Lower Secondary Health

251 Lesson 9 Life Skills for Communication Main content Knowledge and understanding about necessary human life skills, particularly communication skills, interpersonal skills and empathy skills which enable people to live peacefully with their family, community and society Expected learning outcome Learners should be able to: 1. Know and understand the three necessary life skills, i.e. communication skills, interpersonal skills and empathy skills 2. Apply the skills to daily life and work effectively Content scope Topic 1: Meaning of life skills Topic 2: The three necessary life skills

252 Topic 1: Meaning of life skills The word ‚skill‛ means to have a clear understanding and expertise acquired through learning, such as occupational skills, sports skills, teamwork skills, reading skills, teaching skills, management skills, mathematical skills, language skills, technological skills, etc. These are external skills that can be observed from our actions and practices and are necessary for living. They enable the skill owners to live a good life and survive in society and have better opportunities than those who do not have such skills. They are considered livelihood skills or skills for living which is different from life skills (Prasert Tonsakul). The word ‚life skill‛ means personal characteristics and psychosocial competence. They are internal skills that help you handle everyday situations effectively and adapt to future changes and challenges such as health, AIDS, drugs, safety, environment, or ethics and morality. In other words, a life skill is the ability to handle everyday challenges, to lead a safe life and to live peacefully in one’s society. 1.1 Elements of life skills A set of life skills differs according to culture and environment. The common essential life skills that everyone should possess, the heart of living itself according to the World Health Organization (WHO) are: 1. Decision making – this is the ability to make life-related decisions systematically. For example, if individuals are skilled at evaluating alternatives, outcomes and consequences related to health and safety, they will be able to make a reasonable decision about their health and safety and thus have good physical and mental health. 2. Problem solving – this is the ability to systematically deal with problems in life without causing stress to the body and mind which can lead to even worse problems.

253 3. Creative thinking – this is the ability to think creatively and is beneficial to decision making and problem solving through determination of alternative solutions and their outcomes. It also enables individuals to apply gained experience to daily life appropriately. 4. Critical thinking – this is the ability to analyze information and assess problems and circumstances around us that might affect our lives. 5. Effective communication – this is the ability to use verbal and non-verbal language to express our opinions, ideas, needs, admiration, requests, negotiations, warnings, help offers, refusals, etc. in a manner which is suitable to the situation and the culture. 6. Interpersonal relationships – this is the ability to build and maintain a good relationship with other people. 7. Self-awareness – this is the ability to know and to understand ourselves in relation, for example, to our own strengths, weaknesses, what we want and what we do not want. Self awareness is important and beneficial for handling stress or difficult situations. It is also the foundation for the development of other skills such as communication, interpersonal relationships, decision making, and empathy. 8. Empathy –this is the ability to understand similarities and differences of people in terms of ability, gender, age, education, religion, belief, skin colour, occupation, etc. This will help us to accept people who are different from us and to be willing to help those who are in need or in trouble such as drug addicts, AIDS victims, etc.

254 9. Coping with emotion – this is the ability to recognize our own emotions as well as those of others, know how emotions affect behaviors and understand how to appropriately deal with anger and grief that have a negative impact on the body and the mind. 10. Coping with stress – this is the ability to recognize the causes of stress, know how to reduce stress and practical ways to control stress levels in order to direct our behaviors in the right direction and prevent health problems. 1.2 Life skill development techniques The above 10 skills can be divided into 2 main groups in order to develop the life skills. 1. General life skills: The basic ability to deal with everyday challenges such as stress, health, friendship, adjustment to changes, a broken family, food consumption, etc. 2. Specific life skills: The ability to cope with particular or specific challenges such as drug addiction, AIDS, fire, flood, sexual harassment, etc. Topic 2: The three necessary life skills  Effective communication  Interpersonal relationships  Empathy 2.1 Effective communication Communication is a process of creating an understanding between people. It can be a one- way communication in which the sender communicates a message to the receiver without receiving any feedback or any messages back. It can also be a two-way communication in which

