A Brisbane-based blogger has come under fire for a controversial Instagram post in which she wrote: “cancer is your body trying to save you”.
Olivia Budgen had set out to challenge perceptions surrounding diseases by suggesting they might not be “bad at all”.
Her comments quickly backfired as commenters accused the “raw food educator” of spreading “ill-informed nonsense”.
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“CANCER AND DISEASE IS YOUR BODY TRYING TO SAVE YOU,” the post begins, accompanying a photograph of Budgen wearing a pink sports bra and holding a large green drink.
The young health coach explained that many people wrongly believe disease is an indication that your immune system is failing.
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(Instagram/oliviabudgen)
“Being open-minded and changing your perspective around what disease actually is and why it’s happening, will allow you to take back control of your health and realise that your body is ALWAYS working for you, and never against you,” she wrote.
“The immune system is always there to keep the body free of contaminates.
"Unfortunately in many cases this isn't possible because organs such as the liver, large intestine, lungs, kidneys and skin become overtaxed with toxins and don’t eliminate efficiently.”
She added that “cancer is a survival mechanism” defending the body from toxicity.
“Disease is a natural defence mechanism to prevent a much more serious situation from occurring.”
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Some Twitter users have been comparing Budgen to Belle Gibson, the Australian blogger who falsely claimed that diet changes cured her of multiple cancers.
Gibson was recently fined more than A$410,000 (£240,000) after she released a bestselling app and cookbook off the back of her claims.
Budgen's post has since been removed from Instagram and cancer specialists have been quick to refute her claims.
“The recommendations in Ms Budgen’s social media post bear no relation to any scientific facts about how cancer starts or how it can be treated,” Martin Ledwick, Cancer Research UK’s head information nurse, told The Metro.
“Her stance is extremely insensitive to people who have cancer and to those who have lost someone to cancer, as it implies that a few changes to diet will save them.”
The Independent has contacted Budgen for comment.
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2 days ago
jaydeeonemillion
I don't think some anorexic compost-swilling Barbie is the authority on cancer, or on fitness. My best friend, one of the fittest, cleanest-living people I ever knew, died last year of cancer.
It's often in the genes. Not to say you can't minimize your chances of developing it and maximize your chances when fighting it by living cleanly, but this whole 'toxin cleanse mania' craze has been totally debunked. Liver and bowel cleanses are done daily by your own body, it's part of the package. No product will cleanse you.
She does a criminal disservice to people by passing on pop-science nonsense.
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2 days ago
OperationTempura
Reminds me of an ex of mine - about as smart as a stick. She needs to get out a bit, go visit a hospice or two.
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3 days ago
Dionysian Maenad
Skeletally thin.
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2 days ago
jaydeeonemillion
Yes. Thin does not mean healthy or fit. A good balance of fat and muscle, along with cardiovascular fitness, is the answer.
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By Mike McDowall
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WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
Because one man’s anti-aircraft platform is another man’s castle.
Everyone dreams of staking a claim to a deserted island, but few pull it off. Former British Army Maj. Paddy Roy Bates was a bit more proactive; he created his own country back in 1967, and the tiny state is still going strong.
The Principality of Sealand, located on a World War II fortress six miles off the coast of Suffolk, England, was established by Bates as a potential base for a pirate radio station. He declared himself head of state and introduced a constitution and a national anthem. Today it boasts its own currency, postage stamps and official passport.
Sealand started life as Fort Roughs in 1942, one of several concrete and steel islands constructed by the British to fend off German invaders. It was home to 150 servicemen and anti-aircraft guns until it was abandoned in 1956. British territorial waters extended only three miles from the coast back then, so the fort became terra nullius, or “land belonging to no one.”
No one, that is, until Bates showed up on Sept. 2, 1967, declared it an independent principality and dubbed himself “Prince Roy” and his wife “Princess Joan.” The British government acted swiftly, destroying other forts outside British waters, but didn’t challenge the new prince’s claims.
FOLKS CAN VISIT SEALAND, BUT IT’S SUGGESTED THAT YOU SEND A NOTE FIRST.
Peace prevailed — for about a year. In 1968, workmen fixing navigation buoys shouted obscenities at Prince Roy’s 16-year-old daughter, Penny. Her brother Michael, 14, encouraged them to leave by firing warning shots. Firearms charges were filed on the mainland but dismissed by a judge, who declared, “U.K. courts have no jurisdiction.” To Bates, this amounted to de facto recognition of Sealand’s independence.
Fast-forward 10 years. Everyone but Michael was away, when Alexander Achenbach — a former business partner of Bates’ — staged a coup d’etat, taking Bates’ son prisoner and holding him without food for four days before transporting him to the Netherlands. Michael and his father soon regained control, rappelling from a helicopter, armed with pistols and a sawed-off shotgun. German-born Sealand citizen Gernot Putz, one of Achenbach’s lackeys, was imprisoned for treason, and Germany sent a diplomat to negotiate his release — the second instance, Bates argued, of de facto recognition.
It may seem like tomfoolery, but it’s not without precedent. Other European micro-nations include San Marino, Andorra and Liechtenstein, all of which prosper as tax havens and gambling destinations. The Danish enclave of Christiania has prevailed despite attempts to close it down; the Republic of Saugeais, in eastern France, has its own president; the Italian principality of Seborga was ruled by Prince Giorgio I until his death in 2009.
Prince Roy passed away in October 2012, and was succeeded by Michael, who kindly met me at his mainland Essex residence. He’s a formidable figure — tall and broad, with a gaze that pins you to your chair. Like Sealand, he looks like he can weather stormy seas. He’s genial and, like Queen Elizabeth II, owns a Range Rover and is fond of dogs.
Michael spins a great yarn over coffee. He reckons he’s spent two full decades on Sealand, often waiting weeks for a break in the weather to get to the mainland for supplies. Was he frightened by Achenbach’s “terrorists” (his word) back in the ’70s? “No,” he says, chuckling. “I was ready to kill the *****.” As many as 150 people lived on the island in its ’70s heyday, but the numbers have since dwindled to just a few.
These days Sealand provides secure Web hosting and data storage. Cash also comes in through the sale of collectible coins, stamps and noble titles. Folks can visit, but it’s suggested that you send a note first. A Hollywood movie’s in the works, and Prince Michael has written a definitive history titled The Principality of Sealand.
And, perhaps most importantly, in July the family welcomed baby Freddy Michael Roy to the fold — a fourth-generation prince to protect and serve Sealand’s independence.
FOR MORE ON THIS SUBJECT …
The Seasteading Institute aims to help people live in independent countries in the middle of the ocean.
“The Sea Is a Harsh Mistress” video
Mike McDowall bioMike McDowall, OZY AuthorContact Mike McDowall
