Sonali Bendre: Naturopathy row escalates as her comments trigger doctor backlash

Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre became a focal point on social media due to her comments about using naturopathy and autophagy during her cancer recovery, which sparked backlash from medical professionals

Sonali shared that these methods, particularly autophagy, played a significant role in her recovery journey, but clarified she was sharing her personal experience and not offering medical advice

Autophagy is described as a natural cell-cleaning process where the body reuses old or unnecessary cell parts, and Sonali mentioned that it benefited her during her battle with cancer

Renowned doctors criticized Sonali's post, arguing that her recovery resulted from chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, not naturopathy, and emphasized that there is no scientific evidence supporting naturopathy as a treatment

Dr Cyriac AB Phillips, a hepatologist, highlighted that Sonali underwent advanced treatment for stage 4 metastatic cancer in New York, which was crucial to her recovery.

Medical professionals expressed concerns that such posts might lead individuals to rely on unproven methods instead of proper medical treatment

Sonali responded to the criticism by emphasizing that she was simply sharing her personal journey and experiences, not prescribing treatments to others

She urged for mutual respect in discussions, reiterating that each person's health journey is unique and her intention was never to mislead anyone

The controversy highlighted the tension between personal health testimonies and the medical community's emphasis on scientifically proven treatments

Sonali's experience underscores the importance of careful communication when discussing health and recovery, especially for public figures with significant influence