Anthroposophy and science: An introduction
Abstract
This book is the first thorough introduction into the scientific basis of anthroposophy and anthroposophical medicine in the context of academic science. On a sound epistemological basis and in the context of current debates it analyses basic concepts of physics, chemistry, genetics, morphogenesis, biology, neurobiology, psychology, and philosophy of mind, with an emphasis on the problems of life, mind-body interactions, and free will. The result is a non-reductionistic anthropology acknowledging the emergent properties of body, life, soul, and spirit as equally real entities. This concurs with the basic concepts of anthroposophy and anthroposophical medicine, the justification of which is discussed in relation to the history and methodology of science as well as evidence based medicine. © Peter Lang GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Frankfurt am Main 2016. All rights reserved.
... Social sciences like anthropology, psychology, management, and economics study the social and cultural aspects of human behavior. For further reading, see Bohm (1994); Bortoft (1996); Heusser (2016Heusser ( /2022; Roozenburg & Eekels (1995); Simon (2019). What is life, mind, and matter? ...
... (3) metabolic (organ limbs), which can be zoomed in and out within the human system including the use of the principle of self-similarity, see e.g. Heusser (2016). ...
... This is one of the basic examples of self-similar sets-that is, it is a mathematically generated pattern that is reproducible at any magnification (zooming out) or reduction (zooming in). For further reading see, Ackoff (1999); Bortoft (1996); Heusser (2016); Velmans (2017); Varela (2017). Problem solving & systems thinking Ackoff (1991Ackoff ( , 1999 identifies four methods of 'problem solving': 1) Absolve, 2) Resolve, 3) Solve, and 4) Dissolve. ...
... University, Germany, appeared in 2016. 65 This important and updated English version of his original work in the German language presents a detailed scientific explanation of the view of the human being underlying anthroposophy and anthroposophic medicine. It also provides a conceptual basis for integrative medicine, critically evaluating the various fields of natural science as well as the philosophy of mind that impact medicine. ...
... [68][69][70][71][72][73] Many people, both patients and non-patients, suffer biologically, psychologically and spiritually from the common, restricted, dogmatic and monoparadigmatic ideology that science and biomedicine offer and practice (the exclusivity of scientific materialism, scientific naturalism or scientism). 74 There is a truly trenchant criticism of the ideology or world view of scientific materialism and reductionsim 1,3,65,74,75 that is demanding to be taken to heart by the medical profession. While the advances in science and medicine since the 19 th century are epochmaking and frequently valuable, many can experience, directly or indirectly, the drawbacks, one-sidedness and adverse effects of modern medicine; hence, the rise in interest and use of integrative medicine and other medical systems by patients to more fully address their suffering. ...
... Thus, anthroposophic medicine provides a foundation for a comprehensive and rational and scientific system (including conventional medicine) for diagnosis and therapy. 32,54,[60][61][62]65,[78][79][80][81] It also has the potential to help integrate the various fields in integrative medicine into a firm, scientific and fully human foundation. 65 ...
Introduction: Anthroposophic medicine is a form of integrative medicine that originated in Europe but is not well known in the US. It is comprehensive and heterogenous in scope and remains provocative and controversial in many academic circles. Assessment of the nature and potential contribution of anthroposophic medicine to whole person care and global health seems appropriate. Methods: Because of the heterogenous and multifaceted character of anthroposophic medicine, a narrative review format was chosen. A Health Technology Assessment of anthroposophic medicine in 2006 was reviewed and used as a starting point. A Medline search from 2006 to July 2020 was performed using various search terms and restricted to English. Books, articles, reviews and websites were assessed for clinical relevance and interest to the general reader. Abstracts of German language articles were reviewed when available. Reference lists of articles and the author's personal references were also consulted. Results: The literature on anthroposophic medicine is vast, providing new ways of thinking, a holistic view of the world, and many integrating concepts useful in medicine. In the last 20 years there has been a growing research base and implementation of many anthroposophical concepts in the integrated care of patients. Books and articles relevant to describing the foundations, scientific status, safety, effectiveness and criticisms of anthroposophic medicine are discussed. Discussion: An objective and comprehensive analysis of anthroposophic medicine finds it provocative, stimulating and potentially fruitful as an integrative system for whole person care, including under-recognized life processes and psycho-spiritual aspects of human beings. It has a legitimate, new type of scientific status as well as documented safety and effectiveness in some areas of its multimodal approach. Criticisms and controversies of anthroposophic medicine are often a result of lack of familiarity with its methods and approach and/or come from historically fixed ideas of what constitutes legitimate science.
