Anthroposophic medicine
| Part of a series on |
| Alternative medicine |
|---|
| Part of a series on |
| Anthroposophy |
|---|
| General |
|
| Anthroposophically inspired work |
|
| Philosophy |
|
Anthroposophic medicine (or anthroposophical medicine) is a form of alternative medicine based on pseudoscientific and occult notions.[1] Devised in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) in conjunction with Ita Wegman (1876–1943), anthroposophical medicine draws on Steiner's spiritual philosophy, which he called anthroposophy. Practitioners employ a variety of treatment techniques based upon anthroposophic precepts, including massage, exercise, counselling, and administration of substances.[2]
Many drug preparations used in anthroposophic medicine are ultra-diluted, similar to those used in homeopathy. Homeopathic remedies are not medically effective and are generally considered harmless, except when used as a substitute for a scientifically proven and effective prevention and cure.[3] In certain European countries, people with cancer are sometimes prescribed remedies made from specially harvested mistletoe, although no evidence of clinical benefit exists.[4][5] Some anthroposophic doctors oppose childhood vaccination, and this has led to preventable outbreaks of disease.[6]
Anthroposophic medicine departs from fundamental biological, physical, and chemical principles in several respects. For example, Steiner said that the heart is not a pump, but that the blood, in a sense, pumps itself.[7][8] Anthroposophic medicine also proposes that patients' past lives may influence their illness and that the course of an illness is subject to karmic destiny.[9][10] Professor of complementary medicine Edzard Ernst and other physicians and scientists including Simon Singh and David Gorski have characterized anthroposophic medicine as pseudoscientific quackery,[11][12] with no basis in reason or logic.[13][14][15]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
teilswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
ernstmistwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
kritwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
ACSwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
coch-2010was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
measleswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ The Dynamic Heart and Circulation, ed. Craig Holdrege, AWSNA, 2002, p.145
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Marinelliwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
qwwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
deadlywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
seopwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
thes-aberdeenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
mckiewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gorski, David (14 March 2011). "A University of Michigan Medical School alumnus confronts anthroposophic medicine at his alma mater". Science-Based Medicine. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ Singh, Simon; Ernst, Edzard (2008). Trick Or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-06661-6.