Zero Waste Living! or How Trash Becomes a Rarity

Spring is accelerating, and every morning we wake up to see more and more greenery and blooming flowers. We are inevitably overwhelmed by the urge to go into nature and spend as much free time as possible breathing the fresh air. However, all the positive emotions are instantly evoked by the view that we also see in forests, parks, near lakes and rivers. That is the trash piling up and polluting our planet together with our bodies. Although the problem worries people worldwide, it is up to each of us to start tackling it. 

New Trend or Life-long Mission?

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – this saying has been with us for what seems like forever, yet as we mentioned, one person is enough to make a change. Quite recently various social media platforms and people on them started to go crazy due to this relatively new trend – zero waste living. As some, of course, saw this just as another crazy trend to gain more attention, for thousands of people going zero waste is a conscious action they take to free the planet from waste. 

Even though the term ‘zero waste’ was first used only in the early 2000s, this environment-saving practice began way earlier in the 1980s. Back then, ‘zero waste’ was better known as ‘total recycling’ – Daniel Knapp and his wife tried to prove to everyone that all types of waste could be diverted from landfill and reused within the community. They then breathed in the life to the concept by opening a salvation market. A decade later, the same man set up a program to eliminate all waste in Australia by 2010. It formed a strong and successful concept with other initiatives, which now is known as Zero Waste Living. It is pretty amazing to see such an idea evolve and include more and more people each year united to save the planet from over polluting.

Basic Deeds Saves All

If we tried to explain the concept of zero waste living to our grandmothers, we should just say that we are aiming to send nothing to a landfill. The practice includes reducing what we need, reusing as much as we can once things cannot fulfil their original purpose, sending as little as possible to recycling centres, and composting. As all four components constitute the unified zero-waste system, they, of course, should be standard in every people’s lives. However, all should also be aware that recycling is the second to last option as growing consumerism goes hand in hand with mixed materials, which are almost impossible to recycle.

By committing to zero waste living, we generally redefine the system and move from a linear economy to a circular economy. It means quitting the practice of making new materials every time they are needed and then getting rid of them when they don’t. As we connect two ends of a line and make it into a circle, we stop creating materials from scratch because we have plenty of them that we can use repeatedly. For example, various countries have adopted the practice of a deposit-refund system, where people purchasing beverages pay an additional amount of money, usually ten or twenty cents, which they receive back after returning bottles to deposit stations. Even though it seems like a small step, this initiative has already helped free nature from millions of plastic and glass bottles as well as metal cans. Therefore, a cleaner planet and healthier human lives all start with taking small yet incredibly responsible steps.

Same Vision – Different Devotion

We can all leave a positive footprint on earth if we put in the effort and turn all our thoughts in that direction. Yet as expected, people take different paths towards an outcome of clean and unpolluted nature. One of them is more like going backwards than moving forward. Many people would instead continue accumulating vast amounts of trash every day rather than rethinking their practices and making some changes; we can call such people ‘those who do not care.’ Another group of people may genuinely want to reduce the amount of plastic packaging they use but are forced against such a decision. Switching to more ecological, natural and recycled ideas is a more considerable burden for one’s bank account than buying factory-produced cheaper but often disposable items. Indeed, zero waste products are usually sold in small local shops and made from sustainable yet more expensive material alternatives – wood, bamboo, metal, glass, etc. So to say, people who decided to switch to this nature-friendly movement should have bigger expenses in mind.

Even though zero waste living now seems like a well-known practice with a clear goal in the minds of those who are determined to live more responsibly, there are at least two different levels of this sustainable devotion. Moving from a comfortable life using plastic goods to far more responsible consumption may be too much of an extreme change. Therefore, people start with the low-impact lifestyle, which focuses on holistically reducing one’s environmental impact – together with second-hand shopping, plant-based diet and similar practices, people are getting closer to their intention. Zero waste life includes all of the mentioned actions, but it focuses more on eliminating waste, as said. Many are hesitant to devote their life to zero waste as social media is filled with videos and stories of people fitting all of their trash accumulated within a year into a small glass jar. However, only the most extreme cases of a zero-waste lifestyle can be fit into a jar as it is quite a struggle to find all necessary goods unpacked or packed in recyclable materials. Despite differences, all situations are commendable as they add to a safer environment and brighter future of billions.

First Steps are the Hardest 

We all know how much courage it takes to turn your life upside down. Therefore, we encourage to begin with small steps and gradually include more and more zero waste lifestyle practices into everyday life. For this very reason, we decided to help you by giving some tips our teammates swear by switching from unrecyclable plastics to one tiny glass jar containing all of your trash and other natural resources-preserving practices. Let’s begin!

Hobbies. We all can agree on how excellent new books smell: the smell of comfort on the rainiest autumn day. No matter how therapeutic paper books can be, this habit hurts the earth’s lungs – many trees are cut to produce one book, which most people will read only once after buying it. Solving this problem and becoming a zero-waster could be done two ways. One requires you to visit used book shops, search for people willing to exchange books or register for local library membership. All these ideas still give you the experience of holding an actual book in your hands; however, the following tips are more technological. Trees are saved by listening to audiobooks or reading electronic versions on a tablet. 

Beauty. Most of the women wash their hair once every two days or even every day. Despite global quarantine and pandemic shifted their usual hair washing schedule, we can guarantee most of them using shampoos, conditioners and rejuvenating hair masks from plastic bottles. When they are empty, they are tossed straight to the bin and later end up in landfills worldwide. Solid shampoo bars have been available for quite some time, yet they are not that popular as shampoo bottles just for their packaging. Soon we will offer a fantastic solid shampoo with all the best hemp qualities – be patient!

Food. Oh, how sweet it is sometimes to take a day off from cooking and how convenient it is to have delicious food delivered right to your doorstep! Food delivery is a relatively new concept, yet it produces very much plastic packaging, which cannot be recycled and takes hundreds of years to decompose. Again, we can tackle this problem from two perspectives – restaurant and cafes should switch to recycled cardboard packaging and cutlery. As people mostly order food due to craving and impulses, one should be prepared for such situations in advance by filling their freezers with quick-to-made healthy food. Besides, we highly encourage you to buy all of the food in farmers markets – it is both more ecological and cheaper!

Many companies and brands are now changing their strategies to be as sustainable as possible. Biomedicanna is no exception in encouraging our customers to take care of nature; we at the same time are taking care of ourselves – our bodies, skin, mind, and well-being. We are advocating the reuse of items, thus preventing them from entering the landfill, so all of our cosmetic containers are perfect for a second life in your home – pour a bath salt, light a candle or put the jewellery. Remember, love for ourselves starts from loving our surroundings.

There's Nothing More Natural than Easter - and Tastier!

What is greener and warmer than Christmas but equally joyful and lovely? Of course – it’s Easter! For some people, Easter is just another weekend in the middle of the Spring season, while for others, it is a long-time celebration of rebirth and hope. With its roots hiding very far in the past, the modern-day Easter holiday is just as colourful as many of its symbols. Today we will flip through the pages of Easter’s history to reveal some interesting facts about its original celebration, unity with nature and Earth, and increasing trends. Let’s Spring festivities begin!

Do Traditional Approach Still Works?

One would not be mistaken when speaking about Easter from a religious point of view – the celebration takes place in more than ninety countries worldwide! As described by Britannica’s credible authors, Easter is a principal festival of the Christian church, which celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Despite two millennia passed since its earliest recorded observance, the tradition to celebrate on the 16th day of the first full moon of Spring lives on. Due to moon cycles, Easter’s exact date varies from March 22nd to April 25th, but agreements to make this date fixed never received much support. This year, we will celebrate Easter on April 4th. Some believers will only do so about two weeks later—this is another strange thing as some Christianity branches use different calendars (more on this in our Christmas blog).

In Unity with Nature

Even though a paragraph earlier we spoke about Easter deriving from faith and religion, some are more willing to accept celebrations roots reaching even further back in history; thus, continuing to debate the Easter’s linguistic origins. There is an approach recognizing Easter as a pagan festival with close ties to celebrating Spring equinox, which marks the arrival of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere; surprisingly – people from Southern Hemisphere still celebrate Easter despite living in a middle of autumn! This year, Spring equinox fell on the same day – March 20th – as Earth Day. Since thousands of years ago, people mapped their life according to nature’s patterns; therefore, the day when the amount of darkness and daylight is identical made a pretty huge impact and allowed renewal.