... Anthroposophic medicine (AM) is an integrative medical system, founded in Central Europe in the early 1920s. AM is provided by physicians, therapists and nurses and integrates conventional medicine with the concepts, methods and therapies derived from anthroposophy. 1 ,2 The anthroposophic concept of man claims the human organism to be not only formed by physical (cellular, molecular) forces but by altogether four classes of formative forces: (1) formative physical forces; (2) formative vegetative forces which interact with physical forces and bring about and maintain the living form, as in plants; (3) a further class of formative forces (anima, soul) which interact with the vegetative and physical forces, creating the duality of internal-external and the sensory, motor, nervous and circulatory systems, as in animals; (4) and an additional class of formative forces (Geist, spirit) which interact with the three others and enables the manifestation of individual mind with the capacity for reflective thinking, as in humans. 3 ,4. ...
... Scientists are trained in natural sciences and evidence-based medicine as well as in AM concepts and methodologies. 4 ,38,39 They use a well-structured and transparent language, as laid out in AM textbooks in different languages, 40-43 they communicate and cooperate among another and with other scientists; they publish in peer reviewed journals of conventional medicine, CAM or AM 44 and participate in research conferences on conventional medicine, CAM and AM worldwide. A large number of publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations in conventional scientific conferences demonstrate the exchange of results and ideas with other scientific communities. ...
... 63 ,64 This trend is manifest in systems biology, epigenetics and emergence. 4 Moreover, regarding the empirical observations in these research fields, AM concepts can have a bearing on conceptualization and explanation, thus demonstrating their original and enriching quality and their explanatory power, without having an overloaded ontology. 4 ,41. ...
Objectives:
The objective was to evaluate the scientific status of anthroposophic medicine (AM) according to demarcation criteria proposed in contemporary philosophy of science.
Design:
Criteria for what is science were retrieved from eight publications in the philosophy of science, focusing either on science in medicine or on the demarcation between science and pseudoscience or non-science. Criteria were combined, redundancies were excluded, and the final set of criteria was ordered in a logical sequence. The analysis yielded 11 demarcation criteria (community, domain, problems, goals, axiomatic basis, conceptual basis, quality of concepts, methodology, deontic basis, research products, tradition).
Results:
Assessing the scientific status of AM according to the 11 criteria, all criteria were fulfilled by AM.
Discussion:
AM is grounded on the notion that specific non-atomistic holistic formative forces exist and can be empirically and rationally assessed. From a position claiming that such holistic forces cannot possibly exist or cannot be empirically and rationally assessed, the axiomatic and conceptual basis of AM can be contested. However, such an a priori rejection is problematic in the presence of empirical evidence supporting the validity of holistic concepts, as discussed in the paper. Future research should therefore focus on the tenability of the ontological reductionist position in science and on the further validation of AM non-atomistic holistic concepts, methods and practices.
Conclusion:
In this analysis, using criteria from philosophy of science, AM fulfilled all 11 criteria for what is science.
... This has two theoretical and pedagogical implications. On the one hand, the critical and alternative approach is also reflected in the applied fields of anthroposophy (Heusser, 2016), such as Waldorf education (Heusser, 2016;Steiner, 2013, p. 74), leading to the development of concrete alternative didactic approaches (Park & Song, 2018), the measurement of effectiveness (Kikas, 2000) and, in some cases, the ascertainment of effectiveness (Arslan & Kartal, 2022;Mavrelos et al., 2023). On the other hand, academics tend to be no less critical of Rudolf Steiner than vice versa. ...
... This has two theoretical and pedagogical implications. On the one hand, the critical and alternative approach is also reflected in the applied fields of anthroposophy (Heusser, 2016), such as Waldorf education (Heusser, 2016;Steiner, 2013, p. 74), leading to the development of concrete alternative didactic approaches (Park & Song, 2018), the measurement of effectiveness (Kikas, 2000) and, in some cases, the ascertainment of effectiveness (Arslan & Kartal, 2022;Mavrelos et al., 2023). On the other hand, academics tend to be no less critical of Rudolf Steiner than vice versa. ...
In our study we investigate the differences between the views of Waldorf and Montessori teacher trainers (N Waldorf = 8, N Montessori = 8) on the basis of structured interviews. The narrower, national relevance of our study is the Hungarian higher education accreditation efforts of the two school models, while the more general relevance is that we empirically test the theoretical distance between the two school concepts on a Hungarian sample. The aim of the study is therefore twofold: to identify the main theoretical differences between the two pedagogical approaches and to empirically test the presence or absence of these differences through the views of teacher trainers. Our results show that the teacher trainers of the two pedagogical approaches have partly moved away from their theoretical background and are divided on certain issues: Montessori teacher trainers are moving towards a focus on the development of large movements, while Waldorf teacher trainers are moving towards a better appreciation of science. As there is no state accreditation of Waldorf and Montessori teacher training courses in Hungary, we are also looking at the scientific attitudes of the teachers involved in teacher training.
