Pharmacies Books

This book was required for class but it gave a great overview of different health care policies in the US and abroad.

This book turned out to be worth more than I paid for. It's an easy read - and gives you fictional stories explaining the concepts behind health care issues and scenarios to help you put into perspective what the author is talking about. The stories are extremely helpful if you are a newbie to public health and health care issues. Should be one of the books you keep on the shelf to refer to from time to time. You cant go wrong with this book.

As another reviewer noted, this book starts from the premise that health care is a right. As a result of this perspective, the first several chapters feature "sob stories" on nearly every page detailing hypothetical examples of people who are put in a bad situation in our current system. Now, our current system is deeply flawed and any unbiased observer would concede this point, but it struck me as odd that the authors would commenti so heavily on the shortfalls of the American system, and so little on the shortfalls of "universal models" of the type they advocate (long waiting time for the majority of procedures, crowded emergency rooms, less use of advanced technologies, health care rationing, and many of the best doctors leaving the country).

In summary, this is a very well researched book and there is little if anything stated here that isn't true. There is, however, a great deal that is deemphasized or simply unsaid because it does not support the authors preconceived ideas of what an idea health care model ought to look like.

I got this book for a graduate class that I am taking. This book uses clear language when presenting the material and has many mini "case studies" for examples, which makes it easy to read. Though I am required to read this book, it is not the standard, wall-of-text, that I am use to reading.

Beware: This is an highly ideological text that starts with the assumption that health care is a right! It than goes on to say that in order to fulfill that right it is necessary to control the costs of health care. Obviously, cost control is a very problematic economic proposition that calls for state intervention and that sometimes has consequences that are the opposite of what is desired.
In the UK, where health care is a right, cost control has led to shortages, waiting lists and an overall degradation of health care. The UK, currently, has the highest mortality rates for oncological problems of all the EU countries and British people got used to flying to France and India for medical care. Canadians also have shortages and Canadians resort to the US.
Sometimes a "right" can easily turn into a "wrong"!

This is a great concise review of psychiatric disorders, their diagnosis according to the DSM IV and management options. This series has served me well in my core rotations in psychiatry. Especially, if you do not have much downtime and you need something quick to review, this is a great resource.

I would strongly recommend this seller. Item was delivered quickly and in great shape as described

After hearing several positive things about Blueprints Psychiatry, I decided to go to the store and buy it. Didn't want to work too hard, didn't want to look like a total moron. Then I picked it up, and I think I've seen bulkier books written by another doctor (Seuss, that is). But brevity isn't necessarily bad, so I checked it out at the library instead and read it in 3 days of semi-hard studying. Yeah... I think should've gone with the other book, Green Eggs and Ham.

The problem with Blueprints is that it largely rehashes DSM-IV guidelines. That's OK, and it's a big part of psych, but you can get that with the Current Clinical guidelines pocketbook. What I was really expecting/wanting was something that (1) had bits of annoying trivia pertinent to the exam (2) more information on psychoactive drugs (3) described in more detail patient presentations and (4) discussed how other medical diseases could present like psych disorders. Blueprints skims these issues.

I would buy First Aid for the Psych Clerkship instead. It's a quick read as well but provides more info. I had a good score on the psych shelf, and I think switching primary sources had a great deal to do with it. If you like the Blueprints series, just check it out or borrow it from a friend. Blueprints Q&A, though, is an excellent question resource.

not enough info for the shelf- very basic- some good charts- i mainly used pretest and platinum psychiatry vignettes to study- good for quick review

I am glad this book was not too long, could you really stand to read much more about this topic. Anyways, I found this book to be ok. It covered most topics and hit the highlights. There were definitely details that showed up on the shelf exam however that were not included in this book. For some reason, the psychiatry shelf exam is one of the tougher ones. I used this book in combination with a little pocket book called "Psychiatry: Current Clinical Strategies." That little book filled in details that this blueprints book skipped. Using the combination of the two books was adequate for the rotation and to do well on the shelf exam.

This book is sufficient for USMLE step 2, but I used other sources for to study for the boards, such as First Aid, Boards and Wards, and Prescription for the Boards.

This book is a collection of knowledge from doctors and herbal practicioners that provides the reader with information to help make informed decisions on whether to use medicine or herbal alternatives.

This book is layed out well and is easy to navigate and use.

There are profiles of herbal treatments including effectiveness, possible side effects, and typical dosage. There are the usual cautions also.

