Anthroposophic medicine

Short description: Form of alternative medicine

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Part of a series on

Anthroposophy
General

* Anthroposophy
* Rudolf Steiner
* Ita Wegman
* Anthroposophical Society
* Goetheanum

Anthroposophically inspired work

* Waldorf education
* Biodynamic agriculture
* Anthroposophic medicine
* Camphill Movement
* Eurythmy

Philosophy

* Social threefolding

* v
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* e

Anthroposophic medicine (or anthroposophical medicine) is a form of alternative medicine based on pseudoscientific and occult notions.[1] Devised in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925) in conjunction with Ita Wegman (1876–1943), anthroposophical medicine draws on Steiner's spiritual philosophy, which he called anthroposophy. Practitioners employ a variety of treatment techniques based upon anthroposophic precepts, including massage, exercise, counselling, and administration of substances.[2]

Many drug preparations used in anthroposophic medicine are ultra-diluted, similar to those used in homeopathy. Homeopathic remedies are not medically effective and are generally considered harmless, except when used as a substitute for a scientifically proven and effective prevention and cure.[3] In certain European countries, people with cancer are sometimes prescribed remedies made from specially harvested mistletoe, although no evidence of clinical benefit exists.[4][5] Some anthroposophic doctors oppose childhood vaccination, and this has led to preventable outbreaks of disease.[6]

Anthroposophic medicine departs from fundamental biological, physical, and chemical principles in several respects. For example, Steiner said that the heart is not a pump, but that the blood, in a sense, pumps itself.[7][8] Anthroposophic medicine also proposes that patients' past lives may influence their illness and that the course of an illness is subject to karmic destiny.[9][10] Professor of complementary medicine Edzard Ernst and other physicians and scientists including Simon Singh and David Gorski have characterized anthroposophic medicine as pseudoscientific quackery,[11][12] with no basis in reason or logic.[13][14][15]

## Contents

* 1 Background
* 1.1 History
* 1.2 Categorization and conceptual basis
* 2 Methods
* 2.1 Plant-derived treatments
* 2.2 Beliefs about human biology
* 2.3 Reaction to COVID-19
* 2.4 Mistletoe treatment for cancer
* 3 Immunization
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 Further reading
* 6.1 Books and journal articles
* 6.2 Lectures by Rudolf Steiner
* 7 External links

## Background

Co-founders of anthroposophic medicine

Rudolf Steiner

Ita Wegman

### History

Ita Wegman, co-founder of the medical approach, before 1900 in Berlin

According to Egil Asprem, "Steiner's teachings had a clear authoritarian ring, and developed a rather crass polemic against 'materialism', 'liberalism', and cultural 'degeneration'. [...] For example, anthroposophical medicine was developed to contrast with the 'materialistic' (and hence 'degenerate') medicine of the establishment."[16] According to Anthroposophy, mainstream medical science is Ahrimanic.[17]

The first steps towards an anthroposophic approach to medicine were made before 1920, when homeopathic physicians and pharmacists began working with Rudolf Steiner, who recommended new medicinal substances as well as specific methods for preparation along with an anthroposophic concept of man. In 1921, Ita Wegman opened the first anthroposophic medical clinic, now known as the Klinik Arlesheim,[18] in Arlesheim, Switzerland. Wegman was soon joined by several other doctors. They then began to train the first anthroposophic nurses for the clinic.

At Wegman's request, Steiner regularly visited the clinic and suggested treatment regimes for particular patients. Between 1920 and 1925, he also gave several series of lectures on medicine. In 1925, Wegman and Steiner wrote the first book on the anthroposophic approach to medicine, Fundamentals of Therapy.[19][20]

Wegman later opened a separate clinic and curative home in Ascona. Wegman lectured widely, visiting the Netherlands and England particularly frequently, and an increasing number of doctors began to include the anthroposophic approach in their practices. A cancer clinic, the Lukas Clinic, opened in Arlesheim in 1963.[21]

In 1976 anthroposophic medicine in Germany got regulated by law as a specific therapeutic system ("Besondere Therapierichtung") by the Medicines Act-Arzneimittelgesetz (AMG) and by the Code of Social Law (Sozialgesetzbuch V)[22]

In the 1990s, the Witten/Herdecke University in Germany established a chair in anthroposophical medicine. The press described the appointment as a "death sentence," and the perception that pseudoscience was being taught damaged the university's reputation, bringing it close to financial collapse. It was ultimately saved by a cash injection from Software AG, a technology corporation with a history of funding anthroposophic projects.[13]

