and the decision to end her 10-year relationship with Ari, the father of her children. She discusses the importance of lifestyle alignment in a relationship and the difficulty of co-parenting after a breakup. El also shares her journey of self-discovery and the process of writing a book that reveals her vulnerabilities and life lessons, marking a significant departure from her previously guarded public image.

15:06

🏥 Choosing an Alternative Path in Cancer Treatment

The paragraph focuses on El Macpherson's decision to forgo conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Instead, she opted for a natural treatment protocol that included consultations with 32 practitioners and eight months of intense therapy under two holistic doctors. This approach was complex, involving natural medications, dentistry, osteopathy, chiropractic care, and spiritual work. El explains that her choice was not about vanity but about following a path that resonated with her personal beliefs and lifestyle.

20:07

📚 El Macpherson's Book and Cancer Journey

In this part of the script, El Macpherson talks about her new book where she shares her experiences, including her 2017 breast cancer diagnosis and her choice to reject conventional Western medicine in favor of a more natural approach. She emphasizes that her decision was unconventional but it was what worked for her. El also discusses the potential risks and her current state of being in clinical remission. She addresses the responsibility she feels towards her fans who might look up to her choices and the importance of making informed decisions about one's health.

25:07

🌱 Embracing a Natural Lifestyle and Motherhood

El Macpherson shares her philosophy on health and well-being, which includes a preference for natural treatments and lifestyle choices. She discusses her approach to motherhood and the guidance she provides to her sons, emphasizing the importance of intuition and love. El also talks about her current relationship with musician Doyle Bramhall and her outlook on life, which is filled with joy and gratitude for the experiences that have shaped her.

Keywords

💡Supermodel

A supermodel is a highly successful and prominent fashion model. In the video, El Macpherson is referred to as a supermodel, highlighting her fame and success in the modeling industry during the 1980s and '90s. The term is used to emphasize her iconic status and the impact she had on fashion and popular culture.

💡Controversial

Controversial refers to something that is likely to cause public disagreement. In the context of the video, El Macpherson's unconventional cancer treatment is described as controversial, indicating that her choices deviated from the standard medical advice, sparking debate and discussion.

💡Cancer treatment

Cancer treatment refers to medical interventions used to treat cancer. The video discusses El Macpherson's decision to reject conventional cancer treatment in favor of a more natural approach, which is a central theme of the interview and a significant aspect of her personal narrative.

💡Holistic

Holistic refers to an approach that considers the whole person, including physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. El Macpherson mentions a holistic approach to her cancer treatment, which includes natural medicine and therapies, reflecting her belief in treating the root cause of illness rather than just the symptoms.

💡Breast cancer

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the breast. The video script reveals that El Macpherson was diagnosed with breast cancer, which became a pivotal event leading to her exploration of alternative health practices and her advocacy for personal choice in treatment.

💡Lumpectomy

A lumpectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a breast lump or cancerous breast tissue. The script mentions that El underwent two lumpectomies without clear margins, indicating that the cancer may not have been fully removed, which is a critical point leading to her decision to pursue alternative treatments.

💡Estrogen receptive

Estrogen receptive refers to cancer cells that respond to estrogen, a hormone. El Macpherson's cancer was described as estrogen receptive, which typically influences the choice of treatment, such as hormone therapy. However, she chose not to follow the conventional treatment path, which is part of the controversy discussed.

💡Wellness

Wellness refers to a state of being in good health, both physically and mentally. El Macpherson discusses her focus on wellness as a guiding principle in her life, especially after overcoming cancer. The concept is central to her narrative of personal health and healing.

💡Remission

Remission refers to a period during which the signs and symptoms of a disease have diminished. El states she is 'clinically in remission,' indicating that her cancer is not currently active, though it does not mean she is cured. This term is significant as it reflects her belief in the success of her chosen treatment path.

💡Intuition

Intuition refers to a direct understanding of something without the need for conscious reasoning. El Macpherson mentions relying on her intuition when making decisions about her health and life, which underscores her personal empowerment and the role of self-awareness in her journey.

