AnthroMed Library is a repository for articles, audio, and video relating to Anthroposophic medicine. Sponsored by PAAM - Physicians' Association for Anthroposophic Medicine.
Recent Submissions
Person-Centeredness in Integrative Health Care and Integrative Medical Education
(2017-04-27) Längler, Alfred; Schwermer, Melanie; Berger, Bettina; Schwarz, Christiane; Cramer, Holger; Boehm, Katja
Healing Architecture for Sick Kids.
(2019-01) Fricke, Oliver; Halswick, Daniel; Längler, Alfred; Martin, David
Scientific data are sparse on hospital design in child and adolescent psychiatry. The present article aims to give an overview of various concepts of hospital design and to develop concepts how architecture can consider the special needs of children and adolescents in their recovery from psychiatric diseases. Literature research is provided from PubMed and collected from architectural and anthroposophic bibliography. Access to daylight and nature, reduced level of noise and an atmosphere of privacy are general principles to support convalescence in patients. Especially in psychiatry, spatial structures and colour can strengthen appropriate social interrelations on both the patient and staff level. Authors suggest that children and adolescents benefit from architectural concepts which consider the issues: Welcome, Path, Territory, Area of Freedom, Outdoor Space, Access to Light, Motion in the Structure and Orientation of Space.
Individuating Through the 7 Life Processes
Life is a continual series of encounters between ourselves and the world. The extent to which we can learn from and be nourished by them, and then also give back or keep out what is not needed, determines our overall health and longevity. These processes of encounter lead to inner transformation and creative development as individuals. They can be described as seven discrete activities: The first three involve ways in which we take in the world around us and make it our own. They primarily include processes of breakdown and transformation. The last three relate to our inner creative activities- how we renew and regenerate ourselves. And the middle process integrates and harmonizes between these two polarities.
Activity-based mindfulness: large-scale assessment of an online program on perceived stress and mindfulness.
(2024-10-14) Timm, Eliane; Ko, Yobina Melanie; Hundhammer, Theodor; Berlowitz, Ilana; Wolf, Ursula
Mindfulness has emerged as key construct in mental health over past decades. While current mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are usually rooted in Asian contemplative traditions, mindfulness practices can equally be found in other knowledge systems, including integrative medicine systems such as anthroposophic medicine (AM). The (ABSR) program incorporates the latter as part of an 8-week-long online intervention combining mindfulness exercises, behavioral self-observation, and mindful movement practices derived from this integrative medicine frame. The program could offer additional means for cultivating mindfulness, thereby addressing the necessity for diverse approaches in conjunction with individual differences, diverse clinical demands, or restricted capacities to perform certain mindfulness practices. Using an observational repeated-measures design, the current study aimed to assess a large-scale online implementation of this program in terms of its feasibility, assessing perceived stress and mindfulness.
Individuals who enrolled in any of the 37 ABSR program iterations carried out during 2023 and agreed to participate in the study completed online surveys including validated stress and mindfulness scales at the beginning, middle, end, and follow up of the intervention. Linear-mixed models were used for data analysis.
A total of 830 individuals took part in the study, of which 53.5% filled in at least 2 surveys. In line with our expectation, mindfulness scores increased significantly over the course of the intervention, while stress scores decreased significantly in this timeframe. We further found differential effects of self-practice frequency and duration on the outcomes.
This study provides a first indication of stress reduction in conjunction with the online implementation of this novel MBI. The work further suggests that this AM-based intervention indeed targets mindfulness, as do other MBIs, and that it is adaptable to an online format. However, given the observational single-arm design, controlled studies will be necessary to confirm these results. Nonetheless, the study adds a novel contribution to existent MBIs, which is significant in view of the need for diverse approaches to meet the heterogeneity of individual predispositions and clinical requirements. It remains to established by forthcoming research for which groups of individuals or clinical features this approach could be especially beneficial or less suitable.
Expert consensus-based clinical recommendation for an integrative anthroposophic treatment of acute bronchitis in children: A Delphi survey.
(2021-08) Wopker, Pilar Marie; Schwermer, Melanie; Sommer, Simon; Längler, Alfred; Fetz, Katharina; Ostermann, Thomas; Zuzak, Tycho Jan
Acute bronchitis is one of the most common pediatric diseases. In addition to conventional therapies, a frequent use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has been stated. Anthroposophic medicine (AM) is one of the most practiced complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) approaches in Central Europe but hitherto no consensus-based clinical recommendations or guidelines are available. Therefore, a consensus-based recommendation leading to an informed and reasonable use of AM in the treatment of acute bronchitis in pediatrics was developed.
A total of 61 physicians in Germany with expertise in the field of anthroposophic pediatrics was invited to complete an online multistep Delphi process. Two independent reviewers quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated the results. The survey was completed when >75 % consensus was achieved.
The clinical recommendation comprises 15 subitems related to treatment as well as clinical and psychosocial aspects. All items reached strong consensus (>90 %; N = 9) or consensus (75-90 %; N = 6).
The comprehensive clinical recommendation creates a scientific base for the anthroposophic integrative treatment of acute bronchitis in children in Germany. It will make the anthroposophic approach more applicable, understandable and comparable to a wider public of physicians and other health professionals in Germany.
