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Anthroposophic medicine and its integral vision of man

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Anthroposophic medicine and its integral vision of man

“Connecting academic scientific thought with the spiritual identity and autonomous experience of the human being is the central motif of anthroposophic medicine”: writes Dr. Michaela Glöckler in Learn about anthroposophic medicine an essay that explains the basics, paths and salient features of this diagnostic and therapeutic approach which is also practiced in Italy by various doctors and chosen by numerous patients.

Glöckler, a German doctor who directed the Medicine section of the free university at the Goetheanum of Dornach in Switzerland for several years, is one of the best-known researchers and scholars in the field of anthroposophic medicine and has also been dedicated to dissemination for some time.

In his volume he provides an overview of how an anthroposophic doctor works, on the philosophical, scientific and anthropological aspects on which this approach is based, on the way of understanding and dealing with the disease, on ethics and salvatogenesis, on therapeutic proposals and on the available literature .

We interviewed the author.

Dr. Glöckler, when it comes to anthroposophic medicine, not everyone knows what it means. How could this diagnostic and therapeutic approach be explained?

«Anthroposophic medicine considers itself integrated medicine. This means that his approach includes not only conventional medicine, but connects the diagnostics and therapy of conventional medicine with methods that respect human integrity, which can also be called “delicate”, and a holistic vision of the human being, which it also implies the psychic condition and the spiritual dimension. This complex way of looking at man is exposed and explained in depth in my book, now translated into Italian (Learn about anthroposophic medicine, Terra Nuova Edizioni), and I hope that the reading is interesting both for those who practice conventional medicine and for people who feel that man is not only a “biological machine”, whose mechanisms, in the event of illness, do not go governed exclusively according to biomechanical laws. Anthroposophic medicine keeps well in mind the fact that there is also a Christian image of man, which considers the existence of the human being before birth and also in post-mortem “life”. In the human body, natural laws and moral-spiritual laws meet, the interaction of which also plays a certain role in medicine, and above all in the event of illness. If both types of law are taken into account, a holistic diagnosis and therapy result, for the person as a whole. This is the commitment of anthroposophic medicine. For this reason anthroposophic medicine is based on conventional scientific medicine and complements it with drugs that positively influence vital functions and self-healing forces, also through artistic therapeutic procedures, such as therapy with painting, music, speech, movement / therapeutic eurythmy, and also healing meditations».

What is the topicality of anthroposophic medicine at a time when there is a growing need in the population to strengthen the bond of trust between doctor and patient and a growing demand for attention and understanding on the part of patients?

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«It is part of the training of the anthroposophic doctor to confront the meaning of the disease in the course of life and within the destiny of a person. Of fundamental importance is the relationship of trust between doctor and patient. The doctor feels like the patient’s companion and adviser, but also the provider of a service. The ideal model for the anthroposophic doctor is the one in which he waits until the patient asks a question or the doctor himself asks: what do you want me to do for you? In this case in which it is the doctor who asks the patient a question, he still respects his freedom. He does not determine or dispose of anything, he is limited to being of service. An important new field of work is also the collaboration with those who practice pedagogy. For example, it is the task of the anthroposophic school doctor, who supports the teachers in this area, to be on a par with the individual child in his development. Many illnesses later in life are related to problems and traumas in connection with a difficult school career. If the family is disrupted and the school fails to remedy it, the conditions are created for diseases that burden life and which could have been avoided. Therefore prevention plays a central role in anthroposophic medicine. A good education, but also the self-education of adults have a significant preventive efficacy in terms of health“.

What is the approach to health, illness and the patient that the anthroposophic doctor prefers and puts into practice?

«The meaning of the disease is healing! Therefore, it is a question of possibly carrying out a good diagnosis, from which to derive the best possible therapy. In fact, the causes of an illness do not always reside on the physical level (viruses, bacteria, spoiled food, etc.). Often it is also the unhealthy lifestyle that causes the body to no longer be able to compensate in the long run, therefore it becomes ill. So it’s not really helpful to fight only the symptoms of the disease. Instead, counseling on lifestyles and an interview with the patient are also needed, set up in such a way that he/she can realize that there is something to change, in order to achieve as stable a health as possible and, perhaps, a day, in the future, even to be able to eliminate medicines. In fact, the doctor’s ideal is, of course, not to prescribe drugs for life, but to discharge the patient healthy. Sometimes things are so that the disease is caused by a trauma, a depression, anxiety or stress, or a problem of the soul. Then it is necessary to delve into the questions of the evolution of the soul itself and, under certain circumstances, to prescribe, in addition, an art therapy or even psychotherapy. Sometimes religious anxieties or the fear of death, of “nothing”, in the onset of illnesses also play a significant role. Then we need spiritual counseling. There is a wonderful book by Rudolf Steiner on spiritual development, The initiation. How knowledge about the higher worlds is attained. Inside there are very valid suggestions for spiritual health, which, sooner or later, also positively affects bodily or mental health. In acute cases, conventional diagnostics and even conventional therapy are mostly needed.

