Mumbai: Oncologists at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, have refuted claims made by Navjot Singh Sidhu about his wife’s recovery from stage 4 breast cancer.
The hospital cautioned cancer patients against delaying or stopping their treatment in favor of unproven remedies after the former cricketer claimed at a press conference that his wife, Navjot Kaur, overcame stage 4 cancer through dietary and lifestyle changes.
In a statement shared on X, Dr. C. S. Pramesh, Director of Tata Memorial Hospital, said: “Parts of the video suggest that starving the cancer by avoiding dairy and sugar, and consuming turmeric and neem, cured her ‘incurable’ cancer.”
The statement, endorsed by 262 oncologists from Tata Memorial Hospital, emphasized that these claims lack high-quality evidence. While ongoing research explores some of these substances, there is currently no clinical data supporting their use as anti-cancer agents.
The oncologists urged the public to avoid delaying treatment based on unproven remedies and to consult a doctor, preferably a cancer specialist, for any symptoms of cancer. “Cancer is curable if detected early. Proven treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy,” the statement read.
Dr. Pramesh also shared a clip from Sidhu’s press conference on X, cautioning: “Please don’t believe or be misled by such statements, regardless of the source. These are unscientific and baseless claims. Her recovery was due to evidence-based surgery and chemotherapy, not turmeric, neem, or similar remedies.”
At the press conference, Sidhu detailed his wife’s regimen, which included consuming lemon water, raw turmeric, apple cider vinegar, neem leaves, tulsi, and juices from pumpkin, pomegranate, carrot, amla, beetroot, and walnuts. He also highlighted the importance of water with a pH level of 7 as part of her treatment.
While Sidhu claimed these measures were key to starving cancer cells, he did not provide any scientific evidence to support his assertions.
Dr. Pramesh emphasized the potential harm caused by such misinformation and underscored the collective responsibility to counter these baseless claims.