Sonali Bendre defends crediting naturopathy in cancer recovery amid backlash, doctor calls her 'victim' of pseudoscience

Sonali Bendre's statement on the role of naturopathy and autophagy in her cancer recovery had sparked angry reactions from medical professionals.

Actor Sonali Bendre has addressed the backlash she received after her post on the contribution of naturopathy in her cancer recovery sparked angry reactions from medical professionals. In a new post, the actor said she ‘never claimed to be a doctor’, and urged people not to dismiss her experiences.

Sonali Bendre defends statement on naturopathy

On Monday, Sonali shared a tweet of HT’s report about doctors reacting to her original statement, and shared a response. Her note read, “I have never claimed to be a doctor, but I'm certainly not a quack either. I am a cancer survivor, someone who has lived through the fear, pain, uncertainty, and rebuilding that the disease brings.”

The actor emphasised that she meant to highlight naturopathy and autophagy’s role in cancer treatment based only on her own experience. “Everything I've ever spoken about has been my experience and my learning. As I've repeatedly said, no two cancers are the same, and no treatment path is identical. One of the many protocols I personally explored, after thorough research and medical guidance, was autophagy. It made a difference for me then, and continues to do so today... for me,” she added.

Addressing the doctors who dismissed her, she further said, “What truly matters is open, respectful dialogue. We don't all have to agree, but we should avoid dismissing one another simply because we lean toward different approaches. Each person must choose what feels right, safe, and empowering for them. I will always share my journey with honesty and humility, never as a prescription, but as lived experience.”

Doctors disagree

However, medical professionals called the actor out over her original post, saying the issue was her omitting sound medical practices while highlighting naturopathy. Heptologist Cyriac Abby Philips, popular as The Liver Doc on Twitter, called Sonali a ‘victim’ in the scenario. “Sonali Bendre is not a quack. The Naturopath she is taking advice from is a quack. Sonali Bendre, like many others before her and many more after her, are victims of "big claims, zero evidence" pseudoscientific practices such as Naturopathy,” Philips said.

The doctor urged fellow medical professionals not to ‘victimise’ the actor. “We need to be rational humans so that we can make logical conclusions based on evidence, not experience or anecdotes,” they added.

What was the controversy

On Friday shared a post about autophagy on her Twitter account and wrote, “In 2018, when I was diagnosed with cancer, this study really helped me. My naturopath introduced me to it, I researched it, and this is what I followed - Autophagy for healing. And I continue to follow it till date.”

The post elicited dismissals from doctors online, many of whom, including The Liver Doc, criticised the actor for promoting ‘quackery’.

Sonali Bendre was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic cancer in 2018, for which she underwent treatment in the US at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She was declared cancer-free in 2019.