Anthroposophical medicine

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Anthroposophical medicine is a complementary medicine founded in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner in conjunction with doctor Ita Wegman. Its advocates see it as a holistic and salutogenetic approach to medicine which focuses on ensuring that the conditions for health are present in a person. Therapies are intended to enhance the organism's capacities to heal.[1]

Anthroposophical medicine is employed as an extension to conventional medicine, not as an alternative to it; conventional medical treatments such as surgery and medication are employed as necessary.[1] Anthroposophical physicians must have a conventional medical education, including a degree from an established and certified medical school, as well as supplementary training in the anthroposophical approach.[2][3]

Contents

[edit] Origins

Ita Wegman, co-founder of the movement, before 1900 in Berlin.
Ita Wegman, co-founder of the movement, before 1900 in Berlin.

The first steps towards an anthroposophical approach to medicine were made before 1920, when homeopathic physicians and pharmacists began working with Rudolf Steiner, who recommended new medicinal substances as well as specific methods for preparing these. In 1921, Dr. Ita Wegman opened the first anthroposophic medical clinic, now known as the Ita Wegman Clinic,[4] in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Wegman was soon joined by a number of other doctors. They began to train the first anthroposophic nurses for the clinic.

At Wegman's request, Steiner regularly visited the clinic and suggested treatment regimes for particular patients. Between 1921 and 1925, he also gave several series of lectures on medicine. In 1925, Wegman and Steiner wrote the first book on the anthroposophic approach to medicine, Fundamentals of Therapy.

The clinic expanded and soon opened a branch in Ascona. Wegman lectured widely, visiting Holland and England particularly frequently, and an increasing number of doctors began to include the anthroposophic approach in their practices. A cancer clinic, the Lukas Clinic,[5] opened in Arlesheim in 1963.

[edit] Methodology

Anthroposophical medicine approaches disease as an imbalance in the biological organism and employs treatment strategies intended to restore this balance. Anthroposophical approaches include anthroposophical medicines based upon modified homeopathic principles, physical therapies including massage therapy and artistic therapies. Many of these are intended to support the patient's capacity for self-healing.

Anthroposophical medicine is based upon the anthroposophical view of the human being which considers the patient's:[1]

Anthroposophical doctors generally restrict the use of antibiotics, antipyretics, and vaccinations. Most children treated by anthroposophic doctors are vaccinated only against tetanus and polio, and most vaccinations are given later than recommended by health authorities.[6]

[edit] Studies of efficacy

  • A study of the effectiveness of anthroposophical medicine found long-standing improvements of disease symptoms and quality of life in patients with mental, respiratory, and musculoskeletal diseases and other chronic conditions; the study did not compare results with other treatment regimens. [7]
  • A study of anthroposophic treatment of chronic illness found that "Anthroposophic therapies were associated with long-term reduction of chronic disease symptoms, improvement of health-related quality of life, and health cost reduction."[8]
  • The multicenter PARSIFAL study, involving 6,630 children age 5 to 13 in 5 European countries, concluded that certain practices of anthroposophical doctors, such as restrictive use of antibiotics and antipyretics, are associated with a reduced risk of allergic disease in children.[9]
  • A comparison of the effectiveness of treatments of chronic lower back pain found that anthroposophically treated patients showed at least comparable improvements to conventionally treated patients, and significantly more pronounced improvement on three scales: mental health, general health and vitality[10]

Anthroposophical medicine has been criticized by some current day advocates of evidence based medicine such as Wallace Sampson[11] and Edzard Ernst[12] who have argued that practitioners of anthroposophical medicine and other forms of alternative medicine deliver treatments for which the efficacy or safety hasn't been adequately demonstrated through strictly controlled medical and scientific testing.[12]

[edit] Double-blind studies

Robert Todd Carroll claims that, because of the individualized nature of treatment and for ethical reasons, Anthroposophical physicians do not conduct double-blind controlled scientific experiments,[13] and that it is thus nearly impossible to evaluate their success rates.

