Herbal supplements worth and risk

Many people nowadays are turning to “organics” and “naturals” otherwise known as herbals. The rising popularity of herbal supplements has created a new fad if not a new health lifestyle. But before you join the bandwagon, here are some things you need to know about this mean, “green” dietary supplementing machine.

What is the difference between a drug and a dietary supplement?

According to the definition set by food and drug administrations in different countries, drugs are chemicals that can prevent, prolong the life, treat other effects of a health condition, improve the quality of life, and/or cure ailments and diseases, or alter the function of any part or chemicals inside the body. These drugs have approved therapeutic claims. For example, paracetamol is a drug given to bring down the body temperature in fever. Ascorbic acid is indicated for the treatment of scurvy. Iron supplements are given to treat mild cases of anemia.

Herbal supplements are not classified as drugs but as dietary supplements. The main difference is that they do not have approved therapeutic claims unlike in the case of drugs. Moreover, dietary supplements could either contain vitamins, minerals, herbals, or amino acids, all aimed to add to or supplement the diet of an individual. They are not intended to be taken alone as a substitute to any food or medicine.

Most of the manufactured medicines we now have once came from animals and plants. Through the years, chemists isolated the life-saving or life-curing components and separated them from the harmful ones. This lead to the further drug research and drug development that lead to the production of a different variety of drugs for many ailments and conditions from synthetic sources. But still we have semi-synthetic drugs, as well as drug that more or less approximate more natural composition. Since herbal supplements are made from a mixture of crude herbs reduced into powder or gel form, and later on packaged as tablets and capsules, there is a possibility that life-threatening or at least body chemistry-altering components are still present, thus the expression of concern from the medical community.

Is there a growing concern with the use of herbal supplements?

Yes. With the rising popularity of using and consuming anything herbal or organic is the proliferation of fake herbal supplements that threaten to endanger lives. If that’s the case, then why are herbal supplements given drug administration approvals? One way of ensuring the safety of the people is to have all candidate drugs, food, drinks, and dietary supplements registered with the proper authority. Otherwise, they would pose more risk with these things being sold in the black market for a hefty sum. We could ensure the quality and safety of herbal supplements if they get proper classification with the food and drug administration. Moreover, people may be able to file the proper complaints in the event a worsening of health condition is proven to be linked to the use of a particular herbal supplement.

Is using herbal supplements worth the risk?

Yes. It cannot be discounted that many who have tried herbal supplements experienced an improvement in their health—whether this is due to the herbals themselves or due to a placebo effect, as long as they do not worsen the condition of an individual, then using them is worth the risk. But of course, certain things must be considered before taking those herbal supplements:

Your doctor knows best.

First of all, clear your condition with your doctor. Ask him/her if taking a particular herbal supplement is safe given your health condition. People with heart, liver, or kidney trouble or malfunction, are usually not advised to take these, or at the minimum is to take these herbals in minimum amounts. All substances pass through the liver and kidney to be processed and filtered respectively. Kava, which is used to relieve people from stress, has been pulled out from the Canadian, Singaporean, and German markets because it contains substances that cause liver damage. Certain herbals such as Ephedra used for losing weight, contains chemicals with heart-inducing effects that can increase heart rate, which in turn can exhaust the heart and cause heart attacks in several documented cases by the American Medical Association.

Follow the directions for use.

Never take more herbal supplements than what is directed by the doctor or as instructed on the bottle. Each individual reacts differently to the components of herbal supplements. While it is perfectly safe for one individual to take in a supplement of primrose oil capsules, another person may be allergic to it. So, do not even think about downing one bottle of

It has no approved curative effect.

No matter how the product pamphlet or the label of the bottle sounds about how it has been found to be helpful in certain health conditions, these herbal supplements are not therapeutic. So do not substitute these for the medications prescribed by your doctor for the treatment of certain diseases, or for the maintenance of blood pressure, lowering of blood sugar and cholesterol, and fight off infections.

Start your own coaching

Have you ever been a coach to a neighborhood team? I know how it feels the first time I've coached a team of seven-year-old soccer kids and how much they can really test my patience, not to mention sanity as they run around kicking the ball like ants to a huge, white crumb. It feels strange at first, having to be stared at by a bunch of kids who they will know that I'm not the one in the field. Sounds wrong in a sense, right? But what is the dead about coaching?

