People need to take care of their health to ensure a happy and comfortable life and reduce the risk of acute and chronic disease, which can happen to anyone. The two main aspects which are essential for healthy living are consuming a balanced diet and doing regular physical exercise. A healthy or balanced diet includes all the natural food which provide maximum nutrition needed by the human body. Natural food includes fruits, vegetable, whole grain products, dairy products, and lean meat. But simply consuming nutritional food is not enough, and a person needs to perform daily physical activities to remain fit and strong.
Apart from naturally occurring food, there are also natural health products which are necessary to maintain or restore health. The natural food products are naturally found substances which are made from plant matter, herbs, marine sources, and some microorganism. The natural health products (NHP) are also called alternative medicine or supplementary product that is available in a variety of forms such as tablets, ointments, creams, solutions, drops, and tincture. The NHP includes
- Vitamins and minerals
- Herbal medications
- Traditional Chinese medicines
- Homeopathic medicines
- Probiotics
- Amino acid and essential fatty acids
The NHP is mostly used as a supplement that a person can take with a regular die, and NHPs should not be considered as a substitute for healthy food that a person should consume. Canada is one of the only countries that is leading the regularization of natural health products which are classified into toothpaste, shampoos, conditioners, antiperspirants, facial products, and herbal products. Studies suggest more than 70% of Canadians use NHPs, which mostly includes vitamins, minerals, homeopathic, and herbal products.
The natural healthcare company Canada market the products which can be used for treating or preventing a commonly occurring illness and also maintain the health of an individual. The NHPs are also safe to use with fewer side effects and can be taken as over the counter medications, which means a person does not need a prescription to buy them.
Health Canada cares about the health and wellbeing of the citizens, and there is a strict process that an NHP company has to pass and fulfill all the relevant criteria before a product can be marketed and consumed. The NHPs may be safe to use. Still, there is a risk that persists such as
- Manufacturing problems which can occur through any contamination or incorrect dosage
- Not enough information is given about the product. The information may include the instructions to use the product or warnings about any minor side effects
- Using the NHP along with any other medicine which can cause an adverse effect
- Allergic reactions which occur using skin products
- The unproven claims which are not verified and people use it to ease their pain or illness
Health Canada has taken stringent measures to remove and reduce the side effects which people have to experience. Health Canada has asked people to look for all the details about a NHP on the information label which are
- Product name
- The license of the particular product
- The Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label
- All the medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients of the product
- The required dosage instructions
- The recommended or proposed use of the product
- All the warnings and caution on using the product
The natural health products are widely available in most pharmacies, grocery stores, health food stores, and people can also order them online. The common NHPs that people buy and use are Vitamin C or multivitamin, herbs and plant matter such as Ginseng, St John’s wort, and Hemp seeds, and substances with omega-3 fatty acids. People have been using plants, herbs, and other natural substances for centuries and found cure and pain relief better than any other product. Many of the herbs and plant matter are the basis of the medicines that people use to cure their illness. For example, people in old times used to take willow bark to treat fever. Later, when the medical field got advanced, the pharmaceutical companies researched on willow bark and used its ingredient to make the aspirin, which is probably the most used medicine all over the world.
The organic weight loss products usually make products which can provide relief or improve the lifestyle of the people. There are many people who use herbal medicines to cure illness, heal wounds, and prevent any chronic ailment. The people should first ask their consulting doctor before taking NHP if there are already using some other pain relieving medicines. The women who are pregnant should also be extra careful and not take the NHP with any other medicine as it can cause complications. The NHPs are approved by Health Canada as safe to use if the products fulfill all the safety parameters and include important information to help people make the right decision.