What is Integrative medicine and Anthroposophical Medicine?

Integrative Medicine focuses on the importance of the relationship between practitioner and patient, considers the whole person, and utilises appropriate therapeutic approaches and health care professionals to achieve optimal health and healing.

Anthroposophic Medicine is focused on individualised patient care and was created in the 1920's by Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman as an extension of conventional medicine, not an alternative to it. Registered medical doctors and nurses undertake additional training to be able to use these techniques in their practices.

We use a set of diagnostic tools aimed to understand the health of the whole patient - body, mind and spirit. Instead of treating symptoms alone, the therapies are designed to support the patient’s own healing capacities, known as ‘salutogenesis’.

In Europe Anthroposophical medicine is now integrated into acute care hospitals, speciality treatment centres, and university teaching and research programs. Trainings in Anthroposophical medicine are offered for health professional in thirty two countries in five continents.

Questions that form part of practice are:

• How can we harness an individuals own inner resource for healing?

• How can we best understand the interweaving social, psychological and sensory influences that contribute to physical health, as well as the influence of physical health on our emotional wellbeing? How does this two directional streaming work?

• What is the individual person’s experiences of illness? What are the person’s priorities? And how can each person be an active participant in his or her own illness and healing?