by Sara Schneider (saradipity) on Thursday Aug 4th, 2011 10:04am in NEWS

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Wide selection of therapeutic grade essential oils. /Sara Schneider

Endless shelves of bulk herbs that you can package yourself to create mix and match flavors. /Sara Schneider

Community members gather in store for a free naturopathy workshop. /Sara Schneider

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944 Fulton East Nearby Articles

“To remain healthy, you need ten hugs a day,” explained current Naturopathic Institute of Therapies & Education student Asher Thayer at a recent free community workshop about natural healing remedies. 

Held at the newly-opened Elder & Sage Herbs and Natural Remedies, 944 Fulton East near Diamond, the workshop provided participants with a wealth of knowledge regarding essential oils and Bach flower essences including a recipe for homemade hand sanitizer and a personalized test to identify flower essences to suit their needs. 

Elder & Sage came to fruition through the dedication and vision of Dr. Kathryn Doran-Fisher, ND. She has been practicing naturopathy (a health approach that focuses on natural remedies and the body's ability to heal and maintain itself) for over five years. 

After participating in the “Plan B” ArtPrize project in 2010, Dr. Doran-Fisher knew that she needed to relocate her naturopathy practice to Grand Rapids’ progressive community.

“I'm not much of a city girl at heart, but Grand Rapids does have a lot of opportunities for my two homeschooled kids,” said Dr. Doran-Fisher. “While searching for a good location, a good friend of mine introduced me to Uptown. It had the right energy, the right feel, and the perfect available location. We couldn't be happier!”

Although Dr. Doran-Fisher has an immense passion for her naturopathy practice and “has always wanted to work out of a shop,” Elder & Sage could not exist as it does without the support of her parents, Bruce and Jospehine (Jo) Doran. 

“Kathryn did not want to run the shop,” said Jo Doran, “but with over 40 years of retail experience, Bruce and I were excited to move back to the Grand Rapids area and manage the space.”

According to their website, Elder & Sage offers products such as “high quality encapsulated herbal and nutritional supplements; herbal tinctures, balms, salves and other products from local Michigan wildcrafters; bulk herbs and spices; custom herbal tea blends; books on natural health; homeopathics; quality aromatherapy essential oils; flower essences; and other nature-based cures.”

“You can get herbs and oils from anywhere nowadays, even Walmart,” said Dr. Doran-Fisher. “We are focused on quality and service for our clients. Plus, we encourage people to have fun with their bulk herbs and oils by packaging them themselves and creating all sorts of mixtures.”

With the prevalence of traditional medicine, many people do not know much about naturopathy. Dr. Doran-Fisher understands the need for community education and has already provided some outreach through the free community workshops hosted by students as well as her blog, where she addresses a variety of topics ranging from what to expect at your initial naturopathy consultation to essential oil and herb recipes.

Find out more information about Elder & Sage by visiting their website, Facebook page, and Twitter.

About: Sara Schneider (saradipity)

membership & communications coordinator at community media center. media aficionado for other local nonprofits and community members. board member of artpeers, a local arts nonprofit. dancer with modern collaborative dance in the annex. lover of writing in all lowercase letters, being barefoot, eating green apples and peanut butter, sporting maize and blue, dancing in the rain, good music, local art, hockey, rock climbing, snowboarding, developing photographs, acrylic paints, and michigan summers.