Despite her battle with stage 4 breast cancer — her third with the disease — actress and singer Olivia Newton-John says her health is just “fantastic.” In an appearance on Australian talk show “The Project,” Newton-John explained that she got some encouraging results during her last MRI.
“I believe your belief system is part of the healing,” Newton-John explained on the show. “At my last MRI, which is an exam where they look inside, things are shrinking, going away, staying the same — and I’m living well with it and I’m feeling great.”
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Newton-John also shared that in addition to traditional cancer therapies, she has also been incorporating some complementary herbal medicines into her routine including medical marijuana — to help her deal with some of the side effects that can accompany treatment.
Newton-John Talks Integrative Medicine
Newton-John told SurvivorNet this past summer that her husband of 11 years, John Easterling, the founder and chairman of Amazon Herb Company, makes her tinctures (liquid extracts) from cannabis that he grows himself. The star also said she was taking natural supplements, including turkey tail (an antioxidant-rich mushroom extract), Graviola supplements (derived from a plant believed to have medicinal properties), vitamin B17, and high doses of vitamin C, which she says she's been getting through an Amazonian fruit called camu camu.
RELATED: Understanding the Difference Between Integrative and Alternative Medicine
Integrative medicine or the concept of combining traditional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy, surgery, etc., with alternative methods such as medical marijuana, acupuncture and supplements can play a big role in how certain patients recover from cancer. Of course, any alternative therapy should get the OK from a doctor, as some supplements and activities can actually have an adverse effect on people living with cancer.
Newton-John has been doing just that. The singer told SurvivorNet that she was pairing the natural herbs and supplements with her conventional breast cancer treatment which, at the time, was hormone therapy. The star said that in the past, she's undergone radiation, surgery and chemotherapy.
Her combination of traditional and integrative therapies seems to be working for her. The star has been incredibly active over the last few months and will even be performing at a huge concert for Australian wildfires relief this weekend.
The Fire Fight Concert is scheduled for Feb. 16 and will be held at ANZ Stadium in Sydney's Olympic Park — and Newton-John will perform alongside rock legends like Queen (who now perform with singer Adam Lambert as a frontman) and Alice Cooper.
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