... Characteristics that can serve as a way of differentiating Anthroposophic meditation practice are an emphasis on cognitive development (primarily thinking) and that it seeks to realize a higher self that is not egocentered but still individual [9]. Furthermore, Anthroposophic meditation is often connected to other areas of human activity, such as investigating the natural world [10,11], and it is conceived of as providing support for pedagogy [12], medicine [13], agriculture [14], and religious practice [15]. For further characterization and historical contextualization of Anthroposophic meditation, see the commentary by Clement [16] and Sparby [1]. ...
... Developing higher capacities (11) Knowledge, verification, scientific attitude, first hand experience "Because . . . I don't just want to believe something, you want to experience for yourself. ...
Research on meditation is advancing, but few studies about the motivations of meditators exist. Additionally, many forms and traditions of meditation have yet to be investigated. This study addresses both of these issues by presenting an overview of different forms of motivations found in contemporary Anthroposophic meditation practice. 30 Anthroposophic meditators were interviewed about their meditation experiences. The interviews were examined using thematic analysis. 14 data-driven themes were extracted and organized within a framework consisting of three superordinate theory-driven forms of motivation: External, internal and service. A developmental trajectory running from external and internal to service motivations is indicated. This approach improves upon a scheme developed by Shapiro by including additional types of motivations and being able to differentiate between forms of motivations that are fundamentally different: Self-related (heteronomous and autonomous) motivations and other-related motivations.
... Both of these questions are dealt with in Peter Heusser's recent and seminal work, Anthroposophy and Science: An Introduction. 2 The purpose of this book is to establish a scientific foundation for and integration of various integrative medical approaches, through anthroposophical spiritual science, for the practice of truly individualized medicine. This is an unusual book. ...
... Heusser attempts in this book to show how a scientific explanation of AM's view of the human being can provide "the conceptual basis for modern integrative medicine"² and that a systematic application of Rudolf Steiner's epistemological writings on science and reality "results in a modern, scientifically founded, holistic understanding of the human being which is capable of overcoming the [reductive] naturalism [in much of] science and medicine. " 2 Given the book's purpose and its subject matter of epistemology, the philosophy of mind, anthroposophy, and the all various sciences that have affected the human being, there is no wonder that this is not a light read. It is a logically organized book with 8 chapters that have very helpful subheadings, and slightly more than 300 pages of text. ...
Anthroposophic medicine (AM) is a complex, individualized, multimodal, and integrative system of medicine and an art of healing based on both natural science and the transformed, spiritual science as found in Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy. A careful and comprehensive study of anthroposophy and AM, as provided in Anthroposophy and Science: An Introduction, can be a new way to see science and the legitimacy of the new direction provided by anthroposophy. The clinical, scientific application of anthroposophy to the field of medicine is AM with its multidimensional diagnostic approach, its various natural remedies, and novel nonpharmacological modalities. These are all aimed at a direction of complete healing of the ill person in their 4-fold nature. Moreover, anthroposophy and AM may provide the approach and direction to begin to truly integrate the field of integrative medicine so that it is both scientific and fully human. Copyright © 2018 Integrative Medicine A Clinicican's Journal. All rights reserved.
... A closely related topic concerns the several texts (eg. Kiersch 2008;Heusser 2016;Schieren 2011) that discuss the scientific validity of anthroposophy. These are generally closely related to the present theme given that the relationship between Steiner education and anthroposophy is also to a large degree an issue of the scientific credibility of Steiner education. ...
In recent research the need for studies that provide comprehensive and systematic reviews of specific topic related to Steiner/Waldorf education has been highlighted. One such area is the relationship between Steiner/Waldorf education and anthroposophy where a significant amount of writing has been done over the years. The article focuses on two issues. First to provide an initial systematic review of the literature and second to look at how the discussion has evolved over time. The article reviews journal articles, books and research stretching back to 1968. The main findings are that the core of the discussion has largely remained the same: that anthroposophy is a method not a world view and that its importance for Steiner/Waldorf education lies in how it becomes a path for individual transformation not in it being a teaching or dogma. There is, however, a clear increase in writing from 2010 onward and with this a significant nuancing and deepening of the arguments from previous decades. Intersecting with that are different styles and approaches, one termed "maximalist" and one "minimalist" in the analysis, the former employing a style thick with Steiner quotes and anthroposophical content and the latter more focused on the epistemological aspects of anthroposophy with less emphasis on quotes from Steiner and content discussion.
