Anthroposophic Medicine = anthropo(human) + sophy (wisdom)

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Anthroposophic Medicine is an integrative medicine model that views the human person as a physical and spiritual microcosm within the macrocosm of the universe. It is founded on evidence-based medicine and ancient western medicine based on the four elements. To this it adds an anthroposophic understanding of the human being and the world.  It was initiated in 1920 by the physician Ita Wegman and the founder of anthroposophy Rudolf Steiner PhD, and has since then been continually developed throughout the world. Anthroposophic physicians are traditionally trained physicians who then take on additional education in anthroposophic medicine. Anthroposophic Medicine is applied in multiple disciplines such as oncology, cardiology, pediatrics, neurology and psychiatry. It is currently practiced in a large number of outpatient practices, hospitals, and therapeutic centers worldwide. 

Anthroposophic doctors seek to understand the entire picture of a patient’s health condition. A diagnosis will look at physical symptoms, life-style factors such as nutrition and stress, personal history, age, environmental and social factors.  All of these can influence a person’s health and are part of an anthroposophical medical diagnosis. Health is a matter of balancing the whole human being: physical, vital energy, mental-emotional and spiritual. This balancing can be achieved via life-style and supplements, art, cultural expression and spirituality. For medication, anthroposophic medicine uses homeopathic remedies derived from plants, minerals, and animals. It also involves a range of therapies such as: eurythmy, counseling and psychotherapy, speech therapy, rhythmical massage, art therapy, and specific nursing techniques such as external compresses and a hands-on approach called rhythmical einreibung.