What is Anthroposophic Medicine
For many people, anthroposophic medicine is a difficult concept. But in reality, it is actually quite easy to explain. It is a unifying form of medicine, coming from two sources: on the one hand, "material scientific medicine" with its methods and results, and on the other, "spiritual scientific" findings. Neither of these sources can be taken in isolation.
A person is not just a body; the soul as well as the personality must be taken into account. Anthroposophic physicians consider the physical and mental existence along with the personality as a unit, where each element has the ability to influence the others. One of the fundamental aspects of Anthroposophic medicine is that they take this into account during diagnosis and treatment.
However, it is not an "alternative medicine" - it is not intended to replace conventional medicine. Rather, it is based on accepted medical science and merely goes one step further. Anthroposophic medicine makes use of all that scientific research has revealed to be of benefit to human existence. Moreover, it complements "material science" with aspects of spiritual science in order to appreciate the individual as an indivisible unity. For example, this may include body language, personal history, breathing and many other aspects that define the individual's personality. Anthroposophic medicine, therefore, attempts to include the individuality of the patient, as well as the accepted characteristics of a disease, in the process of treatment. For as each person is unique, so too is each treatment unique; although some seem to be applicable to many people.
Anthroposophic medicine is not predetermined. It eschews mere routine. Even though, because of their particular character, the same pathological pictures are constantly repeated, each disease manifests itself differently in each patient - a manifestation inseparable from the uniqueness of the individual. Therefore, anthroposophic medicine aims to form a picture of the material, psychological and personal conditions that led to the manifestation of a disease. The assessment of these factors in diagnosis and treatment and the re-application of the process to each new patient, guided by scientific findings, medical experience, personal discernment and intuition, is fundamental to anthroposophic medicine. Any medicine that ignores the uniqueness of each individual cannot claim to be true human medicine.
