Kiara specializes in gentle approaches to acupuncture and hands-on treatment which are inspired by her early life experiences with nature, meditation, and yoga. She was born into a family in the automotive industry, one that maintained a strong work ethic and held high regard for cultural diversity in food and friendships. From this foundation, Kiara journeyed into the world of spiritual cultivation and natural healing modalities, encountering her own healing crisis along the way. She studied with numerous spiritual teachers, including Zen Master Thich Nhat Hahn, and taught yoga for 15 years under the mentorship of the renowned yogis Shiva Rea and John Friend.

Kiara received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Fordham University in 2003, and Master and Doctoral level degrees in Classical Chinese Medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine in 2019 and 2020, respectively. At NUNM, she mentored with Dr. Robert Quinn in Japanese Meridian Therapy, Shakyujyo Therapy, Japanese Moxa techniques, and Yin Sotai (a method that integrates the therapies known as Sotai, Qigong Tuina, and the Trager Method). She studied classical Chinese herbal prescription with Dr. Heiner Fruehauf and abdominal palpation and herbal diagnosis with Dr. Joon Hee Lee. She also pays homage to the following teachers and mentors: David Berkshire in Worsley Five Element Acupuncture; Dr. Heiner Fruehauf, Dr. Laurie Regan, Bill Frazier, and Dr. Tamara Staudt in the Jinjing Gong lineage of Qigong; Michael McMahon and Carol Grey in Cranial Sacral Therapy for adults and babies/small children, respectively; and Tami Lynn Kent, in Holistic Pelvic Care.

Kiara has a profound interest in learning from other cultures. Twice she has traveled to China on the Sacred Mountain Retreat with Heiner Fruehauf and the Heron Institute to receive direct transmission from Prof. Wang Qingyu, lineage holder of the Jinjing Gong School of Qigong; Dr. Liu Lihong, leading classical Chinese medicine scholar-clinician; and herbal masters Drs. Hu Chiangjiang and Deng Zhongjia. She continues to foster ongoing relationships with Indigenous tribes in North and South America.

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Rooted in the ancient landscapes of Greece and Albania, Anamaria comes from a long lineage of physicians and pharmacists skilled in both conventional allopathic and holistic healing modalities, including herbal medicine, hydrotherapy, and heliotherapy. Some of her earliest memories include foraging for wild blackberries, figs and chestnuts along the Ionian and Aegean Sea. Summers spent with her grandfather along the Albanian Riveria were filled with lessons about Mediterranean herbs and their healing properties. These experiences deeply influenced her passion for health rooted in ancient wisdom and inspired her to follow in the footsteps of her forebears.

Anamaria’s journey continued in New Jersey, where she practiced martial arts and continued cultivating a strong curiosity for health and natural medicine. She was particularly drawn to the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Anthroposophical Medicine. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Boston University and a Master of Acupuncture with Chinese Herbal Medicine Specialization (MAcCHM) from the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). During her studies at NUNM, Anamaria completed mentorships with Dr. Heiner Fruehauf in Chinese Herbal Prescriptions, Brandt Stickley in Shen Hammer Pulse Diagnosis, and Dr. Robert Quinn in Japanese Acupuncture and Moxibustion. She has additional training in Cranial Sacral Therapy, Maya Abdominal Therapy, and Sound Therapies.

She is currently pursuing a Naturopathic Medical Degree at the University of Western States, remaining deeply committed to treating patients with heart-centered care. Anamaria’s work reflects a deep connection to the earth and her lineage, as she strives to empower others to heal and thrive in harmony with nature and the modern world.

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Heiner Fruehauf is the Founding Professor of the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, Oregon, where he has been teaching since 1992. As a practitioner, Dr. Fruehauf focuses on the complementary treatment of difficult and recalcitrant diseases, including cancer, chronic respiratory and digestive disorders, and inflammation of the nervous system. The Healing Order is the manifestation of his belief that 21st-century humans can, and must, support their health in harmony with nature. His dream of bringing together the most effective holistic modalities from all over the world comes to life at The Healing Order.

Dr. Fruehauf comes from a long line of German physicians specializing in holistic healing modalities such as homeopathy, herbalism, and hydrotherapy. His great-grandfather studied with Sebastian Kneipp, one of the fathers of the European nature cure movement. Eager to learn from other cultures, a young Heiner left home to study sinology, philosophy, and comparative literature at Tübingen University, Fudan University (Shanghai), Hamburg University, Waseda University (Tokyo), and the University of Chicago, where he earned a doctoral degree from the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations in 1990.

The experience of a serious health crisis spurred him to supplement his theoretical training in the philosophy of Chinese medicine with the study of its clinical applications. While completing two years of post-doctoral training at Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, he was mentored by the revered Deng Zhongjia, one of China’s primary experts in the fields of formula studies and the classical foundations of Chinese medicine. Dr. Fruehauf continues to publish widely on both the theoretical and clinical aspects of Chinese medicine.