255 the sender communicates a message to the receiver who communicates back or sends feedback to the original sender. Communication between people is very necessary because it plays an important role in almost every facet of our daily life. It can be done by speaking, writing, gesturing or using modern-technology communication tools such as the telephone, e-mail, internet, etc. Regardless of the communication means, it is important to ensure that there is a clear understanding between the sender and the receiver as it will contribute to their healthy relationship. Effective and proper communication skills are required in situations such as expression of opinions and needs, expression of admiration and appreciation to others, making requests, crucial negotiations, warning others sincerely and politely, and refusing to do things which are morally and socially wrong or illegal. Communicating with a ‚No‛ Many people do not know how to say ‚no‛ to their friends or boyfriend/girlfriend when being persuaded to do something against their will such as having unprotected sex, visiting brothels, taking addictive drugs, etc. Actually, everybody has the right to say ‚no.‛ Refusing to yield to persuasion or an invitation by your friend or lover to do harmful things can prevent you from at-risk behaviors. Many people feel uncomfortable refusing such invitations because they are afraid to displease their loved ones. Saying ‚no‛ tactfully should not harm your relationship. Effective ways to say ‚no‛ When refusing to do something, you must do it firmly and use words, tone of voice and gestures to make your refusal strong.

256 Three steps to saying ‚No‛ 1. State your own feelings to support your refusal. It is harder to object to feelings than to object to reasons. 2. Say no clearly with words. 3. Be polite by asking the other person if he/she agrees with your decision and say thank you when they do. Example of saying ‘no’ when being asked to try an addictive drug: Dang is asking and Am is declining. Dang: Tonight there’ll be a party at my place. I have got the new ‚cool stuff‛ that you must try. Don’t miss it. Am: That ‘cool stuff’ is not good for my health. I do not want to try it. But thanks for inviting me. Dang: …………………………………………………….. Try to find a way out if the other person continues to bother you or insults you. People often do that to try to change your mind. In such a case, you must remain firm and do not be swayed by their words. Decline again firmly and try the following techniques: -Repeat your refusal and do not give any excuses. Then say goodbye and walk away. -Negotiate with the other person and ask him/her to join you in other activities. -Postpone it to a later date to give the other person time to change his/her mind.

257 Here are some examples Example statement Step 1. State your feelings to support ‚I don’t like it. It’s not good for my health.‛ your refusal ‚I have to say no to that, my friend‛ 2. Say ‚No‛ ‚I hope you will understand.‛ 3. Ask for agreement 4. When you are bothered or ‚No, I would rather not. I must go now.‛ insulted ‚I think we should go home now.‛ 4.1 Repeat refusal ‚I think we should wait until we are ready to 4.2 Negotiate have our own family.‛ 4.3 Postpone This is an example situation when a friend persuades another friend to use a sex service. Chai invites Yut and Yut declines the invitation. Chai: Hey, after dinner tonight, let’s have some fun with the escort girls in that bar! Yut: I don’t enjoy places like that. I don’t want to catch a disease. You will have to excuse me. Chai: Come on, I’ve been there a hundred times and I’m still fine! Now I doubt if you’re really a man. Yut: Let it be some other time then. Today you guys go ahead and have a good time. I have got to go now. Thanks for asking.

258 When in love, women need affection and love. They want warmth and emotional care from men. They may not realize that many men have ulterior motives when getting close to them physically. If women are not cautious, they might give in to men’s desires unintentionally. In Thai society, men tend to believe that it is not wrong to have a sexual relationship with prostitutes or their girlfriend to relieve their physical desire. When in love, men need to have a physical attachment and they will find ways to get what they want. They often assume that women want the same thing that they do. When having sex for the first time, a woman may not be very happy the way men assume that they should. Women are likely to feel anxious about whether they will get pregnant, whether their boyfriend will leave them or look down on them. They might also fear that their friends or family will find out. On the contrary, men will feel sexually satisfied and happy that now their girlfriend belongs to them. Subsequent sexual intercourse usually happens because women feel love, attachment and worry so they give in to the man’s desire, fearing that they might be abandoned if they refuse to have a sexual relationship. Men tend to think that sex is a normal activity for having pleasure together. Problems which may ensue include pregnancy and diseases. Therefore, a woman should take precautions when she has a close friend of the opposite sex. - Do not be alone together in a private place for it may lead to a sex. - Women should not dress in a sexually-suggestive way. - Women should be careful when getting close to a friend of the opposite sex. Avoid physical contact or touching. - When alone together, men should exercise control over themselves and do not try to think of ways to take advantage of women or assume that women want to have sex the same way as men.

