How to deal with close family who have differing views

Anonymous01
New Contributor

How to deal with close family who have differing views

Hi everyone 😊

How do you deal with people who don’t agree with cancer therapies such as radiotherapy and really try to push their opinions/beliefs on to you/your loved one with cancer?

 

I have a family member who believes that my family member with cancer is radioactive after receiving radiotherapy, and is getting extremely upset that their suggestion of natural therapies (in conjunction with chemo and radiotherapy) aren’t being taken seriously. They say that the conventional medical system ‘doesn’t know it all’.

 

My family member hasn’t refused to look at the complementary therapies, just advised this person that they need to let their care provider know of any complementary therapies before they start them, to ensure it won’t affect their treatment. This did not go down well with the family member suggesting the complementary therapy.

 

I’m finding it really hard to watch this person force their ideals/beliefs on to my loved one with cancer. I am of the belief that it’s your body, your choice. The person critical of chemo/radiotherapy I would confidently say has issues with mental health and this makes it hard to have any kind of rational conversation with them. 

I’m sorry, I don’t really know what I’m asking for, apart from how do you deal with it yourselves, if it comes up? Have you had to deal with this yourself and what approach did you find worked well? 

Thank you so much.

Reply
0 Kudos
Post new topic
Talk to a health professional
Cancer Council support and information 13 11 20Mon - Fri 9am - 5pm
Cancer Information and Support

Online resources and support

Access information about support services, online resources and a range of other materials.

Caring for someone with cancer?

Find out what resources and support services are available to assist you.