... The holistic anthroposophic concept of the "4-fold" human constitution was used as a starting-point since Anthroposophic Medicine has led the way for implementing MT in cancer therapy and research. [44][45][46][47] Anthroposophic Medicine understands the human being not only as a material being, but also in its non-material existence, being differentiated into the physical body, the vitality body, the soul and the higher self. This concept, being very complex in its details, was then simplified to make it as comprehensible as possible for patients. ...
Introduction:
The introspective experience of cancer patients using mistletoe therapy has received little scientific interest, although it is crucial for a holistic understanding of this therapy. This study contributes to patient-centered research and treatment by documenting the subjective experiences of individuals undergoing mistletoe therapy.
Methods:
In this qualitative, explorative study, 20 outpatients with a history of various cancer types were recruited from Arlesheim Hospital (Arlesheim, Switzerland). All patients received subcutaneous mistletoe therapy for at least 2 years (median 7.5 years). Data was collected through 2 semi-structured, in-depth interviews per patient. Qualitative content analysis was applied to examine the data. The individual experience of mistletoe therapy was analyzed in relation to 6 predefined levels of human experience: physical, vital, emotional, mental, spiritual and social. In addition, 3 further aspects, considered as cross-dimensional perspectives, emerged out of the material: warmth, immune strengthening, and general wellbeing.
Results:
Data analysis revealed considerable heterogeneity among patients' experiences with mistletoe therapy. The importance of specific aspects became apparent, such as increased vitality to manage daily life, greater emotional and mental stability, warmth as a multidimensional phenomenon, feelings of safety and protection through mistletoe therapy, heightened self-awareness and improved self-care, as well as sensations of spiritual connectedness.
Conclusions:
Prior to this study it had not been shown that cancer patients using mistletoe therapy do have observations on different levels of experience. These results may lead to a deeper understanding of patients receiving mistletoe therapy, enabling them to be supported in a more holistic way both during mistletoe treatment and on their life path. Further investigations into the effects of mistletoe therapy on the emotional, mental, and spiritual level are warranted.
... (1) formative physical forces creating spatial structures which are predominantly stable over time, as in crystals and stones in nature; (2) formative vegetative forces which interact with physical forces and bring about and maintain the living, changing form, as in plants; (3) a further class of formative forces (anima, soul) which interact with the vegetative and physical forces, creating the duality of internal-external and the sensory, motor, nervous and circulatory systems, as in animals; (4) and an additional class of formative forces (Geist, spirit) which interact with the three others and enables the manifestation of individual mind with the capacity for reflective thinking, as in humans. 9,11,12 The four organization levels are related to the natural elements and the realms of nature (Table 1). ...
Background:
Regulatory assessment of anthroposophic medicinal products (AMPs) can be challenging due to their specific features.
Objective:
The aim of this paper is therefore to provide adequate scientific information on AMPs for regulatory purposes.
Methods:
A literature review was executed with database searches in PubMed, Cinahl, Merkurstab, Anthromedics, and https://iaap-pharma.org/. Search terms were: anthroposophic medicinal products, anthroposophic medicines, anthroposophic pharmacy. There was no language restriction; searches were executed from onset until June 11, 2020. In addition, experts were invited to suggest relevant literature.
Results:
Eighty-seven of 660 identified publications were included. The system of anthroposophic medicine (AM) with its conceptual background and various aspects of AMPs was described: definition, pharmaceutical properties, an example of AMP development, use in clinical practice, similarities with and differences to conventional medicinal products, societal aspects, scientific and regulatory assessment.
Conclusion:
AMPs are part of the integrative whole medical system of AM. AMPs are manufactured according to Good Manufacturing Practice and national drug regulations and have an excellent safety status; the limited available evidence suggests clinical benefits. Current drug regulation of AMPs in the EU and most European countries does not take the special properties of AMPs into account. Future research should focus on appropriate methodologies for the evaluation of effects of AMPs as part of the AM whole medical system, the scientific quality of its non-atomistic holistic ontological position, and the integration of AM and conventional medicine in clinical practice. Future policies should focus on appropriate ways of addressing regulatory challenges to AMPs.
... The focus is on defined tasks, including the transfer of skills into daily activities, the reflection of the achieved personal efficiency and the possibility of a permanent adaption of new skills and tools into students' learning life. The workshop's concept is founded on a pragmatistic learning theory [1] and theories related to learning: principles of the organism, psyche, and the self (adaptive normalization [28]; effort-recovery theory [29], selfdetermination theory: [30], as well as holistic (medical) anthropological models [31][32][33]). The training seeks to offer insights into physiological, psychological and mental fields known to contribute to an improved learning Thye and Tauschel BMC Psychol (2021) 9:131 Table 1. ...