💡Vulnerability

Vulnerability is the state of being open to attack or damage, but in a personal context, it can also refer to the willingness to show one's weaknesses. El's openness about her struggles with addiction and cancer treatment in the video demonstrates her vulnerability, which is a key aspect of her narrative as she shares her experiences to help others.

Highlights

El Macpherson discusses her unconventional cancer treatment

El chose to reject conventional cancer treatment methods

The supermodel's decision was based on her holistic approach to health

El consulted 32 practitioners before deciding on her treatment

Her treatment included natural medications, osteopathy, and spiritual work

El is now clinically in remission after following her natural protocol

The Australian breast oncologist expresses concerns about El's choices

El's cancer would have been treated differently in Australia

She emphasizes the importance of focusing on well-being rather than fear of recurrence

El's belief in the body's capacity to heal through holistic methods

The supermodel's openness about her mental health and addiction

El's reflections on her early career and the pressures of fame

Her experience with alcohol addiction and recovery

El's candidness about her past relationships and co-parenting

Her journey from a mysterious public figure to an open book

El's current role as a founder of a wellness company and author

Her views on modern medicine and its place in her lifestyle

El's love life and her philosophy on relationships

The supermodel's gratitude for her life's journey and experiences

Transcripts

coming up super mom Super Wife super

model let's talk about the bombshell

that you've dropped El mcferson

controversial Choice I'm not here to be

popular the supermodel defends was such

a wakeup call for me her unconventional

cancer treatment it's extremely

important and I trust you on

this El mcferson has made a hugely

successful career out of being able to

draw attention to herself in the 1980s

and '90s the body as she was known was

arguably the most photographed

Australian in the world but now the

supermodel is making headlines for the

controversial way she tackled a very

personal and serious setback in her life

7 years ago El was diagnosed with breast

cancer but chose to reject conventional

treatment as she tells nin's Tracy

Grimshaw it was a difficult decision but

the right one for

her El welcome home so wonderful to be

here we had to bring you to a beach do

you know it's such a beautiful day today

I was looking at these Surfers and

thinking it's been a really long time

since I've been surfing it's hard to

work out the more iconic image in this

setting so beautiful how can you not

want to be in here Sydney's famous Bond

Beach or the supermodel beside

me it's a picture perfect scene but I'm

not meeting the elic person everyone

might be expecting I'm not a big sort of

like get in my bikini and come down to

Bondi and parade around kind of girl um

I probably was when I was younger but I

I uh I'm certainly not now do you

actually have that body Consciousness in

a bikini because you look great in a

bikini L you've spent your whole life it

seems thanks for that well you know you

don't need me to tell you that L I mean

you you do L doesn't need anyone to tell

her

anything she's more than 40 years into a

very successful and very public

career it's one that's always been

beautifully curated and controlled okay

how's this light for me too red too dark

too give me loads of backline cut cut C

but now she's dropping her guard she's

written about her life's challenges

revealing at 60 an openness and

