Anthroposophic medicine, health and social care

Anthroposophic Medicine in science and research

extending the bounds of scientific method

Scientific study and research are integral constituents of anthroposophic medicine. However, anthroposophic medicine does not limit itself solely to scientific methods and criteria but, as in the field of therapy, extends these bounds.

Anthroposophic medical research aims primarily to understand the human being as a whole, rather than focusing on single physical responses alone.

Anthroposophic medicine’s essential task is to overcome the arbitrary fragmentation of medicine into countless subdivisions and specialisms, each with its own terms and concepts. Instead it tries to develop a multi-disciplinary view of the human being informed by anthroposophic insights, in a way that is accessible and comprehensible to all and focuses on the personal encounter between individuals.

Another important goal is to reflect reality in daily medical practice. This extends to the individual doctor-patient relationship, the doctor’s therapeutic conviction and, equally, the patient’s active involvement in the process of healing.

This basic outlook means that anthroposophic medicines do not adhere to mechanistic concepts that result in the replacement of certain substances in the body or the suppressing of physiological processes, but instead they aim to restore the harmony in processes that have become imbalanced.

In this sense the organism’s capacity to regulate itself forms the foundation of anthroposophic medicine. Self-regulation means restoring physical and mental equilibrium, overcoming crises, and turning every life situation into a positive opportunity. Each person will have a different inner and outer capacity to do this, which is why self-regulating activity cannot be assumed to exist in a general sense, or become a generalised cure-all. It reveals itself more or less strongly in each individual, and in the very varied ways in which patients respond to generally valid forms of treatment. What is good for one person can have disadvantages for another. Thus, alongside typical and general approaches, anthroposophic research has to take full account of individual differences in its methodology.