Water

We’ve heard the term bandied about in ecological circles—but what are microplastics and how can we avoid polluting our planet with them?

With the Internet flooded with images of seahorses hanging on to pieces of straw, and penguins living on floating plastic islands, and whole swathes of plastic mini-seas floating in the high seas, it’s high time we educated ourselves about microplastics. What harm can they do—to our seas and ultimately our blue planet?

If your four-legged friend seems to be having summertime sadness, don’t ignore it. Like us, our pets too need some specialized care to stay safe in the heat.

Did you know April is Earth Month? This spring month is dedicated to advocating for a greener, healthier earth (even though every month should be earth month). Here are a few creative ways you can celebrate and make the world a little greener this month.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs available right in your yard? If you embrace edible landscaping, you can enjoy this experience practically year-round and save money to boot. Veteran Edible Farmer Rosalind Creasy shares that while these types of gardens do require an initial investment of time and money, they offer significant savings on produce costs—for example, in 2008, the value of the vegetables she grew in a 100-square-foot garden totaled more than $675.

There are 5 Elements in Chinese Medicine: Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal.  These Elements follow the seasons of the year, the time of day, the life cycle, and the creative process of life.  The 5 Element system is a system of checks and balances.  It is based on the idea that all things in nature will eventually balance themselves.  For example, the season of Summer will eventually yield to Fall, the longer days will turn into longer nights, and the excitement of new ideas will eventually turn into precious personal wisdom.

Join Basmati.com every week for a Q&A session with one of Basmati’s practitioners, Melissa Hill (FDN-P)! We know that there is a lot of confusing information out there, which can make applying health advice overwhelming.  Sometimes, it’s best to ask a practitioner directly, so each week we’ll cover a common health question!

Adding chickens to a small homestead is a very common way to get started with self-sufficiency. They are easy to take care of, will do bug patrol, and turn your kitchen scraps into garden gold. On top of that, you get fresh eggs daily! So, why would you consider adding in ducks?

If you follow popular health living blogs, like those by Ben Greenfield or Rich Roll, you’ve likely heard of Wim Hof, better known as the Iceman. A self-named Dutch daredevil, Wim holds 26 world records, including one for the longest ice bath. While Wim’s methods are extreme, not all of his ideas are on the fringes of what we might call healthy. 

Gout is a form of arthritis that is caused when too much uric acid crystallizes and makes deposits in the joints. Gout causes swelling, redness, tenderness, and severe pain in joints. The attacks often spring about rather suddenly and occur more often at night than in the day compared to arthritis or Rheumatoid Arthritis, which eases into aches and pains throughout the day.

Water permeates all facets (and faucets – pun intended) of our lives: from what we drink, to how we bathe, to where we gather to swim, kayak, ride boats, and even travel. We’ve all heard familiar phrases like “drink half your body weight in ounces per day,” and “eight cups of water per day is the minimum of what you need,” but few of us ever bother to take a look at our water.

Yes, it can be found in a well, reservoir, tap, or bottle, but few of us are familiar with the actual source: springs.