As we enter this gorgeous month of June, we celebrate 13 years of publishing Natural Awakenings magazine in the greater Ann Arbor area. We thank everyone in this wonderful community that has welcomed us with open arms from the first issue. It is a pleasure making so many friends with kind faces and hearts of service for the care and wellness of others.

As a special tribute to Father’s Day, we are dedicating this issue to all the husbands, sons, fathers, brothers and friends that depend on the women in their lives to help them to achieve good health. We are certain you will find helpful, practical tips to help them expand their horizons, with editorial focused on health and fitness for him and wellness for the whole family.

Our main feature writer Melanie Laporte offers an insightful path to wellness in “Nature’s Toolbox: The Key to Prostate Health,” an up-to-date report on the latest approaches to treating and preventing some major problems associated with this tiny, yet very important gland.

Of course, cerebral health knows no gender, and “Food Sleuth” Melinda Hemmelgarn’s “Brain-Savers: Smart Strategies for Preventing Dementia” is a must-read for anyone concerned with preventing and treating cognitive decline and memory loss. More than a third of global dementia cases are preventable, so adopting diet and lifestyle risk reduction measures is a “no-brainer”.

One way to feed the brain is with the unique nutrients found in mushrooms. Discover the magic in these healthy (and delicious) fungi with writer April Thompson’s “Medicinal Mushrooms: Beyond Buttons and Portabellas.”

Our Wise Words department also points the way to the healing power of foods and much more with Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s take on “Chasing Life.” CNN’s chief medical correspondent shares his eye-opening experiences following an immersive tour of some of the happiest and healthiest places on Earth. The resulting docuseries of the same name explores, among other helpful topics, how ancient traditions may play a role in 21st-century health care.

As we celebrate this anniversary month, we would also like to express gratitude to all our advertisers that share the vision and enable us to bring practical, life-changing information to you at no cost 12 months a year, and have helped make this venture possible. Please say thank-you by shopping at their stores and patronizing their services.

We send out a great big hug to our production and distribution teams, our national NAPC headquarters which serves up a combined circulation of more than 3 million readers a month, and our founder, Sharon Bruckman, for her years of consistent kindness and support.

You all are the best… We couldn’t do it without all of you!

 

With love and gratitude to all the special men in our lives… Happy Father’s Day