Elle Macpherson explains why a holistic approach to breast cancer treatment worked for her

Elle Macpherson reveals in her upcoming memoir that she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago and is now in “clincical remission” after opting out of a traditional treatment path for the disease.

In “Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself,” the Australian supermodel known as “the Body” said she had a lumpectomy after being diagnosed with the form of breast cancer known in the medical field as HER2 positive estrogen receptor (ER) positive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).

“It was a shock, it was unexpected, it was confusing, it was daunting in so many ways and it really gave me an opportunity to dig deep in my inner sense to find a solution that worked for me,” she told Australia’s Women’s Weekly about her diagnosis.

Macpherson said her doctor suggested that she have a mastectomy and undergo radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and reconstruction of her breast. She deliberated for several weeks about her care, but ultimately refused to undergo chemotherapy — despite the recommendation of 32 doctors and experts, she said — and took a holistic approach.

The 60-year-old said she came to “one of the biggest decisions of her life” after she went to a beach in Miami, prayed and meditated. Instead of a pharmaceutical path, she chose “an intuitive, heart-led, holistic approach” to treating her cancer under the guidance of her primary doctor. That physician specializes in integrative medicine, which uses a combination of therapies and lifestyle changes to treat and
heal the whole person, the outlet said. The approach is similar to that of late “Grease” star Olivia Newton-John, from whom Macpherson sought advice after the actor famously complemented her clinical treatment for breast cancer with holistic practices. (Newton-John died in 2022.)

“I realized I was going to need my own truth, my belief system to support me through it. And that’s what I did. So, it was a wonderful exercise in being true to myself, trusting myself and trusting the nature of my body and the course of action that I had chosen.”

Macpherson said she “came to the understanding that there was no sure thing and absolutely no guarantees. There was no ‘right’ way, just the right way for me.”

“Saying no to standard medical solutions was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But saying no to my own inner sense would have been even harder,” she wrote in the book.

According to the Mayo Clinic, alternative cancer treatments can’t cure the disease but may provide some relief from signs and symptoms. The hospital, which specializes in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, says that many alternative cancer treatments are unproven and some may even be dangerous, but there are a few that are generally safe. There is growing evidence that these treatments may provide some benefit, the clinic says.

Although one of Macpherson’s two sons was opposed to her decision and she received pushback from others in her life, she said her choice “resonated” with her and meant “addressing emotional as well as physical factors associated with breast cancer.” She relocated to Phoenix, where she was placed under the care of several specialists, including her primary doctor, a doctor of naturopathy, holistic dentist, osteopath, chiropractor and two therapists.

During her treatment course, she rented a house in Phoenix while “focusing and devoting every single minute to healing myself” for eight months.

The model-turned-entrepreneur added that now, “in traditional terms, they’d say I’m in clinical remission.” But according to her, she’s actually “in utter wellness.”

“Truly, from every perspective, every blood test, every scan, every imaging test … but also emotionally, spiritually and mentally — not only physically. It’s not only what your blood tests say, it’s how and why you are living your life on all levels,” she told Women’s Weekly.

Macpherson’s book, in which she shares “her hard-earned, well-learned wisdoms,” will be published in the U.S. on Nov. 19. It was released Tuesday in Australia by Penguin.