259 Importance of communicating with a ‚No‛ Today, the issue of premature sex has become a serious and widespread problem. Unwanted pregnancy has increased dramatically among teenagers and students. A number of them have to quit school or resort to illegal abortions which are a dangerous process and many have died from it. Therefore, one of the things that parents usually worry about is that they do not want their children to have sex before a proper age or during their school years. They want their children to finish their educations and become grown and responsible adults before engaging in such a relationship. However, it seems that a high number of today’s youth view ‘sex’ as a normal activity and that there is nothing wrong with premature sex. Some have had many sexual partners. Some students cohabit with their boyfriend/girlfriend and conceal it from their parents who think that their children concentrate on their studies and do not go astray. Parents should not be careless about this matter although their children may seem very obedient and do not show any signs of attraction to the opposite sex. Parents can discuss this topic with their children when the opportunity allows, such as when watching television together. Todays TV shows seem to have a lot of sex; for example, a male protagonist unintentionally has sex with his female antagonist, or a female protagonist has premarital sex with the male protagonist and then they break up. Parents can use this opportunity to give good advice to their children, both boys and girls. Advice that parents can give to children should include the following:  Do not be alone together in a private place and say ‘no’ when being asked to be alone together in a private place.  If the other person attempts to persuade you by offering a commitment like ‘I love you and I will marry you‛ or some other sweet words, you should be able to reply boldly and

260 openly without fear that ‚I don’t want a deep relationship right now because we are too young and we are not ready.‛ Although both are deeply in love, the relationship should be just boyfriend-girlfriend only. A long future is still waiting for them and they can never know if this person is truly the right one for them.  Avoid at-risk occasions and say ‘no’ when being asked to have sex. If the other person persists, try to escape from the situation.  Redirect the interest of the other person to something else such as going out and doing some sportor talking about something else that the other person is interested in.  If the other person does not listen to your refusal and says that ‚if you don’t sleep with me then you don’t truly love me,‛ it should then be the time to seriously reflect on whether the relationship should continue or not. It is possible that he will keep trying to persuade you again and again in the future, increasing the chance that you might give in to him one day.  Discuss the negative consequences that result from premature sex. 2.2 Interpersonal relationships We may have heard the saying, ‚humans cannot live alone in this world.‛ We all rely on others and we need to keep a good relationship with one another as well. Building a good interpersonal relationship is not difficult. The basic principles that we should start with are: 1. Meet and keep in contact with each other We must meet and stay in touch with the person we wish to build a good relationship with. It could be working together or doing activities or sports together. This will provide the opportunity to build a good relationship with each other.

261 2. Share interests and experience Experiences such as sharing the same academic and professional activities can bring two people together. Having shared interests and sharing similar experiences can lead to a good interpersonal relationship. 3. Have similar attitudes and beliefs The teen years are the time when a person can have significant changes in their thoughts, attitudes, and feelings. Teenagers tend to be pleased with persons who think like them and are upset when others have different opinions. The truth is, we should understand that most people have differing opinions and that even the best of friends still have different views. How to build good interpersonal relationships Learning to build good interpersonal relationships is important. Everybody should look for ways to foster a healthy relationship with others. 1. Pay attention and take care of each other in joy and sorrow. 2. Mutual trust is the key to live happily and peacefully with others. 3. We must learn to respect and accept other people. Show admiration and be happy for other people’s success. 4. Participation and sharing are the foundation of a healthy relationship.. We should learn to share our experience, listen to other people’s opinions and be democratic. 5. Be flexible as people who are flexible will still feel happy even when they are with others who think differently from them. 6. Show sympathy. It is an easy thing to do when people have a good relationship with one another. It also prevents any misunderstanding.

262 We should have a good interpersonal relationship with others in order to live happily with them. We all receive assistance from others, whether they are friends, parents, siblings, or others. A good relationship between parents and teenage children is very important. This will help the child to grow to be good adults and have a successful life. Building a good relationship by giving  Parents should be a role model for their children and cultivate the good habit of giving and sacrificing.  When it comes to giving, we generally think of money and valuable things. In fact, there are also other things that we can give, such as a smile, sincerity, help, compliments, mercy, forgiveness, etc. which come from our heart and which money cannot buy. Sincere giving is a good way to build a healthy relationship.  Always remind yourself to be a good giver. Give more, receive less. in this way our family will be happy and our society will be peaceful. Parents can be a role model for their children and lead by example. Children will follow their good behavior and they will become good givers for their brothers, sisters and other people with whom they live. How to become a likable and pleasant person A teacher once shared on a television program that: ‚Children always look beautiful and nice in their parent’s eyes. However, we must teach our children to become a likable and pleasant person so that others can love them too.‛

