Pink Ribbon warns of homeopathic cancer treatment together with Ellen Baetens

TikTok influencer and model Ellen Baetens could not avoid the fact that her mother, relapsed from breast cancer, opted for homeopathic treatment while resolutely refusing chemotherapy. She died far too early, at the age of 52. Baetens warns against non-conventional cancer therapies in a gripping video.

View Ellen's testimony here.

Together with Ellen Baetens, Pink Ribbon warns against the use of non-conventional cancer treatment methods. Anyone faced with breast cancer knows that the treatment is tough, and can be accompanied by many discomforts, such as hair loss, fatigue and joint complaints. These symptoms are temporary, and often unavoidable. The regular treatment for breast cancer (with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy ...) gives the best chances of survival. Thanks in part to this regular therapy, today eight out of ten women survive breast cancer. No alternative method can beat that. On the contrary. We know this from comparative research. The use of non-conventional cancer therapies (not only homeopathy, but also acupuncture and all other "alternative" therapies) reduces survival after cancer when the patient renounces the conventional therapy. The risk of early death would more than double, but for colon and breast cancer it is even more dire: the chance of being alive five years after diagnosis decreases by a factor of five.

Complementary treatment

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with using homeopathy as a complementary treatment. If you feel stronger with homeopathic drops, feel free to combine them with the classical cancer treatment. No cancer specialist will advise against it, as long as you also follow the regular treatment, which is the only one that really works against cancer. We know from surveys that very many cancer patients in Belgium use non-conventional therapies in addition to conventional treatment. No problem, as long as you realize that such therapy is never curative and discuss this with your treating physician. Some remedies, such as herbs and plant extracts, can undermine your cancer treatment: they make the drugs work less well. For example, it is best not to combine valerian drops with cancer hormone treatments, and you should also watch out for turmeric. Your doctor will check if the supplement you are taking has an impact on cancer treatment.