Coaching is all about being a, well, 'coach' in the corporate world of handlers, front-liners and even a couple of benchwarmers biding their time to be given a chance to perform. I know how that feels when I go back to my regular day job. Some players are just MVP material, and some of them are just to support the MVP's so why bother sticking around? It sounds ironic when they say 'there is no I in team', but even the underachievers can be sore losers as well.

These are steps that can be done within the day, and no matter what, it takes determination to be a coach.

1. There is a WHOLE lot of talk these days about Corporate Team Building. There are many, many options: vacation packages, rope courses, on-going office games, ice-breakers, etc. Management can also purchase videos, books, and seminar packages to assist them in building up their organization into a team worthy of belonging. A little later I will give you some ideas of where you can go for information on these team-building tools.

2. The truth about motivation is waiting to be grasped! It is ripe and ready for you to put into action today. Don't settle for mind-numbing gibberish. Get practical in 3 small ways to begin looking forward to your alarm clock sounding off each morning before you huddle with the team.

3. Experience is the best thing despite of what course you graduated in. There is something about being a people person who knows how to stir the energetic side of one individual, and more so when you mix it up with an entire team.

4. To question a person by his or her performance is sometimes required, but never question their knowledge or their intelligence. Sadly, I have seen a few mistakes from past coaches who never seem to understand what a player has to go through to get the job right. It will lead to further aggravation and maybe even hostility. If you want the job done right, then go do it yourself. You'll see how it is to be at the receiving end and it will help your set a much better course for improvement.

5. Sending a player to the bench is probably the worse experience a coach has to go through, especially if your player is the top performer. In dealing with this kind of person, see to it that he spills his guts voluntarily. Egotism in a performer tends to make them lose their focus on even the smallest mistakes, then you can catch him or her red handed. Be firm, but understanding about it.

6. Don't allow your position to blind you from what you are supposed to do. Even coaches are human enough to think that they are far more superior, but only by rank. Even if you have been in their shoes when you were their age, it's better to dole out a piece of wisdom in order for them to realize that this will be for their own benefit.

7. Lastly, you should learn to trust yourself and your team. Decisions and performance are primarily your goals, and there are many of them to see if they could perform the task much more efficiently. So before you think about sending one member to the bench, have a good chat with him or her and see if they have any problems. If it's too personal, then just encourage them to do their best and it also helps to give them a good, encouraging slap on the back.

I guess there's all there is to it. Being a corporate drone myself, I know how important it is for a company to be successful, and we're all part of that success. Coaches are there not to make your work a little difficult just because you have either an attitude problem or not much a performer, but they're the guides who will help you perform as hard as you can possibly can. You'll do them proud one of these days, as well as you.

Getting health and fit

On the path towards Health Fitness

As far as being healthy is concerned, it clearly takes more than a well-sculpted physique or a radiant-looking skin to attest to your inner-self’s well-being. A lot of people mistake the being healthy as somewhat of a physical attribute. In reality, how we really take care of ourselves from the inside is what really counts and years from now, as other people’s steroid induced muscles starts to fade or their silicone injected butts tends to sag, your well taken care of health fitness will give you that radiant glow for years on end.

But what is health fitness exactly? Well there’s beauty fitness, wherein we take care of our appearance through the holistic and natural approach. Fitness, wherein we take care of our bodies, maintain its strength, flexibility and endurance – not mention its well-toned muscles. Health fitness on the other hand, is wherein we take care of ourselves from the inside, helping rid the body off viruses and bacteria that may cause us to get sick or have infections. Maintaining proper health fitness requires us to really go all-natural to stay fit and healthy.

Here are a few simple tips to help you get on track towards health fitness:

Get Busy
In today’s busy, busy world, an “active lifestyle” is often misconstrued as having tons of work, going from errand to errand but in reality, such a lifestyle can only cause our health fitness more damage than good. What I actually mean by getting busy is to make the most of our body, give it a little “exercise” whenever we can. Not all of us have the time (nor the money) for the gym, so taking the stairs instead of the elevator when going to work is a healthy and effective alternative. Also, when doing errands, try as much as possible to not use the car especially if it’s not that far. You not only save gas but you give yourself muscles a healthy boost. Moving around and making the most of what your body can do for you (without overdoing it of course!) doesn’t only keep you in shape, your health fitness at good levels but it also keeps you in a better mood.

