It's been funny exploring instagram again, with having a wee account for the book (here if you like), and I find myself having opinions on lots - sometimes it's remedy advice - 'if you feel these three symptoms take this remedy for several weeks' (I have to admit to occasional cringing and shouting 'but we need to individualise - those symptoms could fit any number of homeopathic medicines'). I had a browse of the search term 'homeopathy humour' this morning... and found the usual sidesplitting memes... one similar to this, which made me ponder a while.

Of course I've several thoughts, as ever. One is that frequently surgery is amazing, lifesaving and I'm grateful for so much about it. What an incredible privilege it is to have it available. That's forefront of my thoughts on the topic.

Another is that the 'nothing' philosophy is based on a fairly reductionist view of medicine and science and that many remarkable scientists, for example Luc Montagnier for one, who got the Nobel Prize for Medicine for his discovery of HIV sat in front of me (and many others, at a conference, not a private audience) and said 'high dilutions of something are not nothing'. Others, such as Dr Jayesh Bellare who features in Ananda More's Magic Pills film, described how unfortunately mentioning homeopathy seemed to act as an innoculation against getting published in scientific journals in future. The film website describes: "Along with his students, he discovered nanoparticles of source material in high potency homeopathic remedies, which were previously believed to be impossible.

Nanoparticles, interestingly, seem to be gaining interest in the conventional scientific world as curiousity grows around the topic.

The third, and to me, perhaps most intriguing thought is that sometimes the 'nothing' seems to avoid the need for surgery afterall. Looking at tributes to vet Chris Day recently, I discovered another story similar to ours about our horse's eye. This one they were faced with blindness in the eye due to uveitis (same condition as for us), and had two years of conventional treatment that hadn't helped. Another eye saved. Also have a read of the link, so lovely as a testimony to Chris, and also to the potential of homeopathy and other CAM modalities.

Many years ago I talked with someone who told me he'd been told he needed surgery, then after a homeopathic medicine came back and showed me the full extension of his arm, that he couldn't do previously. My partner also avoided minor surgery with a cyst that homeopathy helped after antibiotics had done nothing for.

Another story in the book tells how Kay had two surgical interventions to try and help chronic sinutitis but still had copious amounts of snot. She'd have about 2 and a half hour of relief every day (from 12 - 2.30pm) then symptoms would ramp up again. The start of the story is on the blog here. The end of the story is that last thing I heard, Kay described herself as 99% better. Earlier in the story, her medical team had said there was nothing else they could do about her sinusitis symptoms, they were latterly focussing on her ears. She had some impairment of hearing, her ears would pop and she would get intense pain if flying. Several months in to working with homeopathy, she was discharged from the ENT team as her ears were great. No pain flying, no excessive wax, hearing improved.

So maybe, just maybe, there's a time and a place for a 'pass the nothing' afterall :) It'd be lovely to explore that further - if you've a story how homeopathy came to the rescue and avoided surgery or other intervention I'd love to hear.

It's not, for me, about one or the other, but these accounts - and many more, illustrate to me that there's a place for CAM and conventional approaches to sit together in our world.

Have a lovely joyful day!

Ooh speaking of joy, I've just read a newsletter from my editor/publisher about an amazing opportunity in the Hebridian Islands. Here if you want to know more.

With best wishes, Em

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/luc-montagnier-homeopathy-taken-seriously_b_814619

https://magicpillsmovie.com/

Re-reminded of this quote after watching Brené Brown's Netfix show, I shared the following with students this weekend. I find it a good reminder to keep getting out there, doing, sometimes not doing quite how I wanted to, and getting on with it again.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

I also shared a more modern take, Brené's quote below. I can't do a Texas, or even American accent, so they had to go with it in my own Northern style, but if you can do a Texan one (or listen to Brené deliver it somewhere), I'm sure that adds to it really...

“If you are not in the arena getting your ass kicked on occasion, I am not interested in or open to your feedback. There are a million cheap seats in the world today filled with people who will never be brave with their own lives, but will spend every ounce of energy they have hurling advice and judgement at those of us trying to dare greatly. Their only contributions are criticism, cynicism, and fear-mongering. If you're criticizing from a place where you're not also putting yourself on the line, I'm not interested in your feedback.”

― Brené Brown

I'm not sure any of my words right now can add to that, so I'll leave it there.

With love xx

Lots has been going on and I thought I'd share a wee update on the book here on the blog.

I've almost finished annoying Lel, my graphic designer with tweaks and changes... almost anyway!

I'm loving where the front and back covers have got to. I'm loving feedback in general. My project is unlikely to be without criticism - it's a book on homeopathy afterall, so am in a 'bring it on' phase before it heads out to the wider world! Tweaks, edits and more are afoot.

When I think about it all, my biggest sense is gratitude, and it's possible my Acknowlegements section could be complained at for being like some kind of Oscar waffle... I am incredibly grateful for those on my journey to getting to where I am, and for those helping with the book.

I can have a bit of "I can do this' attitude at times, but in reality it's never without a team, or if nothing else a safety net, to pick me up if I'm struggling, give me a kick up the ass or a hug. All are appreciated at different times. There have been so many people involved with this, and still are to come, from those who feature in it, helped educate me and so much more. A friend described it yesterday as feeling like some beautiful woven mandala with some gorgeous threads interweaving together. That feels about right. I'm giving birth to this book but there is so much more than me involved with it.

Russell Brand did a sticker give away and after I'd sent off for and received Russell's stickers through the post, I started playing with designing stickers to accompany the book. Of course I handed over my random designs to Lel... who came up with the idea of stickers that double as bookmarks...

And ta-dah! Here they are!! I love a world where I think about creating something then, would you look at that, it exists now. What kind of magical existence are we having?!

The book has been with two people I respect HUGELY in my wee homeopathy world for their thoughts on all/aspects of it and is now with Helen at Bold Fish Publishing for her to organise my thoughts into something coherent and more readable (I don't think it's terrible already but looking forward to even better!)

We meet in two week when she'll be almost done with her work on it. March heralds, as well as possible storms, snow, spring flowers and more... the book heading out to beta readers and those I'm asking for potential endorsements on the text, or short comments for the front and back covers... April is the month of collating changes, improving the text further and hopefully the end of April here it comes!

Copies will be available in ebook, paperback and hardback versions and it'll be on print on demand, plus I plan to have copies available to sell direct too.

Thanks for reading and following the progress!

With gratitude,

Em

PS. The ISBN number above here is a mock one for space holding purposes, please ignore any details from it!