In 2012, the University of Aberdeen considered establishing a chair in holistic health jointly funded by Software AG and the Anthroposophic Health, Education, and Social Care Movement, each of which would provide £1.5 million of endowment.[13] Edzard Ernst commented, "that any decent university should even consider an anthroposophical medicine unit seems incomprehensible. The fact that it would be backed by people who have a financial interest in this bogus approach makes it even worse."[13] The university's governance and nominations committee eventually decided not to proceed with the appointment.[12]

Joseph A. Schwarcz (2022) regards Steiner as a quack.[23]

### Categorization and conceptual basis

The categorization of anthroposophical medicine is complex since, in part, it complements conventional medicine, and in part, it substitutes for it.[1] In 2008, Ernst wrote that it was being promoted as an "extension to conventional medicine".[6]

Ernst writes that Steiner used imagination and insight as a basis for his ideas, drawing mystical knowledge from the occult Akashic Records, a work which is supposedly situated on the astral plane, and which Steiner said was accessible to him via his intuitive powers.[3] On this basis, Steiner proposed "associations between four postulated dimensions of the human body (physical body, etheric body, astral body, and ego), plants, minerals, and the cosmos".[2] Steiner also proposed a connection betweens planets, metals and organs so that, for example, the planet Mercury, the element mercury and the lung were all somehow associated. These propositions form the basis of anthroposophical medicine.[3]

Ernst has said that anthroposophical medicine "includes some of the least plausible theories one could possibly imagine",[24] categorized it as "pure quackery",[12] and said that it "has no basis in science".[13] According to Quackwatch, anthroposophical medicine practitioners regard illness as a "rite of passage" necessary to purge spiritual impurities carried over from past lives, according to the precepts of "karmic destiny".[9]

Anthroposophical MDs think diseases are caused primarily by karma and demons, rather than materialistic causes.[25] The Gospel of Luke is their main handbook of medical science; this makes them believe they have magical powers, and that medicine is essentially a form of magic.[25] The professional French organization of Anthroposophic MDs has sued Grégoire Perra (fr), the author of such claims; they have been condemned to pay 25,000 Euros in damages for abusively suing him.[25][26]

The French governmental anti-cults agency MIVILUDES reported that it remains vigilant about Anthroposophy, especially because of its deviant medical applications and its work with underage persons.[25][27][28]

According to Edzard Ernst, "Anthroposophic medicine is based on several bizarre assumptions".[29]

Steiner seems to have been right about diets, although his assumptions were erroneous.[30]

## Methods

Weleda anthroposophic products sold in Brazil

In anthroposophic pharmacy, drugs are prepared according to notions of alchemy and homeopathy rather than the science underlying modern pharmacology.[2] During the preparation process, patterns formed by crystallization are interpreted to see which "etheric force" they most closely resemble.[11] Most anthroposophic preparations are highly diluted, akin to homeopathic remedies. This means that, while they are completely harmless in themselves, using them in place of conventional medicine to treat serious illness carries a risk of severe adverse consequences.[3]

As well as drug remedies, anthroposophical medicine also includes:[2]

* Anthroposophic nursing
* Counselling
* Eurythmy – claimed to affect "inner life functions" leading to a "re-integration of body, soul, and spirit".[9][31]
* External applications
* Rhythmic massages

### Plant-derived treatments

To select an anthroposophic substance for a particular illness, practitioners consider the source of the substances used. The character of a mineral, plant, or animal is hypothesised to have been formed by the substances that are most active within it, in the belief that this character may also influence what the substance will accomplish when given to treat another organism. This is related to the doctrine of signatures. Willow, for example, is considered to have an unusual character:

> ... plants that grow near water are usually heavy, with big, dark green leaves that wilt and break easily. An exception is ... the white willow, a tree that always grows near water and loves light. However, unlike other "watery" plants, the willow has fine, almost dry leaves and looks very light ... Its branches are unbelievably tough. They are elastic and cannot be broken. They bend easily and form "joints" rather than break. These few signatures can give us the clue to what salix can be used for therapeutically: arthritis, deformation of joints, swollen joints ...[32]

There is no scientific evidence that the shape of plants has ever caused a new medical property to be discovered.[33]