Stress Busters
Speaking of keeping yourself in a good mood, there’s this common misconception that whenever you feel frustrated or angry, releasing and lashing out those pent up emotions are actually good for your health. Sounds familiar? Well, studies show that this is just a myth. People who have pent up anger and release it through hostile means only makes them more prone to strokes and heart attacks. Apparently, instead of helping you “release” those bad vibes, it actually just makes you more hostile and angry, thus, possibly resulting to a stroke, heart disease, high-blood pressure and the like. To help you stay cool and your health fitness well, try to stay calm whenever faced with stress or anything that angers you. Avoiding anger or stressful situations is really the best way to keep your health fitness at its best.

These are just two of the many possible things that you can do to keep your health fitness levels at good levels. Try them out and soon enough you’ll soon find them to already be a part of your system. The path towards proper health fitness is really not that hard, all it takes is the correct mind-set and a lot of discipline. But you’re sure to be rewarded for your efforts in the years to come.

How to make it easier to handle stress at your Job

How to make it easier to handle stress at your Job

Going to work everyday can get stressful. You can also avoid this type of thing from happening. You can do this by not worrying about things that are going on at home while you are at work. It will help avoid having stress at work. Don't leave the stress at home neither; leave it out of your head. Now that is the best way of avoiding stress period.

If the stress is caused by other employee's, try to avoid having to talk to them. Don't worry about what they think of you. All you need to do is focus on what you need to get accomplished for the day. A job that deals with working with a lot of people can be stressful, if you let it, especially if you have to deal with mean people. The best thing to do is handle them the best way you can, and then don't worry about it after it has been done and over with.

There are different jobs that can be stressful in different ways. A job dealing with animals is not that stressful until you start worrying about different things that can happen. You may worry about not making enough money from the animals to pay the bills. Don't worry about it until you find out for sure. If you own your own business, it can be stressful, but if you keep up with every thing it should all work out with no worries or stress. You may have a job that only you work by your self. You could get stress by not being able to accomplish all the work by your self, but if you put your mind to it, you should be able to do this without stressing your self.

Most stress at your job is when your job involves more than one person. The other people may try to tell you to do something that the boss told you not to do. You tell them this and it causes problems that could get stressful if you don't do something about it. Once you talk to the boss about you problem you will feel relieved, and you will have less stress.

You could stress your self out even if you don't have a job, by worrying about where you are going to get a job. Finding a job can be stressful also because you don't know what type of job you want. You also could stress when you do find a job, but don't have experience in what you're going to do. Don't stress about it that is why most jobs have training before you are on your own. Stress is the last thing you want to do at your job because your job is what you do to get your money to use to enjoy your life.

Sports Recreation: Relieve Stress and Have Fun

The world we live in is growing increasingly fast-paced, stressful, and filled with responsibility. Because of this, everyone needs some time to relax and have some recreation. Our modern way of life also tends to be sedentary, and the meals we eat are often not very healthy. Exercise is a very important component in renewing us. For these reasons, sports recreation activities are some of the best recreation we can choose. There are many options for hobbies to provide sports recreation. You may even want to learn some new recreational sports skills.



Courses to learn new sports recreation skills can be found online and in larger cities. You can learn and participate in team sports through the local Y and other organizations. Team sports recreation activities you might like to participate in include softball, baseball, basketball, and sometimes soccer for younger people. Another team sport you might enjoy is bowling. Regardless of your skill level you can find a bowling team to have fun with.



Individual sports recreation activities you can learn and participate in include golf, tennis, running, aerobic dance, gymnastics, and horseback riding. Don't overlook bicycling and weight training too. Many of these sports can be learned at the local Y as well. For some of these, you'll want to have a friend to play against or share the exerience with. Many runners, for instance, like to run with a friend. And games like tennis and handball really need cooperation for best results.



If you'd rather, you can learn about sports recreation skills online. You can find courses to teach almost any sport or activity you can think of including underwater hockey, fly-fishing, and para-gliding in the Alps! Of course, unless you can get some hands-on experience you'll only have the theories of the sport. Still, online courses are a good way to get a taste of different sports and recreational activities you might someday want to try out.



A really fun sports recreation game you might get a chance to play is ping pong. Ping pong, or table tennis as it is sometimes called, is played on a table with rubber coated paddles and extremely lightweight plastic balls. You must hit the ball with your paddle so that it strikes the table and clears the net before your opponent strikes it and bounces it back to you. One way to become more adept at ping pong and increase your chance of winning is to sometimes hit the ball harder than at other times. This keeps your opponent guessing what you will do next.



Sports recreation activities are a great way to get exercise and relieve stress. They are also a lot of fun. Whether with friends or alone, everyone needs a favorite sports recreation to take part in.