Sidhu’s claims — among them that cancer cells can be “starved” of carbohydrates —are, unfortunately, not an aberration.
Nov 26, 2024 10:44 IST First published on: Nov 26, 2024 at 04:16 IST
Coconut, whether it’s made into a chutney or pressed to extract “milk”, is delicious. Neem leaves, crushed into aloo bhorta or stir-fried with brinjal, too, is a versatile addition to the pantry. Both ingredients are valued for flavour and nutrition. But to insist that they can cure cancer, as Navjot Singh Sidhu did recently, in a press conference in which he spoke of the dietary measures that allegedly helped his wife beat stage-four cancer in “40 days”, is misleading and dangerous.
Sidhu’s claims — among them that cancer cells can be “starved” of carbohydrates —are, unfortunately, not an aberration. Where charlatans once had to rely on relatively slow word-of-mouth networks to attract customers for their dubious cures, social media has enabled the mushrooming of a range of “wellness experts” — from “alternative healers” to celebrity peddlers of new-age therapies. It has turbocharged the spread of questionable remedies, such as hydrogen peroxide nebulisation for viral infections (as shared by actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu in July), and claims with no basis in fact, such as the long debunked assertion that vaccines lead to autism in children.
The gharelu nuskha (home remedy) is tempting — not only because of its convenience, but also because it is often promoted as a cheaper, safer alternative to modern medicine. This is precisely what makes the rise of the deeply-unqualified citizen doctors, who offer healthcare advice, from so-called biohacks to treatments for serious conditions like cancer, so dangerous — especially in a country like India, which has a massive disease burden and a large population with limited access to affordable medical care. Coconut and neem leaves may be nutritious — and may even help strengthen the immune system — but when it comes to illnesses, the cures are best left to those who actually graduated from medical school.