[edit] Mistletoe treatment for cancer

Anthroposophical medicine includes a cancer treatment based on mistletoe extracts developed by anthroposophical researchers. This treatment is widely used in Central Europe, where up to two-thirds of all oncology patients' treatment regimen includes mistletoe.[14]

[edit] Medical studies

  • A number of studies support the efficacy of mistletoe in treating cancers.[15]
  • A prospective, randomized study from 2004 demonstrated significant improvement in patients' quality of life and a 50% reduction in undesirable side-effects of chemotherapy.[16]
  • One review of studies of mistletoe concludes that Iscador (mistletoe) has been shown to be effective against cancers in animals, but that its efficacy in humans is unclear.[17]
  • The National Cancer Institute has concluded that mistletoe extract has been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory and to boost the immune system in animals,[18] that there is evidence that mistletoe can boost the immune system in human beings, but that almost all of the studies done on human beings have major weaknesses that raise doubts about the reliability of their findings.[19]
  • The American Cancer Society website says, "A number of laboratory experiments suggest mistletoe may have the potential to treat cancer, but these results have not yet been reflected in clinical trials. Available evidence from well-designed clinical trials that have studied mistletoe did not support claims that mistletoe could improve length or quality of life. Review of evidence from carefully conducted controlled human clinical studies indicates that mistletoe does not have any significant anti-tumor activity. Most of the studies that have found positive results from mistletoe extract in the treatment or prevention of cancer are not considered scientifically dependable."[20]
  • Side effects of mistletoe injections have been reported to include redness, pain or, in a few cases, inflammations under the skin[21], but it is not clear from the cited report whether it was homeopathic Iscador or another of the 30 types of mistletoe extracts[22] that was used.

[edit] Editorial comment

  • In a newspaper editorial, Edzard Ernst suggested that mistletoe can have negative side-effects and some patients may choose to abandon other cancer treatments, which he sees as dangerous.[23]

[edit] Other

Steiner's descriptions of certain bodily organs and their functions sometimes differ significantly from those found in medical textbooks. He stated, for example, that the heart is not a pump but a regulator of circulatory flow, since osmotic pressure at the capillary level generates more blood pressure than the heart itself,[24] a view that has been confirmed by recent medical research.[25]

[edit] Present-day clinics and doctors

There are currently anthroposophical medical practices in more than 60 countries. Anthroposophic medicine has been integrated into a traditional hospital in Switzerland.[26] Clinics in English-speaking countries include:

[edit] England

  • Blackthorn Medical Centre in Maidstone, Kent
  • Botton Village Health Centre in Danby, Whitby
  • Hale Clinic in London [4]
  • Helios Medical Centre in Stoke Bishop, Bristol
  • Park Atwood Clinic in Worcestershire [5]
  • Raphael Medical Centre in Tonbridge, Kent [6]
  • St. Luke's Medical Centre in Stroud, Glos.

