Nutritional Supplements – A Growing Industry

The nutritional supplement industry has achieved phenomenal growth in the last two decades. In 1994, the DSHEA law was passed. This new framework for the regulation of dietary supplements is better suited for nutraceuticals because it facilitates increased product accessibility for Americans. Since then, the nutritional supplement industry has effectively grown due in a way mutually beneficial to manufacturers and consumers. This phenomenal growth is not only seen in the USA, but all around the world, particularly in Europe.What’s driving the nutritional supplement industry? Let’s take a look at why nutritional supplements are in such popular demand.

Worldwide Shift in Focus from Symptom-Relief to Proactive Healthcare

Nutritional supplements are meeting the health concerns of today forcing a shift in focus. The focus is now on proactive healthcare rather than symptom relief. People want to stay healthy.More people want to take proactive measures for maintaining good health. Most people who take nutritional supplements believe that nutritional supplements will help them to achieve optimal health over longer periods of time.

Lifestyle and Environment Issues

Busy lifestyles, a lack of good dietary habits, the strains of daily life and high pollution levels can cause stress to the body. In order to relieve the pressures of life, many people prefer nutritional assistance to improve their situation.Nutritional aids are formulated to help relieve anxiety, antioxidants to help stress at the cellular level, even sleep aids. This type of assistance is preferred since it carries less harmful side effects, is non-addictive, and gently works with the body’s natural functions.

Educated Public

Eighty percent of illnesses are nutrition-related. Consumer awareness is leading people to make nutritional supplementation their first choice. Nutritional assistance is available to support heart health, eye health, digestive health, and many other health concerns. It is also used in proactive health measures to help prevent some types of health conditions.All of these health benefits have been validated by scientific research which gives them more credibility. A wide amount of research is available to the public through the Internet – credible sources like PubMed and Medline and no doubt such research has given nutritional supplements a dynamic impetus.

Inadequacies of Conventional Treatments

Some conventional treatments have fallen short of consumer expectations. Users of have communicated their preference for less harmful methods of treatment, unless pharmaceuticals are absolutely deemed necessary.

The Freedom to Control Your Own Healthcare

Consumers are happy to exercise their own healthcare by means of nutritional supplementation. More people are taking responsibility for their own health as seen by the rise in the number of nutritional supplements now available in the market. Using education and their own discretion, consumers are able to administer their own self-care regimen.. There is almost 100% consumer satisfaction leading to a growing insatiable consumer demand for more nutritional supplements!

Advancing Research and Variety of Products

The demand for more strategic nutritional supplements, targeted for specific demographics and health concerns are driving nutritional supplement manufacturers back to the laboratory for innovative products that can meet consumer demands. Research on nutrition and herbs keeps advancing giving rise to more products. There are now special products for adolescents, working women, men and children. Nutritional supplementation has become a specialized industry and products that cater to specific health needs, in the right packaging, can make the right impression amongst consumers. Products for anti-aging, skin health, cardiovascular health, antioxidants, hair care, continue to be remain popular.

Wider Acceptance amongst the Medical Profession

There is a wider acceptance of nutritional supplementation amongst the medical profession. More doctors are recommending nutritional supplements to their patients and many of them have begun to endorse products they believe in. More products are developed in collaboration with condition specific experts and nutritional researchers and some are formulated by well-known doctors. Famous athletes and celebrities are endorsing nutritional products and this too has added to the salability and credibility of the nutritional product.The nutritional supplement industry will continue to grow as breakthroughs in research, new manufacturing technologies and innovative products increasingly meet the health needs of today’s consumers.