vulnerability we've never seen or heard

before you've talked about uh mental

health issues physical health issues uh

marriage

breakdowns

addiction why do that what I'm sharing

really is to how to navigate through

through them and uh the lessons that I

learned through them but you've always

been a bit mysterious that's been my

notion of you I I mean I've always had a

sense watching your career from afar of

what you're doing but I've never really

had much of a sense of who you are and I

now have that sense from having read

your book which I think is a big leap

for you to take perhaps you know I

learned early on in my career the

importance of discretion in your

personal life but this book is very very

different in the sense that it is with

great purpose that I share those things

it's not just to share them for the sake

of it they come with a

purpose El mcferson has always attracted

attention it's why she's been so good at

her

job back in the early 80s it all began

with this soft drink ad a simple stroll

on the sand that turned L into

Australia's most famous bikini body I

think every girl in Australia wanted to

look like you on the beach and I want to

look like that on the

beach you did look like that on the

beach that was you El McCaren and I

think every bloke wanted their girl to

look like you on the beach but how did

you think you looked feeling very

self-conscious as I had the camera up my

bum and the sand was hot and sort of

more conscious of doing the job rather

than what I looked like in a bathing

suit you also didn't have a great amount

of self-confidence you didn't really

believe believe you were beautiful you

used to try and hide your face and still

do that's a surprise to me and I think

it would be a surprise to people why do

you think that

was you

know I've tried to go through you know

and and figure out what it is that made

me feel so not cut out for modeling

because ultimately I had everything that

you need for modeling I had that body

and still have close to that body and

part of me was being very young and

doing a job that I had no experience in

and so therefore I wasn't going to be

good and so therefore I didn't

belong it's hard to believe L ever felt

like an impostor stupid goofy nervous

thing I can see it like all over my the

truth is she was born to be a model A

showstopper off and on the catwalk even

if she didn't feel it you had this big

smile on your face you look like you are

enjoying it when I look at that I look

oh man I look so confident so cool and

so relaxed and so composed and I know

the way I felt walking down the runway

which was anything but that nerves on

the inside but the opposite on the

outside as L went Global she became a

super model then in the late 80s Time

Magazine dubbed her the body and that

title became a

brand massive deals followed including

lingerie and Skin Care contracts for a

time she even co-owned a fashion Cafe

good day it was no surprise when the TV

and Movie Makers came knocking your eyes

closed while he licks your belly button

oh

Sirens

boobs I'm surprised you can show that on

TV I remember when I read the script I

was like man these 1930s models are not

kind of lean and athletic I I need to

change my body type because if I go with

this body it's not going to be

believable I I I remember putting on 20b

for that

role the camera loved El so much every

project she signed up to seemed to

succeed but as so often happens Fame and

a big life came at a cost and it wasn't

pretty alcohol got its hooks into

her the pressure of the pressure I put

on myself to um deliver in all aspects

of my life to the best of my ability was

[Music]