### Beliefs about human biology

Steiner described the heart not as a pump but as a regulator of flow, such that the heartbeat itself can be distinguished from the circulation of blood.[8][34] Anthroposophic medicine claims the flow of blood of the circulatory system is, as Marinelli put it, "propelled with its own biological momentum, as can be seen in the embryo, and boosts itself with induced momenta from the heart".[8][35]

This view of the heart is not based on any scientific theory and has been characterized as "crank science".[34]

Steiner believed that the sex of a baby was determined at the moment of conception by the alignment of the stars.[36]

Steiner's model of anatomy was based on a three-part notion whereby the head is the "thinking part," the abdomen and limbs the "metabolic part," and the chest and heart a "rhythmic center".[36]

According to Dan Dugan, Steiner challenged established science in the following ways:

1. by supporting vitalism;
2. by doubting germ theory;[37]
3. by ignoring physiological systems;
4. by hypothesizing that "the heart is not a pump".[38]

### Reaction to COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Steiner hospitals in Germany became notorious amongst healthcare authorities for forcing quack remedies on sedated hospital patients, some of whom were critically ill.[39] Remedies used included ginger poultices and homeopathic pellets claimed to contain the dust of shooting stars. Stefan Kluge, the director of intensive care medicine at Hamburg's University Medical Centre, said the claims of anthroposophic providers during the pandemic were "highly unprofessional" and that they "risk[ed] causing uncertainty among patients".[39]

### Mistletoe treatment for cancer

Mistletoe – Steiner said that harvesting it when the planets were aligned would yield a cancer treatment.

See also: Unsolved:List of unproven and disproven cancer treatments

Rudolf Steiner conjectured that mistletoe could cure cancer based on the observation that the plant was a parasite that eventually killed its host—a process he claimed paralleled the progression of cancer.[2] Steiner believed the plant's medical potential was influenced by the position of the sun, moon, and planets and that it was important to harvest the plant at the right time.[40] Some mistletoe preparations are ultra-diluted; others are made from fermented mistletoe.[2] The most commonly used trade names for mistletoe drugs are Iscador and Helixor.[4]

Although laboratory experiments have suggested that mistletoe extract may affect the immune system and be able to kill some kinds of cancer cells, there is little evidence of its benefit to people with cancer.[5][41] Most of the clinical research claiming that mistletoe therapy is effective is published in Germany, and it is generally considered unreliable because of major lapses in quality.[41][42] Edzard Ernst wrote that research by anthroposophic clinicians often reached positive conclusions on mistletoe therapy because it drew on unreliable material; independent researchers tended instead to find no evidence of benefit.[2] The American Cancer Society says that "available evidence from well-designed clinical trials does not support claims that mistletoe can improve length or quality of life".[4]

Mistletoe-based cancer drugs are widely used in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries.[42] In 2002, nearly half a million prescriptions were paid for by German health insurance, and in 2006, there were reportedly around 30 types of mistletoe extract on the market.[2][42] Mistletoe extracts have been used as an unconventional treatment for cancer patients in the Netherlands, and in Germany the treatment has been approved as palliative therapy to treat the symptoms of patients with malignant tumors.[4] In Sweden, controversially, mistletoe therapy has been approved for use in the treatment of cancer symptoms.[43]

In other countries, mistletoe therapy is virtually unknown.[42] The United States Food and Drug Administration has not approved mistletoe-based drugs for any purpose; mistletoe extracts may not be distributed in or imported to the U.S. except for research purposes.[41] As of 2015[update] no mistletoe-based drugs are licensed for use in the United Kingdom.[44]

A 2013 article on mistletoe in Lancet Oncology invoked Ben Goldacre's observation that a geographical preference for certain therapies was a hallmark of quackery, and proposed that the continuing use of this "apparently ineffectual therapy" in a small cluster of countries was based on sociological rather than medical reasons, indicating a need for a more informed consent from patients.[42]

## Immunization

See also: Unsolved:Vaccine hesitancy

The risks arising from using anthroposophical medicine as a substitute for evidence-based medicine are exemplified by several cases of low vaccination levels in Waldorf schools,[3] since some anthroposophical doctors oppose immunization.[6] A 1999 study of children in Sweden showed that in Waldorf schools, only 18% had received MMR vaccination, compared to a level of 93% in other schools nationally.[3]

A 2003 report of a widespread measles outbreak around Coburg, Germany, identified a Waldorf school as the origin.[3] At the time, the town's mayor had condemned homeopathic doctors who had discouraged vaccination, saying, "Their stronghold is the Waldorf School, which actively encourages people not to have their children vaccinated. Now we have an epidemic."[45]

