Rarely are true pioneers recognized for their efforts during their own time. The obvious examples are the great minds of artists, scientists, philosophers and poets who are not fully appreciated until they have long passed. Johann Sebastian Bach was considered to be old-fashioned in his music by his own children who burned many of his manuscripts; Vincent van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime; and Galileo was ridiculed for his non-geocentric idea of the Earth moving around the sun. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to seize an important moment of a great innovator and learn from this influential healer. In today's age of communication and hard facts people have access to more ideas than ever before. It is easy to get swept up in convention, status and the dictation of society, striving for the unattainable perfection depicted by the media. The shock of radical or different ideas can be met with some skepticism, argument or deflation of credibility; yet, new thought is often embraced with a yearning for more.

Hanna Kroeger was unconventional, to say the least, and so is her work.  She was brilliant, however, and so is her life's work, which drove this eighty-something- year-old German immigrant at an inexhaustible pace. Her days consisted in part of writing books, lecturing, teaching, formulating new products, helping people with health problems, answering stacks of mail, giving church services on Sundays, researching health and medical information, answering phone calls and taking care of her family. Her accomplishments in the field of health care are astounding and she is recognized worldwide as a master healer.

Hanna Kroeger was born in Turkey, the daughter of German Christian missionaries.  Her childhood was full of fascinating experiences, as her parents ministered and helped others with whatever means they had available.  As a young woman, she attended nursing school at the University of Freiburg in Germany.  Later she assisted Professor Brauchle at a large hospital in Dresden, which primarily used natural healing methods.  It was here that she began to discover many amazing ways to restore health using herbs, special diets, baths, massages, etc.  During World War II supplies were scarce.  Hanna would look through the kitchen and find foods and herbs to help her family's health . Much of Hanna's discoveries were from intuition as well as studying and experimenting, as is her work today.

When Hanna arrived in America in 1952, she was disappointed by the lack of nutritious foods and started buying bulk whole grains for her family and friends.  This grew into one of the first health food stores in the country.  Hanna would bake wonderful breads that brought many people to her store.  The more adventurous folks would try some fresh carrot juice, which in 1957 was unheard of.

There are many laughter filled stories of those early years in the store.  She recalled how customers reacted when she began selling wheat germ.  They asked why she would sell "germs" and whether these "wheat germs" would make them sick.  Other health suggestions would find their way from Hanna to her customers.  Soon people would come to see her for their health questions and Hanna's reputation as a healer flourished and became popular with both natural healers as well as medical professionals.

By the 1960's Hanna's store was bustling.  Being the only health food store in Boulder, everyone stopped in, including many people who have become prominent in the health industry.  A famous tea mogul had his humble beginnings selling juices and teas in the store.

During the early years Hanna made her own herbal combinations at the kitchen table a few at a time.  She gave her formulas away to anyone who needed help.  She soon became known for her formulas and as a master of using subtle and unique combinations of two or more herbs to improve the whole system of the body.  The herbal combinations were to be a start she never imagined.  In 1978 Hanna started Kroeger Herb Products to keep up with the growing demand for her formulas.  Over the years Kroeger Herb Products has grown beyond Hanna's original vision and distributes Hanna's products internationally.

By helping thousands of people over the years, Hanna's notoriety has spread mostly by word of mouth and through her books.  She is well respected and referred to by popular luminaries in different healing circles.

Being so focused on her work, Hanna created a particular vernacular that has developed through medical and health information.  Combined with her intense sensitivity to energies (in which many times she finds things before they manifest with physical symptoms) and her spiritual background, she may be seen as eccentric.  Time and time again people come back exclaiming amazing results from Hanna's suggestions.  Meeting this astounding woman left a lasting impression.  She was one of those timeless people who devoted herself entirely to helping others.

Hanna's work consists of reading energies on a very subtle level.  She would add or take a few ounces out of hundreds of pounds of herbs to get the energy just right.  Hanna was one of the foremost dowsers (or pendulum users) in the country, and perhaps the world.  She describes this tool as the super conscious mind connecting with the conscious mind.  This connection is how she worked in the fourth dimension, the dimension of intuition and spiritual attunement which the pendulum reflects.  She did not claim to have any outstanding gifts, only that they are from a "higher" or "spiritual" source; yet, she is amazingly accurate with her findings.

Being the eclectic wonder, Hanna combined her intuitive sense with the health and medical information she researches and finds how one feeds the other.  She has also studied many healing techniques from around the world, including massage, energy work, homeopathy and nutrition, and has worked with Native American healers to find new herbs and uses for them.  She looked for causes and not just effects of illness.  Hanna would choose from a well rounded palette of healing techniques that is not limited by convention and will look to physical, emotional and spiritual motives for ailments.  She used diet, herbs, homeopathics, vitamins, minerals, physical alignment, massage, acupressure, aura balancing and other practices of natural healing.

Teaching was a big part of Hanna's devotion to helping people help themselves.  She had written many books and rewrote them whenever necessary to keep them up-to-date.  Hanna was almost always working on a new book just to keep up with herself.  She lectured extensively in the spring and fall and held a series of retreats throughout the summer at her home in Boulder, Colorado.

Hanna's books are a wonderful array of ideas, techniques, experiences and references for health.  They deal with many sides of Hanna's work, maintaining her character and heartfelt devotion to helping people.  Hanna's books are as broad as her work, ranging from general home remedies to books on special diets, herbal and vitamin references, cookbooks and more.

Throughout the spring and fall, Hanna traveled to different cities to teach her work to ever growing, enthusiastic audiences.  In the lectures Hanna explained her latest work, demonstrated hands-on techniques and answered questions.  She went at a pace that kept everyone on their toes with a contagious enthusiasm and lots of information.  Hanna's classes were fascinating due not only to what she teaches but also to how much information this expert had to share.  To see her answer two hundred inquiries in a rapid fire pace is truly inspiring and she does so with the sincerity and integrity of a person completely committed to her cause.

As mentioned, every summer Hanna taught at least twelve classes on natural and vibrational healing at her home in Boulder, Colorado which are now taught by Hanna’s long time advanced students.  The classes consist of an amazing amount of information with lots of hands-on demonstrations, herb walks and valuable knowledge on herbal and other home remedies.  The classes are quite intensive, getting into the inner workings of Hanna's ideas, exploring the seven physical and spiritual causes of ill health and interpreting auric energy for healing, cleansing and rebuilding programs.  There are often have renowned guest speakers as well as some renowned students, creating a wonderful environment for learning and sharing knowledge.

Hanna's wonderful, unconventional life and work might boggle some people's minds.  Often times Hanna's extraordinary gifts are overlooked by the more traditionally minded folks and might seem unusual.  But just as Bach has become one of the most revered composers of all time, van Gogh's paintings have become some of the most praised and people have grown comfortable with the idea of the earth moving around the sun, Hanna's pendulum keeps in touch with the fourth dimension.