news briefs

Good Oral Health Begins in Childhood

Packard Family Dentistry, the office of Laith Alsamerai, DDS. and Teba Rashid, DDS, cares about kids. “Our team of pediatric dentists strives to make children of all ages feel at ease and Teba Rashid (L) and Laith Alsamerai enjoy themselves, so bring the whole family along!” says Rashid. “You can rest assured your child will receive the latest advancements in children’s dentistry, delivered with caring, thoughtfulness and compassion.”

“We encourage the proper dental care habits in children, and enjoy teaching them how to keep their teeth healthy for a lifetime,” advises Alsamerai. Even meticulous brushing often may not reach the deep grooves in the back teeth. This results in bacteria, acid and plaque formation which will lead to decay that requires a filling or crown. Dental sealants can help. This thin, plastic coating is white or clear and bonded into place with no shots or drills or removal of any tooth structure. Applying dental sealants is one of the best preventive measures both children and adolescents can take to preserve their natural teeth.

Location: 2444 Packard Rd., Ypsilanti. For appointments and more info, call 734-572-4428 or visit PackardFamilyDentistry.com. See ad page 19.

Michigan’s Only Homeopathic Pharmacy Reopens to the Public

Castle Remedies carries more that 1,000 remedies in potencies as low as 3x and as high as CM, as well as homeopathically prepared topicals, and can fill homeopathic prescriptions from practitioners. They are now open for in-store shopping, requiring customers to wear N95 masks while shopping (or equivalent: KN95, KF94, or a double mask with surgical inside full face cloth mask). Masks are available for $3 upon request. Contactless pick up remains an option.

In addition to homeopathic remedies, Castle provides vitamins, nutraceuticals and herbals in both capsule and tincture form. Botanicals and supplements are of the highest quality and have been assayed for purity and potency. They also have a complete line of aromatherapy, from organic and wild-crafted sources, and the complete set of Bach Flower Remedies.

Location: 2345 S. Huron Pkwy., Ann Arbor. For more information, call 734-973-8990 or visit CastleRemedies.com. See ad page 21. Mother Bear Sanctuary will hold a monthly mini-retreat from 10 a.m. to noon, May 21, featuring qigong, nature, gentle yoga, horse time and community. Participants receive a powerful energy practice similar to tai chi, gentle, nourishing yoga in a hayloft, community connection and an inspiring talk by Barbra WhiteCrow, MA. Horse and nature time will follow lecture.

Cost is $35 to $45. Location: 20470 Barton Rd., Pinckney. RSVP to 734796-6690 or MotherBearBarbra@gmail.com. For more information, visit MotherBearSanctuary.com. See ad page 31.

Enrollment Open for Fall Massage School

Ann Arbor School of Massage, Herbal & Natural Medicine brings more than 25 years of national and international experience and dedication to the development of the holistic healing arts. Registration for the Fall 2022 Massage Therapy diploma program (717 class hours inclusive of 80 clinical hours/one year) is open now. The deadline is July 31, with an early bird discount by June 1. The first day of school will be September 8. Classes will be held each day from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The program incorporates natural medicine and botanical principles, including compresses, fomentations, naturopathic hydrotherapy and holistic body systems. School visit days are available to prospective students by appointment. The school maintains both a clinic and a student intern clinic, as well as a full apothecary of botanical formulations and in-house products. An application for admittance is required with the application fee, and a school visit arranged by appointment.

The current deposit is $2,500, with the balance paid over an eight-month period. Location: 3684 W. Liberty Rd., Ann Arbor. Call 734-769-7794 to begin the process, ask questions and set up an appointment. For more information, visit NaturopathicSchoolOfAnnArbor.net. See ad page 38.

Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

TreeTown Cannabis is launching a new brand of cannabis-infused gummies, Sugarbush, and $1 of each unit sold will be donated to nonprofit Great Lakes Expungement Network, dedicated to fee-free, full-service expungement services for cannabis offenders, plus eligibility screenings and other resources. Mari-

juana-related convictions impact nearly 250,000 people in Michigan.