Paul Offit wrote that Steiner believed vaccination "interferes with karmic development and the cycles of reincarnation", and that adherence to this belief led to a 2008 pertussis outbreak in a Californian Waldorf school, causing its temporary closure.[10]

## See also

* Alternative cancer treatments
* Herbalism
* Holistic health

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kienle, Gunver S.; Kiene, Helmut; Albonico, Hans Ulrich (2006). "Anthroposophische Medizin: Health Technology Assessment Bericht – Kurzfassung". Forschende Komplementärmedizin 13 (2): 7–18. doi:10.1159/000093481. PMID 16883076. "teils ergänzend und teils ersetzend zur konventionellen Medizin". Cited in Ernst, Edzard (2008). "Anthroposophic medicine: A critical analysis". MMW Fortschritte der Medizin 150 (Suppl 1): 1–6. PMID 18540325.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Ernst, Edzard (2006). "Mistletoe as a treatment for cancer". BMJ 333 (7582): 1282–3. doi:10.1136/bmj.39055.493958.80. PMID 17185706.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Ernst, Edzard (2008). "Anthroposophic medicine: A critical analysis". MMW Fortschritte der Medizin 150 (Suppl 1): 1–6. PMID 18540325.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Ades, Terri; Russell, Jill; Rovere, Amy; Rosenthal, David; American Cancer Society (2009). "Mistletoe". American Cancer Society complete guide to complementary & alternative cancer therapies. Atlanta, Ga.: American Cancer Society. pp. 424–428. ISBN 978-0-944235-71-3. OCLC 1513785276. https://archive.org/details/americancancerso0000unse/page/424. "Available evidence from well-designed clinical trials does not support claims that mistletoe can improve length or quality of life."
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Horneber, Markus; Ackeren, Gerd; Linde, Klaus; Rostock, Matthias (2008). "Mistletoe therapy in oncology". Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020 (2). doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003297.pub2. PMID 18425885. "The review found that there was not enough evidence to reach clear conclusions about the effects on any of these outcomes and it is therefore not clear to what extent the application of mistletoe extracts translates into improved symptom control, enhanced tumour response or prolonged survival.".
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ernst, Edzard (March 2011). "Anthroposophy: A Risk Factor for Noncompliance With Measles Immunization". Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 30 (3): 187–189. doi:10.1097/INF.0b013e3182024274. PMID 21102363. "Anthroposophic medicine was founded by Steiner and Ita Wegman in the early 20th century. Currently, it is being promoted as an extension of conventional medicine.".
7. ↑ The Dynamic Heart and Circulation, ed. Craig Holdrege, AWSNA, 2002, p.145
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Marinelli, Ralph; Fuerst, Branko; van der Zee, Hoyte; McGinn, Andrew; Marinelli, William (1995). "The heart is not a pump: a refutation of the pressure propulsion premise of heart function". Frontier Perspectives 5 (1): 15–24. http://www.trigunamedia.com/The heart is not a pump.pdf.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Rawlings, Roger (23 July 2012). "Rudolf Steiner's Quackery". QuackWatch. http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/steiner.html.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Offit, Paul A. (2011). Deadly Choices: How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All. Basic Books. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-465-02356-1. https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780465021499.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Dugan, Dan (2002-01-01). "Anthroposophy and Anthroposophical Medicine". in Michael Shermer. The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. ABC-CLIO. pp. 31–32. ISBN 978-1-57607-653-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=Gr4snwg7iaEC&pg=PA31.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Jump, Paul (11 May 2012). "Aberdeen decides against alternative medicine chair". Times Higher Education Supplement. http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/419909.article.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 McKie, Robin; Hartmann, Laura (29 April 2012). "Holistic unit will 'tarnish' Aberdeen University reputation". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/apr/29/holistic-unit-tarnish-aberdeen-university-reputation.
14. ↑ Gorski, David (14 March 2011). "A University of Michigan Medical School alumnus confronts anthroposophic medicine at his alma mater". https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/a-university-of-michigan-medical-school-alumnus-confronts-anthroposophic-medicine-at-his-alma-mater/.
15. ↑ Singh, Simon; Ernst, Edzard (2008). Trick or treatment?: Alternative medicine on trial. London: Bantam Press. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-593-06129-9. OCLC 190777228.
16. ↑

* Asprem, Egil (2013). The problem of disenchantment: scientific naturalism and esoteric discourse, 1900-1939 (PDF) (dr. thesis). University of Amsterdam. p. 508\. hdl:11245/1.393117.
* Asprem, Egil (2018). The Problem of Disenchantment: Scientific Naturalism and Esoteric Discourse, 1900-1939. SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions. State University of New York Press. p. 494. ISBN 978-1-4384-6992-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=2e9dDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA494. Retrieved 18 May 2024.

