There is still a great deal of confusion when the terms “hemp” or “CBD” are mentioned. Too many people still equate CBDs and hemp with marijuana and this isn’t always the case. Yes, for years cannabis was referred to as hemp by some people and yes, marijuana contains CBDs to some lesser or greater degree, but the CBDs on the market today are devoid of any psychoactive properties.

CBD Cannabidiol

In order to understand why CBDs are great long-term investments, let’s take a closer look at what they are and how they work.

Hemp vs. Marijuana – What’s the Difference?

It was a common practice to refer to marijuana as hemp during the 60s and that expression is still in use today. This is part of the reason why legislators seemed to lump both marijuana and hemp in the same category and why it was so hard to get CBDs legalized in all 50 states. Actually, both hemp and marijuana are part of the cannabis species but they serve different purposes. While marijuana contains THC, the psychoactive component of pot, hemp contains none or amounts so miniscule as to be non-existent. CBD is the abbreviation for cannabidiol and that works on different receptors in the body than does THC.

Cannabidiol Is the Magic Word

Now, we’ve come to the magic word, cannabidiol, or CBD. Did you know that there are at least 25,000 uses or applications for hemp? This is the non-drug variety of cannabis strains that is used in everything from ropes to hurd which is the soft inner cellulose core that is used for its marvelous acoustic and thermal properties. Now let’s talk about CBD oils and tinctures for just a moment. These have medicinal uses and none of those uses will get you stoned. Lacking THC, cannabidiol can help to relieve pain and anxiety and can also help deter the onset of some degenerative diseases like dementia. Since it is only recently been approved as an OTC product with medicinal properties, the industry is starting to explode.

Tapping into a $417 Billion Industry

Here is where the light goes on! At the moment, marijuana is legal in roughly half the nation. The medical marijuana industry accounts for $417 billion annually and that is just a drop in the bucket when it comes to a long-term forecast. With so many people seeking the medicinal benefits without the high, the use of CBDs is growing exponentially by the day. Whether you want to invest in hemp stocks or purchase wholesale quantities to formulate a new line of CBD products, there are companies like Colorado’s Cope CBD wholesalers that offer great investment potential. It can be formulated into topicals, tinctures, oils and so forth. As an investment vehicle, there are literally unlimited long-term benefits.

Bear in mind that this is still a new industry and even if all 50 states were to legalize medical or recreational marijuana, there are many more people who choose not to use the drug but rather the non-intoxicating benefits of medicinal hemp. The industry is literally exploding so the time to buy in is now. How you choose to do so is up to you, but don’t lose out on what most market analysts are declaring to be a sure thing in the long term.

Sexually transmitted infections (STI’s) are increasingly common, particularly amongst young adults and teenagers. Many STI’s have no symptoms until the infection has become advanced and more difficult to treat. It is recommended that under 25’s have an STI check annually, or when they change sexual partners.

Common Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexually transmitted infections are passed from partner to partner through unprotected sex. In many cases they do not exhibit symptoms, so many people have infections without realising. There are many different STI’s, all resulting in slightly different symptoms and different outcomes.

Chlamydia

One of the most common STI’s is chlamydia. It often results in no symptoms but can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease in women. This can result in ectopic pregnancies – which can be life-threatening, and even infertility in women. Symptoms of chlamydia include lower abdominal pain, heavy periods, pain during sexual intercourse, and vaginal discharge in women, and discharge from the penis and swollen or painful testes in men.

Syphilis

Symptoms of syphilis often do not occur until the disease is advanced. Symptoms include sores or ulcers in the mouth, vagina or penis that may come and go, a red rash over the soles of the feet or palms of the hands, tiredness, joint pain, a fever and swollen glands. Left untreated, syphilis can spread to the brain causing serious long-term complications.

Gonorrhoea

Symptoms of gonorrhoea include a thick discharge from the penis or vagina, pain during urination, and bleeding between periods in women. 1 in 10 people infected with gonorrhoea do not show symptoms. Left untreated, gonorrhoea can spread to other parts of the body and cause complications. These include pelvic inflammatory disease in women. This can lead to life-threatening ectopic pregnancies or infertility. It can also lead to miscarriage or premature labour in pregnant women. In men, it can lead to a painful infection of the testicles and prostate gland, that can lead to infertility.