His scholarly endeavors include an ongoing research project on the holistic cosmology of Chinese medicine, in essence a decoding of the ancient symbolism that once correlated the macrocosm of the natural world with the microcosm of the human body. In addition, Dr. Fruehauf is the director of the Heron Institute, a nonprofit institution for the research and preservation of traditional life science. In this capacity, he has been leading the Sacred Mountain Retreat for three decades, a semiannual study tour to the mountains of southwest China that focuses on qigong and other aspects of classical Chinese medicine. He lives in the beautiful Columbia Gorge in Oregon with his wife, Sheron, their kids, 5 goats, 2 cats, and 11 chickens.

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As the son and grandson of chemists in Buffalo, New York, it was almost preordained that Chris Metro complete a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering. His knowledge of chemical systems began with silicate, chlor-alkali, and petroleum-based derivatives, but evolved into the chemistry of people, which led him to study natural medicine, first at the New England School of Homeopathy, then at the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM). He completed a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine along with a Master of Science in Oriental Medicine in 2004. During his tenure at NUNM, he developed clinical experience in drug treatment and coinfections by completing internship programs at Portland Alternative Health Center, De Paul Treatment Youth Center, Outside In, and Dignity Village. He developed his interest in and experience with difficult and recalcitrant diseases at the Immune Enhancement Project at the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Metro has traveled to China and attended the Sacred Mountain Retreat multiple times, where he worked extensively with the respected Daoist elder Prof. Wang Qingyu of the Sichuan Academy of Cultural History and Prof. Liu Lihong of Guangxi University’s Institute for the Clinical Research of Classical Chinese Medicine. He has trained and worked with Dr. Fruehauf since 2006, when he began to focus on the use of Chinese herbs for the treatment of difficult and recalcitrant diseases. Dr. Metro also taught integrated nutrition in the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at NUNM.

Dr. Metro is an avid beekeeper. Spending much of his medical school time working in the medicinal gardens with Dr. Jill Stansbury, he continues to actively cultivate medicinal herbs in his own garden and maintains a small orchard with a variety of fruit and nut trees.

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Megan Wirth, LAc, practices palpation-based acupuncture, Classical Chinese herbalism, and nutraceutical medicine, with a focus on restoring the body’s natural ability to heal. She has studied Classical Chinese Herbalism with Dr. Heiner Fruehauf since 2016 and continues to refine her expertise through her work and mentorship with Dr. Fruehauf and Dr. Metro at The Healing Order. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Multicultural Psychology and Health Sciences from The Evergreen State College and a Master of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine from the College of Classical Chinese Medicine at NUNM.

Her work is informed by traditional medicine lineages, cultivated through years of study with renowned teachers and immersion in healing traditions across China, Thailand, Peru, Indonesia, and Nepal. Megan specializes in Japanese palpation-based acupuncture and hara diagnosis, an interactive approach that allows the body itself to guide treatment. She trained extensively under Kiiko Matsumoto, Slate Burris, Bob Quinn, Kuwahara Sensei, and Dr. Bear.

Through refined palpation and precise needling techniques, she assesses subtle shifts in the pulse, abdominal tone, tissue quality, and areas of stagnation or depletion. By working with the body’s intrinsic feedback system, she applies gentle yet targeted interventions to support the body’s natural self-correcting mechanisms. Her work is further enriched by training in Shen-Hammer Pulse Diagnosis, Traditional Thai Massage, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation, and Classical Homeopathy.

Megan’s approach goes beyond symptom relief, focusing on restoring balance and internal harmony. She finds great joy in guiding patients through this process, helping them reclaim their health and vitality. By addressing the deeper patterns that contribute to imbalance, her treatments lay the foundation for lasting resilience and restoration. In addition to acupuncture and herbal medicine, she offers personalized home therapies, including moxibustion, massage, lifestyle guidance, and breathing techniques, ensuring that each patient receives comprehensive care that extends beyond the treatment room.

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Caren is a licensed massage therapist who grew up in a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. When she was young, her father told her that a therapist should have a calm and caring heart that strives to nurture all life. In her healing work, she aspires to live up to this mandate.

Before coming to Portland, Caren worked as a massage therapist and holistic clinic assistant in China for five years. Her extensive training background includes Tuina, Swedish massage, Thai massage, deep tissue work, myofascial release, structural balancing, and other modalities. In her free time, she likes to drink mountain tea, practice Yoga and Qigong, and teach Taiji Quan. She aspires to help her clients reconnect to nature and find their own nature within by rebalancing body, mind and spirit.

Caren is a licensed massage therapist who grew up in a family of traditional Chinese medicine pra... Read More