True Nature Radio
True Nature Radio is our long running podcast with Heiner Fruehauf and Laurie Regan aimed at educating the general public about the core principles and benefits of natural medicine.
Most episodes are centered around the example of Classical Chinese Medicine and include a variety of guests.
The podcast was produced from 2011 to 2016 by an outside institution and eventually could no longer be hosted. Beginning in 2017 we began to slowly re-produce and re-release episodes. We are delighted to share the work with the public once again, and we endeavor to continue producing new episodes in 2022 and beyond. For now there are plenty of episodes available for your enjoyment.
True Nature Radio can also be found on the web, or download episodes at truenatureradio.org.
About the Hosts
HEINER FRUEHAUF, PhD, LAc
Heiner Fruehauf was born into a German family of medical doctors specializing in natural healing modalities such as homeopathy, herbalism, and hydrotherapy. His great grandfather studied with Sebastian Kneipp, one of the fathers of the European nature cure’s movement. Prof. Fruehauf has studied at Tübingen University, Fudan University (Shanghai), Hamburg University, Waseda University (Tokyo) and ultimately earned his doctoral degree in sinology, philosophy, and comparative literature at the University of Chicago in the Department of East Asian Languages.
Presently, he serves as Founding Professor of the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon, where, until recently he served as dean, and has been teaching since 1992. In his clinical practice, he focuses on the complementary treatment of difficult and recalcitrant diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and chronic digestive disorders.
READ DR. FRUEHAUF’S FULL BIO ››
LAURIE REGAN, PhD, ND
Laurie Regan is former Dean of the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at National University of Natural Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Regan earned her doctoral degree in Neurobiology from Harvard University in 1991, and her Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine from National College of Natural Medicine (now NUNM) in 1997.
For the past 2 decades, she has studied qigong in the US and China under the mentorship of Professor Wang Qingyu, lineage holder of the Jinjing School of Qigong. She continues to facilitate the Shan Ren Dao: Path of the Real Person emotional and physical healing retreats in the US. The Shan Ren Dao has been a major focus of her professional work and personal cultivation since attending the first Shan Ren Dao retreat open to foreigners in China in 2010.
Episodes
The Large Intestine Archetype—Can You Relate?
We continue through the cycle of the Organ Networks, with an in-depth exploration of the Large Intestine Network. In a previous episode, we provided a general introduction to the 12 Organ Networks of Chinese medicine, and a more detailed description of the Lung Organ Network. Each of the twelve represents a set of functions that can be observed throughout the natural world, including the human body. In this episode, we discuss phenomena and themes associated with the Large Intestine organ network.
The Safety of Chinese Herbs: Ways to Counteract Contamination
The rapid modernization of China has resulted in high levels of pollution that can contaminate the food and herbal supplies. Heiner and Laurie discuss why Chinese herbs still hold unique value in the world of medicine, and what safeguards are in place to ensure the quality of the herbs imported from the Asian mainland.
The Stomach and Spleen Organ Networks of Chinese Medicine
Heiner and Laurie discuss the wisdom of traditional diets with “grassroots” expert Sally Fallon Morell. Sally began her journey into nutrition as an interested and observant mother. She quickly found that much of the modern view of nutrition has been highly influenced by business interests, rather than being informed by solid research and time-worn experience. Through open-minded exploration, she has become a proponent of ideas that may surprise (and delight) you!
Are we what we eat? An exploration of the Small Intestine organ system
Having explored the Heart organ system and its integral role in health and disease, we now discuss the Small Intestine—the organ system charged with carrying out the mission of the Heart. The Small Intestine function is involved in making choices—what to eat, what to absorb of what we ate, what thoughts to entertain, what situations to engage in. When the Small Intestine function is healthy, we make choices that are true to our deeper nature, and therefore lead to real happiness and fulfillment.
Might saturated fats, eggs, butter, raw milk, and cholesterol actually be good for you?!?
Heiner and Laurie discuss the wisdom of traditional diets with “grassroots” expert Sally Fallon Morell. Sally began her journey into nutrition as an interested and observant mother. She quickly found that much of the modern view of nutrition has been highly influenced by business interests, rather than being informed by solid research and time-worn experience. Through open-minded exploration, she has become a proponent of ideas that may surprise (and delight) you!
The Yijing (I-Ching) and the Cycles of Nature
Since ancient times, humans have sought to understand the cycles of nature. In China, this knowledge was codified in the esoteric classic known as the Yijing—the Book of Changes. Join us as we explore the Yijing as a vivid example of how our ancestors viewed humanity’s connection to the cosmos, and how they created an intricate map of symbols that relate our existence to the larger cycles of nature.
Building in Harmony with Nature
Heiner and Laurie interview ecological design expert Katy Langstaff about how we can design and build structures that not only support the environment, but directly benefit human health as well. Katy is a former student of architect and theorist Christopher Alexander (A Pattern Language, The Timeless Way of Building, The Nature of Order), and works with her husband Stuart Cowan to provide ecological design, development, financial, and management services for innovative and sustainable building projects worldwide. Join us to hear how you we can build (whether a bed, house, or business) in a way that creates meaning and harmony in our lives.