17. ↑ Al-Faruqi, Ismail Il Raji (1977). "Moral values in medicine and science". Biosciences Communications (S. Karger) 3 (1): 56–58. ISSN 0302-2781. https://books.google.com/books?id=09hEAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved 15 March 2024. "Medical science is Ahrimanic in that it treats the body solely as a mechanism, having no knowledge of or concern with the etheric structure, that invisible field of force and energy which all too often is found to be the seat of disease.".
18. ↑ Lavender, Paul (2010). "Swiss Pioneers in Science and Medicine". https://misc.karger.com/gazette/71/wegman/art_06.html.
19. ↑ Engel, Peter B. (1961-07-01). "Rudolf Steiner's medical thinking and its relationship to homœopathy" (in en). British Homoeopathic Journal 50 (3): 185–190. doi:10.1016/S0007-0785(61)80064-1. ISSN 0007-0785. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007078561800641.
20. ↑ Intveen, Andrea (2015-06-09). "Rudolf Steiner and the development of Anthroposophical Music Therapy". Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199639755.013.3.
21. ↑ Lukas Clinic . Accessed 2007-12-26.
22. ↑ "Anthroposophic medicine in Germany". NAFKAM. 2012-12-31. http://nafkam-lovgivning.uit.no/anthroposophic-medicine-in-germany/.
23. ↑ Schwarcz, Joe (2022). "Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophy". Quack Quack: The Threat of Pseudoscience. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press. pp. 52–54. ISBN 978-1-77852-023-5. "To a scientist, this of course is silly stuff. Even Steiner admitted this. 'I know perfectly well that all of this may seem utterly mad,' he once said. 'I only ask that you remember how many things have seemed utterly mad which have nonetheless been introduced a few years later.' An interesting notion, but quite misleading. The fact is that most ideas that seem utterly mad, are utterly mad."
24. ↑ Ernst, Edzard (2010). "Anthroposophic Medicine". Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies 12: 66. doi:10.1111/j.2042-7166.2007.tb04893.x.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3

* Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires (28 April 2023). "L'anthroposophie: de multiples facettes pour un même visage" (in fr). Rapport d'activité 2021. pp. 72–74. https://www.miviludes.interieur.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/publications/francais/MIVILUDES-RAPPORT2021_web_ 27_04_2023 _0.pdf. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
* Mission interministérielle de vigilance et de lutte contre les dérives sectaires (21 July 2025). "L'anthroposophie: de multiples facettes pour un même visage" (in fr). Rapport d'activité 2021. pp. 72–74. https://www.miviludes.interieur.gouv.fr/sites/miviludes/files/medias/documents/2025-07/MIVILUDES-RAPPORT2021.pdf. Retrieved 7 August 2025.