Created with nanotechnology, the Sugarbush gummies are sour, vegan and fast-acting. Consumers can expect to feel the effects within 10 to 15 minutes. They come in 100-milligram packages of 10, or 10 milligrams per gummy. TreeTown Cannabis head chef and creator Ella Carvalho says, “No one else is making a vegan, nanotech, sour gummy with the nostalgic flavors that we all love.”

All of TreeTown’s products are made from scratch in small batches to ensure quality and consistency. TreeTown Cannabis is committed to helping people charged with marijuana offenses expunge those arrests from their records.

For more information, visit TreeTownCannabis.com and GreatLakesExpungementNetwork. org. See ad page 27.

Drumming for Ukraine

Curtis Glatter, a local drummer and composer, is hosting a monthly community Drum and Dance Jam at the Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth at 7:30 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month through August in honor of recently departed community member Don Allen. Fifteen percent of all donations will be donated to the Red Cross in Ukraine. Hand drumming is good for coordination, cardio and stress relief. No experience is necessary, and participants can bring a drum or use one provided at the center. Six feet between drummers and masks are requested.

Admission is a $5 sliding donation at the door. Location: 704 Airport Blvd., Ann Arbor. For more information, call 734-327-0270 or visit Facebook.com/glattercurtisav1972.

Billboards Embracing Our Differences

Nonprofit Embracing Our Differences SE uses the power of art and education to expand consciousness and open the heart to celebrate the diversity of the human family. They will conduct a Gala Grand Opening of their 2022 international outdoor art exhibit celebrating diversity beginning at 1 p.m., May 14, at park locations around the area. Locations include Gallup Park and Leslie Science & Nature Center, in Ann Arbor; and Riverside Park and Parkridge Park, in Ypsilanti.

As presented in Sarasota, Florida, for 19 years, beautiful and insightful artworks on the themes of diversity, equity and inclusion are selected from submissions from around the world, as well as from local artists. They will be enlarged to billboard size and printed on 16-by-12-foot, 13-ounce vinyl posters.

The centerpiece is a juried, outdoor exhibit featuring 60 images created by local, national and international artists, writers and students reflecting their interpretations of the theme, “Enriching our lives through diversity.” Admission is free. For more info, visit EODMichigan.com/exhibit and EmbracingOurDifferences.org.

Holistic Care

• Mood Support • Cancer Support • Family Medicine • Holistic Medicine • Innovative Medicine • Bioidentical Hormones

Marisa Spradlin RD Gaia Kile FNP Danielle Douglas FNP Malcolm Sickels MD

210 Little Lake Dr., Suite 10 Ann Arbor (west side) www.drsickels.com 734.332.9936 • Easy access from M-14, I-94

& Jackson Road

• Check drsickels.com for

directions & insurance info.

MICHIGAN FRIENDS CENTER AT FRIENDS LAKE COMMUNITY A Scenic and Tranquil Meeting Place...

We offer the holistic community a nature-oriented meeting space for workshops, meetings, counseling, yoga, youth groups, and family gatherings. Main room accommodates 100 pre-Covid, with two smaller classrooms and kitchen facilities. Hiking trails. Weekend rates range from $200-$400, additional for extensive grounds use, camping. Book your next gathering at https://MFCenter.org/rent

“We need to preserve a few places, a few samples of primeval country so that when the pace gets too fast we can look at it, think about it, contemplate it, and somehow restore equanimity to our souls.”

– Sigurd Olson

7748 Clark Lake Road, Chelsea, MI 48118 (734) 475-1892 https://MFCenter.org/rent

news briefs

Organic Plants for Sale

Green Things Farm Collective and Feral Flora is having a Certified Organic Plant Sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., May 20. There will be a wide variety of vegetable, flower, herb and native plant seedlings and organic plants for the garden grown locally. Weather permitting, there will be casual tours of the farm and other family-friendly activities. Wear mud boots.

Green Things Farm Collective, Ann Arbor Seed Company, Green Things Farm and the Land Loom came together in 2020 to expand production, share the management of running a diverse farm business and develop a model of sustainable, cooperative and responsible farming.