263  We might have seen children like this… - Do not greet adults and act as if they are invisible - Speak impolitely or frown - Have inappropriate behavior - Self-centered - Act arrogantly Children like this are not likable in the eyes of adults in general. Some people might think that their parents must have not taught them well.  A survey of teenagers reveals that the kind of persons they do not want to associate with are as follows: - Contemptuous and insulting - Exploitative, not doing one’s share of group work - Jealous of others and unable to tolerate seeing others joys or successes - Intentionally humiliate others - Brag and criticize others - Play pranks on others People do not want to associate with people having the above behaviors because such behaviors are unwanted and cause much nuisance to others.  Parents would be very sad if their children become disgusting people with whom no one wants to associate. To prevent such an unpleasant circumstance, parents should talk about

264 examples of likable and unlikable people to make comparisons and encourage positive emulation. According to Phra Tepwisutikawee, a venerable monk of Wat Sommanat Vihara Temple in Bangkok, likable persons have the following 9 characteristics: 1. Are not arrogant 2. Are not so talkative as to bore listeners 3. Are humble 4. Are flexible 5. Speak politely 6. Are willing to sacrificing and do not take advantage of others 7. Are grateful 8. Are not envious or invidious 9. Are prudent and not snobbish ‚Parents who hope that their children will be loved by adults and others have to try to form these habits in children. This should lead them to have a healthy relationship with others and everybody will be happy.‛ 2.3 Empathy To live happily in a family and in society, understanding oneself and others is very important as in the Chinese proverb, ‚Know others, know thyselves and win 100 victories in 100 battles.‛

265 Therefore, we should get to know others with whom we have to associate, whether they are members of our family, school or workplace as we cannot always be self-sufficient and need help from others. Principle of empathy 1. We must keep in mind that others have human dignity as well. So, we should treat every fellow human being with respect regardless of whether they are poor, rich, old, young, handicapped etc. 2. Every individual is different, in terms of knowledge background, economic status, living, level of education, ethical development, value, discipline, responsibility etc. If we accept these differences, we will try to understand others and communicate with them with courteous gestures and language to achieve a mutual understanding and will not show signs of contempt, frustration, annoyance etc. even when we have to repeat ourselves by using language which is easily understandable by recipients. 3. Be considerate of other people’s feelings. Most people like it when others understand them, acknowledge their needs, and accept them as they are. This explains why people always say, ‚This is who I am‛, ‚Why don’t you do this‛, ‚Why don’t you do that?‛, ‚Why can’t you understand me‛. Such expressions and views indicate that we tend to force others into adopting our views and to understand us. This often causes dissatisfaction to every party. It will be more productive if everyone should try to think differently, act differently and try to understand others, whether it is parents understanding their children or children understanding their parents or friends understanding friends, by looking into the reasons for their decisions and behavior, their needs, their preferences, etc. Once we empathize with others and behave in ways that suit their liking and their needs, every member can live or work together in harmony and there will be peace in the family, community and society.

266 4. Listening to others. The ability to understand and empathize with others depends on how much one listens to their opinions and needs. These days, people do not like to listen to others but they want others to listen to them and do as they say. Therefore, an important foundation of empathy is the listening skill. That is, one should listen attentively, not interrupting or showing boredom, as well as showing signs of response, such as eye-contact or nodding. If we listen attentively, we will learn about the thoughts, needs, or problems of our associates. This is useful for all relationships whether it is child-parent, parent-child, employer-employee, supervisor-subordinate as it promotes understanding and the ability to solve problems correctly. Activity 1: How would you communicate with your parents, supervisor or subordinate in these situations? 1. Ask your parents for permission to have an overnight trip. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………… 2. Communicate with your supervisor or subordinate regarding a salary increase/bonus cut. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………

267 Activity 2 Suppose you have an adolescent son who is experiencing heartbreak because his girlfriend wants to break up with him. What approach would you use to help your son? Please use skills related to communication, interpersonal relationship and empathy. ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………

