Principles of treatment

The principal aspects of an anthroposophic medical approach are:

• it is an integrative medicine that builds on the well-established facts and methods of diagnosis and treatment of conventional medicine extending it with a holistic approach
• it concentrates on factors that support health and well-being rather than on factors that cause disease (salutogenesis), focusing on education, lifestyle and self-management 
• a pathological condition is the culmination of a longer process; understanding this perspective is important for the diagnosis and therapeutic process
• it takes account of the patient's own social environment as well as a mental and spiritual dimension
• the treatment approach is highly individualised including both conventional and anthroposophic medicinal products.

Specific anthroposophic approaches include anthroposophic medicinal products, massage therapy, art and music therapy, and speech and movement therapies. 

Anthroposophic medicinal products consist largely of natural substances from the mineral, plant and animal worlds. They can be both prescription and for self-medication. They are conceived, developed and produced in accordance with the anthroposophic knowledge of man, nature, substance and pharmaceutical processing.