Avoiding surgery with 'nothing'

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/