Most Easter symbols are indeed related to nature. We sure all know the Easter bunny as a friendly fictional character who scatters around colourful painted eggs for little kids to find. As childish as it may seem, rabbits and hares get involved in the whole Easter thing due to being the symbol of fertility – Spring is the starting season of sowing crops and vegetables, so including rabbits into the mix does make sense. Similarly, the egg is one of the most well-known Easter symbols – its nature is commonly used to explain resurrection and return to life. You may now ask why these eggs were decorated as colouring seem to cover up their natural character? Well, the answer is quite simple as bold colours are easier to notice when the hunt begins and, of course, the metaphor of life is colourful.

Is it Still About Easter?

Easter and its symbols have been inseparable from one another for more than a few hundred years now. Little did people back then knew that one day their ideas and traditions would bring fortunes to sellers and businesses all around the world! Easter now as, any other national or international holiday, is commercialised and thematically put on every little piece of food or garment to sell it and make a profit from what once was a natural and pure celebration. From a marketing perspective, anything with Easter symbols sells very quickly, leaving only a handful of items to put on sale after the holiday ends. As we once talked about putting more effort into gifting and choosing more natural, hand-made presents, we often receive cute greeting cards complemented by edible bunnies or chocolate eggs – well, demand gives birth to supply.

While Easter chocolates are tasty, there are many ways to come back to our roots and highlight Easter’s original symbolic purpose – rebirth. Today we will share with you one fantastic recipe to bake in preparation for Easter with the hope of achieving a unique therapeutic effect and taking the stress off your shoulders – the recipe is so easy! Besides, we cannot maintain close physical contact with people we love this year again; we responsible picked out the recipe, which is perfect for baking treats, packing, and sending them for our family and friends to try. 

Biomedicanna’s team wishes you a lovely Easter! Stay safe!

Vegan and Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients (12 servings):

• 60 g of coconut/olive/vegetable

• 200 ml of unsweetened plant-based milk

• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice

• 8 tablespoons of maple syrup (or any other sweetener)

• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

• a pinch of salt

• 150 g of ground almonds

• 150 g of gluten-free flour 

• 2 heaped teaspoons of baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda

• 100 g of fresh/frozen blueberries

Cooking instructions:

• preheat the oven;

• place the coconut oil into a bowl and melt – skip the step if using other types of oil – add milk, lemon juice, maple syrup, vanilla, salt, and almonds;

• sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix – do not be afraid to add more milk if the mixture is too dry;

• add fresh or frozen blueberries and gently fold them in – if you use frozen ones, take them out of the freezer seconds before this step as it stops them from colouring the batter blue;

• divide the batter into equal parts of muffin baking tray and bake for 20 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius – eat while hot, freeze if baked too much and enjoy!

Time to Put the Coldness Aside - Back to Nature!

Spring is by far the most exciting season for all of us working at Biomedicanna. After strongly finishing with the most stressful Christmas period, we spent some time cosily hibernating at our homes and getting to know every centimetre of our sofas. With the winter already behind our backs, we are back in the business with more bright ideas than ever before. As we dedicated the month of March to help everyone experience the rebirth of nature, today we will share our thoughts and tips on making yourself best friends with nature once again after spending what seems like an eternity inside, both willingly and following worldwide health requirements. 

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With the last bits of snow finally melting away, the spring comes bringing out new adventures and outdoor activities, which we’ve been dreaming to try and experience for the whole winter season. Spring and the return to nature may seem like a usual and yearly practice, but we seem to forget the essentials during the rest of the year. Year after year, thousands, if not millions of people from all across the planet, face numerous mischiefs and not-so-positive surprises carefully planned and masterfully executed by Mother nature as they leave their homes to spend more time in the fresh air. 

However, it is long known that any fresh-air activities increase our brain functions and, therefore, we feel so inspired and energetic, more motivated and full of new ideas. As there are more advantages than disadvantages of spending time outdoors, we just have to be prepared for what is throw at us once we face the spring for the first time this year. Hold on tight as today we will present you four spring-associated negative unexpectedness and how our products can help you hack it!

Insect bites. Even though the summer is when the highest insect activity is recorded, that does not mean bugs will be patiently waiting. With the first rays of spring sunshine, bugs crawl out from the tiniest cracks to annoy us for one more season. We soon will witness bug bites' most common symptoms, such as swollen bumps, itchiness, inflammation, and pain. Although smalls bites may not look like a huge problem, insects carry various diseases, which can irreversibly change people's lives. Ticks can pose a significant risk for humans and our pets as these insects have such diseases as Lyme disease, paralysis, anaplasmosis, etc. While mosquitoes also carry various viruses, only several species found in Europe or the USA can do that. 

One of the easiest ways to prevent bug bites is to plan fresh-air activities accordingly. Many cities and towns use various repellents to keep insects and ticks out from public parks and squares, but if we decide to spend time in woods or exploring natural grasslands, it is up to us to the proper protection and gear. First of all, ask for professionals to help when choosing the right insect repellent as they all are not equally effective. Secondly, wear long sleeve shirts and layer your clothing to limit the naked skin's surface as much as possible. Suppose bugs have already bitten you, use an ice pack to reduce swelling and pain or, better, keep the bottle of our CBD Cooling Gel within an arm's reach. In that case, this product miraculously relieves inflammation and provides a cooling effect to minimise itchiness. 

NOTE. If a tick has bitten you, go to the nearest hospital to have it safely removed. If you have already removed it yourself, keep the tick in a glass container to carry out research and learn whether or not the tick carries out any life-threatening diseases.

Bruises. Spring is the official time for getting back on our back and our feet leaving the cosy sofas alone. As we had spent a significant period safely tucked in our homes, our bodies have forgotten what active leisure means. Therefore, as we come out to spend more time in nature, our muscles are tenser, which leads to almost double the number of casual trips and falls. Everyone knows that before getting involved in any activity, one must warm up the muscles and prepare them for the increased workload. The opposite, of course, also causes numerous bruises, muscle and joint pain, which will quickly ruin the happy spring spirit.

Bruising is the process when the impacts break capillaries just under our skin’s surface. Quickly blood starts leaking out and forms a mark, which changes colour from almost black to slightly yellow before disappearing. It is relatively easy to prevent bruising, yet we can only minimise it rather than eliminate it in a split of a second. To have a bruise as small in size as possible, once we had an impact, we must cool the blood vessels to reduce the swelling and significantly shorten the amount of time the bruise needs to heal completely. While an ice pack might be convenient in such situations, not everyone carries it on casual trips to nature. We strongly advise you to make a bit of space on your backpack or purse and have our CBD Cooling Gel with you wherever you go. 

NOTE. In cases when the impact has been too strong, and the blood comes gushing out of the wound, apply pressure and try to stop the bleeding. Then, go to the nearest emergency room or hospital to have a professional look at your injury and provide you with the necessary treatment and medicine, rehabilitation. 

Allergies. Spring marks new beginnings, and one of them is the beginning of allergy season. We have already covered the topic of summer allergies in one of our previous blogs; however, spring allergies are a completely different sphere to discuss. Various allergic reactions are our bodies’ immune system dealing with harmless substances that found their ways of getting into our bodies. Most of the time, such substances are harmless, for example, dust, mould, pollen, etc. However, our immune system perceives the so-called invaders as harmful and start producing antibodies to attack the allergens. The most annoying thing about allergies is that one may experience it as a tedious and frustrating process of sneezing, runny nose, and sometimes higher body temperature. In contrast, others may experience no side effects of spending spring in fresh air when plants release pollen.

As pollen can travel great distances with just a tiny gush of a spring breeze, the only place we are safe from it is indoors. However, with proper preparation, we can enjoy fresh air and nature without fear of getting an allergic reaction. Firstly, allergy is something only a professional doctor can diagnose, so no one should try to heal themselves from itchy eyes and nose, sneezing or coughing, as these are also the symptoms for many other health emergencies. Secondly, certain medications are a huge help for people with various allergies, yet they can only ease the symptoms and not get rid of the problem itself. On the other hand, the stronger one’s immune system is, the easier and quicker for him or her to produce the antibodies and fight the allergens. Therefore, our CBD Oils Drops Raw (5%) is a perfect product to increase one’s overall wellbeing and have a robust immune system.