Small-scale regenerative farming is a business unlike any other in its bias towards diversity of product, consideration of ecological systems, personal touch and community capital over efficiency, scalability and profit at any cost. Green Things Farm Collective and the community it serves stand to benefit greatly from the 40-plus years of diverse farming experience among the collective’s working members and the innovation and inspired vision only possible when a group of passionate farmers come together to share in the joys and challenges of their calling.

Location: 3825 Nixon Rd., Ann Arbor. For more info, call 734-772-1418, email Hannah@GreenThingsFarm.com or visit GreenThingsFarm.com.

Dr. Wilkinson Finds New Digs

Holistic Healing and Chiropractic Center has moved to 283 South Zeeb Road, Suite M, in Ann Arbor. Dr. Sarah Wilkinson founded the center in 2012, offering chiropractic care for humans and pets, Nutrition Response Testing, massage therapy and acupuncture.

She says, “We see people for a variety of reasons, such as back pain, neck pain and headaches. Many also seek our help for metabolic diseases, pregnancy concerns or are simply looking for relief due to advancing age. Misalignments in the spine can disrupt the communication between your brain and every cell, tissue and organ in the body. We’ll work to correct these misalignments with gentle adjustments and offer a variety of techniques to suit your particular needs.”

For appointments and more information, call 734-369-2032 or visit HolisticHealingAnnArbor.com.

Become a Dream Partner

Jill Tyge, the “holistic gardener” and owner of Pura Vida Peace, LLC, is a mind, body, spirit coach, an Awakening Your Light Body meditation teacher and author. She says, “My passion is to help women gain their power back, build confidence, heal their heart and to raise, shift and change the energy of their home. Would you like to become your own perfect dream partner? I would like to help you pull the weeds that are choking and holding you back from your true development. Prune and trim the plants and trees that are in your life. Guide you to the plants that will help you grow and succeed and to sow the seeds that will help you flourish, grow and succeed in a balanced life, and to help cultivate your own perfect environment to thrive and grow in all kinds of elements.”

“I have learned different healing modalities and worked with many different teachers and guides. We all have different paths and journeys, and I would love to help and guide you along your journey to see what resonates with you to become your own perfect partner.”

Jill Tyge

For more information, call 701-793-3479, email JillTyge@gmail.com or visit JillTyge.com.

Sue McCreadie, M.D., specializes in pediatric holistic medicine, treating brain health, digestive health, hormonal health, immune health, skin health and more. In her pediatric practice, she helps children adapt their diet and lifestyle to optimize their genetics for health naturally.

She says, “Illness and disease result from a combination of genetic and environmental stressors. In the Sue McCreadie past, we thought genes were our destiny and out of our control. The study of epigenetics has uncovered that you can control how your genes express by optimizing your environment. When you optimize your diet and lifestyle for your genetic tendencies, you optimize your health!”

Location: 2350 Washtenaw Ave., Ste. 16, Ann Arbor. For appointments and more information, call 734-224-9663, email Admin@Dr McCreadie.com or visit PediatricHolisticMed.com.

Don’t Mow this Month

The city of Ann Arbor has unanimously passed the No Mow May initiative 2022, recognizing that bees and other pollinators are integral to pollination of plants in order to grow a wide diversity of essential foods including fruit, nuts and vegetables. Not mowing lawns would allow for early-season emergence and maturation among pollinators. This is intended only to be a voluntary program that homeowners are encouraged to take part in.

Additionally, it would reduce the emissions produced from gas-powered mowers, increase the effectiveness of green space and reduce noise pollution. The population of insects that pollinate is already threatened due to habitat loss, pathogens, parasites and neonicotinoid use.

KUDOS

First Bite owner Vivek Dalela is celebrating five years in business.

He is passionate about offering the cleanest and the most flavorful food possible to all and says, “Many organic ingredients make up our newly created recipes, made from scratch for you. This includes our unique whole-wheat breads and yummy sauces. We make sure to use basic ingredients to create each recipe from scratch. Minimal cooking ensures that nutrients are optimally captured. We are environmentally conscious; we realize that food bought from distant places is not as fresh and puts an unnecessary burden on our planet. We buy locally as much as possible, which also helps us support the Ann Arbor community we are so proud of.”

Location: 108 S. Main St., Ann Arbor. For more information, call 734369-4765 or visit FirstBiteFoods.com.