Genital Herpes

Genital Herpes are small blisters that burst to leave open sores around the sexual organs. It can also cause pain upon urination and unusual vaginal discharge in women. There is no cure for genital herpes. Symptoms may clear up on their own but will come back throughout your life. Antiviral medicine can stop the blisters from getting worse or spreading, and a cream is available for the pain. However, these just manage the symptoms, they will not cure the disease.

Other common STI’s include genital warts, pubic lice, scabies and trichomoniasis.

How can I get Tested for Sexually Transmitted Diseases?

STI’s can be detected following a sexual health screen. This may involve taking swabs from the penis or vagina, or a urine check. Regular STI checks will identify diseases before they have chance to spread and cause complications. Most STI’s can be treated with a simple course of antibiotics, and if treated early, rarely cause long-term problems. Having regular sexual health checks will enable you to obtain early treatment for any STI you may have contracted.

To avoid contracting sexually transmitted infections, always practice safe sex and use a condom.

Drug abuse has become a significant issue of concern in the sports niche in recent times. Media stations have covered story after story of the scourge, and the different experimentation escapades with drugs among stars in various sporting disciplines. With news about athletes having accidents due to drunk driving, going into rehab, or overdosing on hard drugs being all too common, it seems like the problem of drug addiction within the athletic fraternity is a force to reckon with.

Drug Addiction in Athletes

Athletes are often under a lot of pressure to win and perform consistently to the best of their ability. This pressure leads them to experiment with drugs and frequently, the pressure metamorphoses into addiction. Also contributing to the drug addiction problem is the exorbitant salaries many athletes earn in short amounts of time. Consequently, the availability of money accords them easy access to expensive substances like cocaine and heroin, while also providing the right atmosphere to indulge. However, having a lot of disposable income is not the only reason athletes turn to drugs. There are many other causes as this article discusses. This article delves into the growing problem of drug addiction in athletes.

Causes of Drug Abuse Among Athletes

To Get That Extra Boost of Performance

Besides easy access, one of the most common reasons athletes start abusing drugs is to enhance their performance. The high-pressure environment of competitive sports can leave athletes feeling drained and stressed. To relieve this stress, some athletes turn to the recreational use of drugs or performance-enhancing drugs.

The Pressure to Fit in “The” circle

Another reason athletes fall into addiction is peer pressure. With many of their peers and role models already abusing drugs, young athletes fail to realize the severe risk that drug addiction poses to their careers and lives.

Dealing with Injuries

The third reason an athlete might resort to drugs is personal injuries. In a bid to accelerate recovery from an injury, some athletes abuse painkillers to assuage their pain as they seek to push their bodies beyond their capacities, resulting in a heavy reliance on medication. Subsequently, the dependence morphs into a full-blown addiction.

The athlete tends to ignore the importance of rest in accelerating healing and instead opts to mask the pain with medication to get a chance to practice and compete. However, playing with an injury exacerbates the already detrimental injuries and feeds into a vicious loop that is bound to end up to a severe career-ending injury, or with the athlete joining a rehab program.

Initiatives to Reverse the Trend

After public outcry and numerous scathing scandals, many of the world’s governing bodies have taken action against drug abuse among their athletes. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) started testing for drugs in the 1968 Olympics. Following the IOC’s lead, testing for substance abuse and performance-enhancing drugs has become a standard practice among the world’s top leagues and competitions.

Despite this widespread testing, the problem of substance abuse persists, partly driven by a lack of standardization. The creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an association charged with developing anti-doping unified standards, has significantly improved the ability of the sporting industry to respond to drug and substance abuse. In spite of this, varying practices have hampered efforts to have a consistent and global approach to drug abuse. It is left to the leagues and sport governing bodies to implement mitigating measures, leading to an overall discordant response to the whole issue.