[edit] Ireland

  • Holywood Community Health Initiative in Holywood, Co. Down

[edit] Scotland

  • Camphill Medical Practice in Bieldside, Aberdeen

[edit] USA

  • Fellowship Community Medical Clinic in Chestnut Ridge, NY
  • Raphael House in Fair Oaks, California [7]
  • Rudolf Steiner Health Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan [8]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Klotter, Jule (May 2006). Anthroposophical Medicine. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, 24(1):274.
  2. ^ von Rohr et al., "Experiences in the realisation of a research project on anthroposophical medicine in patients with advanced cancer", Schweiz Med Wochenschr 2000;130:1173–84
  3. ^ Cantor, I. S., and Rosenzweig, R. (December 1997). Anthroposophic perspectives in primary care. Primary Care, 24(4):867-87. PMID 9386260 Reprint copy
  4. ^ Ita Wegman Klinik (German). Accessed 2007-12-26.
  5. ^ Lukas Clinic. Accessed 2007-12-26.
  6. ^ Alm, J. S., Swartz, J., Lilja, G., Scheynius, A., and Pershagen, G. (1999). Atopy in children of families with an anthroposophic lifestyle. Lancet, 353(9163):1485-8. PMID 10232315 Reprint copy.
  7. ^ Hamre, Harald J., Claudia M. Witt, Anja Glockmann, Renatus Ziegler, Stefan N. Willich, and Helmut Kiene. "Anthroposophic medical therapy in chronic disease: a four-year prospective cohort study." B M C Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7.10 (April 23, 2007)
  8. ^ Hamre et al., "Anthroposophic therapies in chronic disease: the Anthroposophic Medicine Outcomes Study (AMOS)". Eur J Med Res. 2004 Jul 30;9(7):351-60. PMID: 15337636
  9. ^ Flöistrup, H., Swartz, J., Bergström, A., Alm, J. S., Scheynius, A., et al. (2006). Allergic disease and sensitization in Steiner school children. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 117(1):59-66. PMID 16387585 Reprint copy
  10. ^ Hamre et al., "Anthroposophic vs. conventional therapy for chronic low back pain: a prospective comparative study." European Journal of Medical Research, 2007, 12(7), 302-10
  11. ^ Wallace Sampson, MD, "Alternative Attraction". http://www.pbs.org/saf/1210/features/attraction.htm
  12. ^ a b Healthwatch Award 2005: Edzard Ernst
  13. ^ Carroll, Robert Anthroposophic Medicine The Skeptic's Dictionary, accessed March 5, 2007 [1]
  14. ^ Ernst E, Schmit K, Steuer-Vogt MK. Mistletoe for cancer? A systematic review of randomised controlled trials. Int J Cancer 2003;107:262-7, cited in BMJ 2006;333:1293-1294 (23 December)[2]
  15. ^ Mistletoe studies: PMID 3409209, 1990 study, PMID 8067703, PMID 9179366, 1981 study, PMID 9042260, PMID 16101142, and for background: PMID 10550903.
  16. ^ Piao BK, Wang YX, Xie GR, Mansmann U, Matthes H, Beuth J, Lin HS.: Impact of complementary mistletoe extract treatment on quality of life in breast, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer patients. A prospective randomized controlled clinical trial. Anticancer Res. 2004 Jan-Feb;24(1):303-9. PMID 15015612
  17. ^ Review of mistletoe studies, "Iscador / Mistletoe / Viscumalbum / Plenosol / Helixor / Iscucin", published by the BC Cancer Agency (2007). Article
  18. ^ Overview of mistletoe findings, published by National Cancer Institute (2006). Article
  19. ^ Questions and Answers About Mistletoe, published by National Cancer Institute (2006). Article
  20. ^ American Cancer Society website (2007) [3]
  21. ^ Finall, A.J., McIntosh, S. A., and Thompson, W. D. (2006). Subcutaneous inflammation mimicking metastatic malignancy induced by injection of mistletoe extract. British Medical Journal, 333(7582):1293-4. PMID 17185712 Reprint copy
  22. ^ Ernst, E. (2006). Editorial: Mistletoe as a treatment for cancer. British Medical Journal, 333(7582):1282-3. PMID 17185706 Reprint copy
  23. ^ Ernst, Edzard, "Medicine man", The Guardian, December 21, 2004, Article
  24. ^ Marinelli, Ralph and others The Heart Is Not A Pump Frontier Perspectives 5(1), 1995
  25. ^ "Thus, the valveless embryonic heart does not drive circulation through peristalsis." Forouhar et. al (5 May 2006). "The Embryonic Vertebrate Heart Tube is a Dynamic Suction Pump". Science 312 (5774): 751-3. 
  26. ^ "Ich habe den Eindruck, das bringt den Patienten etwas", Tagesanzeiger, Dec. 25, 2007

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Journal review articles

  • Ernst, Edzard (2004). Anthroposophical medicine: A systematic review of randomised clinical trials. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, 116(4):128-130, ISSN 0043-5325, PMID 15038403.
  • Kienle, G. H., and Kiene, H. (2007). Complementary cancer therapy: A systematic review of prospective clinical trials on anthroposophic mistletoe extracts. European Journal of Medical Research, 12:103-119, PMID 17507307. Reprint (accessed 10/29/2007).
  • Mistletoe and Cancer, Townsend Letter, October 2002

[edit] Books

[edit] Lectures by Rudolf Steiner

[edit] External links