The types of herbs are categorized.

"The Herbal Drugstore" also offers the following:

Remedies by condition(ailment) listed with commonly used drugs and herbal alternatives.

Tips on buying herbs, growing herbs, making your own herbal products.

Exploring treatment options.

The Herb Profiles section offers a close-up look at common herbs showing alternate names, source, part used, forms available, uses, and cautions.

The Index at the end of the book is very helpful also.

I recommend keeping "The Herbal Drugstore" on hand as a valuable, convenient herbal guide. I would rate it on par with "The Green Pharmarcy".

I have read through this book once and I already like it. And now I will have another reference book to go to when illnesses come upon us. I used to work with pharmaceuticals and now I am very much interested in staying away from man-made drugs. Sometimes, when all else failse, I go to the doctor just to find out what is wrong. Then I go home and make my own herbal remedies.

It is easier to start using natural remedies before you start taking a lot of prescription drugs. There could be many side effects if you combine the two. For me there is no choice - I will always try to use the herbal choice. But it is great information for those who are weighing their options. As always, this book is not exhaustive. There are other books that are not as heavy in the medical terminology and that get down to the bottom line. But if you are taking other medications and want to add herbal remedies or would like to go completely over to the natural cures, this is a great book.

I have used this book for many years as it is the best source I have found to find alternative solutions to medical situations. It is extensive in its coverage and is the only resource I have found that tells both what medication would be prescribed by a doctor and what alternative can be used in its place. My copy is worn from usage and I have given a couple as gifts to friends.

I have other books on herbs but this book is very thorough. It is easy to use as a reference book for remedies to real health issues. My husband read an article in the newspaper and I found additional information in the Herbal Drugstore. He took the book along on his doctor's visit and our doctor prescribed Niaspan instead of a statin to lower his cholesterol. In future discussions with my doctors I will ask if we can rely less on medication and try a more natural method of controling my healh issues.

I had a bit of trouble rating this one; I was tempted to give it a three but ultimately was forced to decide on a 2. If Amazon offered a 2 1/2 choice, I would have used it.

Don't get me wrong - I didn't dislike this book. It had it's good points but the negatives couldn't allow me to give it a 3 as an average rating. For the positive side of things, this book is massive, pretty, well organized, and written in a simple to understand manner.

It's from the staff of Herbs for health, which includes many herbalists that are recommendable such as Christopher Hobbs. The main author of this book is Linda B. White, M.D., followed by Steven Foster. While I commend Ms. White for writing herbals and having an M.D. at the same time - we need more physicians taking alternate healing seriously - I felt the book was a bit too cautious and at time allopathic orientated.

Within every condition, there lay herbal recommendations....with prescription drug names and uses. In fact, drug names are listed first :( If this is a book on healing and herbs and natural remedies, why does it have to again share its pedestal? And even worse, be placed second when the book is supposed to be about it in the first place? If this Herbal Drugstore is supposed to be the options to prescriptions and over the counter drugs, then why list them so often in every section with details? At least their side effects are listed, which makes them appear a bit frightening in comparison. For those who really do want to know the name of each prescription drug used to treat asthma, angina, or any other condition, then here you'll find it.

Steven Foster was the co-writer for Tyler's honest herbal, which is an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Tyler's honest herbal remains one of the most hated books of the herbal profession, and for good reason. Fosters contribution there may also have been too cautious, although one isn't sure how much he really had to do with it. I am surprised someone who devotes so much time to herbs and even a magazine about them is so overly cautious, but that seems to be the current trend.

I did greatly appreciate some sections such as "How Herbs are Regulated" and common herb/drug interactions. The former is an interesting addition that's not seen enough, and was told honestly. There is a great simple reference guide at the beginning in a table where a condition is named, then commonly used drugs, then the herbal alternatives beside them.

The section on conditions is extensive enough and does offer more recommendations than herbs, as well as the occassional cool remedy/formula. Many of these seem like decent to good blends, particularly blister balm, Endometriosis Tea, and Swimmer's Ear Drops. Typical dosage is given for each herb, including teas or pills or tinctures, which is welcome.

The final half wraps up with very short comments on herbs, basically stating uses without complete sentences as a quick reference to herbs already covered elsewhere in the book. After these are the typical references and resources.