Career penalties for drug abuse and use of performance-enhancing drugs have gotten stiffer with time. Some sports activities now have lifetime bans, while most have severe suspensions and fines. For example, the IOC banned Russia from participating in the 2016 summer Olympics due to reports of a state-sponsored doping program.

Help and Treatment for Athletes

Drug addiction often ruins the lives and careers of the athletes unfortunate enough to be caught up in it. The fact that many athletes are young, frequently without families or with very young families, only serves to aggravate the predicament. Concerted efforts to manage this trend on an individual level are focused on two initiatives including prevention and cure.

In attempts to prevent drug abuse, many former famous sports personalities who have struggled with the vice have been encouraged to speak out about their struggle. Celebrities such as Mike Tyson, Michael Phelps, and Andre Agassi regularly give talks to young people about the dangers and lifelong effects of substance abuse.

More importantly, other star athletes who have succeeded without engaging in drug abuse have been encouraged to speak out and show that success without substance abuse and performance-enhancing drugs is possible.

Depending on the severity of their addiction, athletes have a choice of options to treat their drug addiction. They include therapy, medically supervised detox, and lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of relapse. The emphasis on a successful recovery is usually placed on lifestyle changes.

For example, excessive partying and similarly risky behavior are ill-advised, as is alcohol. Many sport and athletic teams now incorporate sports psychologists to support their athletes in dealing with the stress and strain of competitive sports. It is not certain, however, if these efforts will effectively reverse the growing trend of drug addiction among athletes.

When your body is happy, you are happy. This is because you aren’t struggling with fatigue, or from lower organ function. Your brain is alert, it is active, and you feel energized. With this increased energy you can go out and do more of the things that you enjoy.

New Lifestyle Habits

It is only when we find that right balance, after all, that we can lead a fulfilling life. Just as your life requires balance, so too do your efforts towards leading a healthy life.

Your Diet is Your Cornerstone

When you want to start your health journey, you must always look at your diet first. Your body uses what you put into it as fuel to keep you going, but unlike a car, your body requires a vast array of different substances in order to function at optimal levels. What this means is that vitamins are just as important to your diet as macronutrients are. Vitamins, or micronutrients, are what support our internal systems, from eyesight to our immune system. Macro-nutrients are what we burn as fuel to keep going. Without both, we cannot thrive, so it is best to cull all bad food choices from your life and replace them with healthier alternatives.

Make Exercising Fun, Make it a Habit

Next, is exercising. What is important to note here is that if you have so far not had success with going to the gym, then you likely won’t find the will to go now. Thankfully, there are so many different ways for you to get your exercise and have fun while you are at it. Start first by picking up some cute athleisure clothing to compliment your workouts, and then start by trying different activities. If you have always wanted to learn self-defense, try one of the martial arts or mixed martial arts sports and take a class. If you already have a preference, like hiking, or swimming, commit more to it. Get your friends involved so it becomes a social activity and you’ll be well on your way to make exercising a fun, regular habit.

Beauty Habits for Long-Lasting Looks

Next you should look at your beauty routine. If you consistently wear a lot of make-up and forget to take it off before bed, stop. Go on a make-up detox while you work on improving your skin’s natural health and glow. This also applies to your dental and hair health. Work on improving them naturally, so that you can feel more confident while making significant steps towards prolonging your youth.

See More of Your Friends

Last but not least, see more of your friends. Social ties are a critical part of our health and happiness, and the modern, busy lifestyle that we lead is often antithesis to a healthy social life. Rather than become disparaged, make more plans. It will take a while for hanging out to become a habit, but that’s okay. So long as they say yes to meeting with you and you enjoy their company, there is no reason to stop being the first to invite them out.

Starting a healthy lifestyle might seem difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Focus on your health and what is fun, and you can improve your life, starting today.

Most of us don’t visit our doctor unless we think there’s something wrong. It makes sense, after all, there’s no point popping in for a chat if you feel perfectly well – or is there? Some health problems have very few if any symptoms, so unless you have a routine health check-up, you may not even realize you’re ill.