Background
Academic studies place high demands on the development of learning capacities. Beyond learning techniques, knowledge about the effect of the learning environment, as well as the ability for self-regulation, self-determination and self-care play a major role in the development of learning skills. A longitudinal learning workshop was developed aiming to support academic learning life. The study at hand describes and evaluates this intervention.
Methods
Students participated in a seven-week program fostering reflection and training on physical, physiological, psychological and mental dimensions of learning. Fifty evaluations of medical students reflecting the workshop underwent qualitative analysis of open-ended questions concerning changes students experienced in their learning life. In addition, general satisfaction was measured quantitatively.
Results
Qualitative results revealed an impact on five core dimensions of students´ learning life: knowledge gained about the process of learning, enhanced awareness of intrapersonal learning processes, getting easier into action, experience of change and raised skills of regulating one´s learning behavior. Students evaluate the workshop as helpful, supportive and as a source of guidance. Quantitative results demonstrated good overall satisfaction with the intervention.
Conclusions
Educating knowledge about learning how to learn and providing skill training of how to regulate physiology, psychology and mentality should be taken into account in order to support the multidimensional learning life of students. Using a holistic, anthropologically grounded approach could be considered to enhance healthy, meaningful and efficient ways of learning. This learning workshop seems to be a useful and transferable tool to support students’ development of learning capacities.
... The focus is on defined tasks, including the transfer of skills into daily activities, the reflection of the achieved personal efficiency and the possibility of a permanent adaption of new skills and tools into students' learning life. The workshop's concept is founded on a pragmatistic learning theory [1] and theories related to learning: principles of the organism, psyche, and the self (adaptive normalization [28]; effort-recovery theory [29], self-determination theory: [30], as well as holistic (medical) anthropological models [31][32][33]). The training seeks to offer insights into physiological, psychological and mental fields known to contribute to an improved learning environment and to the development of adaptive learning techniques. ...
Background:
Medical studies place high demands on the development of learning capacities. Learning environment, self-regulation, self-determination and self-care play a major role in this context. Impaired health of students in particular has a negative impact on learning and subsequent professional life. Learning life can be defined as the sum of all the factors influencing the students’ entire life; this includes physical, physiological, psychological and mental dimensions of learning. This study describes and evaluates a longitudinal learning workshop for undergraduate medical students which aims to foster academic learning life with an anthropologically grounded holistic approach.
Methods:
Fifty evaluations by medical students underwent a qualitative analysis of open-ended questions concerning their experienced changes in their learning life. In addition, general satisfaction with the learning workshop was measured quantitatively.
Results:
Qualitative results revealed an impact on five core dimensions of medical students´ learning: knowledge, awareness, action, experience and regulation. Quantitative results demonstrated good overall satisfaction.
Conclusions:
Taking students’ physiology, body, psychology and mentality into account within a seven weeks longitudinal learning workshop, impact on the fields of knowledge, awareness, action, experience and regulation can be achieved. To support the multidimensional learning life of medical students, a holistic approach could be considered as an enhancement to foster healthy, meaningful and efficient ways of learning. Thus, this learning workshop seems to be a useful and transferable tool to support medical students’ learning.
... These levels are captured in the so called anthroposophic "fourfold formative forces" of the human being: individual/ego level, inner/"astral" level, etheric level, and physical level. 27,31 The repertoire of a "whole medical system" treatment is often multimodal and complex, and its application is often tailored to the individual patient. 30 The effects of anthroposophic therapies (ie, anthroposophic medication, anthroposophic physiotherapy, eurythmy therapy, art therapy, anthroposophic coaching, anthroposophic dietetics, anthroposophic nursing) for cancer patients are promising. ...
Introduction
The aim of this study was to develop a prototype of an anthroposophic complex intervention (CI) for oncological patients in primary care.
Methods
Standardized methods for the development of CIs were used. Qualitative data were collected among professionals (n = 44) working in 3 Dutch anthroposophic primary care centers. The following topics were discussed in interviews and panel discussions (n = 12): treatment phases, treatment dimensions, treatment goals, and content of the indicated treatments and therapies. In a multidisciplinary focus group (n = 23) completeness and comprehensibility of the CI, and integration in daily practice were addressed. Subsequently, the developed CI was tested on face validity (n = 21) and compared with conventional guidelines.
Results
Professionals reached consensus about 4 oncological treatment phases, 4 anthroposophic treatment dimensions, and twelve general treatment goals. The following anthroposophic therapies were found to be suited for oncological patients in primary care: medication (eg, mistletoe preparations); nursing (eg, external embrocation); physiotherapy (eg, rhythmic massage); eurythmy therapy; dietetics; art therapy; and counseling. The content of each therapy must be tailored to the individual. Comparison with existing guidelines demonstrated added value and the ability to fit with conventional care.
