The Healer Within: The Four Essential Self-Care Techniques For Optimal Health - *Movment*Massage*Me [Hardcover]

Roger O.M.D. Jahnke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 1997

With today's emphasis on bottom-line managed care, self-care has never been more important. And with ever-increasing evidence of their efficacy, ancient mind-body healing practices once deemed "alternative" have never been more popular.

Inspired by Chinese medicine's central belief that the remedies we need are produced naturally within us all, Roger Jahnke, a doctor of acupuncture and Oriental medicine, "prescribes" an easy-to-implement program of gentle movement, self-applied massage, breathing excercises and relaxation or meditation. Through these four remarkably simple yet dramatically effective techniques, he provides a self-care plan that works without costly drugs, equipment or experts. Including applications for specific ailments, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS and arthritis, this is an empowering, hands-on guide to enjoying optimal health and well-being.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Essentially an all-in-one beginner's guide to self-healing techniques, The Healer Within examines four practices: movement, massage, meditation, and breathing. The movement section focuses on gentle motions, more like tai chi than yoga, and might be especially useful for those who suffer from back pain. The self-massage chapter involves stimulating acupressure points that traditional Asian medicine believe can help heal organs and improve bodily functions. A section on breathing (a seemingly natural process that is often retaught as part of alternative-medicine regimens) includes techniques intended to help you take in more oxygen and get rid of tension. And the meditation chapter provides an easy introduction to various meditative techniques and deep relaxation. Jahnke, an acupuncturist and doctor of Chinese medicine, makes a persuasive argument for using these mind-body healing techniques both to recover from illness and to remain healthier and happier all the time. --Ben Kallen

From Booklist

In the last decade, even health agencies of the U.S. government have agreed that 70 percent of all disease is preventable and that 60 percent of adults are insufficiently active and, therefore, at risk for premature death. Jahnke, a doctor of oriental medicine, translates Asian traditions of self-healing (such as Qigong and yoga) into a graded four-part program of self-healing for daily practice by the sick or well. The first component, gentle movement of the body, consists of five rhythmic exercises described and illustrated with clear line drawings. The second, self-applied massage, combines massage of the ears, hands, and feet--each area a microsystem of the body that relates to specific, distant body areas or organs--with general self-massage. Next are breathing practices using abdominal breathing in specific techniques such as the "sigh of relief." Concluding the program are several methods of deep relaxation and meditation, crucial to calming and focusing the mind. The reader can experiment and choose among the varied practices to tailor an individual program. An easy-to-implement regime. Penny Spokes

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne; 1 edition (May 9, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062514768
• ISBN-13: 978-0062514769
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #791,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 76 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for self-healing, June 14, 2004

By 

dnk "dnkboston" (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Healer Within: Using Traditional Chinese Techniques To Release Your Body's Own Medicine *Movement *Massage *Meditation *Breathing (Paperback)

In clear, non-doctrinaire language, Jahnke lays out four techniques that can be used to open the door to the body's internal healing resources: Gentle Movement, Massage, Breathing Techniques and Relaxation. This book is not going to make you a "master" of any one of these techniques, but that's exactly the point: you don't need to be highly skilled to make a profound change for yourself (or eventually others).

As a long-time yoga practitioner, I was always very interested in the chapters on movement, breathing and relaxation, but for some reason resented reading the information on massage. Once I finally hunkered down and gave the techniques a try, I was amazed at the difference I noticed almost immediately in terms of stiffness and energy levels. I was even aware of some sensations in my organs, particularly my kidneys. This has now become my favorite part of the self-healing "practice".

This is an inclusive blue-print for health maintenance (or improvement). It gives techniques and then variation for all of them, but it demands neither that everything listed be done or that they be done in a particular order. Jahnke stresses several times that the person using the techniques should tailor them as needed. Also, over time the techniques used will change. He also gives permission for people to find other kinds of exercises and modalities that are useful. The motto seems to be "If it works, use it."

I particularly enjoyed Jahnke's chapter on relaxation. Meditation is something that yoga and qigong practitioners can, ironically, get very anxious about. The "ultimate" goal in many traditions is enlightenment, and it's humbling not to get there (time and time again). Jahnke tries to alleviate that anxiety by stressing that the goal here is relaxation, not enlightenment (although he does still leave the door open).

He takes the same soft tone in the chapter on massage. True, the system of acupuncture is vast and (rightfully) takes years to study and master. Jahnke, however, waves much of that off, advising the reader to instead focus on the degree of the sensation experienced rather than obsessing over the "correct" point. For what it's worth, as mentioned above, I have tried the method his way, and I noticed an immediate difference in how I felt.

What I found most compelling were his ending chapters where he discussed the potential of self-healing done in a group setting. While some of this statements may seem far-fetched (self-healing as the first step in a health and welfare revolution?), the descriptions of the "healing field" rang true to anyone who has ever participated in group prayer, chanting, meditation or even a really good yoga class. But if that's too much for some, that's okay- in keeping with his "line item veto" philosophy, it's a possibility, not a requirement.

I look forward to reading more from Jahnke.

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, November 23, 2003

By 

merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Healer Within: Using Traditional Chinese Techniques To Release Your Body's Own Medicine *Movement *Massage *Meditation *Breathing (Paperback)

This is a neat book in that it has some philosophy and some exercises. I love taoism and much of what this book is based on is that philospohy. We do have a healer within - we are so much stronger than we are led to believe. This book is all about tapping into our own selves and our ability to repair and heal, connecting mind, body, spirit. There is discussion of our immune system, and ceratin issues such as multiple sclerosis and othes are mentioned here and there but its not a book about illnesses at all - its a book about healing and using our own selves, our inner selves to heal us. The exercises reinforce the philospohy, most are stretches/yoga moves, but there are also meditations - all are straight forward. This is simply an amazing work, one that is truly empowering and deep. Highly recommended to anyone dealing with an illness or just looking to be more connected/balanced.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Citizen's Qigong, September 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Healer Within: Using Traditional Chinese Techniques To Release Your Body's Own Medicine *Movement *Massage *Meditation *Breathing (Paperback)

Qigong in America is undergoing a cultural revolution. With the publication of Roger Jahnke's book, The Healer Within, qigong will become a universal method for health enhancement for individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Millions of people in China practice qigong daily. This book presents simple practices for health maintenance and improvement--gentle movement, self-applied massage of the acupuncture microsystems (ears, hands, or feet), breath work, and relaxation/meditation. These four components comprise qigong, which literally means "energy cultivation". I use these practices in the martial arts classes that I teach. Yet you do not have to do martial arts to appreciate the centering effect these practices impart. The Healer Within opens the door, and welcomes everyone to improve their well-being.