26. ↑ Gérard, Jean-François (12 October 2021). "À Strasbourg, des médecins anthroposophes condamnés pour avoir voulu "faire taire Grégoire Perra"" (in fr). https://www.rue89strasbourg.com/association-medecins-anthroposophes-condamnee-poursuites-ancien-professeur-219029.
27. ↑ Koller, Rodolphe (30 November 2022). "Quel est le problème avec l'anthroposophie ?" (in fr). Tribune de Lyon. https://tribunedelyon.fr/politique/quel-est-le-probleme-avec-lanthroposophie/.
28. ↑ Benz, Stéphanie (2 November 2022). "Pseudo-thérapeutes, anthroposophes, retour des scientologues... Les alertes de la Miviludes" (in fr). L'Express. https://www.lexpress.fr/sciences-sante/sciences/pseudo-therapeutes-anthroposophes-retour-des-scientologues-les-alertes-de-la-miviludes_2182885.html?cmp_redirect=true.
29. ↑ Ernst, Edzard (2024). Bizarre Medical Ideas: ... and the Strange Men Who Invented Them. Springer Nature. p. 166. ISBN 978-3-031-55102-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=4k4KEQAAQBAJ&q=Anthroposophic%20medicine%20is%20based%20on%20several%20bizarre%20assumptions&pg=PA166. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
30. ↑ Bach, Volker (2019). McWilliams, Mark. ed. Seeds: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2018. Oxford Food Symposium. p. 56. ISBN 978-1-909248-65-6. https://books.google.com/books?id=BmmWEAAAQBAJ&q=rudolf%20steiner%20%22right%20for%20the%20wrong%22&pg=PA56. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
31. ↑ Heusser, Peter; Kienle, Gunver Sophia (2009). "Anthroposophic medicine, integrative oncology, and mistletoe therapy of cancer". in Abrams, Donald. Integrative Oncology. Weil Integrative Medicine Library. Oxford University Press. p. 327. ISBN 978-0-19-988585-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=0D-WlrrV520C&pg=PT251.
32. ↑ Carroll, Robert Todd (21 May 2012). "Anthroposophic medicine". http://www.skepdic.com/anthroposophicmedicine.html.
33. ↑ Bennett, Bradley C. (2007). "Doctrine of Signatures: An Explanation of Medicinal Plant Discovery or Dissemination of Knowledge?". Economic Botany 61 (3): 246–255. doi:10.1663/0013-0001(2007)61[246:DOSAEO2.0.CO;2].
34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Jarvis, William T. (15 January 2001). "Anthroposophical Medicine". https://quackwatch.org/ncahf/articles/a-b/anthro/.
35. ↑ Furst, Branko (2014). The Heart and Circulation. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4471-5277-4. OCLC 868250054.
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Abgrall, Jean-Marie (1 January 2000). "Steiner's Heirs". Healing Or Stealing?: Medical Charlatans in the New Age. Algora Publishing. pp. 87–96. ISBN 978-1-892941-28-2. https://books.google.com/books?id=kel6_1aN5JwC&pg=PA89.
37. ↑ Dugan, Dan (2002). Shermer, Michael. ed. The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. ABC-CLIO. pp. 31–33. ISBN 978-1-57607-653-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=Gr4snwg7iaEC&pg=PA32. "In physics, Steiner championed Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's color theory over Isaac Newton, and he called relativity "brilliant nonsense." In astronomy, he taught that the motions of the planets were caused by the relationships of the spiritual beings that inhabited them. In biology, he preached vitalism and doubted germ theory."
38. ↑ Dugan, Dan (2007). Flynn, Tom. ed. The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief. Prometheus Books, Publishers. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-1-61592-280-2. http://www.waldorfcritics.org/articles/Anthroposophy.html. "Anthroposophical pseudoscience is easy to find in Waldorf schools. "Goethean science" is supposed to be based only on observation, without "dogmatic" theory. Because observations make no sense without a relationship to some hypothesis, students are subtly nudged in the direction of Steiner's explanations of the world. Typical departures from accepted science include the claim that Goethe refuted Newton's theory of color, Steiner's unique "threefold" systems in physiology, and the oft-repeated doctrine that "the heart is not a pump" (blood is said to move itself)."
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Oltermann, Philip (10 January 2021). "Ginger root and meteorite dust: the Steiner 'Covid cures' offered in Germany". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/10/ginger-root-and-meteorite-dust-the-steiner-covid-cures-offered-in-germany.
40. ↑ Olson, James S. (2005). Bathsheba's Breast: Women, Cancer, and History. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-0-8018-8064-3. OCLC 908934667. https://books.google.com/books?id=gp9aMBieClMC&pg=PA452.
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 41.2 "Questions and Answers About Mistletoe". National Cancer Institute. 24 March 2015. http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/mistletoe-pdq#section/_2.
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 42.3 42.4 Giorgio, Alex de; Stebbing, Justin (2013). "Mistletoe: for cancer or just for Christmas?". Lancet Oncol. 14 (13): 1264–5. doi:10.1016/S1470-2045(13)70560-6. PMID 24275128.
43. ↑ Bergeå, Nils (11 January 2014). "Unikt grönt ljus för antroposofiskt läkemedel" (in sv). https://svenskfarmaci.se/apotek/unique-green-light-for-anthroposophic-medicines/.
44. ↑ Johnson, Hayley (2 January 2015) (doc), What is the evidence for subcutaneous mistletoe extract in the treatment of cancer?, UK Medicines Information, http://www.medicinesresources.nhs.uk/GetDocument.aspx?pageId=777217
45. ↑ Hall, Alan (6 March 2002). "Anti-vaccine town struck by measles epidemic". The Times: p. 3.