As Above, So Below
What do the stars and planets reveal about how humans can live in harmony with the rhythms of nature? Heiner and Laurie interview Carol Ferris, a western astrologer who has spent more than forty years studying the relationship between planetary movements and human potential. Over the past decade, she has expanded her interests to the ancient Chinese understanding of the heavens, and is particularly fascinated by what the stellar constellations can reveal about human health.
All Disease Comes From the Heart (podcast)
In this podcast, we discuss the ancient awareness that physical disease (dis-ease) arises when the natural flow of the Heart is restricted. This happens when we entertain false beliefs about ourselves or others, and let these prejudices dominate our inner wisdom. When our Heart is functioning freely, we experience ease and feel connected to the people and environment around us. Seen from this perspective, disease isn’t an enemy to be eradicated, but rather a sign in the material world pointing to opportunities to relax, open and live our life in a more whole and authentic way.
A History of Chinese Medicine in the West
Contrary to common belief, Chinese medicine came to the west long before James Reston’s New York Times account of acupuncture following his trip to China with President Nixon in 1971. In fact, accounts of Chinese medicine practice in the Americas go back to at least the 1600’s. Heiner and Laurie interview expert Linda Barnes, PhD, who not only elucidates how, when and where Chinese medicine came to the west, but also provides insights about intercultural exchange that occurred. The discussion includes a consideration of how western understandings of medicine and the body were informed by interactions with Chinese medicine practitioners.
The Problem of Iatrogenic Disease
While Western medicine can be a life-saver, it also is much more likely than natural medicine to cause serious health problems for the patient. Heiner and Laurie discuss the issue of practitioner induced illness, and explain why this problem is much more likely to result from the practice of allopathic than natural medicine.
Acupuncture in the Wild: Part I & II
“As Above, So Below” isn’t just a lovely saying—there really is direct relationship between the human body and the natural world. In the realm of acupuncture, perhaps nobody knows this as experientially as this week’s guest, David Ford. Having spent more than forty years teaching acupuncture in wilderness settings, David has developed a deep understanding of how the properties of individual acupuncture points mirror actual phenomena in nature.
The China Study Re-visited—with very different conclusions!
Health writer Denise Minger shares her insights about the meat-no meat debate. Denise Minger is exuberant and simply in search of the truth…about what the available data does and does not tell us about the nature of healthy nutrition. Following a raw food, vegan diet to become hearty and strong, Denise instead found herself becoming sicker and weaker. According to the conclusions in The China Study, she was on the diet that should prevent chronic disease. Puzzled by her experience, and a data wonk at heart, she obtained the original data upon which the book was based, and analyzed it herself. Join us for a discussion of what she found in that data, and in her subsequent quest for nutritional wisdom based in sound science rather than dogmatism or political agendas.
Telltale Signs on the Tongue
A skilled Chinese medicine practitioner can learn a tremendous amount about a patient’s history and current condition just by observing their tongue. What are they looking for? Heiner interviews internationally recognized expert Barbara Kirschbaum to find out. Listen as Barbara provides insights gained from her more than thirty years of experience using tongue analysis in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic disease, with a special focus on cancer and trauma. Barbara Kirschbaum is the author of the widely used textbooks The Atlas of Chinese Tongue Diagnosis, volumes 1 and 2, and is Director of the TCM Clinic within the Breast Cancer Center of the Jerusalem Hospital in Hamburg, Germany.
Exploring Ancient Wisdom with Classical Chinese Medicine Scholar Sabine Wilms
Why ancient wisdom is so relevant for finding health and harmony in today’s world? Join Heiner and Laurie for a lively discussion with Dr. Sabine Wilms, world-renown expert on the life and works of ancient sage-scholar Sun Simiao (581-682 A.D.). Known as the “King of Medicine” (Yaowang), Sun Simiao is revered not only for his medical acumen (especially in the realm of herbal prescription), but also for his deep knowledge of how to “nourish life”, emphasizing the health of women and children.
The Triple Warmer Organ Network of Chinese Medicine
This episode explores the most mysterious of the organ networks. Join us for a discussion of the elusive Triple Warmer Organ Network—perhaps the least understood of the Chinese organ systems. While not easily associated with any specific physical organ, the Triple Warmer functions are related to warmth, water metabolism, and networking throughout the body. Aspects of nervous and endocrine system functioning are likely involved.
The Pericardium Organ Network of Chinese Medicine
The heart protector function. Join us for a discussion of the functions of the Pericardium Organ Network—the system responsible for protecting our heart and allowing for true intimacy.
Western Holistic Medicine: How to Truly Integrate Different Approaches to Medicine
Heiner and Laurie interview Dr. Paul Kalnins, a scholar practitioner with an unusually broad and deep perspective on how to truly integrate biomedical approaches with natural medicine approaches. After majoring in physics in his undergraduate studies, Dr. Kalnins attained degrees in Chinese and naturopathic medicine, and pursued additional study of the works of Goethe and Steiner. Dr. Kalnins discusses methods of cultivating one’s own perceptive abilities as a means to more directly understand what part of “the whole” is elucidated by different systems of medicine, and how these systems can be used together to optimize patient care.