um was

unsustainable that's the bottom line and

then at one point it was just like no

can do anymore alcohol addiction is

sneaky and people usually take a long

time before they realize they're

addicted how did that build up with you

you know I I probably had inklings

inside myself that was like

oh you know that 7 o' vodka

every night is probably not that healthy

but because I was so capable in all

areas of my life the concept of being an

alcoholic for example um you know my

idea was somebody who was completely

incapacitated in their life they lived

in a skip under the you know railroad

they were they they were down and outers

and what I came to understand is

that you know you don't have to hit rock

bottom in order to be

um using alcohol as a crutch in your

life here's to being a great cook here

to being a 60 Minutes caught up with L

in

1997 she was pregnant with her first son

Flynn and this is my every now and then

glass of wine it's it's for show of

course it was a different time but you

wouldn't see this today was that when

you had started to drink too much El no

no it wasn't but you know in Europe

women drank wine all the way through

pregnancy and so that's what I knew that

I didn't even think about it right I

wouldn't choose to do that today it was

after the pregnancies that I

just you know things went

perect what did alcoholism look like to

you how much were you drinking and and

it's never really about how much you

drink it's why and so the point was for

me was that I I felt that I couldn't

live life on life's terms without some

crutch and alcohol was the easiest one

you probably also were living in a you

know a vast party culture too because it

wasn't just alcohol it was party drugs

as well wasn't it that in the 80s and

90s I mean everybody was you know there

was so

much recreational drugs around for sure

and um and nobody thought twice of it

and you know they were said uh

you know for example cocaine is not

addictive and and you know that was it

was a sort of foot loose and fancy free

time would you say now that it was

addictive that you were addicted to say

cocaine you I mean you didn't know that

at the time no I I wasn't addicted to

cocaine but the Grog was certainly

taking its toll it was the early 2000s L

was engaged to hedge fund billionaire

Ari bouson and raising their two young

Sons Flynn and sigh she says her

drinking had escalated to the point

where she was sick and unhappy El knew

she was struggling and checked herself

in for treatment in

Arizona when we're out of balance in

that way within

ourselves it's um a

really painful place to be I just wanted

to get well there is shame around it

though isn't there and and I guess there

is a stigma around it particularly when

you've pressured yourself to be perfect

your whole life well I think there's

more of a stigma around you know being

drunk how was rehab for you you've never

talked about it before so I had a I had

a great

time I loved

it yeah 6 weeks away um time away from

my life that was at that time was

overwhelming you know remember I'd

worked since I was 18 years old day in

day out pretty much in a very high Prof

kind of um life and it changed my life

forever when you came home did you try

to pick up where you'd left off being

super mom Super Wife super model I think

I I put on the brakes a little more when

I got home uh you know I realized it

didn't have to be everything to

everybody El had to make hard decisions

about her future and the toughest was

walking away from her 10-year

relationship with Aki and you said Ary

didn't want to be under control of my

lifestyle and I didn't want to be a

victim of

his well I think it's that idea of

trying to control another human being

another being you know that is

definitely not love love and control

can't coexist and and I think if your

lifestyles are not aligned that's when

it becomes tricky it's not because one

drinks and one doesn't or one you know

Works more and one doesn't it's where

there's no alignment in your lifestyle

and that can become very um

dissonant I'm thinking that must have

been a very tough decision though for

you given that you'd come from a broken

marriage and now you had two little kids

and you were walking away from a

relationship yes that had been what 10

years yeah I walked away from the dream

you know growing old with the father of

my children and I walked

towards a new relationship with Ari it's

still with so much love for the boys we

co-p parented we just didn't live

together how do you manage it now how

does that I haven't had a drink I

haven't had a drink for 21 no I hear you

but I mean so what do I do I go to AA

meetings um

often uh um and for many many years I

would go to an AA meeting every every

day sometimes two sometimes three times

a day do you ever have days now where

you feel like you want to drink

never never

ever beating the booze was a mark of L's

strength but there was an even bigger

test looming coming up El merson's

toughest

challenge let's talk about the bombshell

that you've dropped in this book

um yes so um what do you want to

know the Star is

Born back in the 1980s and '90s they

weren't called super models for

nothing El mcferson easily took her

place in this Elite group but even in

the glare of attention she retained a

certain

[Music]