Skin problems. Our skin reacts to the tiniest minor changes, so our skin is quite natural to respond to massive seasonal change – harsh winter weather gives up its place for pleasant spring breezes and warmer temperatures. While it is nice to finally spend more extended periods in fresh air without the risk of freezing, our skin has a different opinion. There are at least three problems that our precious skin has to deal with once we step into the new season. Firstly, it is acne breakouts caused by rising temperatures and excessive sweating. Secondly, it is contact dermatitis, but we should not discuss it any further as it is closely related to allergies. Another skin condition is seasonal eczema, which is also caused by seasonal changes – warmer temperatures, fungi, humidity changes, sweat, etc. Besides, spring sunshine can also lead to specific skin problems, but we will discuss this topic in our blogs next month – be patient!

Even though all skin conditions we presented are pretty severe, some of their treatment methods are very simple. For example, a proper skincare routine, including moisturizers, facewashes, serums or masks, can significantly improve one’s skin condition. It depends on the exact skin type, whether specific products will help your skin feel fresher or not. We have an organic and vegan cosmetics line, which connects ecological practices with high-end products. CBD Glide Gel provides much-needed moisture without being sticky and, together with glycerine, gently pampers the skin. On the other hand, CBD Silk Balm nurtures the skin with quality elements, reduces itchiness, and protects the most vulnerable skin layers.

Less Is More - Welcome Minimalism into Your Life

Many different changes are continually taking place in nature every single day. Here at Biomedicanna, we believe that people are only a part of this unique system, so we must respect all the natural processes around us and change our lives accordingly, with the goal of not to interfere but to adapt. As we are stepping into spring, we dedicated an entire month of March to highlight the importance of preserving the most precious things and dropping off unnecessary and excess practices. Today we will share our insights on making specific changes both at home and in your lifestyle and focusing only on those things that are really worth it.

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We consider spring a perfect time for changes – as nature is waking up, we also have to wake up after three long months of winter laziness. However, this does not mean a simple getting out of bed in the morning; emotionally, waking up means making necessary and healthy changes. Some of the things that require the most changing and renewing are our homes after the winter, yet we are certainly not talking about layers upon layers of dust or those nasty cobwebs hanging in the corner. There are vast amounts of unnecessary things in our homes that used to cost us a lot of money and now are just hindering our lives. After all, it is very challenging to say goodbye to them, donate them, sell them, or generally get rid of them.

Nevertheless, these positive changes are necessary, and it is better to make them sooner than later as minimal life is much healthier. Minimalism is a lifestyle that frees us from clothes, appliances or goods which make us feel depressed and emotionally drained rather than joyful. Although minimalism has become more and more popular lately, a much more critical philosophy lies behind this trend – how can giving up things help us feel the fullness of life?

Minimalism - Passion, Mission, or else?

For quite a long time, Minimalism was known as an art, music and architecture style that opposed abstract expressionism and promoted objective, logical, and schematic solutions. Clean lines, geometrical shapes and repeating patterns all moved the focus from work itself to the environment in which it gets positioned, played, or demonstrated. Soon enough minimalism was thought about as modernism as the majority of minimalistic art creations were made out of such materials as concrete, glass, metal, etc. Minimalistic movement gradually grew into the worldwide notion that less is more and throughout the years it, of course, crushed all of the borders and dominated more areas than just visual and performing arts. 

Fashion was one of the first areas to which the minimalistic virus spread. Designers soon started to position fabrics and forms over the functionality (these scales later shifted significantly) and create clothing using only monochromatic tones: black, white, grey. Massive social and political changes accompanied the fashion industry’s shift from an overload of accessories to simplifying everything that gets on the runway or in high-street shops. While we are not going to focus on different perceptions of minimalism in fashion, we definitely must highlight its influence on widely acceptable social practices. With growing consumerism and massive amounts of trash and non-recyclable materials accumulating each day, minimalism has also become a way of life destined to have as little belongings as possible and discover many more noble things.

Minimalism - Emotional Attachments and Decluttering

Minimalism from one perspective may seem like complete nonsense, yet from the other, it is a way to help the planet while at the same time helping ourselves. Being generally described as a way to find freedom, the minimalistic approach suggests people live with as little belongings as possible because it allows them to live in a more spacious environment directly and figuratively. Minimalists refuse to own any excess stuff and choose to invest in themselves and their families, friends by creating precious memories rather than holding onto meaningless possessions.

Nevertheless, this lifestyle does not mean disowning everything or being altruistic - minimalists advocate for a simple but not dull environment. You can still have some necessary belongings, yet you should be willing to get rid of things you have not been using for more extended periods. As nowadays we can rent almost anything for as long as we need, the whole idea of owning those things and paying full prices is just silly.

Many people, not only minimalists, know that personal possessions often cost us tremendous headaches and other problems. Our belongings trap us in a vicious circle of indecision, and the more we own, the more helpless we are. The truth is that unnecessary things clutter both our living space and mind, making us worry and overthink as we cannot think straight about organizing them in real life and our minds. Things around us distract us from everyday tasks and, of course, from quality self-care, making us more prone to depression and other mental illnesses.

Getting rid of everything we have to carry on our shoulders will increase our happiness and free our time, but this process is complicated even for professional psychologists. We are struggling to say goodbye to our belongings as we have individual relationships with them. We emotionally attach to things that we link with emotions and experiences when we should either carry those emotions in our hearts and thoughts or get rid of them at all. It takes a lot of time and courage to cut the chains connecting us to our possessions, but in a longer perspective, it is worth it. 

Minimalism - a Mental Shield from Acquiring Too Much

Minimalism is both a way of thinking and a way of like, because in both cases, we detach ourselves from the unnecessary and leave only those who are worth it and enrich our lives. Yet, we would not have so many things if we did not acquire them in one way or another. Many people still think it is appropriate to bring bulky household items or useless souvenirs as gifts - such pieces will only accumulate dust and use space, but their value is little to none. It is quite hard to say goodbye to gifts from our family members, friends or colleagues as we mentally link such items with the love we get and fear to lose these connections while getting rid of things we neither use nor need. In such situations, we must live as an example as we start gifting others our attention, positive emotions and experiences rather than useless stuff. 

Next, we can buy such unnecessary items ourselves. While we are digging the hole and cluttering our lives, it is much easier to come out of the mentioned situation when compared with getting rid of gifted items. We tend to buy things impulsively without thinking about whether we need them or not. After such shopping sprees, we quickly start to regret purchasing something, yet we stall from returning or regifting items as we link them with our labour efforts to earn money in the first place. Secondly, we start to think we may need such things in the future, so it is better to be safe than sorry and have them despite not knowing exactly when we will use them if we are going to use them. 

Minimalism is an approach condemning consumerism, which is fed to humanity every day through different channels. Various marketing strategies get into our heads and make us think we need each and everything we see in stores or online. However, there are several ways to shield ourselves from acquiring too much stuff, which would eventually complicate our lives. Firstly, we have to shop responsibly and quit making impulsive decisions. Therefore, you should think before buying any more expensive item at least for a week before making a purchase; a week is usually enough to rethink our priorities and make some changes to our shopping lists. If you still feel a great desire and need for a specific product after a week, you should make a purchase, yet if you do not have those feelings, you should leave the item sitting on a shelf in a shop. Secondly, have a monthly or weekly budget and do not dare to go over it! As we shop to mask our emotions, we should wait until we have our emotions and feelings under control to avoid impulsive shopping and unnecessary belongings in our home.

Minimalism - a Way to Say Goodbye and Improve

Not acquiring useless things or trying to do so is one thing and getting rid of them is another. Minimalism, however, takes care of both and highlights the importance of saying goodbye to things you will not need from now on to the future in a very focused and respectful way. You may have seen some videos where influencers share their experiences after rummaging through their belongings and choosing what to keep, sell or donate, and get rid of completely. Even if it may sound like a minimalistic approach, we still are left with plenty of stuff that will not bring any value. It is encouraging to donate particular possessions before paving a way to a landfill for them. It allows us to live more sustainably and eco-friendly; selling things before getting rid of them helps owners gather funds to invest in experiences and emotions worth more than silverware or clothing. 

