News

This is a warm invitation to the opening of the new anthroposophic health centre - formerly Helios Medical Centre, Bristol, UK. See you there.

At the Rowan Tree Centre for Health, we are passionate about a type of healthcare that encompasses the whole person. We endeavour to support our clients on their health journey, with its many dimensions – physical, social, emotional and spiritual.

By working collaboratively as a team, incorporating movement, art therapy, massage, counselling and natural remedies, we are able to support our clients’ healing processes from a variety of angles. We offer an initial consultation with a holistic doctor and together we develop a personalised therapeutic plan tailored to every person’s individual needs and preferences.

Most of our therapists are trained in anthroposophic therapy, which inspires their work and informs their approach to both health and illness. By working together, we provide a therapeutic space where clients are supported not only on their journey towards better health but also in their personal growth towards reaching their full potential.

IVAA News

The MISTRAL Trial: Evaluating Mistletoe Extract in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Treatment 

June 6, 2024

A recent study, “Mistletoe Extract in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial” (MISTRAL), conducted in Sweden, investigated whether mistletoe extract, combined with modern oncological palliative care, could enhance survival and quality of life in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. This trial explored complementary therapies as potential avenues to improve outcomes for those facing this challenging disease.

Read More »

New Study Shows Mistletoe and Immunotherapy in Combination Extends Survival in Lung Cancer Patients

June 13, 2024

Recent research from Germany offers new evidence in the fight against lung cancer, the world’s second most prevalent type of cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The study, “Patients with Advanced or Metastasised Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer with Viscum album L. Therapy in Addition to PD-1/PD-L1 Blockade: A Real-World Data Study,” demonstrates that combining mistletoe therapy with standard immunotherapy significantly improves survival rates in patients.

Read More »

In the UK, Mistletoe Research UK has shared info on the local trail. 

An autobiographical study by Melanie Taylor of finding courage through adversity.

Through the metaphor of the journey, the author invites the reader on a path of discovery as she finds meaning in the dramatic events of her own life.

From a magical childhood on the Cornish moors to overcoming adversity through a life-changing illness, Melanie uses the metaphor of a journey in seven stages, part autobiography, part study.

Her story leads us to explore new ideas in a tapestry of language and imagery. Adapting to life in a wheelchair, this mother of three young children initially retrained as a teacher of dyslexic children and later as a counsellor. She went on to co-found therapeutic programmes for adult groups, a training and therapy centre. Her study of the archetypal nature of the journey includes Rudolf Steiner’s concepts of Seven Life, becoming Learning Processes.

Confronted with her own existential challenges, she discovers that courage and faith can access a source of help and support far beyond what she had dared to believe possible.

Her story culminates in an imaginative paraphrase of the seventeenth century spiritual diary, The Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz and seven contemplations. This book is for all those who embrace their vulnerability to find the inner courage to meet life’s challenges.

BOOK

WHO 2 September 2023 | Meeting report:

'The first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit “Towards health and well-being for all” was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, on 17-18 August 2023, to look anew at the application of rigorous scientific methods to unlock the vast potential of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) amidst important challenges and opportunities to realize universal health coverage and promote health and well-being for people and the planet.

The participants in the Summit, coming from all WHO regions, included a range of stakeholders: from health and TCIM practitioners, civil society representatives and Indigenous Peoples to health policy and decision-makers and government officials from the G20 and other countries.

Based on the research and evidence-informed discussions and initiatives presented in the Summit’s five plenaries and six parallel sessions, the participants endorsed the outcomes of the Summit in a meeting report: the Gujarat Declaration.

The meeting report sets out an action agenda towards the implementation of evidence-based TCIM interventions and approaches in support of the goal of universal health coverage and health-related Sustainable Development Goals, among others, and the application of science, technology, innovation and knowledge exchange to validate and unlock, as appropriate, the contribution of TCIM and Indigenous knowledge to advance planetary health and people’s health and well-being across the life course.'

INFO

REPORT

We are delighted to share with you the recent Press Release from the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations (IVAA)!

In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined the integration of traditional and complementary medicine into health systems as an important strategic goal (WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy: 2014-2023).

To date, the WHO has published comparable training standards for various established traditional, complementary and integrative practices, such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine."

The benchmarks for training in Anthroposophic Medicine by the WHO are available at https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/366645

In 2023, WHO has published benchmarks for training in Anthroposophic Medicine. Setting WHO qualification standards for Anthroposophic Medicine practitioners reflects its relevance as a global medical practice and provides patients with a predictable level of care >>.

Representatives of Anthroposophical Medical Trainings from many countries met to agree appropriate international standards of training for doctors wishing to practice Anthroposophic Medicine (AM). These were incorporated into the WHO Benchmarks. The English Training in Anthroposophic Medicine, based in the UK, is open to doctors world-wide, as amongst 10 trainings throughout the world meeting these benchmarks. This means that doctors graduating from this training have their qualifications internationally recognised by the Medical Section. All Anthroposophic Doctors are medical doctors in their own right and with this further training in anthroposophic understanding of human beings, nature and of health and disease have the competence to apply the AM discipline in concepts and practice. In the UK they meet the requirements of revalidation with General Medical Council when practising. Of course, professionalism, collaboration, patient rights and research methods are also part of the AM training.

To find Anthroposophic Doctors near you, please visit our Directory.