## Further reading

### Books and journal articles

* Ernst, Edzard (2004). "Anthroposophical medicine: A systematic review of randomised clinical trials". Wiener klinische Wochenschrift 116 (4): 128–30. doi:10.1007/bf03040749. PMID 15038403.
* Kienle, GS; Kiene, H (2007). "Complementary cancer therapy: A systematic review of prospective clinical trials on anthroposophic mistletoe extracts". European Journal of Medical Research 12 (3): 103–19. PMID 17507307.
* Singh, Simon; Ernst, Edzard (2009). "Anthroposophical medicine". Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial. Transworld. ISBN 978-1-4090-8180-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=nWnR1JI7G6gC&pg=PT135.

### Lectures by Rudolf Steiner

* Broken Vessels: The Spiritual Structure of Human Frailty, Michael Lipson (ed.). ISBN 0-88010-503-8.
* Fundamentals of Anthroposophical Medicine, ISBN 0-936132-80-9.
* Geographic medicine: The secret of the double. ISBN 0-936132-06-X
* The Healing Process: Spirit, Nature & Our Bodies, Catherine E. Creeger (ed.). ISBN 0-88010-474-0
* Introducing Anthroposophical Medicine (Foundations of Anthroposophical Medicine, v. 1). ISBN 0-88010-463-5
* Medicine: An Introductory Reader, Andrew Maendl (ed.). ISBN 1-85584-133-9
* Occult Physiology ISBN 1-85584-141-X
* Pastoral Medicine: The Collegial Working of Doctors and Priests. ISBN 0-88010-253-5

## External links

* Anthroposophic Medical Library, An Online Resource

* v
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Pseudoscience

Terminology|

* Cargo cult science
* Charlatan
* Crank
* Fringe theory
* Fringe science
* Pseudoarchaeology
* Pseudohistory
* Junk science
* Paranormal
* Pathological science
* Quackery
* Snake oil
* Superseded scientific theory
* True-believer syndrome
* Voodoo Science

Topics
characterized as
pseudoscience|

* 2012 phenomenon
* Acupuncture
* Adrenal fatigue
* Alchemy
* Alternative medicine
* Ancient astronauts
* Anthroposophic medicine
* Applied kinesiology
* Aquatic ape hypothesis
* Astrology
* Bates method
* Biodynamic agriculture
* Bloodletting
* Body memory
* Catastrophism
* Chiropractic
* Chromotherapy
* Conspiracy theory
* 9/11 conspiracy theories
* Chemtrail conspiracy theory
* Climate change denial
* Moon landing conspiracy theories
* Conversion therapy
* Creation science
* Cryonics
* Cryptozoology
* Crystal healing
* Detoxification
* Colon cleansing
* Dianetics
* Doctrine of signatures
* Doktor Koster's Antigaspills
* Dowsing
* Ear candling
* Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
* Electronic voice phenomenon
* Eugenics
* Facilitated communication
* Feng shui
* Flat Earth theory
* Germ theory denialism
* Graphology
* HIV/AIDS denialism
* Hollow Earth theory
* Homeopathy
* Humorism
* Indigo children
* Intelligent design
* Japhetic theory
* Levitation
* Lunar effect
* Lysenkoism
* Magnet therapy
* Mediumship
* Naturopathy
* Nazi archaeology
* Nibiru cataclysm
* Numerology
* Orgone
* Palmistry
* Perpetual motion
* Phrenology
* Polygraph
* Primal therapy
* Pseudoarchaeology
* Pseudohistory
* Genocide denial
* Historical negationism
* Holocaust denial
* Pseudoscientific metrology
* Psychohistory
* Quantum mysticism
* Rapid prompting method
* Recovered-memory therapy
* Reiki
* Scientific racism
* Aryan race
* Melanin theory
* Trepanning
* Ufology
* Vertebral subluxation
* Voice stress analysis
* Water memory
* Cowpathy

Promoters of pseudoscience|

* Andrew Wakefield
* Deepak Chopra
* Gaia, Inc.
* Goop (company)
* Jenny McCarthy
* Mehmet Oz
* William Donald Kelley

Related topics|

* Bourgeois pseudoscience
* Demarcation problem
* Scientific method
* Suppressed research in the Soviet Union
* Traditional medicine

