Anthroposophic perspectives in primary care

Adverse drug reactions in a complementary medicine hospital: a prospective, intensified surveillance study

Background. Anthroposophic medicine is one of the widely used approaches of complementary and alternative medicine. However, few prospective studies have generated safety data on its use. Objectives. We aimed to assess adverse drug reactions (ADRs) caused by anthroposophical medicines (AMEDs) in the anthroposophical Community Hospital Havelhoehe, GERMANY. Study Design and Methods. Between May and November 2007, patients of six medical wards were prospectively assessed for ADRs. Suspected ADRs occurring during hospitalization were documented and classified in terms of organ manifestation (WHO SOC-code), causality (according to the Uppsala Monitoring Centre WHO criteria), and severity. Only those ADRs with a severity of grade 2 and higher according to the CTCAE classification system are described here. Results. Of the 3,813 patients hospitalized, 174 patients (4.6%) experienced 211 ADRs (CTCAE grade 2/3 n = 191, 90.5%, CTCAE grade 4/5 n = 20, 9.5%) of which 57 ADRs (27.0%) were serious. The median age of patients with ADRs (62.1% females) was 72.0 (IQR: 61.0; 80.0). Six patients (0.2%) experienced six ADRs (2.8% of ADRs) caused by eight suspected AMEDs, all of which were mild reactions (grade 2). Conclusion. Our data show that ADRs caused by AMEDs occur rarely and are limited to mild symptoms.

Is a biopsychosocial-spiritual approach relevant to cancer treatment? A study of patients and oncology staff members on issues of complementary medicine and spirituality

BACKGROUND

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly being used by patients with cancer.

OBJECTIVES

Our aim is to compare the attitudes of cancer patients who use CAM to those of nonusers, on issues of CAM, biopsychosocial considerations, and spiritual needs.

METHODS

Questionnaires were administered to patients and medical care providers in a tertiary teaching hospital with a comprehensive cancer center.

RESULTS

Forty-nine percent of the study patients reported integrating CAM into their conventional care. Health care providers considered psychological and spiritual needs as major reasons for CAM use, while patients considered the familial-social aspect to be more important.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer patients do not correlate CAM use with spiritual concerns but expect their physicians to attend to spiritual themes. Health care providers involved in oncology cancer care should emphasize spiritual as well as CAM themes. The integration of these themes into a biopsychosocial-spiritual approach may enrich the dialogue between patients and health providers.

Anthroposophical medicine: A systematic review of randomised clinical trials

The aim of this systematic review was to summarise and critically evaluate all randomised clinical trials testing the effectiveness of the whole system of anthroposophical medicine either as a sole or as an adjunctive form of treatment. Seven independent literature searches were conducted to locate all such studies. Trials of single remedies within the wider anthroposophical approach were excluded. No language restrictions were applied. Unfortunately not a single study was located which met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. It was therefore concluded that, at present, the question whether the anthroposophical concept of healing generates more good than harm cannot be answered.