Discussion
Strengths of the developed CI prototype are its focus on primary care, its practical applicability, the use of validated research methods, and the check on face validity in 2 other Dutch anthroposophic primary care centers. Limitations are that no systematic literature review was done and patient experiences were not collected.
Conclusions
An applicable prototype of an anthroposophic CI for oncological patients in primary care was developed. To complete the development of this CI, a systematic review of the literature is needed, feasibility should be tested, patient experiences need to be collected, and implementation should be initiated and monitored. Finally, development of a patient decision aid (PtDA) and a decision-making tool (DMT) are recommended.
... Within these 4 dimensions of being, a 3-fold human develops with (1) a nerve-sense system, building the basis for sense perception and thinking, (2) a rhythmic system (respiration and circulation), building the basis for feeling, and (3) a metabolic-limb system, building the basis for willpower. AM tries to encompass people's spiritual, soul, vital, and physical aspects in a methodologically appropriate manner and to integrate them into a resource-oriented medical understanding of health and illness, diagnostics, and therapy [4][5][6][7][8]. This necessarily goes hand in hand with individualization because the aspects mentioned are different for each patient and interact in different ways, even if the medical diagnosis, e.g., hypertension, is the same. ...
... Western naturopathy and Traditional Chinese Medicine continue to make use of concepts of the spleen as an organ of nutrition and digestion [6]. The integrative medical system of anthroposophical medicine [7,8] also postulates a regulative nutritional function for the spleen [9]. However, integration of this functional concept with conventional medicine will only make sense if the corre-sponding anatomical and physiological basis is also elaborated in terms of an integrative organology. ...
Background:
Before the spleen was discovered to be a lymphatic blood organ, it had for centuries been considered to be a digestive organ. Concepts of a regulative, secretory and resorptive function in the digestive system were based mainly on a postulated connection between the stomach and the spleen. Splenogastric vascular connections have recently been rediscovered by modern surgery.
Summary:
To test the hypothesis that the spleen has a digestive function, this article reviews the literature focusing on the interaction between the spleen and the stomach. We examine the historical medical view of the spleen and stomach system and the reasons why a digestive function was abandoned in the 17th and 18th centuries. We then review the rediscovery of the splenogastric system and the present-day state of knowledge (anatomical origin, variability, haemodynamics) and present it in terms of the phylogenetic and embryological development of the spleen and stomach system. Key Message: Splenogastric arteries and gastrosplenic veins form a portal system which directly connects the spleen and stomach parenchyma. Despite its mesodermal anlage, phylogenetically and embryologically the spleen is intimately interconnected with the entodermal stomach parenchyma but detaches from this in the course of development. Further study is required to establish whether the splenogastric system is merely an evolutive remnant or actually a part of a functioning spleen-stomach system as postulated in complementary and integrative medicine.
... Jahrhunderts dogmatisch festgesetzt ("... wir haben uns verschworen ..." [25] [26]). Dieses Überschreiten der dogmatisch engen Erklärungsmodalitäten der heutigen Naturwissenschaft ist weder illegitim noch irrational [27], im Gegenteil. ...
... is includes the concepts of human beings as social individuals (bio-psycho-socialspiritual approach), of organisms as complex adaptive systems, and of emergent behavior [117][118][119]. Also, AM nursing models and concepts, widely established in practice, can be further investigated. ...
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.
... It is expected that this overview will support informed decision-making in the integration process. [16,17], Ayurveda [18,19], Unani Medicine [20], Homeopathy [21], Naturopathy [22], and Anthroposophic Medicine (AM) [23,24]. A discussion of "all" WMSs around the world was beyond the scope of the paper; the selection includes WMSs established in four large populations/cultures (China, Indian subcontinent, Arabic/Muslim countries, and Western cultures). ...
Background
There is an increasing need for a worldwide professional integration of conventional medicine and traditional/complementary whole medical systems (WMSs). However, the integration is perceived by conventional medicine as problematic or unacceptable, because of a supposed lack of evidence for specific effects of WMSs therapies and supposed prescientific or unscientific paradigms of WMSs.
Objectives
To review the literature on the features of WMSs, similarities and differences between conventional medicine and WMSs, and scientific and clinical practice issues that should be dealt with in order to promote the integration process.
Methods
A critical, narrative review of the literature on six WMSs.