mystery today tucked away in a tiny

corner of Bondi thank you so much

congratulations author L is a much more

open book thank you what's your name my

name's Gemma

Gemma do you feel like the bird is

flying The Nest sitting here today

signing your book in a

bookstore Ah that's a really interesting

analogy I feel like it more like the

woman has come to land the eagle has

landed cuz until now it's been a labor

of love it's it's been in your head and

now it's out in the world just to see it

in in the tangible reality is is pretty

extraordinary and as she looks back on

her life she wants to share the lessons

she had to learn the hard way

on issues like mental health addiction

marriage breakdowns and most recently a

cancer

diagnosis many years ago you threw your

support behind breast cancer research

and you said that it was because you'd

made a living out of your breasts true

and that proved to be prophetic didn't

it

um yes so um what do you want to know I

want to know about that phone call that

you had in 2017 17 which is every

woman's worst nightmare that you're now

telling us about I was diagnosed with

breast cancer let's put it simply and

um as you can imagine it was a bit of a

shock did you think hang on I you know I

don't drink I don't smoke I keep myself

fit I eat really well I'm a wellness

Guru how the hell is this happening to

me absolutely and I think any woman most

women would say that when they diagnosed

nobody thinks it's going to happen to

them El says there was no time to give

into fear she immediately underwent

lumpectomy surgery time I thought it was

quite um a big step but it was nothing

compared to you know what was later

suggested and so I had a lumpectomy to

see what kind of cancer it was and what

kind of tumor it was and

then uh you know then I got the results

from that and then I had a second

lumpectomy and I was told I had a

reasonably aggressive uh type of breast

cancer all right so you have the second

lumpectomy and I think they removed half

your breast tissue is that right and no

clear margins no clear margins on the

second ah

either this is important when a patient

is told no clear margins it means

there's a risk cancer cells may still be

present L's specific type of cancer is

called herto positive estrogen receptive

intraductal

carcinoma it's generally considered

precancerous and

noninvasive but it still has to be

completely

removed remember L had no clear

margins introduct or cancer is not

generally considered a candidate for

chemotherapy but the follow-up treatment

she was recommended was

aggressive what were you told needed to

Happ happen mastectomy chemotherapy

radiation and hormone

replacement yeah was was one of those

moments you know I sit here call as a

cucumber talking about it but the

reality is you know it was a very

big

um deep breath moment let's put it that

way so you're told myectomy mhm were you

going to do that I thought thought about

it yeah something didn't feel right

about it though why

not you know it's it's not logical it

was just an inner sense I had a a a a

feeling that there was a different way

to approach this and and I followed

it it is it did you resist it because

you understandably didn't want to lose

one or both breasts I mean

understandably ill I think you know if I

have a choice of losing my life or

losing my breasts I think I would choose

to lose the breasts so and that was the

that was the alternative that I was

given so it was not a vanity Choice let

me put it that way um it was it was a I

made a choice to go a more natural route

in my um treatment because that's what

really resonated with me from within

from my my the last 20 years of my life

um I had been

following natural medicine I had been

really looking at the body as a in a

holistic way so looking at emotional

mental em uh spiritual and physical

well-being put simply after the

lumpectomies L rejected traditional

cancer treatment so you are told that

you should have radiotherapy

chemotherapy

ostectomy uh hormone blockers because

yours was an estrogen receptive

carcinoma you decide not to do any of

that I decided to do different things

what did you do we don't have enough

time to talk about that because it was

such an intense protocol but the

overriding um protocol was a natural

protocol but very

complex what El does explain in her book

is that she consulted 32 practitioners

before deciding on 8 months of intense

therapy under the guidance of two

holistic doctors in Phoenix

Arizona her treatment included natural

medications through intravenous strips

Dentistry osteopaths

chiropractors and a lot of spiritual

work do you believe that you cured your

breast cancer

holistically well the word cure is a

very interesting word no I healed

through breast cancer yes I did and and

it wasn't just me I had a very

formidable team that helped me through

it so now I would you know I'm

clinically um in remission that's words

that you know most doctors would

say now this is where our interview gets

a little uncomfortable for both of us

normally a person's cancer treatment

plan would be nobody else's business but

L chose to write about her very

unconventional choices we consulted an

Australian breast oncologist who told us

how El's cancer would have been treated

here and expressed very real concerns

about the protocol that she followed

because one in seven Australian women

will be diagnosed with breast cancer it

would be irresponsible for us not to

share that with you the specialist told

us that because of her choices elow has

statistically a % chance of recurrence

in 10 years she's already at 7

years I want to be absolutely

responsible in this in this moment

because people are looking at you and

they're looking at me as to you know

when they're making their own decisions

that's that's that's a responsibility

that I feel and I wouldn't normally talk

to I've never done this before I've

never talked to anyone in such detail

about something as personal as breast

cancer but I think we need to go into

