Prescription or Poison?
eBook - ePub

Prescription or Poison?

The Benefits and Dangers of Herbal Remedies

  1. 336 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Prescription or Poison?

The Benefits and Dangers of Herbal Remedies

About this book

From echinacea to ayurvedics, this book explains how toxic these remedies are alone or in combination with other widely prescribed drug treatments. For example, one should avoid most herbal remedies when pregnant because of pesticides and preservatives required in growth and storage of the herbs; a widely used herbal antidepressant called kava does damage to the liver; most ayurvedic medicines contain unacceptable levels of lead and other heavy metals; St. John's Wort is not recommended if you are taking a medication for any chronic medical condition. Dr. Dasgupta explains in simple, engaging prose what drug interactions are and why they are dangerous. Most educated people see herbal remedies as "natural" and therefore "safe." Dr. Dasgupta tells us that one of his first pharmacology professors taught him that "medicine" is just another word for "poison" and should be treated with the same respect. He will present a balanced account of efficacy and safety of herbal medicines with discussion on potentially unsafe and toxic remedies. This book will be written in layman's language for the consumer health market but will be based on solid medical research and published reports in the medical literature.

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Yes, you can access Prescription or Poison? by Amitava Dasgupta in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Medicine & Alternative & Complementary Medicine. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Dedication
  3. Preface
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. CHAPTER 1 - Complementary and Alternative Medicines: Who Uses Them?
  6. CHAPTER 2 - Some Relatively Safe and Effective Herbal Supplements
  7. CHAPTER 3 - Essential Oils and Fish-Oil Supplements: How Effective Are They?
  8. CHAPTER 4 - Herbal Supplements That May Boost Your Immune System
  9. CHAPTER 5 - Homeopathic Remedies: Relatively Safe Alternative Medicine
  10. CHAPTER 6 - Vitamins and Minerals
  11. CHAPTER 7 - Moderately Toxic Herbal Remedies That May Cause Organ Damage
  12. CHAPTER 8 - Severely Toxic Herbal Remedies That May Even Cause Death
  13. CHAPTER 9 - How Herbal Remedies Interact with Your Medicines
  14. CHAPTER 10 - Food, Alcohol, Fruit Juices, Smoking — and Your Meds
  15. CHAPTER 11 - Herbal Supplements, Alternative Therapies, and Women’s Health
  16. CHAPTER 12 - How Herbal Remedies May Affect Laboratory Test Results
  17. CHAPTER 13 - Herbal Remedies That Are Misidentified or Contaminated with Heavy ...
  18. CHAPTER 14 - An Introduction to Ayurvedic Medicine
  19. Appendix A: - Generic and Trade Names of Drugs Discussed in This Book
  20. Appendix B: - Herbal Supplements You Should Avoid Because They Are Potentially Toxic
  21. Notes
  22. Glossary
  23. Further Reading
  24. Index
  25. Copyright Page