Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Doctor’s Shockingly False Claim
The Dark Side of the Holistic Health Industry
As a cancer survivor, watching Netflix‘s new show “Apple Cider Vinegar” felt like a gut punch. The show captures the exhaustion and desperation many cancer patients feel, and the seductive allure of ditching traditional medicine for the promise of a “natural” cure. It also exposes the dark underbelly of the alternative health industry — a world where quacks and influencers prey on the vulnerable. They speak with unwavering confidence, yet their claims are backed by zero peer-reviewed evidence.
This phenomenon is not new. In December 2022, a woman diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, decided to explore integrative medical approaches while waiting for her surgery. She visited Dr. T, an integrative medical doctor, to explore if supplements could support her health.
Dr. T fully supported her decision to pursue surgery but mentioned another holistic practitioner, Dr. D, who specialized in thermography. Thermography is a thermal imaging technique that maps blood flow on the breast’s surface, potentially identifying areas of abnormal heat linked to inflammation or tumors.
What caught her attention, however, was Dr. T’s offhand remark that Dr. D had allegedly “healed” a breast cancer patient without surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. As a writer curious about holistic medicine, she was intrigued. She decided to find out if thermography could detect her cancer.
When she arrived at Dr. D’s office, she noticed it felt more like a spa than a medical clinic. The thermogram process involved nine thermal images taken with a special camera, followed by a “cold challenge” where she submerged her hands in icy water. The idea was that healthy tissue cools in sync with the brain’s signals, while cancerous or inflamed areas resist the change and show up as hot spots on the thermogram.
At this point, flag after flag indicated she should be cautious. Upon arrival, she noticed egregious red flags: thermograms aren’t FDA-approved as standalone tests for detecting breast cancer, and the technician operating the machine wasn’t a medical professional, but rather the doctor’s wife.
After waiting for 30 minutes for her results — an eternity that left her uneasy — Dr. D finally called her into his office. And then, things took a bizarre turn.
He showed her the rainbow-colored thermogram report and acknowledged that it hadn’t detected her cancer — in fact, he seemed visibly flustered by the imaging fail. Instead, he revealed his theory: her cancer was caused by “too many COVID vaccines” and she shouldn’t get another. She was too stunned to respond. Not only is there zero evidence linking COVID vaccines to breast cancer or turbo cancers
.”
“What about the fact that my mom had the same type of cancer, in the same breast, at the same age?” she asked.
The doctor dismissed the question. “No, it’s definitely the vaccines,” he insisted, before pivoting to his next pitch: Super Mineral Water, a product he sold in his clinic, which he claimed could “detox” her body and possibly help cure her.
She left shortly after, equally horrified and embarrassed — not just by his quackery, but also by her naivety for walking into this mess.
After her experience, she turned to the internet and stumbled on some comment boards about thermograms. One post led her to the story of Morganne Delian
, another woman who opted for a thermogram instead of a mammogram to detect cancer when she felt a lump in her breast. The thermogram practitioner reportedly told Delian that he couldn’t see a lump but warned she had “mild to moderate risk of developing aggressive breast tissue.” Months later, after finally undergoing a mammogram and a biopsy, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.
These stories are chilling reminders of the potential dangers posed by unproven screening tools and alternative therapies. From coffee enemas and Gerson therapy to black salve intravenous vitamin C, alkaline diets, homeopathy and energy healing , some practices are aggressively marketed by doctors, chiropractors, and clinicians, even though they lack sufficient scientific testing and evidence to prove they work.
The allure of control in a moment when you feel paralyzed with terror can be a strong incentive. A cancer diagnosis strips you of your agency — your body feels like a traitor and your treatment plan is dictated by a team of experts that you’ve just met. Alternative medicine offers the illusion of empowerment and personalized care. Quacks don’t bog you down with statistics, side effects, or limitations — they offer hope and simplicity. In a world where cancer treatments are scary or hard to understand, that simplicity and hope can become irresistible.
After her diagnosis, one of the best things she did was learn to trust her cancer team and the science that guided them. She abandoned her wishful thinking — the fantasy of the “lovely healing experience,” like Milla’s tropical Hirsch retreat in “Apple Cider Vinegar.” Instead, she embraced the stark reality of hospital walls and a windowless operating room, where her surgeon skillfully removed her tumor and left her cancer-free.
Now, she follows the recommended screening protocol for women at high risk and have dense breasts: an annual mammogram and breast MRI. She also takes tamoxifen daily, a preventative medicine that she’ll take for at least five years, or for as long as her oncologist advises. Science saved her life. It saves lives every day. Yet, the U.S. is in a dangerous moment when people distrust the regulators and science communities tasked with protecting them, while placing blind faith in politicians and influencers who profit from our vulnerability.
“Apple Cider Vinegar” exposes the dark side of these charismatic characters — people who lie as easily as they breathe. It’s a stark reminder why we need to trust science now, more than ever.
The question is: Will we listen?