Anthroposophic Medicine

Johannes Weinzirl, Matthias Girke, Georg Soldner

Last update: 26.09.2018

Anthroposophic Medicine is an integrative medicine. It is founded on evidence-based medicine and adds an anthroposophic understanding of the human being and the world. It was initiated in 1920 by the physician Ita Wegman MD and the founder of anthroposophy Rudolf Steiner PhD, and has since then been continually developed and elaborated. Anthroposophic physicians and therapists work to support the whole human being, which includes physical, vital-functional, mental-emotional and spiritual aspects. Anthroposophic Medicine is patient-centered and realistic, enriching diverse applied medical disciplines such as oncology, cardiology, pediatrics, neurology and psychiatry. It is currently practiced in 22 hospitals and a large number of outpatient practices and therapeutic centers worldwide.

There are many ways to begin learning about Anthroposophic Medicine. This is because it is committed to being scientifically and clinically verifiable, on the one hand, and on the other hand it aims to integrate a rich understanding of the inner soul and spirit of the human being. We can therefore consider Anthroposophic Medicine from four points of view within these wide-ranging lenses:

  • Anthroposophic Medicine in the context of evidence-based medicine and its contribution to the health-care system
  • Anthroposophic Medicine as a complementary or integrative therapeutic method
  • Anthroposophic Medicine as an art of healing, with the human being at its center
  • Anthroposophic Medicine as spiritual medicine 

Research news

Mistletoe therapy in addition to standard immunotherapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer indicates improved survival rates 
Immunotherapy with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors has significantly improved the survival rates of patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results of a real-world data study (RWD) investigating the addition of Viscum album L. (VA) to chemotherapy have shown an association with improved survival in patients with NSCLC - regardless of age, degree of metastasis, performance status, lifestyle or oncological treatment. The mechanisms may include synergistic modulations of the immune response by PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors and VA. However, the results should be taken with caution due to the observational and non-randomised study design. The study has been published open access in Cancers: 
https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16081609.


Further information on Anthroposophic Medicine