Overall this book is not bad but it's just so plain in terms of natural therapy. It's for the basic, basic lay person who only has a passing interest in herbal therapies. Here they're treated almost like little drugs beside other drugs, as alternatives, and no mention really on other herbal uses, as in holistic healing, etc. Diet is mentioned at times, and this is appreciated, but everything is so cautionary as seems to be found with these kinds of books lately.

Because of this, it can only be granted a low score. Not enough information per condition, with drugs listed FIRST, then herbs, and not much info on the herbs either. Too cautionary and medical minded to be a highly recommended herbal, but alright for the passerby who just wants to take a look.

Medicine Quest Review

Medicine Quest was an awesome book that taught me a lot, but was also very interesting. It was the kind of book you pick up dreading to read but then love it. It started out with a story about a medicine man who found a way to help diabetes. Then it went on it talked about different medicines such as penicillin which was produced from fungi, different pain killer from frogs and snakes and antibiotics from plants and even bugs. Overall I thought that it was an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone who is interesting in learning about medicine or even to someone who just wants to sit down with a good book.

Mark J Plotkin
Medicine Quest
In Search of Nature's Healing Secrets
New York: Penguin Group
$22.95 pp208

Main Points

· Some Poison for Your Pain- Poisonous reptiles and amphibians are knows to have venom that help kill pain for people. Some Scientist studied frogs and snakes and found a new treatment for pain, but a lot of what they found was to toxic for humans so their next task was to try to change the treatment to work. Venom have taught scientist a lot about the body and how medicines function in them.

· The Eternal Quest- Scientist used to think that humans were the only ones who used to use medicine but they were proved wrong after finding a Neanderthal with seven medical species of plants in a ring around his body. Scientist are now looking for answer from other animal to see what kinds of medicines and adaptations they can give us. Also past things are giving scientist clues, such as the discovery of the ice man, and finding myrrh which was an antibiotic used in the ancient world.

· The Fungus Among Us- Fungi is sometimes know to scientist as a "lower organism" but actually it is responsible for 5 of the top 30 medicines. Penicillin is the most well known medicine. It has saved millions of lives though out the world today. It was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when it grew in his petri dish. Then he couldn't figure out how it had grown and couldn't grow it again, but finally someone did. Fungi are known as one of the most ancient lives on earth.

· Drugs from Bugs- Many discoveries have been made from bugs that help with sicknesses. In native tribes they use ants to help with their arthritis pain, bedbugs are used for treating external wounds, beetles are used for the steroids in their glands and spiders not only contribute venom to this world but also other things like their ability to capture their prey. Bees wax from honeybees has been used for medical ointments, plasters and even suppositories.

· Hideous Healers- Scientist estimate that there are over 650 species of leeches all around the world. They have been used in ancient medicines for Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Indians and Chinese. They are used for therapeutic purposes, its saliva is used as a blood thinner that helped with clotting. Maggots are used for the treatment of bone infections and other deep wounds.
· The Snakes in the Caduceus- Snakes have served as fascination to some and fear to other human cultures. Snakes poison has been used as an agent for capital punishment, murder, suicide, torture and even welfare. Snakes medicine also dates back to the ancient times. Snake oil is the most antique term of snake medicine. Some of these oils were ineffective, some were poisonous, and some were addictive. Snakes best quality is its venom used for many medicines. Even though the venom varies form species to species they all serve a great purpose.

· Under the Sea- Scientist believe that over 80% of species will be found under sea due to the fact that 70% of this earth is covered in water and ocean. That give a great chance that the sea is a great place to look for medical advantages. Coral has been know to have a compound that helps with the cure/ treatment of cancer. Its compound is called eleutherobin and scientist have been having a hard time working with it because it is so hard to obtain. The lowly sponge provides us with great things, such as a cleaner to keep patients clean and so no bacteria is around, also it has shown to be a great treatment for leukemia.

· Plants of the Apes- When studying the apes scientist found that some of them have a specific diet with allows them to fight off the bacteria that causes diarrhea. Also from studying animals scientist have discovered that animals themselves give off a poison to their body which helps them fight off snake bites or get rid of diseases. The apes themselves are very picky eaters which helps with the medical research. They found that the reason the apes were being picky is because they plant they were eating actually acts as an antibiotic which mean that to much could be potentially deadly.

This book is a sort of sequel to "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice". In it Dr. Plotkin analyses the therapeutic potential of what the shamans know. We are in a race to learn about the creatures of the earth before they are exterminated by our modern world. These creatures can save our lives. We have learned so much, yet we know so little. The book is so well written that once you start, you can't put it down.

