Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic digestive disorder affecting millions worldwide. Characterized by symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea. IBS can greatly impact quality of life. While traditional medicine often focuses on symptom management through pharmaceuticals, many individuals are turning to natural approaches for longer-term relief and better gut health. In… [click headline to read more]

By Dr. Gail Cloud

Our minds can be our worst enemy. We are wired to remember every negative thing that has happened to us and to remember every hurtful thing that has been said to us or has been done to us. Why? Because our old instinctive brain was made that way for our very survival.… [click headline to read more]

The public agency celebrates the November 7 anniversary throughout the rest of 2025 with new projects, community celebrations, and plans to connect even more of the St. Louis region

Great Rivers Greenway, (GRG) the public agency behind the St. Louis region’s extensive greenway trail network, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. Created by a public… [click headline to read more]

During the back-to-school season, it’s easy to get swept up in the chaos. Changing routines, packed calendars, and to-do lists can become overwhelming. Whether you’re a parent juggling drop-offs and extracurricular activities or a student gearing up for a new year, it’s important to remember you can’t pour from an empty cup.

Self-Care at the Spa

Sometimes,… [click headline to read more]

I am excited to announce that the Living Free Center for Spirituality and Healing will be hosting the 4th annual Midwest Holistic Wellness Fair on Saturday September 13, from 11 am to 5 pm at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville Illinois. ADMISSION IS FREE!!

I grew up in California where holistic wellness fairs were common,… [click headline to read more]

Article courtesy of the Clean Air Partnership

Scientific evidence continues to reinforce what many communities are experiencing firsthand: climate change is making it increasingly difficult to protect public health. While these threats pose serious long-term concerns, their effects are already evident today. Rising global temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are fueling higher levels of air pollution… [click headline to read more]

The Gateway Koi and Pond Club of St. Louis will host the 23rd Annual Northern Midwest ZNA Koi Show & Pond Expo in conjunction with the ZNA Eastern District Koi Show & Seminar on September 19-21, 2025. The event will be held at Timberwinds Nursery in Ellisville, MO and is open to the public with free… [click headline to read more]

Now Accepting Exhibitor Registrations!

The Healthy Planet Magazine is excited to host its 43rd Health & Wellness Expo on Sunday, October 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Webster Groves Recreation Complex (33 East Glendale Road, Webster Groves, MO 63119).

This popular community event brings together dozens of exhibitors showcasing the latest in healthy and… [click headline to read more]

Interviewer: Susan Hunt-BradfordInterviewee: Ludivine Renaud

Meet nature educator and youth leader, Ludivine Renaud.

Last year, I received an article from a young woman named Ludivine about the overuse of refillable water bottles and how many of us end up with too many refillable bottles. From the very first sentence, I could tell she was someone extraordinary. At… [click headline to read more]

By Tom & Carol Braford

Have you ever sat quietly just waiting for inspiration and thinking, I’m just wasting my time? This may have worked before and then it hit me but not like a ton of bricks. No! It was more like a feather tickling me under my nose and behind my ears. It was… [click headline to read more]

By Dan Zarlenga, Missouri Department of Conservation

Photo caption: Mosquito larvae, known as “wigglers”, hang at the water’s surface. Photo by Jim Rathert, Missouri Department of Conservation.

As you enjoy the outdoors during the warm months of August, sooner or later you’ll likely experience an encounter with a pesky mosquito. On what might seem an unrelated topic,… [click headline to read more]

By Jess Coffin

What’s fresh in Missouri in August? Yup! It’s the “Missouri banana,” aka the pawpaw!

Missouri’s favorite funky fruit is getting the star treatment at Ferguson’s 2nd Annual Pawpaw Fest, hosted by EarthDance Organic Farm School and the Ferguson Farmers Market on Saturday, August 23, 2025, from 8 a.m. to Noon! The fest promises a… [click headline to read more]

(Adapted from Hank Shaw’s recipe at honest-food.net/paw-paw-ice-cream)

Makes about 1 quart

Prep Time: 20 minutesCook Time: 20 minutesChurn time: 20 – 40 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour – 1 hour and 40 minutes

2 cups mashed paw paws, about 5 or 6 pawpaws

3 cups cream

1 cups milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 a vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 egg yolks

Salt and… [click headline to read more]

St. Louis Shines with Summer Art and Culture

By Michelle “Mike” Ochonicky, Healthy Planet Arts Editor

Artwork: A Place Called Dark Black, by Torkwase Dyson, at Mildred Lane Kemper Museum.

As a general rule, I do not include classes in this column. However, once in a while, something comes along that really deserves attention, and that “something” is… [click headline to read more]

Abbreviated/Condensed Version

By Diane K. Wilson

Poison ivy doesn’t care how clean you live, how rarely you hike, or whether you believe in “outdoorsy karma.” When it strikes, it strikes. But what if you could support your body’s healing naturally—without relying on prescription meds?

Years ago, I had a run-in with an old, leafless vine clinging to a tree.… [click headline to read more]

August: The Unofficial End of Summer?

By Susan Hunt-Bradford

When I think of August, one phrase comes to mind—“back to school!” It’s a time filled with excitement and a sense of new beginnings. For students, it’s a fresh chapter. For teachers, a return to their calling. And for parents, it’s a chance to witness their children continue… [click headline to read more]

By Jean Ponzi

A Whole Chicken

“What can I bring you from out in the world?” I ask husband Dale, whenever I go to the grocery store.

Usually he has no special requests, but one fine summer day he declared, “I’d like a whole chicken.”

“Oh. . . . Huh.” Not what I’d expected, or what I assumed. “I’ll… [click headline to read more]

By JB Lester

There is no doubt, the planet is heating up. And when temperatures rise, so do weather disasters. The recent flash floods in Texas are just the latest shock waves of climate change. The greenhouse effect is causing glaciers to melt, oceans to rise, rivers to flood and forests to burn. The air we… [click headline to read more]

By Linda Wiggen Kraft, Green and Growing Editor

In Melbourne, Australia each of the city’s 72,000 trees have their own email address. Yes, you’re reading that correctly, each tree planted by the city has an identification number and email where people can send updates, and admirations, via email.

In 2009 over 40% of Melbourne’s then 70,000 trees… [click headline to read more]

By Deborah Rogers, Green Schools Coordinator for Missouri Gateway Green Building Council

Are you a student excited about improving the health of our planet? Are you a teacher or school staff member ready to empower students through hands-on learning with a real-world impact? Are you a professional eager to support a school on their sustainability journey?… [click headline to read more]

By Jasmin Acosta, Healthy Planet Staff Writer

Our greatest adversity as human beings is accepting that we are not perfect. We may strive for perfection, but it is not attainable and it is our imperfections that make us human. What defines us is not flawlessness, but our capacity to make mistakes, learn from them, and grow.… [click headline to read more]

By Steve Davies, Healthy Planet Columnist

For most of us, recycling metal consists of the steel and aluminum cans we get from our local stores. By the time you’ve read this article however, I’m hoping to have recycled what’s known as scrap metal. That’s the rest of the metal that you can find throughout your house.… [click headline to read more]

By Natalie R. Toney M.F.A., C.H.

Healthy Planet Food Editor 

I think I finally just got the rest of my Summer wardrobe unpacked and here we are already upon the “Back to School” sales, which will soon be followed by “Sweater Weather” season(which is pretty okay by me… I’m not complaining!).Even still, here in St. Louis and… [click headline to read more]