Anthroposophic Medicine
Here are two items concerning Anthroposophic Medicine:
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Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2019-12-01, Volume 47 102151
Editorial: Anthroposophic Medicine: A multimodal medical system integrating complementary therapies into mainstream medicineJan Vagedes
Excerpts:
"Anthroposophic Medicine (AM) started almost 100 years ago in 1920. Nowadays it is established in more than 65 countries, mainly in Europe, and is strongly growing in many regions, e.g. (South) America and Asia. Health professionals such as physicians, therapists, and nurses practice AM in hospitals or medical practices. An increasing number of universities teach AM, e.g. in Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary or Switzerland. The holistic approach provides specific treatment and therapies for the entire range of all acute and chronic diseases: individually selected medication, art therapies, movement therapies such as eurythmy therapy, rhythmical massage, external applications, and other special nursing techniques."
"AM is therefore rooted in the secure foundation of science-based medicine with the goal of expanding conventional medicine as needed and possible: '… to all that can be known about the human being with the methods that are recognized to-day, we add a further knowledge, whose discoveries are made by different methods. And out of this extended knowledge of the World and Man, we find ourselves compelled to work for an extension of the art of Medicine.' Thus, Anthroposophic Medicine is integrative medicine, performed by trained, specialized health care professionals, developed from the natural science-based medicine of the present, but in its method, diagnostics and therapy taking into account the whole human being, his physical, living, emotional, and mental-spiritual dimension, his unique biography. AM is integrated into health systems, particulary in Switzerland and Brazil, where AM is an official part of the health system.
"After training in conventional medicine, interested physicians undergo additional specialized training in AM...Many AM physicians work in primary care or in specialist medical practices. In anthroposophic hospitals, they also practice in specialized areas. AM physicians apply anthroposophic remedies based on plant, mineral, and animal substances, combined with the whole spectrum of conventional pharmacotherapy when necessary...The medications are applied orally, some subcutaneously, intracutaneously, intravenously or topically (e.g. application to the skin or nasal cavity). An important part of AM care are also AM nursing, external applications, art therapies, rhythmical massage, movement therapies such as eurythmy therapy, and anthroposophic psychotherapy or counseling.
"Anthroposophic nursing: External applications such as compresses, embrocations, and baths regulate, strengthen, or stimulate hygiogenic and healing processes by way of using etheric or fatty oils, ointments, tinctures, essences, or substances...In addition to external applications, the intention of anthroposophically extended nursing is to establish a caring bond, to perceive the patient in his individual, mental, psychophysiological and physical being."
"Rhythmical massage is a technique derived from Swedish massage and developed by Dr. Ita Wegman within AM...As a further development of the classical massage, rhythmical massage uses lifting, rhythmically gliding and undulating movements that include complex patterns such as lemniscates. Patients who receive rhythmical massage often experience something like an opposing force to gravity, which they describe as a 'levitas force', a dynamic of loosening and becoming lighter from the deeper, inner body regions out to the periphery."
"Eurythmy therapy is an anthroposophic movement therapy...Patients usually perform the exercises standing, occasionally sitting or walking, in individual or small group sessions. The movements are related either to speech elements such as consonants or vowels, to music elements, e.g. intervals, or to specific soul gestures, and are performed with the arms and legs, hands and feet, or with the whole body, depending on the patient's condition...Besides the general positive effect of movements (e.g. on the cardiorespiratory system) it is assumed that eurythmy therapy has an additional specific effect on individual organ systems and functions.
"Anthroposophic art therapies are often part of the therapeutic concept in AM. They also play an important role in helping patients express their feelings or concerns nonverbally, which opens up a wider perspective for diagnostic and therapeutic approaches."
"Anthroposophic psychotherapy...The training is based on conventional psychotherapy, which is extended to include anthroposophic aspects."
"Still, research activity has grown steadily in recent decades, including the conduction of several RCTs...The clinical efficacy and effectiveness of anthroposophic treatments are reviewed in a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) report (updated) including 265 studies on AM...A large proportion of the trials was conducted in oncology, with 133 studies focusing on the efficacy of anthroposophic mistletoe extracts in cancer...The HTA report describes considerable differences in the methodological quality of the projects. Some works did not yield valid conclusions and showed substantial quality limitations, others were conducted on a high level. Of the 265 studies, 253 stated a positive outcome for AM, e.g. 32 of the 38 RCTs."