While Mark writes with a sense of humor, I prefered the story style of Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice.

Dr. Mark J. Plotkin's book, Medicine Quest (published in 2000 by Viking Penguin), tells about his research on medicine done all throughout the world. He travels in the North East Amazon rainforest for 15 to research new natural medicines; many times accompanied by native Shamans (tribes medicine men). Dr. Plotkin tells about many medicines used by native tribes that heal thing such as arthritis and why they should be investigated by pharmacologists (doctors studying natural medicines) in the U.S. There where many unknown animals, plants, micro-organisms, and venoms to the United States that could cure common illnesses if used properly.

Dr. Plotkin studied medicines of the Amazon's Shamans for 15 years to help American pharmacologists obtain new natural medicines to cure common illnesses and to help preserve the Amazon from being cut down. He collected venoms, plants, animals, bugs, and microorganisms to bring back to the United States to be researched. Some of the medicines used by the Shamans cure arthritis, heartburn, server pain, and high blood pressure. The catch is that some of the venoms contain toxins that are extremely dangerous to humans and can even kill, for example the poison arrow from has a toxin that can relieve pain but also has another toxin that paralyzes your heart and all other muscles in your body. So he is hoping that pharmacologists can extract that good toxins and use them as a non-addictive and non-side effect replacement for modern day medicines.

One of the first organisms that Mark discovers is a cone snail. "The snail shoots a poison-tipped harpoon into a fish's mouth, instantly killing the fish, which is then quickly devoured... 10 years ago a shell collector saw the shell of the cone snail and proceeded to collect the shell, he stuck it down the front of his pants because he didn't have a bag to put it in. He was later found dead" "A toxin within the poison initially known as MVIIB (now zi-conotide) attaches itself solely to a part of the spinal cord known as the dorsal horn, through which pass the nerve cells that convey pain signals from the body to the brain. MVIIB blocks that signal relieving the patient from pain." There Mark shows how one toxin within a poison can kill you and another can relieve your pain.

Another problem that occurs while trying to extract toxins from sea animals is the very little amount that one organism can make. "The anticancer compound ecteinascidin, from a sea squirt, offers promise as a treatment for melanoma and breast cancer. But a ton of these tiny creatures yields only a gram of the compound. One investigator began research on marine microorganisms forty years ago and needed to grow two thousand liters of the microbe to extract ten milligrams of the toxin being studied."

Dr. Plotkin's research is promising to be successful in helping people live through common day illnesses. I learned that there are many organisms that can help people and are so delicate. I evaluated it like that because people are just cutting down the rainforests and polluting the waters without thinking about the organisms that live there and can help people. I also found out that you can extract certain toxins to do certain tasks within one poison. I just always thought that if the whole poison would kill or harm you that the poison was useless to pharmacology.

Mark Plotkin's book has introduced me to how other organisms can help us. He also made me realize that many chemically made drugs can be replaced buy a natural toxin that is not addictive and has not side effects. And that in order for them to help us, that we need to stop destroying their habitats by not polluting water and cutting down rainforests.

... Medicine Quest was an awesome book that taught me a lot, but was also very interesting. It was the kind of book you pick up dreading to read but then love it. It started out with a story about a medicine man who found a way to help diabetes. Then it went on it talked about different medicines such as penicillin which was produced from fungi, different pain killer from frogs and snakes and antibiotics from plants and even bugs. Overall I thought that it was an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone who is interesting in learning about medicine or even to someone who just wants to sit down with a good book. In this review I will map out the main points and provide an evaluation so you can see whether you want to read this book or not.

Main Points

· Some Poison for Your Pain- Poisonous reptiles and amphibians are knows to have venom that help kill pain for people. Some Scientist studied frogs and snakes and found a new treatment for pain, but a lot of what they found was to toxic for humans so their next task was to try to change the treatment to work. Venom have taught scientist a lot about the body and how medicines function in them.

· The Eternal Quest- Scientist used to think that humans were the only ones who used to use medicine but they were proved wrong after finding a Neanderthal with seven medical species of plants in a ring around his body. Scientist are now looking for answer from other animal to see what kinds of medicines and adaptations they can give us. Also past things are giving scientist clues, such as the discovery of the ice man, and finding myrrh which was an antibiotic used in the ancient world.

