Dr. Roger Jahnke's Story
My Father died of an "incurable" disease when I was 11 years old. Right away I decided to become a doctor. Around that same time I had a nearly fatal case of pneumonia. And coincidentally, I fell out of tree and injured my ribs. The pneumonia and the fall plus the emotional trauma of the time caused an injury to my left side. This still bothers me sometimes if I do not do regular Qigong practices.

Following this I had recurrent respiratory problems for years that kept me out of school for two weeks both in the spring and in the fall. It seemed to me that the antibiotic medications that I took were actually perpetuating the problem. At about the age of 18 I began to explore herbal medicine, homeopathy and massage and refused to use antibiotics as a regular treatment. Starting then my health began to improve.

When I was studying pre-medicine I worked in a number of hospitals. I was very aware of the fact that the medicine being practiced was not really what you could call a healing system. It was more of a disease management system. It was very upsetting to me, given my passion to help people to heal, that the medicine of that the 1960s era was based primarily in disease management rather than health enhancement.

I changed my focus in college and studied world literature, especially the Chinese classic - the Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao Tze (Laozi). I moved to the Appalachian mountains in rural Ohio, built a house in the forest, raised a family, grew vegetables, tended bees and goats and explored the herbal medicines in the pastures, glens and hardwood forests.

I eventually took up the study of Chinese medicine and was licensed to practice acupuncture and herbal medicine in 1977. Patient after patient has asked this question, "Doctor, is there medicine in the acupuncture needle?" This is a profound question. The answer is no. "If the medicine is not in the needle, then where", many have asked, "is the medicine?"

Typically, I have said suggested that they think about it while having the acupuncture treatment. Afterwards, many people have stated, "Oh, I understand, the medicine is within me." This a powerful moment. Once one realizes that a powerful medicine is produced within, it changes everything. It immediately becomes reasonable to ask another question, "If I produce a medicine within me, do I really need a doctor to activate it or can I activate it myself?"

I realized these things personally, and I was changed forever. I began to study Yoga and Tai Chi in my early twenties, intuitively understanding that they activate the medicine within. I learned that massage, acupuncture and other natural treatments like osteopathic and chiropractic adjustment were helpful for the injuries that I had sustained from the pneumonia and from my fall from the tree many years earlier. But, more helpful than all of these treatments has been my daily practice of Qigong and Tai Chi.

Over 30 years and five trips to China to study at the hospitals, institutes, temples and sacred sites, I have learned over twenty different forms of Qigong and Tai Chi. Some of the simplest forms have helped me the most. I practice each of these over the period of a season, so that I can retain them for my own benefit and to teach to others. I use different methods or forms at different times depending on my health, my interests, the weather, the season, etc..

Many, many of my patients have conquered serious diseases by becoming devoted users of the self-healing and health enhancement methods. Every kind of medical treatment is more effective when the person is using self-applied health enhancement methods (SAHEM) for turning on the medicine within.

While I am deeply involved in the use of acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, homeopathy and nutritional methods for assisting my patients I feel I would be out of integrity if I did not encourage and inspire people to take personal action to activate the "Healer Within" by using simple methods that they can use at home for free.