268 Lesson 10 Herb Processing Occupation Role of herbs in the economy ‚Herbs‛ mean plants that have medicinal properties for healing diseases or illnesses. To use herbs in the treatment of a disease, two types of plants must be mixed together in order to make a proper ‚medicine.‛ Besides herbal plants, herbal medicines can include animals and minerals as well. Plants, animals and minerals that can be used as ingredients of medicines are called ‚medicinal materials.‛ Herbs are also included in the National Economic and Social Development Plan. The Ministry of Public Health has a project for using herbs in primary health care. It focuses on using herbs to treat diseases in public health care centers and promoting the cultivation of herbs in communities which can lead to a wider use of herbs in general. As a result, it can greatly save the country’s annual expenditure on imported pharmaceutical products. Producing herbal products as an occupation Today, there are many studies and much research to support the development of herbal products. For example, herbs are ground into a fine powder and put into capsules, pressed into pills or changed into a cream or a balm for external use. Studies on the use of herbs to produce conventional medicines are commonly conducted nowadays. Scientists seek to extract a pure essence from herbs, study the chemical and physical properties of such substances to identify them, test their medicinal effects on animals to find out it’s effects, and study any toxicity and side effects. When the results show that a particular herb is effective in treating a disease and has very little toxicity or side effects, the herb will be prepared and produced into an appropriate form of medicine.

269 Processing herbs for sale Herbs can be used in many ways and are processed into different forms of products for sale, creating both full and part-time jobs for people. The most important part of processing herbs is compounding the herbs. Herb compounding means extracting the medicinal component from the plants. The substances generally used in the extraction are water and alcohol. There are 7 traditional herbal extraction methods as follows: 1. Boiling – which is the extraction of the medicinal component from the herbal plant by using hot water. It is a popular method and normally used with the hard parts of plants such as stems and roots. Boiling is necessary in order to extract the medicinal substance of the plant from these hard parts. The advantages of this method is that it is clean and germ-free. There are 3 types of boiling. - Boil and drink like water: Boil the herbal plants with high heat until the liquid begins to boil then continue to cook them over low heat for 10 minutes. Then drink the liquid. - Simmering: Heat the plants until the liquid is mildly bubbling. It takes about 20-30 minutes. - Boil 3 to use 1: Boil the plants in water until only 1 out of 3 parts of the water is left. It takes about 20-45 minutes. 2. Brewing – Extract the medicinal substance from herbal plants by using hot water. This method is used with the more delicate parts of plants such as leaves and flowers which do not need to be in extremely hot boiling water to release the medicinal extracts. The brewing steps are: put the herb into a cup, add hot water and cover the cup with a lid until the water cools off. This way the medicinal substance will come out of the plant completely.

270 3. Using oil – Some medicinal substances are not water soluble, not even after simmering for a long time. Therefore, oil is used to extract the medicinal substance instead. Oil medicine is rather sticky and can stain clothes very easily so it is not a popular type of herbal medicine. 4. Soaking in alcohol – This method is used with medicinal substances that are not water soluble, but will release the medicinal material in liquor or alcohol. Therefore, this type of herbal medicine has a much stronger smell than the boiled medicine because of the pungent smell of the alcohol. It can be addictive if taken too often. Therefore, this medicine is usually used only when pills or boiled medicines cannot cure the symptoms. 5. Squeezing – This is a method used for the parts of the plants that are soft and contain a lot of water such as leaves, bulbs, or rootstocks. The herb is crushed into small pieces then the juice is squeezed out of it. It is not advised to take a large dose of this type of herbal medicine at a time because it has very strong smell and taste. Its medicinal substance is extremely rich, making it difficult to take. Therefore, only a cup per day is usually recommended. 6. Grinding – Dry or roast herbal plants and grind them into a fine powder. The finer the powder the better because the medicine can then be easily and quickly absorbed by the intestines into the body. Some powdered herbal medicines that are hard to eat will be mixed with syrup, rice milk or honey and pressed into ‚herbal balls.‛ This way the medicine will stick together as a tablet. Honey is the most frequently used ingredient because it can be kept for a long period of time without getting moldy. 7. Sanding – This is a popular method among folk doctors. The steps are: add clean water into a bowl and put a whetstone in, leaving a small part above the water. Use the whetstone to sand an herbal plant until the mixture becomes a slightly opaque herbal liquid. Drink one glass at a time. Herbs can also be processed into other kinds of herbal products such as food or household materials which should not be categorized as a medicine. These products should not claim to