Results and Conclusions
Key factors for the integration of WMSs and conventional medicine are as follows: legal frameworks, quality standards, high-quality research on safety and efficacy of WMS interventions, infrastructure, and financial resources. For scientific assessment of WMSs, there are unresolved ontological, epistemological, and methodological issues and issues of diagnostics, therapy delivery, and outcome assessment in clinical practice. Future research not only should be directed at quality assurance and generating the necessary data on safety and efficacy/effectiveness but also should address more fundamental (ontological, epistemological, and methodological) issues, in order to overcome the differences between WMSs and conventional medicine.
... But as a bridge between these perspectives and the scientific mainstream is largely lacking, there will be a great deal of work to do [8]. We have made an attempt from our (anthroposophic) perspective, but this is only a beginning [9]. Colleagues from Homeopathy, Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, and other humanistic whole-system approaches are encouraged to follow. ...
Systemic approaches seek to comprehend a given phenomenon as the result of the dynamic and non-linear interaction between different levels of a system, without reducing one to the other. The relationship between the different components thus remains central, rather than the specific components themselves. Therefore, systemic approaches to treatment and disease don’t presume to reduce either to exclusively physicochemical factors. In this chapter we will begin by discussing some key elements of systemic approaches and then make a critical evaluation on the basic assumptions of the hitherto dominant approach in the medical sciences. We will then show how it is possible to consider health and disease as systemic processes by analyzing several cases situated at different levels of complexity. Finally, we will attempt to identify some trends in the current organization of care services that seem to be going in, what appears to us, a hopeful direction.KeywordsSystemic approachesBiomedical model of medicineSocial construction of health and illnessComplementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)Micro and macro eventsSociology of chemistryCircadian rhythmsAnthroposophic medicine
This paper follows up a previous one in which a theory of Waldorf teacher education was outlined that explains that foundational dispositions, teacher beliefs and values as well as general pedagogical knowledge are learned in a higher education/seminar setting. In this paper an account is given how dispositions can be learned in studying Steiner's Foundations (basic pedagogical anthropology) using hermeneutic methods and contemplative meditation. It also shows how certain dispositions are learned through the practice of various artistic activities and thirdly how general pedagogical knowledge can be learned.
While integrative practices in health care have grown over the past half-century, life sciences still view nature almost entirely through a reductionist lens. Contemporary research is described that complements this reductionist, non-holistic perspective with the methods of Goethean science. A rigorous approach to qualitative science and to wholeness in nature is outlined.
Life sciences today approach nature through a reductionist lens. A broadened methodology, known as Goethean science, complements that one-sided perspective. Building on the elements of the qualitative and the wholeness of organisms, novel examples of non-reductionist work in plant growth, animal, and specifically human organization, are described.
In this final chapter, the method of scientific inquiry in biological sciences is examined to elucidate physiology’s failure to identify the phenomenon of autonomous movement of the heart and blood. It is shown that the research method, appropriate in physical sciences, by which an organism is reduced to genes, organelles, cells, and organs and is reconstructed by applying mathematical models, is unable to account for the systems-level causality it purports to explain. Such hypothesis-driven observer approach essentially remains external to the organism and is unable to ascribe causality to qualitative phenomena such as life, feeling, and volition, which constitute an integral part of the organism. This leads to an unbridgeable (Cartesian) split in biological sciences between mind and body, arising from the essential nature of human constitution. To complement this approach, a brief outline of the participatory way of science has been described by which the ontological, self-organizing principle of an organism is identified in the context of the kingdoms of nature. Viewed from this perspective, the cardiovascular system emerges as the pivotal organ of evolutionary development with hierarchical levels of organization identified as the physical, life, soul, and specifically human level. It is proposed that such a human-centered approach sets physiology on a firm epistemological ground, promotes an open-ended inquiry, and assures its continued importance for the future of medicine.
The search for the underlying lawfulness between respiration and heart rate variability has a long history and continues to be at the center of scientific inquiry. Because respiration is partially under conscious control, quantification of its effect on HR presents significant methodological limitations. The discovery of non-equilibrium processes in medicine and biology paved the way toward an expanded view of homeostasis based on nonlinear dynamics. Pulse and respiration are examples of a periodic, nonlinear behavior, exhibiting phase and frequency synchronization at whole number ratios, best demonstrated during periods of rest and the regenerative phase of sleep. The combined concepts of open systems and self-organization offer the possibility of understanding the organism as a spatial structure with life processes, i.e., nourishment, breathing, circulation, growth, regeneration, reproduction, and sense perception, proceeding in time. Life processes are closely linked to external (macrocosmic) rhythms in plants but become entrained and/or internalized in animals and humans. Their synchronization enables the emergence of a higher-level organization that is far-from-thermodynamic equilibrium. The spectrum of human biological rhythms spans several orders of magnitude, from high frequencies in the nervous system to intermediate, as extant in pulse and respiration, and to low-range frequencies in the metabolic system. The cardiovascular system entrains macrocosmic (external) and microcosmic (internal) rhythms by means of transcriptional and non-transcriptional metabolic clocks which persist even in explanted heart preparations and in stored blood. A functional division of the time organism into informational, rhythmical, and metabolic parts provides the bridge between the somatic and psychological functions on the one hand, and between the outer (macrocosmic) and inner (microcosmic) environments on the other. While metabolic processes that provide energy and sustain the function of the entire organism exhibit inherent anabolic/catabolic rhythms, reflected in fluctuations of core body temperature, the brain-bound consciousness is a catabolic process linked to the day/night cycle.