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What are the drugs and therapeutic strategies that anthroposophic medicine uses?

“That depends on the causes of the disease. The spectrum of anthroposophic medicine encompasses medicines from all kingdoms of nature. Also included are homeopathically produced individual substances and compounds. Furthermore, there is a wide range of external applications such as baths, massages, wraps, poultices, compresses, effective massage techniques and movement exercises, such as therapeutic eurythmy and Bothmer gymnastics. Particularly effective, right now, is art therapy, in which, for a rather long period of time (mostly two to four months), one follows a process of pictorial therapy, of exercises on language, of singing exercises, which effectively complement the action of drugs. Especially in chronic diseases, art therapy has proven itself very well. Indeed, the treatment of chronic pathological conditions is a typical area of ​​anthroposophic medicine. In fact, patients to whom conventional medicine “has nothing more to offer” or others who can no longer tolerate the side effects of certain preparations often go to the anthroposophic doctor”.

Many people perceive a great gap between so-called conventional medicine and so-called complementary medicine. A gap that can be bridged? Can we think of an integrated medicine, in synergy?

«Here I see a great task for mature patients and a great commitment to start a process of democratization and participation in the creation of health. Certain entrenched or stubbornly closed attitudes can change if people become aware of the importance of the principle of self-determination of one’s health and therefore of freedom of therapeutic choice. It is also important to understand how for certain therapies, of a different nature and approach with respect to the more mechanistic principle, it is necessary to identify procedures for demonstrating different efficacy with respect to more conventional methods which are used today as the one and only standard. It would therefore be desirable that there were funding for research also in these areas, in order to guarantee the plurality of therapeutic approaches while protecting those who need the therapies because they are in a situation of suffering and illness. I think one could take a cue from Switzerland, for example; there the population has decided, with direct democracy, i.e. with a referendum, that the sickness funds must reimburse, in addition to conventional medicine treatments, also homeopathic treatments, traditional Chinese medicine and anthroposophic therapies. This means that integrated medicine is part of primary care. I hope that this can also happen in Italy and in other countries, in order to put people in a position to decide for themselves about their own health and what happens to them when they get sick. If people notice what is good for them and helps them, why shouldn’t that have a value in determining the effectiveness of that choice for that person? Just as statistical evaluations of conventional medicines are undoubtedly necessary, so I believe it is also important for the individual patient with his personal experience, which enables him to evaluate when his health improves or deteriorates. And what could be more satisfying for the doctor than seeing the patient improve? It is also useful to ask why many people ask for and approach complementary or integrated therapeutic procedures. I think it’s because conventional medicine is not omnipotent and the drugs used often have serious side effects. Why, then, not cooperate for the benefit of the patient? A cooperation between specialists of the most diverse therapeutic orientations for the benefit of the patient: this is the aim to which anthroposophical doctors and therapists want to contribute».

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Anthroposophic medicine in Italy

In our country, anthroposophic medicine is represented by SIMA, the Italian Society of Anthroposophic Medicine (www.medicinaantroposofica.it), officially present in the list of Italian scientific societies, whose roots go back to the post-war period and are concentrated in the figure of Dr. Aldo Bargero (deceased in 1987), the first Italian anthroposophic doctor. The main field in which SIMA operates is that of the training of new anthroposophic doctors and therapists and guarantees a socio-political representation of anthroposophic medicine in Italy. There are about 200 doctors registered with SIMA, mostly freelancers, but many others practice anthroposophic medicine even if not registered. A health center (Casa di salute Raphael: www.casaraphael.com) has also been active for about thirty years in Roncegno in the province of Trento. In Italy there are also anthroposophic psychotherapists (APAI-Perseo is their association), artistic therapists, masseurs, eurythmists in the major centres, so as to be able to ensure at least some patients the full range of therapies offered by anthroposophic medicine. It should be noted that in recent years it has become more difficult to find certain anthroposophic medicines.

HERE to browse the free preview of the book “KNOWING ANTHROPOSOPHIC MEDICINE”

The article is taken from the November issue of Terra Nuova magazine, which you can find HERE

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