June Newsletter
This month our team report back from the recent GPCME in Rotorua. We also share some insight on the effects of medicinal cannabis to help improve sleep quality and anxiety-induced insomnia, particularly as it relates to men’s health.
GPCME North 6th - 9th June
Close to 1,000 primary care healthcare professionals attended GPCME North, held in Rotorua in early June. It is New Zealand’s biggest primary care conference and is very popular with trade exhibitors, with a waiting list in place for next year’s conference.?
Helius was represented by Teresa Graydon, Customer Manager, Matt Byerly, Extraction Manager and new recruit, Adrian Lau, who has joined Helius as a Market Intelligence Analyst. We weren’t the only medicinal cannabis exhibitor there, highlighting the increasing prominence of our sector in primary care.?
The Helius team were kept busy answering questions from delegates and attending conference workshops to deepen their understanding of attitudes to, and perspectives of, medicinal cannabis. Although there’s still plenty of work to be done, they were left with a view that the medicinal cannabis journey is well on track to the goal of being a recognised and accepted part of clinical healthcare management in New Zealand.
Men’s Health Week / Te Wiki Hauora Tāne June 15th – June 19th
In the wake of COVID-19, mental health has become a critical issue across society. It’s particularly impactful on men – studies conducted by the Mental Health Foundation UK found that one in eight face unique challenges in addressing mental health concerns and are less likely to reach out for help when they are struggling.?
Poor mental health also tends to impact a person’s ability to fall or stay asleep - a vicious circle where anxiety effects sleep quality, and poor sleep effects mental health by creating even more anxiety.?
The sedative properties of medicinal cannabis have been known to improve sleep quality and contribute?to a positive improvement on anxiety-induced insomnia, providing a more restful and deeper sleep.?
Studies have also shown that medicinal cannabis can help to improve low-mood symptoms associated with depression to benefit overall men’s health. It has been shown to boost the release of serotonin in the brain, ?resulting in stabilised mood and, over time, positive wellbeing.?
World Environment Day
This year’s World Environment Day, held annually on June 5th, was primarily focused on the themes of land restoration, stopping desertification and building drought resilience. Sustainability is at the heart of our commitment to growing and advocating for a sustainable and future-focused medicinal cannabis industry. Here’s a quick reminder of what we’ve implemented:
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Rainwater Catchment: we have a holding capacity of 100,000L on-site. This provides two-fold benefits - a clean starting point for our plants to get the best nutrition possible, while eliminating reliance on the general water supply.
Precision Fertigation: we have implemented precision fertigation technologies to reduce our water requirements and waste production. Flower room setup water consumption was reduced by up to 77% and monthly water usage by 22%. There was also a substantial decrease in the total fertiliser required to complete a cycle.
Composting: all our waste plant material from cultivation and our post-extraction biomass is composted. This diverts approximately 3000L of material per month from landfill to a beneficial product for building healthy soils.
Ethanol Recycling: we have implemented a system for the collection and purification of ethanol used in our extraction process, which results in approximately 90% reuse of our ethanol, substantially reducing the production of solvent waste.
Matariki
Matariki – a time of planting and harvesting, reflection, thanks and the prospect of another productive fruitful cycle.
This year, the dawn of the Māori New Year falls on June 28th. On this day, why not down one set of tools (close that laptop!) and pick up another kind - delve into your garden beds, refresh your patio pots guided by Matariki’s whetū (stars), intentionally surrounding yourself with nature. ?
Nga mihi o Matariki, te tau hau Māori!
Share your story
If you have any questions or comments, your feedback is always welcome.?
Contact:?[email protected]
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