The minimalistic approach to getting rid of new things is to own as less as possible but still meet your needs. One of the best ways to limit yourself to a certain number of belongings is to gather them all into one place as if you were packing and moving out, and throughout a week, only take what you need leaving unnecessary items in a pile. After a week or one and a half, take all that you have not used and get rid of them – sell, donate, or generally get rid of it if their condition does not allow them to be used for one or another. You will be surprised by how little items you are regularly using versus how many just take up space without doing anything useful. Remember, you should not limit yourself to a hundred or fifty belongings just because professional minimalists do so – start by making small steps to achieve significant results both emotionally and physically. 

Minimalistic approach frees us from unnecessary items which haunt us every day – be brave to say goodbye to them once and for all. Carefully plan and rethink your priorities to live more happily and healthier. Mental freedom is just as important as decluttering your physical environment, yet the first is sometimes harder to achieve. We encourage you to try our products to relax and help yourself develop better and more valuable solutions for your outer comfort and inner peace. 

Interview with Dominyka: Friendship Between Tibetan and Western Medicine

Here at Biomedicanna, we believe that the most remarkable journeys start with taking the smallest steps. Therefore, success in life begins with us and our relationship with our surroundings. We dedicated an entire month of February to encourage everyone to love ourselves and others so that each of us will be able to thrive, feel the best and succeed in every task we do. This month we will invite you to be more attentive to your own needs and build healthy relationships with your own body and the people you care about the most. Stay safe and authentic to yourself!  

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Let’s start the last month of the winter season from our chat with Dominyka. Dominyka Mikstaite is successfully steering her brand artumè, which combines healing methods and practices from both Tibetan and Western Medicine to help people prevent the occurrence of diseases and preserve and nurture longevity and inner happiness. Thanks to Dominyka’s therapy sessions and body procedures, many people have already discovered the harmony of their thoughts and body.

-Dominyka, tell us a bit about yourself and your way of life.

-Several years ago, I started my life project, which is called artumè. I provide direct help to people daily, helping them balance their lives as I have once been taught by Tibetan medicine and its elder practitioners. Guided by Buddhism's wisdom, I listen to what people themselves and their bodies say to me, I take care of them and provide a complex therapy and self-care session. I talk with them about nutritional and psychical procedures, external and emotional practices, which apply to specific personality types and fit their needs. Regardless of each case, I adopt a holistic approach and seek the balance of body, mind, and spirit, but the harmony can only be reached when the person itself wants to improve its wellbeing. 

However, Tibetan medicine is only one side of the coin as in my everyday life I combine such a way of thinking with Western medicine practices. Not long ago, I joined the Lithuanian Association of Massage Therapists. Also, I am about to finish learning how to do medical massages to help rehabilitation patients and those who have not yet heard any medical diagnoses and want to improve their life quality and find their inner peace as the current situation in our country could be majorly improved. I believe that we all are connected and influence each other's decisions and both traditions help me share those clean and intelligent thoughts, that knowledge that runs through me and help people reach their harmony.

-It’s incredible to hear you talk this passionately but, correct me if I am wrong, all this knowledge and passion did not come in the blink of an eye, or it did?

-Oh, definitely! During my childhood years, I was that type of kid who enjoys spending time in nature, feeling the grass and seeing, hearing all the animals. I still call my younger self a gooseberries’ kid - it now seems that I spent all those years wandering in the forests and through meadows. Sadly, once I reached my teen years, the desire to be in the city with other people defeated nature, and I quickly forgot who I was at that time. I was not myself; I did not know who I wanted to be; I was not able to distinguish myself from the others, nor I was able to truly listen to what my body and mind have to say and even if I heard them, I was ignoring all those alert messages – those were dark times for me. At this challenging time, I discovered books about the human subconscious, I was amazed by what I read, but I held all those impulses and thoughts for myself not daring to share with anyone else especially my friends.

‘What could be better than to live surrounded by nature, wake up in the morning from the chirping of birds, after a sweet sleep drink a glass of warm water and humbly go for a swim in the lake or river, all at 5 o’clock in the morning?’

After finishing high school, I moved to the capital city to study, - difficulties hit me once again; only this time, they were more powerful and affected me more deeply. I soon developed specific symptoms that led to me being diagnosed with mental disorders. Of course, I tried to help myself by turning to Western medicine practices, but they were not much of a help and only made me feel better for a short time. Pills and medicine helped me, but I felt like I was missing something – I missed out conversations and could not freely talk about what I am going through at that time. Those mental issues are even harder to overcome for young persons who still have not yet figured themselves out if they have no one to talk to freely. Therefore, I started asking myself what was wrong, why those symptoms left that much of a footprint on my personality and wellbeing. I started digging deeper and found out about Buddhism, Tibetan medicine, and holistic approach towards a human being which made me realize that Western medicine is beneficial, yet it is not enough. 

-Were those experiences the main reason you now have a different relationship with yourself and happier every day?

- Well, yes. Buddhism and Tibetan medicine encourage everyone to find their law of causes and consequences – it means finding reasons why you experience something and improving the situation by removing those triggers from the equation. It involves being close to, listening to and loving yourself. I think that loving yourself has many different components but only two phases or expressions, one which resonates with mom loving her kids. Another one is something equal to dad teaching his kids necessary life skills. The 'mommy love' means altruistically accepting your true self no matter what – just like the mother accepts the children, and unconditionally loves them. The 'daddy love' means being able to look for self-favourable solutions, ability to adapt and live life to the fullest. 

Loving yourself means that the two inseparable – creative and logical – potentials teach you how to listen to your body, feelings, subsequent thoughts, and emotions. When one of them is lost or too powerful, we lose the balance, harmony, and it seems like everything we have created till now is falling apart. Likewise, we do not need to hold them too tightly in our clenched fists – we need to ask ourselves what those potentials are trying to tell us. Usually, they reveal unpleasant emotions and help us understand that acknowledging them is the first step towards solving them; therefore, they are paving our way towards a pleasant, joyful and healthy life for us. 

-How loving yourself is different from loving others, creating and maintaining a healthy relationship with them?

-Loving others is mostly influenced by loving yourself. When we listen to ourselves, improve on various value, self-love, and harmony levels, we naturally grow those love fruits and can share them with others, with people who need them. In any case, we strongly influence each other; however, the most important thing is to purify those aspects yourself first. Loving others is far less intimate than loving yourself, but the trick here is to leave enough room for the other person and ourselves to grow and make personal decisions. 

-Do the same words apply and describe your relationship with the people you help?

-Yes, if they would not, I probably would not even be here. artumè means being close to others and ourselves first; therefore, my lifestyle is intertwined with my professional path. Even though helping others means being responsible, I love to live a vibrant life and experience some positive changes from time to time. I love not having to count my life ‘Monday-to-Friday’. I am happy I once seek complicated answers as they allowed me to connect with others. All people that one moment or another was in my path have created me as I am today. 

When I help others create themselves, I give my all and leave egoistic emotions behind. There is a person in front of me who is lost – with my hands, I help them find the right places for different pieces of their soul, mind, and body. I help them feel safe; I thank them for trusting me to lead them into an intimate journey called self-acceptance, love, health, happiness. I once experienced the same emotions, and tried to answer the same questions they are dealing with today – as I have a right to choose, I choose to give others pleasure, leading to deep self-knowledge. I am not planning to stop my mission or suppress my passion; I hear my clients saying those body procedures have a calming effect on them, lead them to harmonious life, and create a safe space to fall back to themselves. It would be unwise to stop, so the only way is to go forward.

-Tell us, what methods did you once use to help yourself which you use now to help others?

-I can only help the other person if he or she is willing to experience some changes. At first, I ask the person I will consult to make sure they have at least several hours of free time and do not rush anywhere as those factors can put an entire process at risk of failure. Once we met in person or online, we drink herbal tea – from natural dried herbs I picked myself – and talk about their feelings, emotions, and the signals their body is sending them. After that, we begin more serious work with a person’s body and massage muscles. One like to call it massage, for others, it is a body procedure, but for me, that is a general re-alignment of the whole organism. 

After the therapy, me and a person I just helped stay to discuss new, emerging emotions and feelings. I also give them some herbal teas, hydrolats and phytol to use at home – when smells and tastes person experienced during the therapy, visits him or her at home. It allows them to rewind the time and go back to that exact moment even if I am not beside them.