more detail around yours now because of

the path you took and because I'm so

mindful of decisions people might

make so if you'd sought treatment in

Australia you would not have been

offered chemotherapy yes um you would

have only been offered a myectomy if

there were no clear margins which there

were not and you probably wouldn't have

been offered radio therapy if you were

offered a myectomy but you would have

been urged to have radiotherapy without

aomy you would have also been urged to

have hormone blockers because of the

estrogen receptive element of it does

all of that fit with some of the advice

that you were given I think a well I

noticed because I spoke to uh Australian

doctors here we do have a different way

of of um it seems to be that there's a

different way of uh treating breast

cancer here in Australia than there are

than there is for example in America

America and some hospitals in

America there's more for us still to

thrash out here but for L it's her body

her choice and she chose the path Less

Traveled your decision was quite

unconventional like the rest of my life

like a like a lot of your why would you

be surprised what do you understand

about your risk of recurrence going

forward

El merson's in her element working the

camera from all

angles today she's the founder and face

of a booming wellness

company ready and author in her new book

she's sharing the lessons of a big life

with big challenges including her 2017

breast cancer diagnosis and the decision

she made to reject chemotherapy

radiation and a

myectomy I'm curious to know what

underpinned this decision yes are you

not generally a fan of conventional

Western

medicine uh it depends you know it can

be great if you have a car accident and

you need a limb cut off it can be great

I mean there's

incredible there's it's individual you

know I don't painting a board brush

stroke over you know conventional

medicine would be um disingenuous from

my perspective and there's time in place

for everything however I have

adopted um a more natural lifestyle

because that's what works for me so do

you not take antibiotics if you have an

infection do you not have a flu jab each

year because you have a history of

pneumonia have you chosen not to do that

for example uh I've chosen to look after

my body in the most natural way possible

for the bulk of the time so if I keep

myself well for example and I don't get

the flu um in fact I can't even remember

the last time I had the flu and if I can

get by without antibiotics I usually do

7 years ago plenty of doctors told El

she needed aggressive medical

intervention to treat her breast cancer

but after two lumpectomies and complex

Natural Therapy she says she's now

clinically in remission did you talk to

any of those doctors who had said to you

back then that you should have a

myectomy and and chemotherapy and radi

and what do they think about your

results now have you gone back to them

and said have a have a look like

n uh no I listen I I I got a lot of

advice I spoke to 32 doctors along the

way and I write very um

clearly about that journey of um of

coming to that conclusion Within Myself

it wasn't an easy easy decision that I

made but it was a decision that I felt

was right for me and I have come to the

understanding that there is no right or

wrong

decisions or Choices put it that way and

how people choose to heal this was the

decision that not only felt right for me

but also worked for me so given that you

had two lumpectomies neither of which

with clear

margins what sort of scans have you had

since multiple you know I do the scans

that everybody else does um had

everything done um blood and imagery and

um you know all the regular scans that

people have what do you understand about

your risk of recurrence going

forward I don't anticipate any and I

have no indication that there would

be zero what makes you so confident

because of the life that I live and

because of the fact that when I did the

work that I did I looked at the root

cause and um and I believe in that the

body has the infinite capacity to heal

and I can and I am in utter Wellness so

I have no indication why would I be

thinking oh gosh what if it comes back

because then I'd be you know fearful and

fear is something that can really make

you ill so I'm not interested in that

and if you're Focus focusing on the the

reoccurrence and instead of focusing on

your well-being and I think that's a

it's a a wise way to live life is to

focus on

well-being El says the Pinnacle of her

well-being has been motherhood her two

sons young adults now Flynn and Sai are

forging their own careers my mom is I'm

at person she was a uh superm model in

the

80s my biggest guidance comes from my

own heart you know sense of intuition

sense

of a sense of knowing so that is the

guidance but I do believe the Power of

Love is the most important thing that

exists and my whole life has really been

a journey

from my head to my head to my heart and

El's heart is now with American Musician

Doyle Bramhall you're in love again is

this one

keeper I don't think we really keep

anybody in the sense that you know it

there not our role to want to own

somebody and uh it's not a healthy way

to to have a relationship but I am

deeply in love and enjoying every minute

of it whatever El does gets attention

but she's used to it besides she's at

peace with her life and her decisions

and full of joy for the future have you

put your demons to rest l i I mean all

of the things that plagued you in the

early years have they gone are you

different woman days ter us I would

never have called them demons there're

such I've had

such wonderful

opportunities to um to evolve you know

evolve in life and through the ups and

downs through divorce through marriage

through cancer through building

businesses through um you know children

births it's it's been

extraordinary and um and I'm deeply

grateful for

it hello I'm Tara Brown thanks for

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