Spiritual Science As Applied To Medicine

Spiritual Science as applied to medicine is widely known as Anthroposophical medicine, and is being used by many physicians all over the world - more frequently in certain parts of Europe and North America. This methodology in medicine draws its practices and knowledge from the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, a founder and philosopher, who has founded the school of Anthroposophy.

Anthroposophy is a school of thought that relies on scientific approach in spiritual discernment. Anthroposophical medicine, despite its leanings to spiritual aspects, still relies on established facts and the systematic approaches to modern medicine. It uses fundamental principles in ancient medicine, such as Chinese medicine, Tibetan medicine and Ayurvedic medicine. In a nutshell, it is a more holistic approach, which puts emphasis on the spiritual well being, as much as it does on the physiological one.

The systematic model of AM (Anthroposophical Medicine) relies on the "four-foldness" of being. This means that there are four parts of what decides the general condition of an individual. The first one is the physical body, which is the vessel. The life/etheric body, which is the same as the Chinese idea of chi, embodies the second, while the third level is the soul/astral body. Finally, the fourth one resides in the spirit. In this model, the physician ensures that all these four levels are put under careful scrutiny, and he applies his knowledge of modern medicine and spiritual science in their treatment both in separate levels and as a whole. AM physicians use diagnostic tools, but also rely on intuition and understanding of the patient's psyche and overall personality. The medicine often used in AM is homeopathic and medicinal, which makes it non-toxic and less risky.

The only drawback is that there are side effects. These side effects are often referred to as the "healing crises", which results to the temporary worsening of symptoms - such as fever, headaches, nausea, muscle soreness, and many others. This is in harmony with their belief that modern medicine suppresses illness, and not beneficial to a patient's health in the long run. So the rule of thumb is to draw out the illness in order for the patient to get rid of it completely and thus, pave the way to complete recovery.

Anthroposophical medicine also relies on allied therapies, which include massage therapy, eurythmics (otherwise known as movement therapy). Eurythmics is the science and art of harmonizing our inner spiritual movements. Psychotherapy is another branch of allied therapies, which helps in dealing with sickness and disease on a psychological level. During the first visit, an AM physician makes it a point to educate the patient in the overview of Anthroposophy, since it's impossible to make any progress with a treatment that involves the mind and spirit without the patient's conscious awareness. This is in the form of questionnaires and instructional materials, which are given to the patient before the first stage of treatment.

While some fundamentalists in modern medicine have abhorred the practice and made conjectures that it is synonymous to "voodoo", studies have shown promising results. Whatever the case, Anthroposophic medicine continues to improve our spiritual and physical well being, and is definitely here to stay.