-What are the most important tips you give to the people you help? Can you share them with our readers?

-I am one of those people who must try everything themselves before recommending it to others. Even though my dynamic personality does not allow me to stick to the same practices for long periods, some wellbeing rules must never be changed by anyone. Nature, sun and water are those three things that helped people improve their energy levels and general wellbeing for ages. However, one of the most constant nature’s principles is that nature cannot be called constant. Both Western and Tibetan medicine traditions say that seasons are critical for us to ensure health. We must be aware of seasonal changes and change our everyday practices accordingly. 

As we live in a colder climate, we need to consume fatter and warmer foods, which would generate more energy and not let us get cold. Our all meals must be followed by a glass of warm water, to which we may add some honey or ginger – this mix allows us to maintain a healthier and more balanced metabolite system, stomach especially. Various beverages also help to increase our memory and brain functions. 

Besides, during the winter season, we lack sunshine; thus, we lack vitamin D, we get tired more quickly and experience some severe mood swings. Sauna and massages with warm oil work together perfectly to relax and calm the central nervous system, improve the immune system and ensure that all other organs and bodily systems work continuously and up to speed. Of course, do not forget to dress for the weather and wear your scarf, hat, mittens, and warm socks during winter. 

Nature is one of the most significant additions – even the shortest walk in a park improves health as it improves cardiovascular and lymphatic systems. Being in nature allows us to breathe more freely and supplies the brain with more oxygen; therefore, after spending our time in the fresh air, we feel relaxed and have plenty of great ideas.

We must also not forget to sleep! Getting around ten hours of sleep is useless if we sleep at the wrong time; each night from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. is the best time to sleep as it is when the hormones responsible for our growth regenerate. Try meeting your sleeping schedule by getting around eight hours of sleep – you will instantly feel better, stronger, less stressed, and have more energy to take care of ourselves and the others.

-Thank you, we are more than glad that you agreed to share your experiences and knowledge with our readers. 

Sports or Snow? I'm Choosing Both!

Last year we enjoyed neither the wintery weather, neither the frost nor cold temperatures. Even though the new year has just started, we already have been given loads of snow - it's easy to tell that 2021 will be better than the last year was! All we want to do now is run outside, make snow angels, snow fight, and go with the sledges from hills… 

However, we must not forget the seriousness of the outgoing situation and quarantine restrictions, so the only way to truly enjoy the winter is to do it safely. We are not only talking about maintaining a safe distance from other people but also taking care of yourself before going outside and once returned into a closed environment. As national lockdown turned our lives upside down, wintertime is a perfect season to get oneself back together and start exercising! The only question is how we are supposed to do it? Is it possible to harmonize both sports and winter?

When to Play Sports? – Winter vs. Other Seasons

No doubt, for some people winter is the most unlikeable season of the year and, in this case, their emotions are based on wintery weather conditions – wind, snowfall, cold, frost, etc. Here at Biomedicanna, we believe there is no such thing as bad weather – only failure to prepare for it. There is no need to get angry about winter as it is always better to invest in quality warm clothing: parka, boots, gloves, scarf, thermal clothes, etc. Winter clothing helps to solve the problem above, allows to enjoy the season, and exercise without the fear of getting cold.

If we compare exercising in winter with activities at other seasons, most people will say that they can only exercise at summertime when the sun goes down. They have such opinions because the temperature is sometimes too hot to handle. Summer is dangerous for both the amateurs and professional athletes as they fall to the risk of getting sunburnt or fainting. Even though this may seem as not a problem at all, people who choose outdoor activities at summer are often irritated by mosquitos and other insects; therefore, people with severe allergies better play sports as far from such places as possible. Exercising in both spring and autumn is also far from perfect conditions. These seasons are characterized by heavy rainfalls, so sometimes running tracks and trails may be flooded and impenetrable.

Here winter wins the fight with other seasons as the most unlikeable weather conditions can quickly be turned into a perfect sports environment. One only need to show some creativity and prepare for weather and terrain changes in advance.

Where to Exercise? – Indoor vs. Outdoor

The goal to start exercising is probably one of the most popular New Year goals of all time – sadly, it means starting to exercise despite winter conditions. At this time of the year, indoor places are the only help allowing us comfortably play sports and keep a good shape. One can always exercise at home – now it’s quite easy to turn an unused room into a private gym but, of course, a yoga mat in the middle of the living room is still a great idea. For those who associate the good physical form with professional sports equipment, the gym is true salvation. Here for considerably low monthly membership price one can use various exercise equipment, relax in swimming pools or saunas, and get valuable advice from professional coaches. Because we all had spent an entire year at home, indoor exercising at this moment may not be the best idea. As all of the gyms and sports centres are closed, outdoor exercising is the best way to get out of this gloomy reality. 

Outdoor activities and sports have more advantages than one may think of – exercising in the fresh air does not cost anything! There are plenty of community sports courts, beautiful trails and parks where you may find out that walking is the best type of sports out there. Moreover, some exercises do not even need special equipment, so you can exercise wherever you are! There is one aspect left to discuss; outdoor sports also help decrease exercising anxiety as no people would be uncomfortably watching you doing push-ups or sit-ups – the nature does not judge!

How to Face the Cold? – Fear vs. Protection

We now surely know that winter is the best time for outdoor activities and exercising, yet no one at that time is protected from sport-related traumas and other dangers. Firstly, one has to prepare to face the cold temperature. If a person fails to dress warmly, he/she risks of having their body temperature fall below 35 degrees Celsius. Such condition is called Hypothermia; one's organs start to shut down, a person starts shivering, later turn drowsy and loses consciousness. Sadly, all of the symptoms lead to a fatal ending. 

It is considerably easy to protect ourselves from the cold – we only need warm clothing and waterproof footwear; the latter is essential as frozen limbs often mean amputation. Despite being able to cover ourselves from head to toe, our face is often left uncovered. Face skin is delicate and sensitive and, depending on various skin types, it can react to cold weather conditions differently. In this case, we encourage everyone to add rich face cream to one's cosmetics bag during wintertime. Mentioned cream creates a protective layer and does not allow the skin to completely dry out. Besides, the product provides excellent antioxidant protection and have anti-inflammatory properties. 

How to Stay on Feet? – Slip vs. Grip

As soon as the first snow falls, people can’t seem to stay on their feet – as if they have forgotten how to keep the balance! Soon A&E Hospital departments fill will poor ones, who have stepped on icy surfaces, slipped, and awkwardly landed. While lucky ones experience severe muscle strains, not so lucky ones have broken bones. Indeed, slip and fall accidents are not only very common but also costly; it takes at least two months for a broken bone to heal completely. Such trauma means you will have to wait another year to enjoy winter, but – hey! – use this time wisely, plan and prepare for next year winter adventures!

The main reason for these injuries is wrongly chosen footwear; all winter boots must provide its wearer better traction and grip, so one does not slip and fall. While it is relatively easy to watch where are you going while walking, it’s several times harder to do that while playing sports – here you must react to various environment changes very quickly. Fresh snow can also hide slippery ice surface underneath; therefore, to protect oneself from falls, he/she must do both wear good winter shoes and be attentive. However, unfortunate situations are always just around the corner – do not hesitate to go to the hospital if your slip and fall accident was more of a serious one. Yet if you simply slipped and bruised your skin, try using CBD Cooling Gel, which also helps relax tense muscles and relieves soreness!

We have familiarized you with ways to protect yourself from harsh winter conditions - now you are officially allowed to enjoy winter and exercise outdoors like professional. Here at Biomedicanna, we love winter, and more than that we love being healthy and doing sports – every day we successfully connect these two passions and enjoy playing various outdoor winter games, which serve as serious full-body workouts. Now we challenge you and your friends to try at least a few winter activities that our team have tried and recommend!

Stay safe and enjoy snow while we can!

Ready, Set, Shop – It is Black Friday!

