I've been fascinated, absolutely fascinated. And wishing I had so much more time on my hands. Unlike many around me, and thankfully in many ways, work has carried on pretty much as usual. Yes there's been challenges. Being prepared to move and not getting to do it due to lockdown restrictions has meant that the lovely study room (one of the few that's finished and ready to go) has sat unused by me. Instead I'm looking forward to the osteopath re-opening and correcting the damage I've done by sitting on my bed for hours at a time whilst consulting clients. But it's been great to continue to support clients, great to still be doing my job which I love.

In between work times, I've loved the learning, there is so much to follow, so much to learn. From the anatomy, physiology and physical impact of the virus, to the spiritual perspectives around it, to following the mainstream narrative (and yes, questioning A LOT). I've also been sad - hearing of people succumbing to this unknown virus has been very sad and I don't know many people that haven't been touched by it. We know of two people who've died recently and know of neighbours who've lost people in their circles. 

One thing though has been the desperate race for a cure, for a treatment and it feels to me there is an elephant in the room...

It's vast. Nothing quite like ignoring something that has stood there, standing the test of time for over 200 years. That has been refined for over 200 years. That has helped in countless epidemics, both historically and recently.

Fortunately it's not everywhere, entirely worldwide that it's being ignored. Gill Graham, homeopath and writer (as well as amazing colleague and wonderful friend) discussed how homeopathy has been used in Cuba. Finally it's being used again in India, after being banned (for the purposes of helping people with COVID-19) and then re-allowed, and clinical trials are going ahead. But in the UK? There's nothing you can do.

It's not that I want to jump up and down and scream that homeopathy could help in people experiencing COVID-19, because we all know homeopathy doesn't get given for complaint labels, it is prescribed on symptoms. It's worth remembering though that for generations homeopathy has helped with coughs, colds, flus and of course much more. This is similar to altitude sickness in terms of effects on patients - according to one NYC medic, and others following his initial news of this. We've remedies that have helped with that too. 

So for me it's not a question of needing to say that homeopathy can help with this or not. But my real curiosity today comes from the panic, the fear, the constant narrative that there is nothing that can be done. Nothing. Stay at home. Wait. Stay. We will save you.  Nothing you can do. The new and innovative (and incredibly creative) possible solutions that are being explored. Who, for example, came up with the idea that llama antibodies may help? I love it though - great leap. Especially with the altitude comment. What expense went into the plasma trials? And just how much money is being pumped into a rushed through solution for us, an experiment that even some medics are questioning. 

If we were really curious, really interested to help, would we start exploring case notes of previous epidemics? There has been much comparison to the Spanish Flu (not actually derived from Spain - it's a longwinded story and I won't go into that here), which homeopathy had the privilege of being involved in treating. The success rates suggest to me it's an angle that could be worth exploring. Death rates of 30% in the conventional camps vs 1% with homeopathic interventions. Have a read here if it intrigues you. If that was the only time, then perhaps we move on and ignore it. Yet it's helped in leptospirosis in Cuba, and subsequently in other infectious diseases there. In Dengue in several countries. Studies carried out for evaluating the role of homoeopathic treatment of dengue fever have been encouraging, with evidence reported from Brazil, Pakistan and Cuba.

So are we to continue ignoring the elephant in the room - and if so why? I guess that's the million dollar question and the battles around, and suppression of homeopathy is nothing new. I don't want to take a victim stance here as frankly that's a little dull, but badly done and apparently 'well presented' reports - such as the UK's Science and Technology report have stories behind them. Here for the UK report which was damning towards homeopathy. Then there was the Australian Review, which spread around the world rapidly causing damage. ​More on that here. In case you don't want to read the whole post on the Australian Review, perhaps the fact that the first review (which mysteriously was scrapped and the process restarted) found that “Contrary to some claims, the review did not conclude that homeopathy was ineffective.” 

To then hear that homeopathy is not effective for any condition, but then see how they arrived at those conclusions do make this whole debate confusing if nothing else. For those curious, this video may help.

It constantly makes me feel better that there are great people working on these questions. Scientific, enquiring minds that understand the concepts far better than me. I grope through the delicate studies with a rudimentary understanding - and allow myself to be curious, to steadily learn from them, whilst I aim to keep furthering how well I do my job. To hear that there is nothing can be done is mightily curious though.

Even if you're not a homeopathy user - in which case why - of course you should be ;) - then there is a question of why it's taken just so long to give any guidance around Vitamin D. Or Vitamin C - well known to help viral conditions.

I think I'll leave you with a post my lovely friend Gill shared, from Private Eye and their MD's column.

​With love, Em

I try not to watch the news - well, actually having got rid of the TV licence a year ago after being so irritated at their biased recording, so now, I barely see the news. I try also not to read much in the mainstream about our current situation as it winds me up so much. The narrative makes no sense to me in many ways.

Planning to write this blog, I've just come across the video here. Bearing in mind anything that goes against the current narrative is getting taken down quickly I thought it was also worth sharing the description from the video too:

Bet the BBC wish they didn't let this bloke on TV 
A total of 350 deaths from under 60s with no underlying health conditions!
You are more likely to DROWN than die from the virus.
Lets ban swimming! And take baths out of houses as they are so dangerous!
You are 10 times more likely to die from exercising! Lets ban that also.

I hope swimming and exercising aren't banned... I do like them both very much.

We passed some people this morning talking whilst out on a walk and the overheard comment was 'they're not going back until this has passed'. It reminded me of a chat with a friend yesterday where she was horrified to learn of the new measures to be brought in at her child's nursery. My feeling is I wouldn't send my child back until the measures to deal with this have passed. Viruses though? They've been around us for so many years. Forever. It's really not about the germ for me, it's about the terrain.

Are we going to stress constantly about the germs and when do we start to consider the terrain? More about that in a moment...