Health Checkup

Of course, it could be spotted when you visit the doctor about a problem you are aware of when tests for the symptoms you have described reveal there is something else going on as well. But it’s better not to leave it to chance or fate and get yourself checked over regularly.

High Blood Pressure

This is probably the most well-known illness that has virtually no symptoms to alert you to a problem. Considering how harmful the condition can be, it seems surprising that it’s not more obvious there’s something wrong. It will almost certainly go unnoticed unless you get a check-up, or use a self-service blood pressure machine if there is one available to you.

Although it can cause heart and circulatory problems, high blood pressure can be treated successfully with medication, so it will make a big difference to your future health if you get it diagnosed earlier. To find out more about high blood pressure treatments, click here.

Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is becoming more common, especially in older adults and those who have weight problems. It isn’t symptom-free like high blood pressure, but the symptoms often present themselves so slowly that you can fail to spot them, or just put it down to the normal aging process. Feeling thirsty more often, needing to visit the bathroom more frequently, and sometimes feeling tired, lethargic, or a bit lightheaded isn’t the kind of symptoms that would have most people racing for the doctor’s surgery. That is what you may experience in the early days of being diabetic, and again, the earlier you get treatment started, the better your prognosis.

Heart Failure

Often the first sign that there’s anything wrong with your heart is the excruciating pain of having a heart attack. This is obviously not the best way to get a diagnosis, so having a regular check-up will enable you to keep track of how well your heart is functioning and allow your doctor to spot any early warning signs.

Having a heart attack can prove fatal, so it’s not something to be taken lightly. Even if you look after your heart and lead a healthy lifestyle, you aren’t immune to heart disease, so just because you feel well, don’t assume your heart is functioning well and that you aren’t at any risk.

The chances are good that when you have your check-up, everything will be fine. If that’s the case, you can be happy and relaxed knowing all is well. If the check-up does identify any problems or potential issues, you’ll be much better placed to be able to deal with them and get treatment before they get any worse. So, don’t delay, get yourself an appointment and put your mind at rest.

Life is full of good things. The abilities to chase dreams, to fall in love with and marry whoever, to have and raise children, are only a few of the good things about it.

Life is not made up of all good things, though, as it does come with its fair share of bad. The bad is draining. It’s toxic. It’s unhealthy. It’s everything that holds you back in life. It’s everything that makes you like any less than the one-of-a-kind person you are.

But, fear not, because you can banish the bad in your life, and when you do, you’ll be happier than ever. To find out how to do it, make sure to read on.

Clear Negative Energy

Whether you’re a believer in fengshui, karma or any of the other things in life that we can’t see but some say they can feel, or not, there are still positives in clearing negative energy from your life. There are positives in it because, when you clear negative energy, you clear your mind too. And when your mind and conscience are clear, you’ll have a far clearer insight into who you are and what you want from life. After all, life is all about mindset.

With it lacking a physical form, negative energy can be hard to believe, let alone clear, but there are some signs which signify that you need a clear out. These signs include feeling exhausted after doing the simplest of things, such as having basic conversations; feeling claustrophobic without having too much surrounding you; only ever hearing abuse directed towards you, or straight criticism, when nothing of the like is issued; and feeling wrong for being yourself or saying what you feel. If you feel or think any of this in a certain situation, you need to banish that situation from your life or change it as best you can.

Sometimes, when it comes to clearing negative energy, all you need to do is give your surroundings a clear out. Yes, this means giving your home that deep clean, or even renovation, that you’ve long been promising it. When you do, don’t be afraid to embrace the way of the minimalist; you’ll create for yourself a stress-free, uncomplicated living space that will help to keep your head clear of all negative energy.

Whether you believe in negative energy, and the part it can play in your life, or not, it doesn’t hurt to give it a clear every now and again.

Banish Negative People from your Life

Sometimes, the bad things in your life will have nothing to do with energy or even with you, and everything to do with others and their actions. Sometimes, the bad will be brought into your life by negative people, who could even be your friends, who want to drag you down. They will drag, pull and sap at your energy until you are as bitter and unhappy as they are. Now, it’s time to stop them. Now, it’s time to banish these negative people from your life, either for good or until they show a distinct change in their behavior.

