Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre is one of the many patients who beat cancer and survived the irreversible condition. Taking a toll on the patient’s mental and physical health, the incurable aspect of the disease becomes extremely stressful for their loved ones, too. Today, having been successfully rid of cancer, she attributes her progress to alternative therapies on social media.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Bendre expressed her keen interest in naturopathy. She claimed that Autophagy was one of the leading factors that helped her heal. Once recommended to her by a naturopath, she follows it even today, shared the Bollywood actor. However, being a celebrity cancer survivor, it was quick to catch the attention of The Liver Doc, Cryriac Abby Philips.

TheLiverDoc on Sonali Bendre – ‘I expected more from you’

Calling out her post, the liver expert wrote, “Dear Ms. Bendre, as a clinician sub-specialist treating a multitude of cancer patients daily, I expected better from you.” Terming naturopathy as a form of quackery, he sternly opined and wrote, “You are not helping here, by promoting quackery.”

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He then shared information on Sonali Bendre‘s cancer diagnosis. In 2018, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic endometrial cancer which had spread to other parts of the body. Philips claimed, “You moved to New York for an intense cancer treatment regimen, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. In 2019, you shared that you had achieved remission, were officially cancer-free and returned to India.” He made it a point to highlight that the remission was triggered by chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery at an advanced cancer treatment hospital, pointing out the privilege that allowed her to afford the best of the treatments.

“Naturopathy is a quackery. Fraudulent cancer treatments offered under the guise of naturopathy are a serious issue, with numerous reported cases of patients being financially exploited and potentially harmed by delaying effective, evidence-based medical care,” shared the Liver Doctor. He then quoted the Food and Drug Administration‘s warning against ‘illegally sold cancer treatments’. In March 2024, South Australia banned Dr Peohlmann, a popular naturopathy practitioner. He had allegedly breached the code of conduct of a healthcare worker, which overtly claimed naturopathy and autophagy as a treatment of cancer.

He further called such therapies, including Ayurveda and Homoeopathy, “nonsensical pseudoscientific ‘therapies'” as a cure for cancer.

What is autophagy?

Autophagy is a type of natural process that is derived from the word ‘self-devouring’. The Cleveland Clinic defines it as a process that ” allows your body to break down and reuse old cell parts so your cells can operate more efficiently. It’s a natural cleaning-out process that begins when your cells are stressed or deprived of nutrients.”

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The cellular recycling system has been termed as an ‘ethical violation’ by Phillips. Defining this method, the doctor shared, “Autophagy is simply your cells’ recycling system – when nutrients are scarce, cells break down and reuse damaged or unnecessary components to survive… Autophagy is a normal physiological process. It happens normally inside you whether you want it or not.”

“The ethical violation lies in marketing unproven interventions as cancer cures based on superficial understanding of cellular biology, exploiting patients’ hope while potentially causing harm through malnutrition or treatment delays,” he added.

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