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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.'

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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.

Manifesting your Best Future Self is a book by Dr. Peter Gruenewald which has recently been published. Dr. Gruenewald says:

"It’s easy to feel daunted by life circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and by the personal, professional, and financial challenges that are arising from it. Unhealthy levels of stress have become widespread, resulting in physical and emotional health problems such as impaired immunity, weight problems, migraines, insomnia, hypertension, anxiety, irritability, and low mood.

This book introduces a highly effective approach that helps you trade tension, fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness for love, appreciation, gratitude, and enthusiasm, even under pressure.

You’ll notice a difference within days."

Practicing these techniques can help you:

• Deal with challenges and stress effectively.

• Improve relationships at work and at home.

• Develop more resilience and resist burnout and extreme stress.

• Improve your well-being, health, and performance, even during crisis, challenges, or continual change.

Over decades of clinical experience as a family doctor, integrated physician and resilience trainer, Dr. Gruenewald has seen the lives of his patients and clients enhanced by regular practice of these simple techniques. Dedicating just a short time each day to one or two of these exercises can have surprising benefits and lead to greater fulfillment in every realm of life. This book is an essential read for everyone who wants to take hold of their physical and emotional health and their destiny in challenging times.

Homeopathic and Anthroposophic Medicinal Products in the EU

This report from ECHAMP reviews the current state of homeopathic and anthroposophic medicinal products, which have been safely on the market in Europe for many decades, and highlights the value of many treatments in supporting EU health policy goals.

This publication confirms the long-established use, the very high safety profile, the high level of patient satisfaction and the emerging evidence base for the effectiveness of these medicines. It presents a unique picture of the real world context for this sector with up-to-date data on the industry, outlining the added value these therapies offer to society in terms of safety, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and the environment. It is the only such source for summarised EU data on this sector.

The British Holistic Medical Association envisages:

" a more sustainable, compassionate and ‘human’ approach to how we deliver mainstream medicine "

The BHMA want to move away from over-prescription and underpin core values in healthcare such as compassion, balance, community-minded, connected, empowered, holistic, integrated, intuitive, meaningful, resilient, self-caring, wisdom and love.

Through their journal and website, the BHMA explores what holism means and stimulates debate and discussion around what it is to be human and what health looks like. Their values and aspirations align closely with those of the  Anthroposophic Medical Association so we are very happy to have partnered up with the BHMA so that we can offer AMA members a 33% discount on BHMA membership.

AMA members can find out how to claim their discount on the AMA members page.