How do you spot a negative person? There are a number of signs to help you do so, the telltale one being that they try to tell you what to do without having any authority to do so. This is because it is much easier for negative people to tell people what they think they should be doing, rather than actually doing it themselves. As well as this, negative people tend to be pessimistic, especially when it comes to something that excites you. They are ‘energy vampires,’ and they would squash your dream if they thought it would keep you on their level and benefit them.

How do you banish a negative person or their negativity from your life? First of all, you have to cut out the gossiping. Negative people are very much interested in the lives of others, and not entertaining the gossip they try to embroil you in is the first step you have to take in banishing the negativity. Second of all, you should always refuse to accept others repeatedly discussing a problem without them doing anything about it. Nothing comes from a constant string of moaning, and it is only done to evoke sympathy, so don’t entertain it.

Banish the negative people, or get them to see the error of their ways, and you’ll take huge steps forward in banishing the bad from your life.

Overcome your Addictions

Addiction, no matter what it is to, is bad. Whether it’s an addiction to drugs, an addiction to alcohol, an addiction to working, an addiction to gaming, an addiction to worrying or an addiction to another human being, it is bad,and it is unhealthy. So, whatever your addiction is, overcome it. Overcome it before it overcomes you.

Addiction is a disease; there’s no denying that. Unlike most other diseases, however, you can control it. To control it, you have to have the ability to look at your life subjectively, and the strength to take a step back from that that you think you most desire. If you ever find yourself addicted to alcohol or drug intake, for example, because you have begun driving while intoxicated or have had medical advice telling you to stop, but you have no plans to stop, then you need the strength to take a step back from your life and to check yourself into rehab.

And, if you ever did have to do such a thing, you wouldn’t have to worry. Rehab isn’t about straitjackets and syringes. It isn’t about tough love and even tougher rules. It isn’t about hiding away from the sunlight for months on end until you are corrected. It isn’t even about correcting yourself. Rehab is about dedicating a portion of your present in aid of bettering your future. So, should you ever need to, make sure to view here for more information on the best rehab facility for you. Regardless of your addiction and if it is bad for your health or not, you should face it in that same vein. You should treat your addiction and your period of overcoming it as if you were in rehab, either cutting yourself off from it or by weaning yourself off it over time.

Overcoming your addictions will leave your life feeling more like your own. So, get overcoming.

Don’t Let Work Take Over

Are you the type of person to check your emails five times an hour? Do you seem to bring your work home with you every single day? Are days off a thing of the past? Do you see more of your ‘work wife’ or ‘work husband’ than you do your actual partner? Are you more bothered about checking the company books than checking your child’s homework? If so, then that could be what is bringing a whole lot of bad to your life. Simply, don’t let work take over, take off that suit and put that business phone down at dinner time!

Yes, it is important to work hard, but if you work hard all the time, fatigue will set in and benefit neither your work nor your personal life. Yes, it is important to answer calls, but they can and will wait if they’re important enough. Yes, it’s important to take opportunities when they present themselves, but there will always be opportunities out there. Yes, it’s important to build those important business relations, but it’s not as important as spending time with your relatives.

You have to accept that allowing work to take over, no matter the financial benefit, does not benefit you. More to the point, it does not benefit the time you spend being you. You are not a man or a woman that lives and breathes for that next big sale, you are the person your children look up to,and you’re the person your significant other calls their lover. There is more to you than wearing a suit and attending board meetings, and don’t you forget it.

If you have no choice but to invest your time into your work, then you have to make allowances for it,and you have to find a better balance. What this means is, to save your time after your working hours, that you have to get up early. Get up early and attack each day, using the energizing early hours of the day to help you as you do. Of course, this might mean getting a bit of an earlier bedtime, but after a long day at work, that should be a blessing.

Life will always be full of bad things, and you will encounter something bad in your life at some point, but you can banish the badness. You can beat the badness, and you can bruise it, you only have to find the strength to do it yourself, because nobody will do it for you. So, get beating, get bruising and get banishing that bad for good.