271 prevent, ease or cure any diseases. This is because medicinal products are subject to strict inspection and are required to meet high standards of quality. The process also requires experts particularly skilled in the area concerned. To become a maker of processed herbal products, one must know the 4 principles of compounding herbs. 1. Medicinal materials - Makers of herbal products must know the names, characteristics, appearance, colour, odour and taste of the three medicinal materials, which are plants, animals and minerals. For example, the producer should know that basil is a small shrub, that there are two kinds of basil, red hot basil and white hot basil. Makers should also know that their leaves have a pleasant smell and a sharp, spicy flavor. To make this plant into a medicine requires hands- on practice. 2. Medicinal characteristics - Makers of herbal products must know the medicinal characteristics of the herbs which are associated with the main ingredient of the plants. 2.1 Cool-flavored herbal medicine: Medicines in this group are made of herbs that do not have sharp or spicy tastes such as flower pollen, 7 types of animal horns, 9 types of animal fangs, and material that has been burned into charcoal like Maha Nin and Maha Kaan traditional medicines. This group of medicine is used to treat illnesses caused by an abnormality of the fire element in the body. 2.2 Hot-flavored herbal medicine: These are medicines that consist of Benjakun (a set of 5 herbal materials according to the traditional formula), Trikadok (a set of 3 herbal materials according to the traditional formula), micromelum minutum, ginger, and galangal. An example is a traditional medicine called ‚yellow drug‛ which is used to treat illnesses resulting from an abnormality of the air element in the body.

272 2.3 Calm-flavored herbs: This refers to medicines that consist of Kote (a specific group of herbs), garden balsam, Aquilaria crassna, Malayan spurge tree, oleander bark, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. Herbal powder balsam (Ya-hom) is included in this group. Such herbs are used to treat blood problems and disorders. Beside the three main flavors, there are 9 more flavors of herbs which are: astringent, sweet, numbing, bitter, oily, cooling aromatic, salty, sour, and sharp spicy. In some Thai traditional formulas, ‚bland‛ is also considered a flavor. 3. Group of materia medica - Makers of herbal products must know herbal sets which consist of more than one herbal component combined together under the same name. Tawee Meta means a set of 2 herbal components: roots of iron wood and roots of Masang. Tri Sukon means a set of 3 herbal components which are cinnamon root, Thai cinnamon and camphor root. 4. Pharmacy- Makers of herbal products should be able to: 4.1 Know the parts of the medicinal ingredient to be used. For example, they should know whether to use the bark, root, or flower of plants and know whether to use them fresh or cooked or processed. Some herbal plants need to be processed first, such as the seeds of purging croton. It has a very strong effect so it must go through a process to become milder. 4.2 Know the amount of each herbal plant needed for making the product and have a knowledge in traditional metrology which measures substances based on the parts of the body or well-known seeds. For example, ‚ong-kuli‛ is the size of the knuckle of the middle finger, ‚Klom‛ is the size of a jequirity seed, and ‚Klam‛ is the size of a red wood seed.

273 Registering products with the Office of Food and Drug Administration (FDA registration marking) According to the Food Act of B.E 2522, ‚food‛ means ‚a substance that can be eaten, drunk, sucked or consumed either by mouth or by other means, no matter in what form, but not including medicines, psychotropic substances, narcotics under the law as the case may be. Food also means a substance intended for use or to be used as ingredients in the production of food including food additives and coloring and flavoring material‛ Some products overlap or are on the borderline between food and medicine. In order to avoid confusion, the Office of Food and Drug Administration has established that products categorized as food must meet the following criteria: 1. Contain ingredients that are listed in the register announced by the Minister according to the Food Act, and by nature such products can be deemed as both food and medicine 2. Are indicated as being food 3. The amount taken is not as large as the amount used for prevention and treatment of illnesses 4. The contents on the label and the advertisement of the herbal food should not have any part claiming that the product has medicinal properties to prevent, ease, or cure diseases. Categorizing food products Food can be divided into 2 groups according to the type of production permit that it needs. 1. Foods that do not require FDA registration marking Most of these are not processed or slightly processed food by way of a simple procedure within communities. Consumers must cook or heat the food before eating. Production sites of this kind of food are not considered to be factories (using machines lower than 5 horsepower and using less than 7 workers). Such food can be distributed and sold without requesting registration from the