A Simple Ceramic Art Education Project

Like most elementary school art teachers you probably strain your brain to come up with simple and fun clay making lesson plans. Here’s a suggestion for kids from third to seventh grades which demonstrates basic ceramic techniques and at the same time provides a functional and attractive art object which can be used as a Mother’s Day or Christmas gift. Making a ceramic tray decorated with beautiful impressions accurately and quickly demonstrates to students how easy it is to create beautiful pottery as well as providing a basic understanding of how clay feels, how to use tools to cut the clay to size, and how to give surface texture. This project provides instant gratification in a first-time ceramics class, and thus increases the students’ self-confidence and their interest in learning more about pottery-making.The materials required for this ceramic art education project are a slab of clay rolled out to 1/4″ thickness, a rolling pin, a pin tool, a window wipe, clay stamps, leaves or other flat found objects, newspaper, WD-40 lubricant, a wooden board sized to reflect the inside dimensions of the finished tray and a piece of foam 2 1/2″ to 3″ thick, and a bit larger than the size of the finished tray. Then, using the rolling pin or a slab roller flatten the clay to a uniform 1/4″ thickness. Place the slab on a sheet of newspaper. Using a window wipe or a metal pottery kidney, smooth out the surface of the slab. Spray the bottom of the wooden board with WD-40 so that the clay slab will separate from it easily. Lay the board on the clay slab and mark the outline of the board on the slab. This will define the inner dimensions of the finished tray. Arrange the leaves, or other flat found objects, in the center part of the tray and press them into the clay with the rolling pin.Using a ruler, score the clay slab an inch or so wide all the way around the area defined by the wooden board, and cut it out from the slab. This strip will be the rim of the tray. Decorate what will become the tray’s rim with clay stamps, or by other means. This is where classroom ceramics creativity can be truly inspiring and innovative. Place the cut-out tray slab that is still clinging to the newspaper on top of the foam. Placing the lubricated side of the wooden gently in the center of the cut-out tray. Press the board onto the clay until the the clay rim erects to the angle desired; the tray is now fully formed. Using the pin tool, remove the board from the clay by starting at the corners and lifting gently. Allow the tray to dry to leather hardness, and then bisque-fire. Glaze the tray as desired, and fire to cone 06.

A Ballet Workout For Every Sport – A Simple Way to Improve Your Game, and Your Life

What sports do you enjoy participating in? Better yet, what sports did you enjoy when you were younger, but which you can no longer participate in due to changes in your body? Now, what would you say if we told you that doing a simple Ballet workout could turn all of that around and hand you your game back?There is a reason that many professional football players have been publicly noted to do Ballet workouts while in training. Dancers who perform in starkly different forms such as hip hop and jazz also train in Ballet in order to get a cutting edge on their competition.Rather than thinking of Ballet as an uptight, restricted dance form that little girls take up only to ditch in their teenage years, it’s time to start thinking of it for what it really is: an effective workout routine which could totally transform your body and increase every aspect of your game play.Whether you are a marathon runner, a professional triathlete, or even just someone who enjoys adult flag football on the weekends or walking to stay healthy as you age, there are many benefits to be gained from mixing in a Ballet workout with your current training schedule. If you are not currently in training but hope to return to your previously active self in the near future, then there is no better place to start than with a Ballet workout!Muscle ToneThe sharp, tight movements required for the practice of Ballet will get your body in the most trim, toned shape you have ever been in. When practiced consistently and performed with the correct form, every muscle in the human body is worked through this dance form. This is why Ballet dancers are known for their very lean, long bodies which seem to have not an ounce of fat on them. What they do have is nice muscle tone that is attractive and graceful, but not bulky.You don’t have to become an elegant Ballet dancer to enjoy this type of workout; just as you don’t have to lift intense weights to tone your body.Cardiovascular EnduranceIn every sport, your level of cardiovascular endurance will directly affect your ability to hang in there with the competition. In some sports such as running this is more obvious, but it is true of team sports which include moving across a field as well. If your level of cardiovascular fitness is not good, you will not be the fastest on the field or the fastest running the course.Ballet workouts will improve this aspect of your game through challenging move combinations and intense, continuous movement.Mental ConcentrationEvery athlete knows that the power of the game is more in your head than your body. If you are not mentally focused and emotionally present in the game at every second, then you are giving your competitors the edge. If you have ever found yourself distracted during a game or a race, you know that it could make winning or scoring points near impossible.Unlike the fast paced, intensive pace that goes along with many other forms of muscle building workouts, Ballet sets a slower, more peaceful pace which allows your mind to fully engage with your body. You have to focus in on what you are doing to ensure proper form and really push your body with every movement, and that in turn translates to a more relaxed, focused brain during and between workouts.Speed and MovementA Ballet workout can actually make your movements more explosive and powerful. Your legs will be able to move faster and movements that rotate side to side or up and down a field will become faster and more precise. This is because Ballet routines often include a lot of sweeping motions that go from side to side. They also include a lot of movements that stretch the body up tall, lengthening out the spine and encouraging your natural grace.Even when you are not in training or in the middle of a game, you will notice the benefits of a Ballet workout. You will feel more in tune with your body and will feel more graceful and smooth in your daily life. This is beneficial for women as well as men in all aspects of life, whether it be impressing a boss or picking up a date.

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