21 January 2024 , 12:39
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Jonnie Irwin has spoken about the alternative treatments he has been undergoing amid his cancer battle and how it has "empowered" him and feels he has bought more time.
The 50-year-old host of Channel 4's A Place in the Sun revealed the complementary treatments he had been having when he appeared as a guest on a podcast hosted by How to Starve Cancer author Jane McLelland.
He said that previously that the cancer battle had made him want to "curl up in a ball and cry myself to death" but had felt a change in his being since embracing the alternative treatments. Jonnie was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and has been seeking dietary advice from Jane when appearing on Conversations with Jane McLelland.
Jonnie Irwin has said that he has embraced alternative treatments (INSTAGRAM)Speaking on the podcast., Jonnie said: "I just think the work you’re doing is so important because if I just listened to the prognosis I’m perennially given, I’d be curling up in a ball and crying myself to death. But I feel much more empowered and much more educated. There is a sphere of help and the help from the NHS is a massive part of that sphere, but there’s also bit and bobs that I can do. Check this out - I’m in there at least an hour a day and I’ve got to go in there later."
Replying to Jonnie, Jane said: "That’s your hyperbaric oxygen chamber which you’ve got at home - brilliant." Jane added after Jonnie revealed that he was "doing oxygen, vitamin C," Jane said: “Intravenous vitamin C so it bypasses the gut it doesn’t cause diarrhoea."
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Jonnie confirmed: “I feel great after it. I feel great after hyperbaric - I feel great after vitamin C. These things, if I was fit and well, I’d be trying to use them anyway because I’m so much more open minded probably because I’ve got a gun to my head. And it’s a rich kaleidoscope of help that I’m pursuing and I will continue to do that."
Jonnie Irwin with his familyJane said that Jonnie was doing the right thing by trying the alternatives: "You’ve got to look into alternatives and you’ve got to do your own research. There’s always a misconception that anybody who’s providing information for a different form of treatment is encouraging people to leave conventional treatment. I’m very much ‘let’s just merge everything together - cocktails, combinations as you’ve mentioned already. We need to find the right cocktails and combinations and that’s really lacking in our current approach."
Jonnie said that he believed that this could buy him more time: “At the very least you’re giving people hope and as a patient that can add weeks and months. A positive attitude buys you days and buys you weeks... I’ve been jaundiced, but I think I’m coming out of it now.”
Jane replied: “Wow. Honestly every time I hear these ups and downs of your journey and I thought I was going to lose you at the beginning of the summer as well - you were in a pretty bad way. When I saw you in January [2023] I thought there’s no way he’s going to be around next December and here you are. Amazing can I say.”
Jonnie spoke about his cancer battle and said that what works for some doesn't work for others. He continued: “Every cancer patient’s different, I was abroad and some bloke came up and said ‘oh you’re that guy off the telly’ and I said ‘not today I’m not’. You also hear ‘there’s a lot of cancer patients going out tonight don’t worry it’s a keto restaurant. And I’m like I don’t want to hang around with a load of cancer patients talking about food all the time. Because you’re all different. I’ve chosen a different pathway, but I’m sure.”
Jonnie added: “I’m convinced the reason I’m here is from a mixture of things. My diet - I don’t have a keto diet. I had a keto diet for about two years and I lost a lot of weight and I decided to have my own diet. More sensible, healthy, veggie smoothies in the morning, lots of veg, and a little fruit but not too much because I’m nervous about the sugar. But I know my liver likes fruit. I’m drinking a lot of tea and coffee because it’s good for my liver but you can’t just do one thing - you’ve got to adapt as well. When your liver’s playing up you’ve got to feed it what it wants, and that might be what is good in the whole.”