Blogger faces backlash for suggesting cancer is ‘not actually bad at all’

A blogger is facing backlash for sharing an Instagram post saying that cancer is "not actually bad at all."

Olivia Budgen shared the post on social media claiming  that "cancer and disease" was your body's way of "trying to save you." The Australian health blogger also said that "being open-minded" was a good way of taking control of your health. In the post, which has since been edited to instead include a list of things that humans have been "designed" to eat, she wrote:

“CANCER AND DISEASE IS YOUR BODY TRYING TO SAVE YOU. “Being open-minded and changing your perspective around what disease actually is and why it’s happening, will allow you to take back control of your health and realise that your body is ALWAYS working for you, and never against you. “The immune system is always there to keep the body free of contaminants."

Olivia then went on to argue that cancer is a "survival mechanism" that exists to help the body defeat toxins.

"We are led to believe that if our body has disease then our immune system isn’t working properly, and we don’t have the ability to heal ourselves. This is simply not true. "Unfortunately in many cases this isn't possible because organs such as the liver, large intestine, lungs, kidneys and skin become overtaxed with toxins and don’t eliminate efficiently. “Disease is a natural defence mechanism to prevent a much more serious situation from occurring.”

A post shared by OLIVIA BUDGEN ♡ (@oliviabudgen) on Oct 7, 2017 at 4:13am PDT

Following her post, Olivia received a significant amount of backlash. Most notably, from those who disagreed with her. "This should definitely not be taught in first grade, are you mental?" wrote one person. "What the actual f*ck?" said another.

A post shared by OLIVIA BUDGEN ♡ (@oliviabudgen) on Sep 5, 2017 at 3:58am PDT

Another Instagram user took the time to inform Olivia that their partner currently has terminal cancer and that she does not have the right to be making such statements. They wrote:

"My partner has terminal cancer. I’m sure you mean well but I can guarantee you are not qualified to make such a dangerous statement. Healthy diet has a very important role to play, but does not come anywhere near being a cure or remedy for cancer. "It is a highly complex and multifaceted disease, and I have witnessed first hand the unbearable pain and trauma it causes. "Please do some reading that is not just within the realms of alternative and natural therapies. Traditional medicine is, unfortunately, the only true option for cancer patients."

The post still shows Olivia holding a jar of green juice, but the caption is now entirely different. She has almost 9,000 followers on Instagram.