Healing Through the Emotions: The Confucian Therapy System of Wang Fengyi
This 5-element emotional release system can result in a rapid and profound return to health. Tamara Staudt, ND, LAc shares with Heiner and Laurie her direct experience with this powerful system of emotional healing. In 2010, Dr. Staudt was a member of the first group of foreigners to attend in a Wang Fengyi retreat in China. Having received great personal benefit as a participant, Dr. Staudt was inspired to lead the first Wang Fengyi retreat in the United States in June, 2011. Of particular note, one woman who entered the US retreat with liposarcoma remains cancer-free since that time. Heiner and Laurie have also participated in this type of healing work, and are big proponents of its powerful simplicity.
Treating Trauma in Times of War and Peace
Acupuncture gives hope to the survivors of trauma–even those suffering from PTSD. It is common knowledge that the long-term sequelae of trauma can be devastating, but how many know there is much hope available in the form of acupuncture and other forms of natural medicine? Laurie interviews Roger Batchelor, DAOM, LAc, who has more than two decades of experience treating trauma survivors in public health and private clinical settings. Roger gives insight into how an acute traumatic event (or series of events) can cause chronic problems, and how these can be reversed through the skillful use of Chinese medicine.
The “Bladder Type” and the “Kidney Type” in Chinese Medicine
BLADDER
The bladder is the organ function that leads to Enlightenment. Heiner discusses how ancient symbol scientists described the functioning of what is arguably the body’s most mystical and esoteric channel network, namely the Bladder.
KIDNEY
What did real “surrender” mean to the ancient Chinese, and why did they deem it to be necessary for a person to live a fully authentic life? We’ll explore this question today, through the discussion of the characteristics attributed to the Kidney Channel Network of Chinese medicine. Ancient wisdom keepers defined the body’s root system as a type of “battery” for the storage of our core vitality, called “Source Qi”.
Natural Medicine Works for Animals, Too (2 Parts)
Our guest this week and next has a unique perspective from which to compare and integrate conventional and natural medicine. Steve Marsden was by all accounts a successful veterinarian, but felt that his toolkit of drugs and surgery was too limited to reliably achieve the kinds of outcomes that he wanted to with his furry, feathered, and scaled patients. Although initially wary of natural medicine, he was willing to investigate whether it could broaden and deepen his ability to help animals heal.
Your Body is a Sacred Landscape
Listen to the messages conveyed by your physical symptoms. In our culture, we are conditioned to think of symptoms as problems to fix. We have our growths removed with surgery, our fevers lowered with aspirin, and our rashes removed by steroid creams. While this kind of approach can have the blessing of alleviating our suffering, and even be a valuable component of our healing process, it alone does not address why the symptoms were there in the first place. Heiner and Laurie discuss the importance of listening to your body’s messages about what is out of balance, and learning to make corresponding choices that support the movement toward health. Even in a state of good health, our physical form can be understood as sacred reflection of the inner working of our being.
The Cosmology and Symbolism of the Twelve Organ Systems of Chinese Medicine
This week, we open the door to a rich understanding that has come from more than a decade of research by a study group led by Heiner. Through excavation of the profound and timeless knowledge held in the ancient Chinese record, this team has uncovered multi-layered, symbolic meaning behind the system of 12 meridians that play a central role in Chinese medicine. Commonly thought of as pathways of qi flow in the body, these meridians, or organ systems, relate to sets of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual functions in the microcosm of the human body.
The Empress of all the Chinese Organ Networks—the Heart
This week we explore the Heart Organ Network. The primary function associated with Heart in Chinese medicine is to move our awareness in the direction of unity, and enable us to experience true community and connection. Join us as we explore how the ancients conceived of this fundamental role in our human experience, and what their insights have to offer us in today’s increasingly alienating world.
Why Classical Chinese Medicine is Relevant Today
Co-host Laurie Regan interviews Heiner Fruehauf to learn about the basic principles of classical Chinese medicine, and why this ancient knowledge still holds so much relevance for us today. Many ancient cultures had the practical realization that everything that exists is an inseparable mix of energy and matter, and is interconnected with everything else. Nothing is coincidence. In the realm of medicine, this means that every illness has meaning, and every symptom is a physical marker for the energy and consciousness that forms it. We can learn to read and interpret symptoms to understand the root cause of illness and find true solutions for restoring health.
The Inspiring Life Story of Chinese Qigong Master Wang Qingyu (2 Parts)
In this two-part podcast, Laurie narrates and Heiner translates the biographical story of master Wang Qingyu. The story begins with Master Wang’s birth, literally on a battlefield during the Japanese invasion of China. Especially touching are his remembrances of his beloved Daoist teacher, Li Jie, a legendary Daoist hermit who taught young Wang the real value of cultivation practices–to know one’s own heart and become a truly good person.