"Anthroposophic Medicine has also been the subject of several cost analyses. They report a predominantly more favorable cost structure for AM, with cost savings in medication (lower drug costs), hospitalization (fewer admissions and hospital days), and specialist care (fewer referrals). In the majority of the studies, anthroposophically treated patients had a longer disease history or were more severely affected by the disease, so that the favorable economic outcome cannot be attributed to a lower disease burden.
"In summary, Anthroposophic Medicine is based on a holistic paradigm of organism, disease, and treatment and can be fully integrated with conventional medicine in medical practices and hospitals."
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Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Volume 2019, Article ID 3706143
Contributing to Global Health: Development of a Consensus-Based Whole Systems Research Strategy for Anthroposophic MedicineG. S. Kienle et al. (10 authors from 6 different countries) (lead author is from: Institute for Applied Epistemology and Medical Methodology, Witten/Herdecke University, Freiburg, Germany)
Abstract
Background. Whole medicine and health systems like traditional and complementary medicine systems (T&CM) are part of healthcare around the world. One key feature of T&CM is its focus on patient-centered and multimodal care and the integration of intercultural perspectives in a wide range of settings. It may contribute to good health and well being for people as part of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. The authentic, rigorous, and fair evaluation of such a medical system, with its inherent complexity and individualization, imposes methodological challenges. Hence, we propose a broad research strategy to test and characterize its possible contribution to health. Methods. To develop a research strategy for a specific T&CM system, Anthroposophic Medicine (AM), applying multimodal integrative healthcare based on a four-level concept of man, we used a three-phase consensus process with experts and key stakeholders, consisting of (1) premeeting methodological literature and AM research review and interviews to supplement or revise items of the research strategy and tailor them to AM research, (2) face-to-face consensus meetings further developing and tailoring the strategy, and (3) postmeeting feedback and review, followed by finalization. Results. Currently, AM covers many fields of medical specialties in varied levels of healthcare settings, such as outpatient and inpatient; primary, secondary, and tertiary care; and health education and pedagogy. It is by definition integrated with conventional medicine in the public healthcare system. It applies specific medicines, nursing techniques, arts therapies, eurythmy therapy, rhythmical massage, counseling, and psychotherapy, and it is provided by medical doctors, nurses, therapists, midwives, and nutritionists. A research strategy authentic to this level of complexity should comprise items with a focus on (I) efficacy and effectiveness, divided into (a) evaluation of the multimodal and multidisciplinary medical system as a whole, or of complex multimodal therapy concept, (b) a reasonable amount of methodologically rigorous, confirmatory randomized controlled trials on exemplary pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapies and indications, (c) a wide range of interventions and patient-centered care strategies with less extensive formats like well-conducted small trails, observational studies, and high-quality case reports and series, or subgroup analyses from whole-system studies, or health service research; (II) safety; (III) economics; (IV) evidence synthesis; (V) methodologic issues; (VI) biomedical, physiological, pharmacological, pharmaceutical, psychological, anthropological, and nosological issues as well as innovation and development; (VI) patient perspective and involvement, public needs, and ethics; (VII) educational matters and professionalism; and (IX) disease prevention, health promotion, and public health. Conclusion. The research strategy extends to and complements the prevailing hierarchical system by introducing a broad “evidence house” approach to evaluation, something many health technology assessment boards today support. It may provide transparent and comprehensive insight into potential benefits or risks of AM. It can serve as a framework for an evidence-informed approach to AM for a variety of stakeholders and collaborating networks with the aim of improving global health.
Free full text:
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2019/3706143/Excerpt:
"Anthroposophic Medicine (AM) is one of the whole healthcare systems of IM [36]. It is based on a holistic, system-oriented understanding of man and nature, including disease and treatment. Its organismic concept consists of four levels (physical organization, life processes, soul, and spirit) and three constitutional systems (nerve-sense, metabolic-limb, rhythmic). AM is embedded in countrywide care systems, secondary and tertiary care hospitals, primary health centers, and private medical practices [36]. It applies medicines derived from plants, minerals, and animals; nursing procedures like rhythmical embrocations, baths, and wraps; arts therapies like music, painting, and sculpture; movement (eurythmy) therapy; physiotherapies such as rhythmical massage; lifestyle recommendations associated to AM philosophy concerning nutrition, agriculture, education; and meditation and mindfulness, psycho-spiritual counseling, and psychosocial support. AM care is provided by certified medical doctors, nurses, therapists, midwives, psychotherapists, and nutritionists [36–38]. AM education is provided by specific schools, universities, and other academic institutions [36]."