Everyone is living a busy life these days. While little kids need to wake up in the morning and prepare for a tiring day at school, adults need to deal with all kinds of responsibilities and unexpected life challenges besides the usual day at work. All of these factors can take a toll on your mind and body if you are not careful and you don’t know when to stop. Even though it might be tempting to force the human body to keep going, every once in a while you will need to relax and take things slowly. In order to do so, people need to realize how important it is to live a peaceful life. Although it sounds daunting to some or nearly impossible for others, it is good to keep in mind that anyone can change their life for the better if they include a few peaceful habits in their day-to-day life.

Find Peace In Your Life

Living in anger is not an answer in this case. People who decide to do so tend to overlook the beauty and peacefulness of life. It is impossible to see the “bright side” if you keep criticizing or hating everything that is around you. You need to stop that for a moment and make some small changes that you’ll be grateful for on the long run.

Stop Overthinking

This is an aspect that many individuals have in common. Unfortunately, it does not add any value to your life. On the contrary, all it does is to “kill your happiness”. That said, if you want to be happy, you need to stop worrying about aspects that you cannot change. If you were to think that everything happens for a reason, your life would improve considerably. After all, overthinking does not even have a solid foundation. In other words, people who overthink tend to see every aspect of life from a bad perspective and keep asking themselves “what if” questions. Yet, most of the time they are wrong to do so. Each time you feel that you are about to overthink you need to pull yourself together. Put yourself in a positive state of mind by doing something that makes you happy.

Give Yourself Free Time

As already mentioned above, the human body has a limit. It signals each time that limit is surpassed. For example, the human body needs to sleep for about seven to eight hours each night. If not, it will eventually give up on you. All you can do is turn off your phone for a couple of hours and think about your well-being. Go to a quiet place such as your backyard or even your bedroom. Embrace the inner peace by observing the beauty of nature.

However, many people tend to believe that alcohol is a better alternative. While it might sound like a good idea to have a drink and forget about the world, that is not always the best option. This is because it causes addiction and many other unwanted problems. If you suffer from any kind of addiction and you’re looking for drug addiction treatment, you should keep in mind that there is always a way out.

Let Go of the Past

Your past defines who you are as an individual. Although it plays an important role in your life, sometimes it tends to haunt you for a long time. It is important to reflect on certain actions in the past, but not entirely focus or obsess about them. If you see it as a lesson and you learn to move on, you’ll be a lot happier and obviously your life will be more peaceful. Moving on from the past can take some time. Nonetheless, it is actually possible to make this change in your life. Take all the time you need and learn to let go of what hurt you. This is the only way to move forward. No one says that you should “erase” your memory, but you should at least try to let go on memories that still haunt you.

Walk away from Negativity

People live in a world where negativity is everywhere. They see it on television or in real life. Negativity and drama only bring you down and don’t give you the chance to feel true peace. Walk away from negative situations and people that bring you down. There are a lot of negative influences in this world. On the other hand, there are a lot of positive influences as well, that can bring a smile on your face no matter what. All you need to do is find those people. It might take a long time, but knowing that there are some kind people in your life who care about you is the best feeling in the world.

Breathe

Sometimes, when people feel overwhelmed with problems and stress they tend to forget the simplest way of relaxing their mind and body – breathing. This technique works wonders each time. It is true that it is a subconscious practice that allows us to live, yet focusing on your breathing for just two minutes can turn your day around. If you want to bring peace in your life and you don’t have time to go to the spa or even for a walk in the park, all you need to do is take a short break from everything that you are doing just so that you can focus on your breathing. Concentrate on the air that is going in and out of your belly. Preferably, it has to be fresh air. Open the window or go on the balcony for a minute and you’ll come back a changed person.

Don’t be afraid to take a step back each time you feel overwhelmed. In order to bring peace in your life all you need to do is relax your mind and body. Remember that there is always another day where you can solve your problems. Be kind to yourself! At the end of the day, if you are not looking after your mind and body, no one else will!