Anthroposophic Medicine: A Form of Alternative Medicine

Sai Shradha^*
*Correspondence: Sai Shradha, Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, Email:

Perspective

Anthroposophic medicine (also known as anthroposophical medicine) is a type of alternative medicine based on pseudoscientific and occult ideas. Anthroposophical medicine, developed in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) in collaboration with Ita Wegman (1876–1943), is based on Steiner's spiritual philosophy, which he dubbed anthroposophy. Massage, exercise, counselling, and drugs are among the treatment approaches used by practitioners based on anthroposophical ideals. Before 1920, homoeopathic physicians and pharmacists began collaborating with Rudolf Steiner, who advocated new medicinal substances as well as precise techniques of preparation, as well as an anthroposophic perspective of man. Steiner visited the clinic on a regular basis, at Wegman's request, and recommended treatment plans for specific patients. Between 1920 and 1925, he also gave a number of medical lecture series.

Drugs are created in anthroposophic pharmacy according to old conceptions of alchemy and homoeopathy that have nothing to do with the science that underpins current pharmacology. Anthroposophical medicine is difficult to categorise because it both complements and replaces conventional medicine. Ernst stated in 2008 that it was being marketed as a "extension to traditional medicine." Ernst argues that Steiner based his theories on his imagination and insight, taking mystical knowledge from the esoteric Akashic Records, a work apparently located on the astral plane and accessible to Steiner through his intuitive skills. On this foundation, Steiner claimed "associations between four theorised dimensions of the human body (physical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego), plants, minerals, and the cosmos."

Patterns created by crystallisation are analysed during the preparation process to determine which "etheric force" they most closely resemble. Most anthroposophic medications, like homoeopathic remedies, are substantially diluted. This means that, while they are entirely safe in and of themselves, using them instead of traditional treatment to treat serious sickness involves a high chance of serious negative outcomes. Anthroposophical medicine also includes the following:

• Nursing based on anthroposophy

• Counselling Eurythmy – said to affect "inner life functions," resulting in a "re-integration of body, soul, and spirit."

• Extensive applications

• Massages with rhythm

Several incidents of low vaccination levels at Waldorf schools highlight the risks of utilising anthroposophical medicine as a substitute for evidence-based medicine, because some anthroposophical doctors oppose immunisation. According to a 1999 study of children in Sweden, only 18 percent of children at Waldorf schools had received MMR vaccine, compared to 93 percent in other schools nationwide. Anthroposophic medicine is a multimodal integrative therapy method founded on a comprehensive knowledge of man and nature, as well as disease and treatment. It is based on the idea of four levels of formative forces and the model of a three-tiered human constitution. In major hospitals and medical offices, anthroposophic medicine is combined with traditional medicine. It employs plant, mineral, and animal-derived remedies, as well as art therapy, eurythmy treatment, and rhythmical massage, as well as counselling, psychotherapy, and specific nursing techniques such as external embrocation [1-5].

Medical professionals, therapists, and nurses provide anthroposophic healthcare. A recent update to the Health-Technology Assessment Report revealed 265 clinical researches on the efficacy and usefulness of anthroposophic therapy. The results were considered as overwhelmingly positive. These investigations, as well as a number of particular safety studies, discovered no substantial risks but excellent tolerance. Economic studies revealed a beneficial cost structure. Patients express high levels of satisfaction with anthroposophic healthcare.

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