We’ve just witnessed the first frosty morning of the season – crisp grass, frozen trees, and sub-zero temperatures. As the winter is coming – Christmas is coming as well! Every year we make ourselves a promise not to leave shopping for presents for the very last minute, but we broke these promises just as effortless and quick as crispy grass brakes under our feet. It is always best to arrange Christmas presents in advance as sometimes they are a few times more expensive than usual nearer the biggest celebrations of the year. Therefore, the Black Friday sales are the perfect time for shopping for cheaper yet good quality presents for family and friends! What is Black Friday? Who invented this ‘celebration’? How has it spread so successfully around the world that it is now found in every physical and electronic retails shop?

Whom to Thank for Black Friday?

We now know Black Friday as the ideal time to shop for Christmas gifts, yet less than a hundred years ago this day was just the usual day coming after the Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday of November) celebrated in the United States. Year went by and not it is quite easy to mistake Black Friday with national holidays as tens of thousands of people sweep shopping centres looking for the best deals, yet only several U.S. states have given such status for this day. Even though the name Black Friday was first used in 1952, it gained its popularity only in the last two or three decades, and now it has become somewhat usual. The name of the day derives from Philadelphia, where it was used to describe large flows of people in the streets after Thanksgiving. However, as the year passed, another explanation was found more acceptable – Black Friday is black due to growing retail profits, which are influenced by Christmas shopping. But what was actually done to achieve whooping selling results?

Who Really Benefits from the Black Friday?

Black Friday can indeed recall a fairy tale for shoppers, yet business does not work in that way – Black Friday sales would not be as much popular as they are now if shops would not benefit from organizing them. Black Friday is one of many marketing tricks used by big retails businesses to grow their profit. The trick here lies in the fact that retailers increase prices a few months or weeks before the actual sale and then attract buyers by showing original prices with fake discounts. It sounds too foolish to fall for such tricks until you are one of those dissatisfied customers who paid big money for regular items.

Of course, the phrase ‘look how much you can save if you buy from us today’ is nice to hear, yet no one should succumb to impulsive purchases of things they do not need. The secret of revealing retailers' tricks depends on carefully monitoring items’ prices, their fluctuation and comparing them with Black Friday offers. However, online and physical retailers have many more tricks up their sleeves to unintentionally force you to buy their goods.

Who Waits for Black Friday More Eagerly – You or the Retailer?

When Black Friday started, sales were only happening in physical shops and traditional U.S. shopping centres. As old stores were perfect for a small number of people shopping at the same time, huge numbers of Black Friday shoppers were a real nightmare for the business owners. They tried to control flows of people by allowing only small groups to shop together, yet these efforts were in vain as generous discounts were too good to keep people from shopping. Then retailers changed their Black Friday strategies upside down – they are now willing to do everything to attract as many shoppers as it is possible.

The most expensive and valuable items are usually hidden in the back of the shops as spaces near the entrance are often turned into ‘battlefield’ for better shopping positions, during which both items and buyers suffer from injuries. Black Friday sale leaves the shelves of physical shops empty as traditional supermarket psychology purchasing method, which states that people buy things, which are placed at the eye level, does not work here.

What is Going on Online on Black Friday?

When the battlefield changes, marketing techniques, and fighting methods change as well. As it takes only a few clicks to buy something on the internet, people want to receive their purchased goods just as fast. However, it is then only up to web settings and business owners to control the never-ending buyers’ flow and meet their high expectations. Online shopping offers a great variety of items to buy, and due to this reason, owners use a variety of marketing weapons to attract buyers to their businesses.

Plenty of funds get spent annually for colourful ad banners and advertising on social networks, where influencers praise online shops and invite followers to try their products. Besides, the internet’s availability to everyone allows businesses to extend the time of sale – some start big discounts a week before Black Friday itself, others continue to do so all week. Monday after Black Friday is called Cyber Monday, which is designed to purely promote online shopping. Everything sound very exciting, yet it is way easier to fool buyers when they are shopping online when compared to physical shopping – here discounts are huge, buyers save a lot of money, but their shopping success results in poor quality goods.

What is Called Black Friday Madness?

Black Friday is the day that attracts the most shoppers – some leave retail centres with purchased goods, and others, sadly, with injuries. Since 2006, during Black Friday, twelve deaths and more than a hundred injuries were recorded. The worst thing is that shoppers are not fighting for the best discounts only with their fists but also with guns. Although these statistics are only regarding Americans’ shopping habits, similar events are being recorded in other megacities of the world. Shoppers tend to queue at the entrances a few nights in advance - they sleep in camping tents and sit under the rain and snow only to be the first to enter the store. In the war for cheap items, not all ways of fighting are justified – it is easy to lose your mind when prices are that low!

What to Buy When You Can Buy Everything?

No doubt Black Friday is the best time to shop for Christmas presents, but what to buy when every item around is cheap? Physical retail shops are filled not only with electronics, home appliances, or clothes but also with foods that have the longest shelf life, so on Black Friday, it is best to buy in bulk. When shopping online, you should look for computers, laptops, TVs, mobile phones, and similar items. These items are usually really expensive but on Black Friday, we guarantee you will find only the greatest deals. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are perfect for completing a Christmas shopping list; however, we advise you to buy things that are an absolute necessity – you should shop with a clear idea of what you or your family or friends need. When the sale comes, you should fill your shopping cart with only quality goods – no one needs cheap stuff and meaningless gifts!

Gift box-Welness from within and out

Here at Biomedicanna we love Black Friday deals, so it would be a huge mistake not to participate in it! Look at website’s sale section , on which you will find best Black Friday deals. Shop CBD Oil Drops , organic CBD cosmetics , or Christmas Gift Boxes – this year gift your family and friends health and wellness!

 

 

That’s Too Sweet! or How Bad is Bad Sugar?

Each of us is sometimes visited by the desire to taste something delicious. Even though the understanding of deliciousness may differ from person to person, most of the time this feeling involves chocolate, ice cream, candy or lollypops – anything that’s sweet! However, we must control ourselves when eating sweet and sugary products as they are harmful to our bodies. Trust us – it is not a myth created by cheeky parents to steal sweets from their kids and eat them alone while the little ones are fast asleep. As we believe you have tons of sweets left in your pantry after Halloween that wait their moment to be eaten, be careful about the sugar you are likely to consume in no time… You understood correctly – we dedicated this blog to draw the line between bad and good sugar!

Sugar Does Not Grow on Trees, or Does It?

Sugar nowadays has become a somewhat usual ingredient in every meal or snack that we eat. However, we do not use the same sugar throughout all of the dishes or drinks. As the sugar name may differ, the methods of their production process are different as well, but as white sugar is the most popular, we invite you to get to know its production from a much closer perspective. White refined sugar gets extracted from two types of plants – sugarcanes and sugar beets.

The first of two is grown in mostly warm climate zones as sugarcane plants cannot survive the frost. Besides, large amounts of water are necessary to grow as much sugarcanes as would produce enough sugar to meet the demand. Once sugarcane crops are harvested, the plants are chopped and milled to extract their juices, which are later heated to produce thick syrup. Despite the already lengthy process, the manufacturers still need to evaporate the excess water from the syrup to achieve sugar crystals. However, the sugar journey does not end here as brown-coloured sugar crystals still need to be bleached with chemical compounds to produce a well-known white product.

Regarding the sugar extraction from sugar beets, this process is less complicated than the previously explained one. Sugar beets are usually harvested in autumn and then transported to the sugar production factories. After sugar beet's roots are washed (they are grown in fertile soil, so this step is not to be missed) and sliced, they are mixed with several chemical solutions and go through the process of evaporation, which creates white sugar crystals – no further refining process is needed.

How We Consume Sugar?

The sugar we consume every day mostly is what is called added sugar; however, the real difference lies in where this sugar is added to and by whom. It is quite clear how much sugar we consume by adding it to our morning coffee or tea, but things get more trickier when we drink soft drinks or store-bought sweets and snacks. If we decide to look closely at the food labels, we will see sugar listed as carbohydrates. It is a correct statement; however, we are much more likely to consume high fructose corn syrup, which is made from corn starch and not the usual sugar. This sugar-like sweetener is one of the most popular ingredients that manufacturers use even though it is not far from being banned in the EU and other countries. As for today, high fructose corn syrup’s production is subject to strict quotas and restriction documents, but it does not change the fact that we are still consuming it without really knowing when exactly.

How Harmful Sugar Really Is?