I do want to say that I'm not discounting the loss from this virus, not discounting that any loss of life is tragic. But what I'm not doing is discounting the fact that we are all going to die. All of us. That is something I've been musing over a lot recently. If I was elderly and going to pass on - would it really be OK to be alone? I hope it is for those who have. The idea my 96 year old Grandma dies by herself in her nursing home is something I've tried not to linger on and hoping that when she choses to go we, or other family, can be with her. 

I am curious about so many theories flying around - one in particular that has been backed up in at least 3 studies I've seen is that the flu shot can make coronaviruses worse. One theory, that I've seen mentioned in this video here suggests that the flu shots in Italy were new ones which massively aggravated the virus response in the general population. The video MUST WATCH: Debunking the Narrative (with Prof Dolores Cahill) shares some interesting points. I'm sure I've not missed that on the BBC despite the lack of TV licence and ability to watch it.

I don't want to get at how this has been managed - but this whole state of fear, panic and more makes me very curious - we're dealing with a virus that 99%+ of people recover from (numbers from London show there is a 0.1% chance of dying from the virus) - and I'm amazed by how many of the population are happy to stay locked away, and living in fear. Yes, it's not a great illness if you get it, though does feel that as the medical community is learning more about it all the time, and so treatment outcomes improve - for example, early days of ventilation for so many do appear not to have been the best way to go. If you're on certain medication it's likely to make things worse, if you have other health conditions it may be it's harder to cope with - and whilst age seems to be one risk factor, that said, there are many elderly people, with other conditions recovering too.

In some countries even, homeopathy is being used - Cuba for example - who have experienced a lower than expected death rate, have been using homeopathy as a prophylaxis for many. Interestingly they also did so several years ago during a leptospirosis epidemic - and with BRILLIANT results.

What I'd really like, and what I'd like to write about here, is a new normal, but not the new normal that's being spoken of so loudly. I don't envisage a new normal where social interaction is all online, I don't perceive of stepping around everyone constantly. I don't want to think that in the future we'll be a-looking at everyone with suspicion. I see that that has been creeping in and have written about it in earlier posts. I see more anti-bac products than you can shake a stick at in the supermarkets - since when can't you buy normal soap? If you're looking for liquid soap, you're going for a small market now - most have additional anti-bac products in there. 

Actually on a small tangent there, my partner has just read 10% Human and following that we're both experimenting with our skin microbiome and not washing the bacteria off us with soap - both of us are just bathing in water... and so far no terrible smell. Some slight smell the first few days - but either things have equalised and no smell or perhaps I'm just used to me ha. Since we're not exposing many other people to it, who minds!! But seriously, I have been musing over how over used these products are, how much untold damage we've done to our ability to cope with the natural world around us. How sterile we've become. How allergic to normal substances. Of course, there are many other factors involved here, but this is frequently cited as one of them.

I don't want a normal of separation for 'my health', for 'my protection', for 'the protection of the elderly, the vulnerable'. Not that I don't want to think about others, but there is something chilling about 'for your safety' as a phrase that I struggle with. You may recall it's been used in the past in less than desirable circumstances. I don't want to repeat those. I don't want a new online normal. What I want, what I really really want (can do a quick Spice Girls dance now if you like...) is a new normal where we learn about our health, where we take notice of this amazing body that we have, where we respect the incredible gift of life. A new normal where we take into account our environment, where we don't think everything is there for the benefit of us, where we don't just take, take, take. A new normal where we look at how we can work in symbiosis with our environment, and whilst we're like that, in symbiosis with others around us, animals and people.

One thing that I've become aware of is during our lockdown, the animals have been freed - there have been creatures taking to the empty roads, to the rivers, because our constant activity - or the lack of it - has allowed space for others to breathe. How do we respect that in our new normal? That's a question I'd really like to ask. How do we create a respectful new normal.

A space where, instead of separate squares where our children are allowed to stand, our children learn about how to look after their terrain. A world where kids aren't marketed to - a world where the sweets take a backseat and fruits and veg are promoted. A world where fermented foods are cool. A world where looking after yourself is rewarded. A world where customers, sorry patients, are helped to live more healthily instead of put on medication and remain on that for life. A world where we learn to look after ourselves.

Even a new normal - a world where homeopathy is used as a system of healthcare, moving away from a sick-care system. It had to come back in somewhere didn't it, the H word...? I see patients able to reduce and stop taking their meds. Anti-depressants come to mind, diabetic drugs, painkillers for example. Some came with the intent of reducing them, for others, they were going so well and decided it was possible once they'd started working with homeopathy.

I want a world where customers choose having been given options, instead of you have this, take that now and that will solve it. What when it doesn't? Stronger ones. And yet often that doesn't work... Add something else in.  And whilst we're there, take that for the side effects of the others. What about working with our bodies instead of suppressing their screams for help? What about strengthening our terrain, supporting the 'soil', rather than just bringing in the weedkiller?

What about food? I'm so excited that there are ventures such as Nutritank out there, bringing nutritional education into medical universities. What about gut health? That's creeping in more and more with a bigger awareness of the potential - and of just how much it's vital for healthy functioning.

I want a world that looks healthy, well, not digital and disconnected. One that is vibrant and alive, not all via headphones. And it seems, I'm not alone. I've never seen so many medical experts speaking up about something that makes sense to me. Never seen so many individuals starting to question, starting to learn. Never heard of the homeopathic pharmacies and supplement companies being as busy as they were when this kicked off initially. 

I have hope, and a yearning for a new normal, not to go backwards, but to step forwards, excitedly into a new potential for brilliance. Which doesn't get sold in a catalogue, on a website, from a multi-national organisation, but comes from inside, from within, from our relationship with nature. 

Love to know what you think,

​Em x