Any neonatologist acting conscientiously has an integrative and holistic view in a wider sense anyway. This is based on the awareness that the first days or weeks of life are critical for the further development of the infants – and thus for their whole lives. All this is part of the training for pediatricians and especially for neonatologists. Hence, an interdisciplinary cooperation of doctors, nursing staff, physiotherapists, and hospital chaplains is part of pediatri-cians' and neonatologists' daily business. But even if it is only a small and almost natural step for the neonatologist to involve therapists and staff from various disciplines, this kind of multidisciplinary teamwork is in fact of great significance for premature infants and their parents. These activities are completed by the support offered to parents, not only by listening and responding to their emotions and fears, but also by providing psychological, psycho-therapeutic, or pastoral aid when required. Particularly, the different standard values, such as the pH value or the blood oxygen level, have increasingly triggered the use of Neonatology is a subdiscipline of pediatrics on the treatment of premature infants and ill neonates. Beyond that, it is also a discipline that involves the unique balancing of softly supporting the infant as much as possible relying on its individual resources, while at the same time acting very quickly and sometimes even aggressively if required. At first sight, neonatology might seem unsuitable for integrative methods. Looking closer, it becomes obvious that it is very applicable. In fact, in this patient group, needs, opportunities , and maybe also limits of integrative care and a person-centered approach can be shown very well. It is well known and commonly accepted that children are not just little adults. We should keep in mind, however, that newborns are often not even just little children.
Anxiety is a highly frequent condition; many patients seek complementary treatment. One of these is anthroposophic medicine (AM) using therapeutic approaches that are based on a distinct concept of the human organism, illness, and healing. AM is applied in anxiety; however, little is known about underlying therapeutic concepts, the effectiveness, and the modalities of clinical reasoning and judgment.
Presented is a 21-year-old woman who had suffered from severe and increasing anxiety for 6 months, which had led to social isolation and complete sick leave from work. She had attended an AM health care center and counseling at a psychiatric hospital but had not improved significantly after 6 months. Eurythmy therapy (EYT) was then applied for 8 weeks. Within the AM pathophysiological context, the patient was diagnosed as having stress-induced anxiety based on a
juvenile disturbance of the rhythmical system. Associated symptoms were specific anomalies in the patient’s eurythmy movement pattern, a “breathed-in-upwards syndrome.” In the EYT sessions, clear interconnections between EYT-exercises and symptom-relief were observable, paralleled by a substantial relief of the patient’s anxiety.
EYT might have some impact on anxiety syndrome and should be investigated in more detail. (Altern Ther Health Med. 2011;17(4):58-65.)
Eurythmy therapy is a movement therapy of anthroposophic medicine that can have effects on a person's physical body, spirit, and soul.
The aim of this publication was to update and summarize the relevant literature on the effectiveness of eurythmy in a therapeutic context since 2008.
Different databases like PubMed, MEDPILOT, Research Gate, The Cochrane Library, DIMDI, Arthe and also the journal databases Der Merkurstab and the European Journal of Integrative Medicine were searched for prospective and retrospective clinical trials in German or English language.
There were no limitations for indication, considered outcome or age of participants.
Studies were evaluated with regard to their description of the assembly process and treatment, adequate reporting of follow-ups, and equality of comparison groups in controlled trials.
Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. These included two single-arm, non-controlled pilot studies, two publications on the same non-randomized controlled trial and one case study; six further studies referred to a prospective cohort study, the Anthroposophic Medicine Outcome Study. Most of these studies described positives treatment effects with varying effect sizes. The studies were heterogynous according to the indications, age groups, study design and measured outcome. The methodological quality of the studies varied considerably. There were no clear improvements since 2008, when the recommendations were published in the first review.
Eurythmy seems to be a beneficial add-on in a therapeutic context that can improve the health conditions of affected persons. More methodologically sound studies are needed to substantiate this positive impression.