274 Office of Food and Drug Administration or the Provincial Public Health Office. Nevertheless, a proper label must be provided. 2. Foods that require FDA registration marking These are foods that have been processed into instant food or semi-instant food. So, they present some risks to consumers at a low, average or high level, depending on the case. Examples are foods that need to have labels, foods that need to pass a standard or quality control, and foods that are specifically controlled. Therefore, production sites of these foods need to have a permit and the foods need to be registered or clarified in detail, depending on the case, to the Office of Food and Drug Administration or the Provincial Public Health Office. Herbal products which are not considered as medicines are herbal soaps, herbal shampoos, herbal scrub powders, herbal scrub salts, aromatic candles, herbal drinks, herbal air fresheners, dipping sauces with herbal ingredients, instant dry herbal products, herbal candies, herbal instant teas, etc. Examples of herbal products which are considered medicines are herbs for weight loss, herbal cosmetics that nourish the skin, lighten the skin or cure skin diseases, and herbal drinks with properties of healing or soothing symptoms of diseases. Activity 1. Research local herbs and list their names and properties. Share your knowledge with the group. 2. Discuss the processing of herbs identified as per 1 above and identify the kinds of products that they can be processed into. 3. Make a summary of the information gained from the 2 activities above and identify the group and type of food that your herbs belong to. Find out whether you would need to request a production permit from the Office of Food and Drug Administration or not. If yes, what kind of documents would be required?

275 Bibliography Dr. Kitti Poramattapol, M.D., Mr. Preecha Waipokha. B.E. 2550. Compilation of the Essence of Basic Life Skills :‚Health Education 2‛, 3rd Educational Level, Mathayom 2. Emphant Printing Co. Ltd. Dr. Kusumavadee Damkliang, M.D., Preecha Waipokha and associates. B.E. 2550. Compilation of the Essence of Basic Life Skills: Health Education 6‛, 4th Educational Level, Mathayom 6. Emphant Printing Co. Ltd. Dr. Kitti Poramattapol, M.D., Mr. Preecha Waipokha. B.E. 2550. Compilation of the Essence of the Basic Life Skills: ‚Health Education 3‛, 3rd Educational Level, Mathayom 3. Emphant Printing Co. Ltd. Vitoon Simachokedee. B.E. 2540. Safety Manual for New Employees. S. Asia Press Co. Ltd. Bangkok Metropolis. Readers Digest (Thailand) Co. Ltd. B.E. 2543. Knowledge about luck: How to avoid, take care and prevent bad luck. Bangkok Metropolis.

276 Working Group Advisors 1. Mr. Prasert Boonrueng ONIE Secretary General 2. Dr. Chaiyos Aim-Suwan ONIE Vice Secretary 3. Mr. Watcharin Jumpee ONIE Vice Secretary 4. Dr. Thongyou Kaewsaiha ONIE Curriculum Consultant 5. Ms. Rakhana Tanthawutto Director, ONIE Development Division Writers 1. Mr. Vivatchai Chantasukhon ONIE Development Division 2. Mr. Spachoke Srirattanasil ONIE Development Division 3. Miss Nuanphan Satravej Education Supervision Unit 4. Ms. Suprathana Yukhanant Bodindecha School (Singha Singhaseni) 5. Ms. Kanokphan Suwanpitak ONIE Development Division 6. Miss Yaowarat Khamtrong ONIE Development Division Editor and Developper 1. Miss Nuanphan Satravej Education Supervision Unit 2. Ms. Suprathana Yukhanant Bodindecha School (Singha Singhaseni) 3. Ms. Kanokphan Suwanpitak ONIE Development Division 4. Miss Yaowarat Khamtrong ONIE Development Division 5. Miss Sureeporn Charoennich Retired Official

277 6. Ms. Thanyawadee Laopanich Retired Official 7. Ms. Uachit Somchitchob Retired Official 8. Miss Chanida Chittham Retired Official 9. Miss Anong Chuanont ONIE, Bangkhen Work team 1. Mr. Suraphong Manmano ONIE Development Division 2. Mr. Supachoke Srirattanasil ONIE Development Division 3. Miss Wannaporn Pattamanond ONIE Development Division 4. Miss Sarinya Kulapradit ONIE Development Division 5. Miss Phetcharin Luengchitwattana ONIE Development Division Printer of the original version 1. Miss Piyawadee Kanesom ONIE Development Division 2. Miss Phetcharin Luengchitwattana ONIE Development Division 3. Miss Kornwan Kaweewongpipat ONIE Development Division 4. Miss Chalinee Thamthisa ONIE Development Division 5. Miss Alisara Baanchi ONIE Development Division Textbook cover designer Mr. Supachoke Srirattanasil ONIE Development Division