AnthroMed Library is a repository for articles, audio, and video relating to Anthroposophic medicine. Sponsored by PAAM - Physicians' Association for Anthroposophic Medicine.
Recent Submissions
On caring and sharing-Addressing psychological, biographical, and spiritual aspects in integrative cancer care: A qualitative interview study on physicians' perspectives. ABSTRACT
(2018-10) Kienle, Gunver S; Mussler, Milena; Fuchs, Dieter; Kiene, Helmut
Patients confronted with a cancer diagnosis experience a variety of existential needs encompassing emotional, psychological, and spiritual areas of being. A patient-centered care approach addressing such existential issues is recognized as an essential aspect of health care. The aim of this study is to explore what role psychological, biographical, and spiritual factors play for experienced doctors working in integrative cancer care.
The qualitative study was based on in-depth interviews with 35 purposively sampled doctors, all practicing integrative oncology in the field of anthroposophic medicine in hospitals and/or office-based practices in Germany and other countries. Data were analyzed using structured content analysis.
Psychological, biographical, and spiritual factors are important issues in integrative cancer care. Prevailing themes identified in this study were enabling patients to participate in life, promoting autonomy and coping, stabilizing patients emotionally and cognitively, overcoming the disease, and-primarily if addressed by patients-integrating spiritual issues. Doctors offered conversation, counseling, and time, but also referred to art, music, literature, and nature, so that patients' ongoing emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs could be explored and addressed. Doctors' attitudes with regard to existential issues were seen as important, as was maintaining an attitude of openness towards existential issues.
Doctors in integrative cancer care utilize different methods to explore the needs of patients and employ a variety of treatment methods that address not just patients' medical issues but their existential concerns as well.
Feeling the sound - short-term effect of a vibroacoustic music intervention on well-being and subjectively assessed warmth distribution in cancer patients-A randomized controlled trial. ABSTRACT
(2018-10) Bieligmeyer, Sarah; Helmert, E; Hautzinger, Martin; Vagedes, Jan
Objectives: So far, the effects of vibroacoustic music therapy in cancer patients are unknown. However, used in anthroposophic medicine, it could be an approach to enhance well-being. The goal of this study was to evaluate the immediate effects of a sound-bed music intervention with respect to the subjective well-being as well as body warmth and pain.
Patients and methods: We treated 48 cancer patients with 10 min of sound-bed intervention in a cross-over design. Primary outcome was the total sum of the Basler Mood Questionnaire (BMQ), secondary outcomes were subscales of the BMQ and questions addressing body warmth and pain. The EORTC-QLQ C30 was used as baseline assessment for quality of life (QOL).
Results: Patients had lower QOL values than the EORTC reference samples (p < .001, d = 0.90). The primary outcome increased after music (p < .001, d = 0.47), no changes were seen in the control condition (p = .73, d = 0.04), the time by condition interaction was significant (p < .05).
Secondary outcomes: Increase after music for the BMQ subscales inner balance (p < .001, d = 0.73), vitality (p < .001, d = 0.51) and vigilance (p < .001, d = 0.37) as well as for the additional questions satisfaction (p < .001, d = 0.43), current mood (p < .001, d = 0.43), body warmth (p < .05, d = 0.44) and warmth distribution (p < .01, d = 0.49). No significant changes were seen in pain levels and social extroversion.
Conclusion: Sound-bed intervention improved momentary well-being and caused self-perceived physiological changes associated with relaxation beyond the benefits of simple resting time (control condition). Thus, it might be a promising approach to improve well-being in cancer patients.
Integrative cancer care in a certified Cancer Centre of a German Anthroposophic hospital.
(2018-10) Thronicke, Anja; Oei, Shiao Li; Merkle, Antje; Herbstreit, Cornelia; Lemmens, Hans-Peter; Grah, Christian; Kröz, Matthias; Matthes, Harald; Schad, Friedemann
Objective: The concept of integrative oncology (IO) comprising guideline-oriented standard and add-on complementary medicine has gained growing importance. The Anthroposophic-integrative Cancer Centre (CC) at the hospital Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus (GKH) in Berlin has been implementing IO concepts during recent years. Furthermore, it is a certified CC and has been annually audited by national cancer authorities since 2012. The objective of the present study was to evaluate IO concepts of the certified CC GKH.
Methods: Clinical, demographic, integrative treatment and follow-up data were analyzed between 2011 and 2016. In addition, CC GKH quality measures were compared with those of nationwide benchmarking CCs.
Results: Between 2011 and 2016, 2.382 primary cancer patients, median age 66 years, were treated at the CC GKH. 70.1% of the patients showed either Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stage 0, I, II or III and 25.6% were in UICC stage IV. IO therapies included surgery (64.4% of patients), radiation (41.2%), and application of cytostatic drugs (53.9%), add-on mistletoe therapy (30.5%), and non-pharmacological interventions (87.3%). Regarding psycho-oncological support and quota of patient's enrollment in studies the CC GKH performs above nationwide benchmarks. Research outcomes including safety issues, clinical impact as well as patient's health-related quality of life are continuously evaluated and integrated into hospital's decision-management.
Conclusion: This analysis reveals that IO concepts are applied to a high proportion of male and female primary
cancer patients of all age groups, indicating a successful implementation at the certified CC GKH. Ongoing
clinical evaluations have been initiated and cost-effectiveness comparisons are under analyses.
A collaborative model of integrative care: Synergy between Anthroposophic music therapy, acupuncture, and spiritual care in two patients with breast cancer. ABSTRACT
(2018-10) Ben-Arye, Eran; Preis, Liora; Barak, Yael; Samuels, Noah
Complementary/integrative medicine (CIM) has been shown to play an important role in supportive cancer care, relieving symptoms and improving quality of life among oncology patients. Communication between CIM practitioners and oncology healthcare professionals has been researched in depth, while little attention has been paid to the interaction between CIM practitioners from different disciplines who work together in the integrative oncology setting. The present paper explores the interaction between an Anthroposophic music therapist and a spiritual care provider who co-treated two female patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The joint CIM treatments took place in an Integrative Oncology service in northern Israel, and the collaboration between the two practitioners resulted in a synergistic therapeutic process, promoting the patients' wellbeing and facilitating spiritual growth. There is a need to further explore therapeutic interactions between CIM therapists from different disciplines, who often work together in the integrative oncology setting. Collaboration between different CIM disciplines can lead to a synergy which goes beyond an additive effect of the individual therapies.