· The Fungus Among Us- Fungi is sometimes know to scientist as a "lower organism" but actually it is responsible for 5 of the top 30 medicines. Penicillin is the most well known medicine. It has saved millions of lives though out the world today. It was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928 when it grew in his petri dish. Then he couldn't figure out how it had grown and couldn't grow it again, but finally someone did. Fungi are known as one of the most ancient lives on earth.

· Drugs from Bugs- Many discoveries have been made from bugs that help with sicknesses. In native tribes they use ants to help with their arthritis pain, bedbugs are used for treating external wounds, beetles are used for the steroids in their glands and spiders not only contribute venom to this world but also other things like their ability to capture their prey. Bees wax from honeybees has been used for medical ointments, plasters and even suppositories.

· Hideous Healers- Scientist estimate that there are over 650 species of leeches all around the world. They have been used in ancient medicines for Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Indians and Chinese. They are used for therapeutic purposes, its saliva is used as a blood thinner that helped with clotting. Maggots are used for the treatment of bone infections and other deep wounds.
· The Snakes in the Caduceus- Snakes have served as fascination to some and fear to other human cultures. Snakes poison has been used as an agent for capital punishment, murder, suicide, torture and even welfare. Snakes medicine also dates back to the ancient times. Snake oil is the most antique term of snake medicine. Some of these oils were ineffective, some were poisonous, and some were addictive. Snakes best quality is its venom used for many medicines. Even though the venom varies form species to species they all serve a great purpose.

· Under the Sea- Scientist believe that over 80% of species will be found under sea due to the fact that 70% of this earth is covered in water and ocean. That give a great chance that the sea is a great place to look for medical advantages. Coral has been know to have a compound that helps with the cure/ treatment of cancer. Its compound is called eleutherobin and scientist have been having a hard time working with it because it is so hard to obtain. The lowly sponge provides us with great things, such as a cleaner to keep patients clean and so no bacteria is around, also it has shown to be a great treatment for leukemia.

· Plants of the Apes- When studying the apes scientist found that some of them have a specific diet with allows them to fight off the bacteria that causes diarrhea. Also from studying animals scientist have discovered that animals themselves give off a poison to their body which helps them fight off snake bites or get rid of diseases. The apes themselves are very picky eaters which helps with the medical research. They found that the reason the apes were being picky is because they plant they were eating actually acts as an antibiotic which mean that to much could be potentially deadly.

This book taught me a lot about our world. It taught me that every creature and plant has a purpose for being here and a lot of their purpose is to help human life. I give this book 4 stars because anyone who reads this book will be amazed at all the different discoveries. Not only did the author do an excellent job at writing it but he made it interesting by adding little details that will astonish you.

I believe the author wrote this book for many reasons, one being to inform people about the uses, discoveries, and new about different medicines, also i believe he wanted to give credit to all the animals and other organisms out there who help us so much. I believe this book is intended more for the older readers or people who are really into the medical field. The point of this book is to help people better understand our world and so people can really appreciate what nature has done for us. This book is a pretty easy read, the chapters are sectioned off as stated above with different organisms being presented. This book is different in a way that is states the truth about things rather than really making a great story out of the whole book. It was a great book and I hope that everyone wants to read it.

Sorry i have not reviewed this book as it was a gift

Regards
Ken

This book runs down the most popular natural supplements for weightloss and tries to back up claims for each with results from various scientific studies. The most underwhleming part of this book is the way it tauts something on one page as causing lots of weightloss, and the next, you find out that after an 8 week trial, average weightloss was 3-6 pounds. Well wippity doo, you can get results like that from just cutting out 500 calories a day and exercising. The author is honest at least about when studies contradict each other and makes no absolutist claims about any of the supplements. Some of the supplements are quite expensive. I am trying several right now: Green tea extract, Hoodia, Cinnamon, and fiber. Only the fiber seems to have any appetite blunting effect. There is some good info here, just dont expect to find one thing that will magically make you lose weight. It wont be 1 or 2 tricks that leads to weightloss, but the combination of good food, moderate portions, exercise, and 10 or more tricks.

This book brings together many studies and, tells you which products work. How they work. And most importantly: How and when to use them. I ordered it for my mother, and after skimming through the first 2 chapters: I ordered 3 more copies to give to others that could use it.

if you want to lose weight this book is for you !!! I give it a 8 out of 10 !

