Why the repercussions of cancer fraudsters are so dangerous.

Professor Kerryn Phelps is angry about the rise and fall of certain wellness bloggers, especially cancer frauds like Belle Gibson.

And she has described their actions as “potentially fatal”.

Belle Gibson faked a long list of ailments, including a brain tumour (which she says was diagnosed by a quack with a box), and then claimed to have cured herself with natural therapies. Initially popular in social media, she was soon a darling of the mainstream media, publishing and magazine world, with a book, an app and a following.

Until it was revealed she never had cancer at all.

The media were culpable in jumping on a story about a pretty face, a miracle and magical thinking - and should have checked their facts, Professor Phelps says.

There are two major repercussions when cancer frauds get popular, she says. Firstly, people with cancer may move away from conventional therapies because they are so scared. "I see people burst into tears when told they have to have chemo. It's really distressing to then have someone tell them they don't need evidence-based medicine. Cancer is high stakes and just following a diet is a potentially fatal decision."

The doctor, now professor and former head of the AMA, has seen this happen more and more over the 30 years she's been in practice and has had to have some robust and stern conversations with patients.

In her new book The Cancer Recovery Guide she tells the story of a patient who was resisting treatment and pressing on with alternative therapies, convinced she could beat the disease without medical intervention.

Dr Phelps said to her "If you were standing in the middle of the road and there was a bus speeding towards you, would you jump out of the way?" The patient said she would. "The bus is coming" Kerryn told her.

The woman reluctantly agreed to treatment and survived another four years to see her kids graduate from university.

But Professor Phelps is also angry about cancer fraud because she believes in alternative therapies. "Complementary therapies and supplements can actually help some patients in conjunction with conventional treatment, but now people may steer away from such therapies as the good gets lost in the scandal about Belle Gibson and wellness bloggers," she said.

In actual fact, about 80 per cent of cancer patients use alternative therapies in conjunction with their treatment.

She says "in society we have to allow for a range opininon and views but magical thinking, meaning I can wish my cancer away, is very different to hope. Hope is important. But so is evidence. Evidence is the key".

Hence the book.

Kerryn Phelps finds when people are confronted with the Big C, they suffer an overdose of information. This makes them confused and leads to extreme difficulties in navigating the road ahead.

"There's an entire language around cancer, it's a complex system". Professor Phelps compiled the book as a guide to that process from diagnosis to treatment and only included complementary therapies based on fact.

"I spent last couple of years digging around evidence to see what is safe and what is not," she said.

From the effectiveness of Vitamin C to a warning about the danger of black salve, she describes herself as eternally open-minded but guided by science. "I hope the book is a significant contribution and a game changer. To be a mid line between magical thinking and wellness frauds to conservative doctors who tell people not to try anything else and put their patient in more discomfort."

And for those heading into the years when they hear frightening news about friends, relatives or even themselves, Professor Phelps has some advice - "live your life, enjoy moments, don’t focus on what might happen, be vigilant without being hyper vigilant.

"If you recognise something is wrong like blood in your stools, a lump in your breast or something doesn't feel right, get it checked out - but don't imagine every headache is a brain cancer."

Kerryn Phelps also practices what she preaches. She doesn't believe in restricted diets like paleo, but she makes sure she exercises and eats vegetables and fruits daily.

"I see the best and the worst of life and death, so I've learnt to focus on my own health as well as that of others."

Debrief Daily will feature an extract from Kerryn's book soon.

The Cancer Recovery Guide is published by Pan Macmillan and is now available at all good bookstores and online.

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