Published in August 2022, Soul-Size: The Eternal Psychosomatic Dilemma: An Exploration of Anthroposophic Physiology and Psychology is a book by Dr. James Dyson, co-founder of the Park Attwood Clinic, England where he worked from 1979 to 2003. 

The psychotherapeutic approach is one which takes account of the whole person, considering the mind, body and spirit together. This leads to a deeper understanding of the person which helps practitioners take a holistic approach to the care of their patients.

Building on his expertise as a physician, James Dyson went on to study psychosynthesis psychology, nonviolent communication and organisational development. Here, he offers his analysis from these studies which, combined with his engagement with the work of Rudolf Steiner for over 50 years and with the therapeutic practice of eurythmy, provides readers with practical tools that they can apply in their work.

The selected lectures, essays and interviews cover topics including Moral Intuition and the Value of Education, The Challenges of Adolescence in Challenging Times and Parsifal Seen Psychologically. This book also includes an appendix featuring an introduction to eurythmy and exercises.

An insightful and empowering guide for anyone engaged in healing, health care, counselling, and psychotherapy who wants to take a more holistic approach to their caregiving.

A worldwide project calling for full access to traditional, complementary and integrative healthcare should be part of the right to health.

'The People’s Declaration calls for the respectful collaboration between traditional, complementary and biomedical practices with the aim of achieving a person-centred and holistic approach to health. The healthcare we want focuses on the whole person, is participative, respects individual choices as well as cultural diversity and integrates clinical experience and patient values with the best available research information. Full access to traditional, complementary and integrative healthcare should be part of the right to health.'

To read more on desirable healthcare, benefits & limitations, inspirations & concerns and call to action, please visit TCIH website.

Join the call to action, sign, support and follow the Declaration milestones at https://www.tcih.org!

27th OCT Q&A Webinar: United for Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Healthcare

Click here to access  multiple languages PDF of TCIH's declarations.

The team behind this website have implemented a Jobs Board where members and non-members can post vacancies. 

This should help to keep the advertised vacancies up to date, and make it easier for employers to list their vacancies on the website.

Members of the website can post vacancies for free, whilst non-members are asked to pay a small administrative fee for the service.

Anyone can sign up to receive email job alerts when a new vacancy is added.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

We are writing to inform you of the result of the process of finding a new Coordinator for the Medical Section in the UK. After a process of consultation and reflection, we have invited Sibylle Eichstaedt and Dr Rainer Klocke to take on this role jointly.

After the previous Coordinator Dr Stefan Geider retired, the Medical Section Council was formed following the 2019 Medical Section Conference to devise an inclusive process for identifying a new Coordinator. The Council was formed of representatives of the various professional bodies/fields of work within anthroposophic medicine and therapy.

As you may know, three individuals were nominated by the cut off date. They were interviewed by the Council, and their personal statements were circulated to members of the professional associations and others connected with the Section. Everyone was invited to give their views on the nominees either directly to the Council or indirectly via their professional body. 

After hearing these views the Council reflected on who would be most suitable for this Coordination task. Based on the perception that Sibylle’s and Rainer’s strengths and visions would complement and enrich each other, and in the light of the fact that ours is such a large Section, we made the decision to invite them to take on this role jointly.

This recommendation was shared with Drs Matthias Girke and Georg Soldner as the Leadership of Medical Section at the Goetheanum, with an invitation to respond. Their response is as follows:

Dear Friends!

We are very pleased with your recommendation and gladly agree with it on the part of the Medical Section. You have our best wishes for fruitful work in the development of Anthroposophical Medicine. I look forward to our hopefully not only virtual meeting in May (Medical Conference at Emerson) and send good wishes for the Easter season!

Matthias and Georg

On 8^th April the Council met with Sibylle and Rainer to hear their response to our invitation. Having already had a few conversations among themselves, they responded positively, and the Council warmly welcomed and affirmed them as the new joint Medical Section Coordinators.

From Sibylle Eichstaedt and Rainer Klocke:

We feel honoured and privileged to have been invited and entrusted to jointly coordinate the work of the Medical Section in the United Kingdom at this important time. We very much look forward to this task of serving the Medical Section and wider anthroposophic medical movement, and to sharing our vision at the Medical Section Conference at Emerson from 21^st–23rd May 2021, which we hope many of us will be able to attend either in person or remotely.

We would like to thank all those who responded to the consultation process, the nominees, and Sibylle and Rainer for their willingness to take on this task.

We look forward to the May Conference when our new Coordinators will share their hopes and intentions with us all. 

With warm regards,

Melanie Taylor & Carol Kirk

For the Medical Section Council

International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations welcomes the reporting by The Observer, a sister paper of The Guardian, on the care of Covid-19 patients in German anthroposophic hospitals, including critically ill patients in the intensive care ward. The article rightly highlights how these treatments are provided in addition to state-of-the-art conventional treatments, how anthroposophic medicine is fully integrated into the German health care system and how anthroposophy “enjoys a high level of social acceptance and institutional support in German-speaking countries”. The World Health Organization’s Traditional Medicine Strategy has indeed set integration of traditional and complementary medicine into health care systems as one of its strategic goals.

While the article is generally biased against anthroposophic medicine and only quotes two known opponents of anthroposophy, it nevertheless provides welcome reporting on integrative medicine that is highly popular with patients in Europe. 

Read the remainder of this press release on the IVAA website.