When I eliminated sugars and flours from my diet 12 years ago, I experienced vast improvements in my health, but my asthma and migraines hung on. In carefully reading Dr. Preuss' book, I noticed that 5-HTP and CLA had the side-effect of addressing migraines and asthma. Following Dr. Preuss' well-researched advice, I am thrilled that these conditions are now abating. Dr. Preuss' work really shows that while pharmaceutical applications have horrendous side effects, fat-loss supplements have multiple beneficial side-effects. Thank you, Dr. Preuss.
Joan Ifland, author, "Sugars and Flours: How They Make Us Crazy, Sick and Fat"

Received and read this book about a week before I took the MPJE and did well on exam. The authors take the time to expand important points about what to expect. It is a very efficient way to review the material.

This is a GREAT review book that explains the laws in an easy-to-read format and provides many practice questions.

Very nice book,helped me pass the nightmare of an exam .The MPJE .So many thanks to the writer , it is a good book to read for any body who wants to get to know about the federal laws on pharmacy.

Very good. It tells you what is or isn't likely to be asked in the MPJE. It motivates you to pass the MPJE. Of course, you need study materials for your own state also.

Quick shipping, excellent condition, description was very accurate. I would definitely purchase from this seller again.

The PDR, published annually and continually updated, is *the* desk reference for any doctor who prescribes prescription medications. It contains detailed information on dosage, contraindictions, med interactions, all the things that the manufacturer's reps aren't likely to mention when selling your doctor on a featured drug.
Individuals who take several meds for comorbid chronic conditions will welcome information besides the little orange "May cause drowsiness" stickers on the med bottles, and with the available update service will keep and use the PDR for years to come.
Am I the only person who removes those stickers and places them on boring things at work?
Yours in healing...

Everybody shold own a copy of this reference book. I have had doctors write out a perscription for me that would be lethal or at best land me into the hospital because they are not up on pharmacology.They practice medical care whch often is one dimensional for a condition without taking into the other medications the patients are taking and are in too much of a hurry to monitor medications. I have had pharmacists fill perscriptions ,thinking their computers would red flag medications that should not be mixed, but the pharmacist cannot keep up with all of the medications, and their computers are not programmed to "red flag". I have had to ask for print outs and the doctors resent being called on if meds they ordered were dangerous with other medical conditions. So patients need to cross-reference the medications themselves.This book needs to be kept up to date and at a place of easy accessibility at home for every patient.Mistakes are made too easily and no one wants to take responsibility for the mistakes of pharmacists or physicians. Patients need to become knowledgeabe of every dangerous interaction with conditions they have, or other medications they are taking. The book is very large and bulky, but it has a tremendous amount of information contained in it. There is a section of generic name, as well as brand names. New medications come out every year and a patient needs to know more than the small print out the pharmacy supplies. It is easy for a doctor to use a laptop computer,list medical conditions and information, including medications a patient is on and cross reference. I have seen an excellent doctor do this to keep a patient well. Unfortunately, not many doctors either can be bothered or know how to do this, so patients have needed to monitor their medications and become knowledgeable or they take high risks leaving their trust in a person who has an MD after their name. They take for granted the title has endowments of high credibility. The PDR is essential for a patient to keep themselves out of harms way. Just as in any field some doctors are very good and some more interested in their day off at the golf course.As time goes on, patients have needed to seriosly question the quality of their doctor and the medications that he is perscribing. The patient needs a reference book to read all of the information of the medications, that their doctor has not paid attention to for good medicine. I prefer a doctor that earned a good reputation, not one that is "practicing" on me with medications he is not familar with that a pharmacudical reprsentative gave him samples of, so he orders whatever a salesman told him to order. Get this PDR and think things through before blindly trusting a doctor that has not even considered all of the interactions that could possibly prove fatal. Doctors who are "too busy" to bother are dangerous. Mrs Symmington

I like the Physician's Desk Reference because it contains a wealth of information. It's perfect for looking up drug interactions, uses, dosing and adverse effects among other things. This is a great reference tool.

This book is a invaluable reference. Buy it, and use it.

Although this information is very useful, it is manufacturers' self-reported data. It doe not necessarily post studies that are actually done on target populations - children for Ritalin for example. So you cannot rely upon the information as if it were done by objective third parties.

Nonetheless it is very useful to have. It is a shame that we don't have much objective information on drugs, particularly after so many recalls and recent problems with shaded data.

The Green Pharmacy is full of herbal info and basic facts regarding most popular herbs. I refer to it a lot and really felt it was a good investment. I'm new to herbs so I've learned a lot. I've started taking some additional supplements after discovering the health benefits available from herbs.