Resources|

* Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
* Cults of Unreason
* Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience
* Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science
* Quackwatch
* JREF
* The Psychology of the Occult
* The Ragged Edge of Science
* The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience
* Skeptical Inquirer
* The Skeptic's Dictionary

List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

* v
* t
* e

Alternative medicine

Alternative medical systems|

* Ayurveda
* Aromatherapy
* Bodywork
* Chiropractic
* Energy medicine
* Faith healing
* Herbalism
* Hydrotherapy
* Homeopathy
* Naturopathic medicine
* Orthopathy
* Osteopathy
* Shamanism
* Traditional Chinese medicine
* Traditional medicine

Treatments|

* Biologically based therapy
* Energy therapy
* Manual and body-based methods
* Mind-body intervention

People|

* Alternative medicine
* Mind-body intervention advocates
* Critics

Public-health issues|

* Aspartame
* Dental amalgams
* Growth hormone
* Vaccines
* Water fluoridation

Key terms|

* Alternative medicine
* Complementary medicine
* Glossary of alternative medicine

Contrary viewpoints|

* Anti-quackery organizations
* Evidence-based medicine
* Pseudoscience
* Skeptical movement

* v
* t
* e

Anthroposophy

Founding board members of the
General Anthroposophical Society|

* Rudolf Steiner
* Albert Steffen
* Marie Steiner-von Sivers
* Ita Wegman
* Elisabeth Vreede
* Edith Maryon

Anthroposophists|

* Hilma af Klint
* Zviad Gamsakhurdia
* Henri Bortoft
* Georg Kühlewind
* Jesaiah Ben-Aharon
* Dennis Klocek
* Ehrenfried Pfeiffer
* Theodor Schwenk
* Emil Bock
* Bernard Lievegoed
* Sergei O. Prokofieff
* Peter Selg
* Jens Bjørneboe
* Aasmund Brynildsen
* Daniel Nicol Dunlop
* John Fentress Gardner
* Walter Burley Griffin
* Karl König
* Robert A. McDermott
* Arthur Zajonc
* Douglas M. Sloan
* Pietro Archiati
* Marjorie Spock
* Christopher Bamford
* Henry Barnes
* Walter Johannes Stein
* Ernst Lehrs
* E. A. Karl Stockmeyer
* Herbert Witzenmann
* Massimo Scaligero
* Ross Rentea
* Rudolf Hauschka
* Oskar Schmiedel
* Hermann Poppelbaum
* Alfred Meebold
* Wilhelm Rath
* Herbert Hahn
* Francis Edmunds
* Thomas Weihs
* Cecil Harwood
* Daphne Olivier
* Marguerite Lundgren
* Valborg Werbeck-Svärdström
* Wilhelm Ernst Barkhoff
* John Davy
* Jakob Streit
* Alfred Rexroth
* Ernst Weissert
* Michael Henry Wilson
* Margaret Cross
* Fried Geuter
* Arnold Freeman
* Rudi Lissau
* Margaret Bennell
* Edith Rigby
* Bertram Keightley
* Arild Rosenkrantz
* Eileen Hutchins
* Eleanor Merry
* Paul Nordoff
* Clive Robbins
* Violetta Plincke
* Hans Schauder
* George Adams Kaufmann
* Liane Collot d'Herbois
* Egil Tynæs
* Else Klink
* Carlo Pietzner
* Marta Fuchs
* Johannes Tautz
* Julian Sleigh
* Botho Sigwart zu Eulenburg
* Vydūnas
* Willem Zeylmans van Emmichoven

Notable supporters|

* Saul Bellow
* Owen Barfield
* Andrej Belyj
* Joseph Beuys
* Russell Davenport
* Wassily Kandinsky
* Selma Lagerlöf
* Albert Schweitzer
* Andrei Tarkovsky
* Bruno Walter
* Ibrahim Abouleish
* Nicanor Perlas
* Jacques Lusseyran
* Millicent Mackenzie
* Margaret McMillan

Cultural influences|

* Waldorf education
* Anthroposophic medicine
* Biodynamic agriculture
* Camphill Movement
* Eurythmy
* Threefold social order
* Anthroposophical architecture
* The Christian Community

Institutions, publications|

* General Anthroposophical Society
* Anthroposophical Society in America
* Goetheanum
* GLS Bank
* Demeter International
* SEKEM
* Harduf
* Triodos Bank
* RSF Social Finance
* Associação Comunitária Monte Azul

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