Research Focus

Topics that drive our work

Our research focuses on four core areas: prevention, mind-body medicine, nutrition, and planetary health. Our aim is to develop scientifically sound approaches for sustainable healthcare. In doing so, we place particular emphasis on the interplay between individual health and global challenges.

Prevention

Prevention – defined as the active avoidance, delay, and early detection of disease – is a core component of modern medicine. In addition to causal (pathogenetic) risk factors, our work places strong emphasis on strengthening health-promoting (salutogenetic) resources that support health across the life course. In complementary and integrative medicine, this includes both behavioral and structural prevention strategies targeting individual, social, and systemic determinants of health.

At the Centre for Integrative Medicine and Planetary Health, our work focuses on translating prevention theory into evidence-based, effective, and real-world solutions that strengthen health literacy and support sustainable health-promoting systems.

Mind-Body Medicine

Mind-body medicine is understood as a mindfulness-based approach to lifestyle change. It integrates four key elements: 1. mindful stress management, 2. plant-based diet, 3. regular physical activity, not performance-oriented, and 4. supportive social relationships. These are complemented by self-care practices drawn from complementary and regulative medicine. A central aim of mind-body medicine is to strengthen health literacy and self-efficacy. In this context, it builds on Aaron Antonovsky’s concept of salutogenesis, which shifts the focus from the origins of disease to the question of how health can be maintained and resilience strengthened.

Mind-body medicine has its roots in European Traditional Medicine (TEM) and is based on scientific concepts from stress research, psychoneuroimmunology, neuroscience, and health psychology. In our Mind-Body Medicine Lab, we investigate mindfulness-based approaches particularly in the supportive therapy of chronic conditions (e.g. chronic pain, cancer diagnoses, depression), in the prevention of stress-related disorders (e.g. burnout, anxiety and fatigue syndromes, sleep disorders, and hypertension), and within the context of longevity research – aiming to promote health, resilience, and quality of life into older age.

Nutrition

Nutrition plays a central role in the prevention of chronic diseases and in maintaining both individual and planetary health. A whole-food, predominantly plant-based diet has been shown to reduce inflammatory processes, strengthen the gut microbiome, and lower the risk of developing and exacerbating lifestyle-related diseases

The Planetary Health Diet provides an evidence-based framework for dietary patterns that are not only beneficial to human health but also to the environment. By emphasizing regionality, seasonality, biodiversity, and the sustainable use of natural resources, this approach aligns health promotion with environmental responsibility. Researching and teaching this concept is an integral part of our work. Our goal is to develop scientifically based nutrition strategies that can be safely and effectively implemented across diverse settings – from community and hospital food services to individualized prevention concepts for patients.

Planetary Health

Planetary health describes the inseparable connection between human health and the health of the environment. Clean water, fertile soils, diverse ecosystems, and low-pollution, healthy habitats are essential requirements for physical, mental, and social well-being, as well as for the prevention of environmentally related diseases.

In our research, we address the question of how health-promoting behaviors and medical care can align with ecological boundaries. A focus lies on the efficient use of healthcare system resources through strengthening individual health literacy, as well as on sustainable nutrition and the reduction of food waste within hospital settings. In close collaboration with partners from academia and industry, and supported by artificial intelligence (AI), we develop practical, real-world solutions. Our aim is to develop scientifically sound concepts that promote individual health and contribute to sustainable living conditions that support health.