James Strohecker

James Strohecker, a recognized authority in the field of natural health and a pioneer in Internet health, is co-founder and President of HealthWorld Online (www.healthy.net), a critically-acclaimed Internet global health network, and was co-founder of the original NPICenter.com, the first business-to-business Internet network for the Natural Products Industry. An advocate of a new system of global medicine based upon wise utilization of traditional systems of healing and spirituality, Strohecker has focused on educating the public, health professionals and corporations in new paradigm philosophies—natural health and healing, wellness and spirituality—through book and Internet publishing, a public radio show "Alternative Medicine," TV and film projects, continuing education seminars, and consulting services through his company, InnerWorks Consulting Group.

As Executive Editor of the classic book Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide (Future Medicine Publishing), Strohecker directed all phases of the three-year, two-million-dollar project, including creative development, assembling the prestigious international team of four hundred contributing health professionals and scientists, and coordinating a staff of over one hundred writers, editors and researchers. He served as founding Vice-President for Future Medicine Publishing, Inc.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Tennessee with a degree in cultural anthropology, Strohecker was drawn to spirituality and healing while living and working among indigenous Mayan Indians as a member of a National Geographic archeological expeditions in the early 1970s. Working among the ancient, ruined temples in the dense jungles of the southern Yucatan peninsula, Strohecker had a series of mystical experiences, culminating in a spiritual awakening that led to a significant encounter with world-renowned religious scholar and mystic Miracea Eliade at the University of Chicago.

In a key turning point in his life, Strohecker chose to decline a grant from the prestigious Divinity School at the University of Chicago to study under the guidance of Dr. Eliade, in order to embark on his own personal journey in pursuit of spiritual knowledge. For the next eight years he engaged in an intensive study of yoga, meditation and spiritual philosophy with the renowned teacher Swami Muktananda Paramahansa, including three years of practice and study of esoteric yogic disciplines in a monastic setting in India. During this time he also guided the development of an international spiritual research library with seminal writings from the world's great wisdom traditions.

Another key passion—his lifelong love of natural healing—was stimulated during his stay in India through an exposure to herbal medicine, homeopathy, Ayurveda and a wide range of holistic therapies. He believes that the principles of natural health are a matter of common sense, and have been with humanity for millennia. The ancient tradition of yoga, for example—with its emphasis on diet, lifestyle, exercise, stress reduction, personal detoxification and mental cultivation—is really a complete system of holistic health. Subsequently, he studied various forms of natural healing and transformation, including CranioSacral Therapy, Jin Shin Do and Jin Shin Jytsu Acupressure, movement therapy, bodywork, focusing and dreamwork. In all, James has spent nearly thirty years investigating and practicing systems of healing and personal transformation.

For years, much of James' focus revolved around his dream of creating a global database of the leading research and information on natural medicine—and on traditional forms of medicine from around the world—to help create a "global" medicine that blended ancient healing traditions, spirituality and natural medicine with the best that scientific western medicine had to offer. This, he felt, could help alleviate suffering caused by the lack of easy access to information on natural health and other viable alternatives to institutionalized conventional medical approaches. HealthWorld Online was the culmination of that vision.

Strohecker is co-author of five books including:

He has also collaborated or consulted on over twenty titles in the fields of natural health, psychology, creativity, human potential, yoga, meditation, and the world's spiritual traditions. He is editor of the integrative health e-newsletters, "Healthy Update" and "Healthy Shopping," has served as associate editor and columnist for Total Health magazine and contributed a chapter to Faulkner & Gray's 1998 Guide to Healthcare Resources on the Internet.



Strohecker serves on the Board of Trustees of the American University of Complementary Medicine and has served on the Presidential Advisory Board for Bastyr University, the first fully-accredited multi-disciplinary college of natural medicine in the United States. He has served on the advisory boards of the Academy of Guided Imagery, the Healthy Foundation, the Dove Healing Trust, and the Institute of Natural Medicine. He is listed in the International Who's Who of Information Technology. He and his wife Nancy reside in Los Angeles, California.

Jim can be reached at jim@healthy.net


Nancy Shaw Strohecker

Nancy Shaw Strohecker is a publicist, media consultant, artist and writer who has been involved in both the creative and business aspects of the media and communications for over fifteen years including publishing, public relations, film, radio, television and internet. Founder and owner of World of Mouth Literary Publicity, she has worked in public relations in the fields of health, travel, fashion, beauty, and fitness.

Nancy was a key player in the initial launch and promotion of the classic and highly acclaimed book Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide, (Future Medicine Publishing, 1993). With her husband, James, she co-produced a natural health seminar conference, "Healing Depression," in Los Angeles with leaders from the field of natural medicine.

A longtime student of yoga, meditation, healthy cooking, and natural approaches to healthy living, she is co-author of Whole Home Health Care: A Complete Resource Guide for Families, Patients & Caregivers and Natural Healing for Depression, with her husband James. She was a contributing writer to Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide and Darshan, a monthly magazine on spirituality distributed nationally and throughout the world. Nancy has collaborated on and edited numerous books in the fields of health, business, psychology, personal development, creativity and women's inspiration.

Nancy was producer's assistant on two feature films and assistant to the story editor on the "Dallas" television series, and co-produced James radio show, "Alternative Medicine" on Pacifica public radio. She has been working on a feature film project on the life of an 18th century European doctor of natural healing, and is developing a television show on alternative medicine and healthy living.

Nancy has a BA. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley. Her design company Flourishes, showcases her hand painted and one-of-a-kind designs from nature for the home. She and her husband, James, and their beloved cat, Jingles, live in Los Angeles, California.