Episode 107: Maintaining Causes with Mary Greensmith

In this Homeopathy 247 podcast, Mary Greensmith invites us to explore an important but often overlooked topic: maintaining causes — the hidden obstacles that can block our path to better health. Whether you’re dealing with chronic illness, emotional challenges, or simply aiming for better wellbeing, this conversation shines a light on how identifying and removing maintaining causes can transform your life.

What Are Maintaining Causes?

Mary explains that a maintaining cause is anything that keeps your body from fully healing. This could be physical, emotional, or environmental. She shares how Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, first discussed this concept back in the 18th century — pointing out issues like poor diet, smoky homes, and unhealthy living conditions as major blocks to recovery.

Today, those maintaining causes have expanded to include poor-quality processed foods, environmental pollution, chronic stress, and emotional trauma.

Modern Life and New Challenges

Mary highlights how farming methods and food production have changed dramatically, meaning many of today’s foods lack the nutrition our bodies need. Add in environmental toxins — from vehicle pollution to chemicals in our water supply — and it’s easy to see how our health can be compromised without us even realizing it.

She reminds us that even if environmental problems seem far away, they can still impact us locally through the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat.

Emotional and Lifestyle Factors Matter Too

It’s not just physical surroundings that act as maintaining causes. Mary points out how emotional challenges like toxic relationships, stressful work environments, and unresolved trauma can also block healing. If your emotional world is constantly draining you, your body may struggle to hold onto the benefits of any healing remedies.

What Can We Do About It?

Mary encourages listeners not to give up, even if facing big challenges. Recognizing that a maintaining cause exists is the first empowering step. From there, even small changes can make a big difference. Whether it’s improving your diet, seeking a healthier environment, setting emotional boundaries, or making long-term plans for change, every step counts.

Importantly, Mary shares a personal story about a client whose health improved even while a maintaining cause was still present — proving that homeopathy can still offer meaningful support while you work on bigger life changes.