Excessive sugar intake can result in poor skin health and high blood pressure. However, as we tend not to know when we consume it, we often attribute these features to other life issues and not our diets. The scale of the problem gets revealed when we look more closely at food portion sizes, their nutritional value, and take into account the opinion of professionals. Medical researchers and dietitians agree that adults should have no more than 30 grams of sugar a day – same as seven sugar cubes; for kids and toddlers, these numbers must be several times smaller to maintain healthy life. Despite the righteousness of medical suggestions, they are very hard to live by as almost every store-bought product is packed to the brim with bad sugar. Bad sugar has no nutritional value, causes tiredness and constant hungriness, weight gain, and excess belly fat, which could turn into severe obesity. Besides, limitless sugar consumption is the straightest way to diabetes and heart diseases, and sadly these sicknesses are increasingly diagnosed with younger people and kids.

Are We Doomed, or Are There Any Alternatives to Bad Sugar?

The question above is quite silly as the very name ‘bad sugar’ suggests that there is another side of a coin – good or natural sugars. There are a bunch of natural sweeteners, which are far from processed and can sometimes be obtained straight from the plant. Natural sugars come in the shape of vegetables, fruits, and dairy products, but what they have in common is providing essential nutrients, which keep us healthy and strong. Stevia is one of the best-known plant-based sweeteners, which, despite being sweet, is also linked to lowering blood pressure and insulin levels; however, one still has to refine it to turn it into a more usable form.

Besides stevia, there are several other natural sweeteners used worldwide, which are less harmful to our organisms when compared to actual white refined sugar. Molasses are made from the same sugarcane plants and sugar beets as regular sugar but are not refined and has a syrup-like thick consistency. Maple syrup is also one of nature’s best natural sweeteners. Even if this product is quite expensive in stores, one can easily make it at home as the process of making it is simple – one has to boil the sap of maple trees until it thickens. Next comes coconut sugar, which is very similar to regular white sugar everyone usually uses as it is high in calories.

Now it’s time for the best natural sweetener of all times – good old honey! Even though it is still sugar, organic honey is far safer and healthier to use than table sugar. Full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, honey is also that one product that is completely safe to use after its expiration date. The only thing that helps people separate natural honey from the fake one is its consistency, which crystalises after some time, but does not lose any healthy features.

Recipes with Natural Sugars

Keeping only natural sugars in your pantry does not mean you cannot pamper yourself with some casual yet super healthy sweets. However, most of the time, such natural sweets require to prepare in advance. Pick them, mix them, bake them, cut them, and only after that EAT THEM – we can guarantee that these recipes will be as sweet and healthy as they can be! Besides, we decided to turn the healthiness of our favourite treats up by a few notches and share only vegan-friendly recipe ideas. You can thank us later!

Granola. Mix oats, nuts, and seeds with some coconut oil and honey or maple syrup, and add your favourite dried fruits. Pour the mixture into a large cooking pan and spread evenly, bake until golden. Let the granola cool completely and cut into pieces and enjoy!

Green cocktails. Grab every vegetable and fruit that you can find nearby and put everything into a food processor. Add in some honey or maple syrup, add few drops of CBD Oil for that extra healthiness and let it mix!

Nature’s candy. Pick your favourite berries or cut fruits into bite-size pieces, place them evenly into a food dehydrator machine or onto a cooking pan, and use it accordingly. Dried fruits and berries are a great alternative to bad sugars themselves!

Ice Cream. Mix coconut milk, maple syrup, and tahini – sesame paste – in a food processor, blend them well and pour the mixture into an ice cream maker or spread evenly on a freezer-safe dish. Don’t forget to put some berries or fruits as toppings!

Gummy Candies. Blend apple juice, a little bit of agave or maple syrup and Agar-agar powder together, strain the mixture and bring it to simmer in a small saucepan. Let it cool for a bit, add few drops of CBD oil for that extra healthy kick and pour into gummy moulds. Freeze it, remove it and enjoy!

Here at Biomedicanna believe that we should live as healthy as possible, and this journey starts with cutting bad sugars out of our diets. Natural sugars and recipes are a great alternative to regular chocolate, candies, and other sugary bombs that we consume without even knowing that. Trust us - it is not that hard to feel energetic, strong, and healthy without using refined and processed sugar every day – you will not miss it!

Christmas Gift Shopping – Rewarding Everyone With Health

We dare you to take a look at the calendar, in which you will see that there are less than 50 days left till the most wonderful time of the year – Christmas! Joyful and legendary songs sound not only in our homes but also in the shopping centres where we look for Christmas presents for our family, friends, and, of course, ourselves – as Santa rewards only the best, some of us must themselves take care of the gifts. It might be easy to choose a gift for ourselves, but what is precious enough to reward parents, siblings, best friends, or loved ones? The best gift idea is health! We made a list of physical and mental health-enhancing gifts to save you some time and money as all of the presents that we advise you to buy has great and heartfelt do-it-yourself alternatives. Christmas gift shopping starts now!

Idea No. 1 – Christmas Decorations

What is more Christmassy than snow, baubles, wreaths, and pine trees? Well, nothing beats pretty Christmas decorations and blinking lights, and it’s never too early to start filling your home and heart with festive magic. However, store-bought Christmas decorations are quite expensive, but the good news is that you can invite your loved ones over for a little cosy decorations workshop! Any DIY project works very well as mental and physical therapy – picking and gluing small bits and pieces improves hand motility and helps people having problems with concentration. The little get-together will allow you not only to catch up with old friends, create handcrafted gifts but also reuse things found around the house as such activities encourage eco-friendliness!

Idea No. 2 – Vitamins and Supplements

Vitamins and immune-boosting food supplements are one of the most popular Christmas gifts ideas. However, what helps one, may not be suitable for another person, so we advise you to get rid of the idea of gifting pharmacy-bought vitamins and opt-out for natural goods – foods and drinks that are considered vitamin bombs. Including different types of meats, grain, vegetables, and fruits into one’s daily diet can strengthen their immune system and overall health more than any medicine. We encourage you to invite your loved one to dinner or organise a cooking workshop, in which you will be able to cook and taste ingredients and dishes you have never tried before. If you are on the lookout for more modest food-related gifts, a recipe book is always a good idea!

Idea No. 3 – Spa Experience

Show us a person who would decline a weekend getaway offer! There is none! As everyone wants to run away from their problems sometimes, weekend trips to various resorts, spa centres, and hotels are very high on demand. It is a great gift idea too! However, we advise you to gift a voucher for such pleasures instead of booking your loved one’s weekend before even asking about his or her availability. In case you cannot leave home even for a weekend, why not enjoy the luxuries of a spa in your bathroom? Online or in small shops, you can find loads of different scented bath bombs or foams, scrubs, masks, and many more quality spa attributes. You can even try to make them yourself but before, make sure products and recipes, which you are using, are safe both for the environment and yourself! Make it, pack it, and gift it to the ones you care about the most!

Idea No. 4 – Quality Sleep

Humans spend one-third of their lives sleeping; thus, it would be unfortunate to sleep uncomfortable. Gifting a quality sleep experience to someone for Christmas does not mean inviting them over to try your mattress or a pillow, but it is okay to consider buying such gifts only if you know your loved ones lack them. However, great rest does not only depend on expensive sleeping equipment. We advise you to encourage your relatives not to use mobile phones in bed and read a book instead of endlessly counting sheep. As insomnia takes the happiness out of many people's lives, you can help your loved ones solve this problem by gifting CBD Oil Drops to improve their sleep quality and overall health. Do not forget to try these ideas yourself - you should lead by example!

Idea No. 5 – Romantic Date Experience

Admit it, Christmas is a bit too cold for counting stars, and with an ongoing situation, any ideas for a nice date involving crowded places are not safe as well. Therefore, there is no better place for a romantic date night than your home. Most of the time, cosy moments with your beloved don’t have to be pricey as the best memories require only creativity and time. Recreate your first meal together and prepare a three-course dinner, including fancy desserts or fill your living room with pillows and blankets to create a movie theatre. For this season, we advise you to gift a Christmas karaoke experience or a set of scratch cards with the names of best movies, meals, or games written underneath! Remember, any date night is perfect when the feelings are real – consider a healthy relationship a top priority and the best gift of all times!