The book is great but I hate to have to type all of this new way of saying the product was good and service great. But having to go through all of this mess is too much!

sooo much information. subjects on everything. i have over thirty books on natural and alternative medicine and once in a while i get one that is so
thorough and easy to understand, thanks to james a duke.

I really like this book and have learned a lot from it. I recommend this book for anyone who deals with herbs.

So you're looking for an alternative to pill popping ? Now that's a change! I'm in awe of people who think it it's ok to take a pill to prevent something that they think is going to happen - for example, a friend mentioned that she needs to take a strong pain pill (I won't mention the name here) because she "may" get back pain. That's not what pills were made for. If you worry about the side effects of even the mildest drugs, then this book is for you. I hate taking any kind of medication, and am always on the lookout for alternatives to medication. Give me an herb or a fruit, or vegetable, and tell me to take that for a medical problem, and I'll happily give it a try!

I like this book because it's filled with information on various natural remedies. There's a reason God created these herbs and plants - for us or the animals to use them to cure ourselves. Sure, we can't cure everything, but this book certainly shows you how to "cure" or control many, many problems. I highly recommend it!

Another one I love is "Back to Eden" by Jethro Kloss.

This book contains a lot more organized information than other drug guides. It even contains information for the nursing process...such as nursing diagnoses, interventions, and such. Gives you direct needed information, not a lot of un needed nursing information. Great BOOK! I just graduated nursing school and wish I had this one the whole time. Our school required a different one that was not good at all!

Highly recommended!

I carry this drug book every time I work, very useful it is used often.

I am currently in nursing school. This is my second drug book. My first drug book is excellent. My problem with the first book was the medical terms. It sometimes came with a language that I could not understand. The Nursing 2008 Drug Handbook, broke the terms to a language I could understand. I hope this makes since. An easier read I should say. Thank You

Like the layout and content. Especialy like the CD which enables us to print out the information sheets.

As a dentist, I need to keep current on many drugs, drug interactions, drug properties, how drugs are dispensed, side-effects, mechanisms of action, and dosing instructions. Before I found this manual, I used the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference), and at about 8 pounds a copy, I found it cumbersome, hard to use, and the print was too small. The Nursing Drug Handbook is lightweight, can be tucked into a large coat pocket, or desk drawer, is easy to use, has all the vital information I need, and is relatively inexpensive.

The book is arranged by drug class, (antibiotics, anti-virals, anti-hypertensives, etc). I like this arrangement because it allows me to compare similar drugs in the same class. I also like the index in the back of the book that lists individual drugs alphabetically, so I can have instant access to a particular drug without paging through an entire section.

There is no other drug manual that has the complete information that this book has. There are cheaper manuals, but if you want more than just surface information on a drug, then this is the volume to purchase.

Most highly recommended.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

Great customer service. Received book in no time. Material more thorough than other prep books I used so far. Recommend it for anyone taking the Pharm Tech exam.

This was the first book I began to study with. I'm not sure I'd recommend this to use as your very first study guide but I would definitely say put in the money to add this to your aresenal.

The book is in what can be described as an outline form.

Ex:
Drug category
Expliantion/Defenition of category
Drug name Generic Dose/administration

Key terms and definitions

I have just recently passed my technician exam. I found this book very helpful. 500 practice questions give you an idea what type of questions you will face in the actual examination. The content of the book is very easy to understand. Pharmacy law portion also well cover. Must buy to pass the exam...

I used this review guide for preparation of PTCE exam. 500 questions with complete explanation helped me lot in passing PTCB exam. The questions are carbon copy of what I saw in exams. Its looks like author knows what students going to face in the exam. 125 questions practice test similar questions which I found in my exam. I think every student preparing for technician exam must check out this reference guide. Every penny spends on this review guide is wise.

While every pharmacy tech should read and know the information presented in this book, it is not a very good study guide for the PTCE. The PTCE consists mainly of math calculations and conversions, pharmacy law and procedures, and basic drug knowledge(Controlled drugs especially). This book is too informative for its own good. It has 41 different drug classes w/ the generic and brand name drugs and their side effects. It barely touches on pharmacy law and math calculations, and doesn't mention pharmacy procedure at all. If you have worked in a pharmacy and know law and procedure and do not need help with any basic math conversions than this is a nice, comprehensive review, but as far as helping you pass the PTCE, this is not the book for most people.