Chronically inflammatory bowel diseases

The essential enhancement of the anthroposophical medicine as opposed to the pure conventional medicine consists of involving the soul and spirit into the diagnostics and therapy. The notion of a disease also differs from a purely pathophysiologically oriented understanding. The disease in the anthroposophical medicine is not a defect or deviation from the norm, but is an imbalance of diametrically opposed forces. As a basic polarity of the human body, a development and degradation such as inflammation and sclerosis can be considered. From this dynamic understanding of a disease, a realisation comes into being, that there is a diametrically opposed process for each process in the body. The goal of the anthposophical medicine is not only to suppress or prevent disease-causing forces (so called pathophysiological concept), but also to stimulate and strengthen healing opposite powers, so that there is an equilibrium in the body. Therefore, an anthroposophical medicine can be used as a complimentary (additional) method of therapy alongside the conventional medicine.

The disease process of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases is characterised by outweighing of degenerative (sclerosing) forces in the bowel, since in the “burned-out stage”, when the disease process has completely captured and destroyed the organ, the bowel has become stiff and unlively as a pipe. On the other hand, there is an excessive inflammatory process in the bowels, which can be seen as a force opposed to the degenerative disease process. These inflammatory forces can be seen as a (vain) attempt of the body, to outweigh a primary (sclerosing) process. The reactive inflammation does not lead to a balance, but becomes a destructive process itself, and the body cannot regulate it in an acute phase any more.

The conventional therapy, which treats excessive inflammation in the bowels by means of suppression, only establishes balance for the period of medicamental suppression(for example with the help of cortisone or other immune suppressiva). An independent balance of the diametrically opposed forces by the body itself does not occur. Therefore, there has been no real healing of the body, since it has not learned itself to balance these one-sidedly acting forces.
Here there is a possibility of expanding the conventional medicine. If a chronic inflammatory bowel disease represents an above-mentioned unbalance, on the one hand of the form and structural forces (sclerosis forces), and on the other hand of the development and inflammatory forces in the bowels, there can be an additional therapy through suppression and stimulation of self-healing forces as well as by means of a medicamental attempt of balancing the polarities.

In the anthroposophically enhanced art of healing, we try in case of the inflammatory bowel diseases to alleviate the impact of a strong dominating (sclerosis process) onto the bowels and therefore on the whole metabolism and digestive system. Furthermore, metabolic and digestive processes must be strengthened. The inflammatory process that has become independent must be reintegrated into the organ functioning. If the inflammation digests the intestinal mucosa during an acute phase of a bowel disease (self-digestion/autoagression), these dislocated digestive forces must be reintegrated into the organ (bowel) in their correct form.

In order to therapeutically influence the impact of such forces, natural remedies the way they have been developed in the anthroposophical medicine are used. In case of inflammatory bowel disease, individually adjusted medicaments are given on the physical level. For example in order to counteract the dominance of the sclerosis process in the bowels, such substances as quartz (potentiated silicea preparation), formica, Plumbum mellifica, Oxalis, etc are used. Strengthening of metabolism can be achieved with the help of Arsenicum album, Argentum metallicum praep., Cuprum aceticum, Gentiana lutea etc. Significant is the individually adjusted potence (dosage) and the current state of the disease. During inflammation, well-tried remedies such as camomile or arnica can be used as supporting substances in various potencies. As a significant remedy for irritable bowel disease, potentized Mercurialis have proven effective (for example Mercurius cyanatus or for small inflammation Mercurius vivus). They help to achieve a balance between diametrically opposed powers of sclerosis and inflammation and support the ability of bowels to receive nutrition.

Involving spiritual-mental level of the person in addition to a medicamental therapy is a must in an anthroposophically enhanced conception. As water and bread for the body, the art is nutrition for the soul. Similar as on the physical level, where one-sidedness of diametrically opposed powers during disease should be balanced, one can work with spiritual powers while practicing art therapy, in order to balance the unevenly acting forces. Music and art therapy, as well as plasticizing are applied. Furthermore, a special artistic movement therapy, the eurhythmy is applied.

The needs of a spiritual dimension of a person are met by means of an accompanying conversational therapy/ psychotherapy/ speech therapy. The main goal is to assist the person in dealing with the disease and coping with it on a daily basis. The own biographic coping with the disease and making sense of it can be also dealt with.