Idea No. 6 – Board Games, Puzzles, and Books

With plenty of time on our hands, playing board games, reading books, and completing intricate puzzles helps us survive those long and cold winter evenings and relax. However, the majority of puzzles and books are interesting for only once, and while board games are fun to play with friends and relatives, they can also become boring after several plays. Buying and gifting new ones is always a great idea; however, they can empty your wallet if you decide to send them to all people on your Christmas list. We advise you to create personalised memory books, photo albums, or writing a story about how you met the exact person, how happy you are to have them in your life. You can also try to create a small-scale treasure hunting experience with a nice little gift at the end – the journey to the treasure itself is the greatest gift!

Idea No. 7 – Gym Subscription

Next Monday? Next year? Is the person you know speaks about the sports and wellness of their body using these phrases? Why not giving them sports equipment for Christmas so they can start exercising immediately, you may think? Do exactly that, and you will never be more wrong in your life. Committing to everyday gym sessions and exercises is hard; thus, receiving any sport-related gifts, except for tickets to a match, can be understood as an insult. Here as well, you should lead by example – we advise you to invite the person to join you for a quick jog in a park or a hike in a forest. Sports and other physical activities will be a great gift to yourself, but you would receive much more than that – it’s the relationship with another person that you get through doing sports together.

Idea No. 8 – Therapy and Meditation Sessions

Christmas is a time of gathering, sharing stories, and listening, what funny has happened to others throughout the year. However, the most important things are the ones your body is trying to tell you; thus, some quality self-care moments will cheer your body and soul the most. We advise you to gift such joy to others as well – invite them to paint therapy classes, meditations workshops, or reward them with subscriptions for the best mobile relaxation applications there are. Such gifts will help your loved ones relax, calm down, and reduce levels of stress. Besides, regular use of CBD oil also helps relieve anxiety and lessen depression. Well, as such gifts can sometimes turn out to be greater than your budget, use free online services, and introduce your friends and family to them!

Idea No. 9 – Themed Gift Boxes

Is there a person among your friends to which you find almost impossible to choose the right gift? You will never miss rewarding them with a unique and universal gift set, which represents their personality traits, lifestyle, and favourite hobbies. As a great number of small presents and things can be put into one gift box, try fitting love, happiness, and health there as well. For this Christmas, we have created four different sets of health-enhancing , immune-strengthening , skin-moisturising , and muscle-relaxing gifts, which will make your loved one incredibly happy. All four gift boxes include CBD Oil Drops Raw and other CBD healthy goods such as Silk Balm, Face and Body Cream, or Cooling Gel. We guarantee that a healthy body, mind, and overall wellness are the greatest gifts that will wait for you and your loved one underneath the Christmas tree!

Idea No. 10 – Attention and Warmth

Besides all other gift ideas on the list, we would be very wrong excluded this one from the list – a sincere and attentive conversation with your relatives and friends is sometimes all they need! Christmas is about love, support, warmth, and real connection with the ones you love the most in your entire life. Conversation with a cup of tea may last till the evening; however, such moments are irreplaceable for talking things that bother out, discussing problems and concerns, looking for solutions, and pieces of advice. We do not seek to belittle the work of professional psychotherapists and psychologists, but firstly, it is worth to speak openly about mental and physical health with people that are closest to your heart.

Gifts are traditional attributes when celebrating many different occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, achievements, etc., but spending ridiculous amounts of money may still not buy the things that will cheer their souls up. This Christmas, reward your loved ones with gifts that matter the most – health.

Quarantine? Not again! or How Not to Die from Boredom?

Another wave of serious virus rolls through the world and threatens us with a chance of quarantine repeating. The world stops just for us to be safe and healthy, and we must comfortably play our parts of not going to work or social events while having a runny nose. It means working from home and limiting contact with other people to a very minimum. I know, staying closed between the four walls might as quickly drive us crazy as it might force us to die from boredom. How to survive quarantine? It’s simple – follow the tips and tricks we have prepared for you to promote self-care and keep you clear-headed!

Becoming a Book Worm

Let’s admit the fact that some books have been on your reading list for far too long, so quarantine is the perfect time to check off several of them at least. However, it’s also okay not to have such a list or your favourite book. If you are not sure about what genre of books you like, let’s start with some classics. For example, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘Great Gatsby’ will take you back to the roaring twenties where a man desires to reunite with his long-lost love. In the case of a story with a hint of historical spices, choose L. Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace.’ As you will find this next book at the top of the lists of greatest books of all time, it is worth reading for everyone. J. K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ is meant not only for kids as everyone may interpret the magic world in his very own way. Books will surely help you to distract thoughts from quarantine!

Tasty Quarantine

Quarantine is also the best time to open different types of books – cooking books! Spending some time in the kitchen cooking can be truly rewarding as you only need some creativity to become the best chef. Ordering home delivery food every day will quickly max out your credit cards, and we’re not even talking about delivered food being cold already. It’s more fun to tie around your apron and roll your sleeves up rather than ordering meals. Believe us - you have every ingredient you might need to make the best meal of your life. In the case of an empty fridge or pantry, you can always count on grocery delivery services available in the biggest cities. However, if you are more of an eater than a chef, we advise you to turn on the TV and watch culinary shows – it’s just a bit sad that TV cannot convey nose-tingling pleasant cooking smells yet!

Unleash Creativity

Quarantine has stopped your complaints about not having enough free time to coming back to your favourite hobbies. It does not matter whether you like painting or playing the violin, whether you enjoy doing puzzles or sewing new pieces of clothing from second-hand materials. Creativity is the only thing you need once you have tons of free time on your hands to spend on what you love the most. Doing arts and crafts is a perfect way to distract yourself not only from depressing quarantine routines but also from stress at work and sleep deprivation, which haunts us when hitting those office deadlines. We encourage you to try out hobbies that you have never tried before – learn haiku, start making flower arrangements, photoshopping, or talking backward - your ideas are not crazy, they are brilliant! Well, just in case hobbies do not work, try using CBD oil to lower stress levels and concentrate better.

It’s Popcorn Time!

The time flies by when we are watching our favourite movies and TV shows. As quarantine awards you with plenty of time for binge-watching the newest comedy or drama series, allow us to share a list of Emmy Award winners that will make you think only about another episode and nothing else in this world! ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ a comedy about a filthy-rich family turning broke, will make you laugh uncontrollably while ‘Succession’ will offer you many surprising plot twists as the story surrounds the media empire owners the Roy family. Even though such TV series as ‘The Good Place,’ ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ ‘Killing Eve,’ or incredibly famous and successful ‘Stranger things’ have not won in the most important Emmy categories this year, they are still worthy of your attention, tears, and guesses of what will happen next. Make sure you have plenty of snacks ready to get you through numbers of episodes, seasons, and shows!

Let’s Adult – Time to Clean

No one likes cleaning dust, hoovering the carpets, or doing dishes in everyday life, but in quarantine, even these chores help pass the time. In reality, it is not that hard to make cleaning more fun – try turning your favourite music up and dancing while you clean those nasty spider webs you’ve been ignoring for ages. Dedicate your quarantine for tidying up the closet as this activity is as practical as it is promoting self-love – you will see all of the clothes that you have and feel good about yourself for achieving it at the same time! Many scientific studies have confirmed that a clean and fresh environment helps us concentrate and encourages better moods. If every corner in your home is now clean, but you still have not reached the peace with yourself, considering trying CBD products as they are a great addition to everyone’s well-being and overall health.

Stay Fit

Quarantine made the majority of us fail our daily move, and step goals as being closed between the four walls mean low activity. Expensive gym memberships will not remotely make your body fit, so it’s only up to you to stay in great shape. Even the morning exercises such as yoga or Pilates will help you highlight the muscles and ensure good health. A healthy and balanced diet also contributes to achieving even better results, which would not be able with exercises only. One of the best being fit trends is green cocktails in which you mix fresh fruits and vegetables. As they are called real energy bombs, cocktails contain a lot of additional supplements and vitamins, including CBD products, which improve the immune system and free you from fatigue after heavy training sessions. Be careful – some types of sports and exercising can do more harm to your body than good, so make sure you find the best way of staying fit!

Conquer the quarantine with these tips and tricks to truly enjoy the long periods at home. Knowing your physical and mental needs is a huge help when planning different indoor activities. Besides all of these boredom hacks, let’s not forget to spend quality time with the ones quarantining together.

If You have any question, contact us!