Pharmacy Books

many thanks for your that effort , the book is good and come to me so fast

This review is specifically meant to refer to the latest edition (5th ed.) of this book. The earlier editions were quite good, but the 5th edition completely misses the mark. Ordinarily, one would think that a book such as this would get better and better with each new edition. Not so with this book. For some reason, the 5th edition is loaded with mistakes.....many of these appear to be typesetting errors (e.g., atoms in the wrong place, pentavalent carbons, nonsense intermediates within reaction pathways, etc.). It is terribly disappointing. I do not know what happened at the publisher this time, but, in good conscience, they really should not have released this book the way it is. It does not appear to have been the authors' fault, but rather it was likely the fault of Springer (the publisher). This looks like an example of the mindless side of capitalism....large publishing companies who have already taken over much of their competition also have ridiculous deadlines to meet quarterly earnings goals, so they rush through the publication process and end up turning out garbage. The only way that these companies ultimately avoid getting into a heap of trouble with the FTC or other consumer advocate agencies is by issuing online addendums filled with corrections to the myriad of errors. Ask yourselves, is that why you want to buy a new book..... so that you have to download a 50-page corrections addendum to fix all of the errors that the publisher missed or opted not to correct in the first place? This sort of thing is happening more and more these days in the publishing industry, even with software. And the larger and larger these publishing companies become, the more we see it. I recommend that you DO NOT BUY the 5th edition of this book; it should have been recalled by the publisher, and everyone who bought it should have received a refund. However, if you really want to buy Carey and Sundberg's book, then buy the 4th edition used; you will be much happier. Apparently, Springer scaled back on qualified staff and/or hired a bunch of publishing flunkies sometime between the release of the 4th and 5th editions of this book.

This is probably the most comprehensive text book available for Organic Chemistry, Develops largely on the Part A of the book. So for a complete understanding you need to possess the Part A of the book. Largely covers the topic of Synthesis and Reactions which is an important part of the Graduate education in Organic Chemistry. Earlier editions of the book cover the same material and are almost as good as this one but each topic in this edition builds up with a different approach of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry.
The references provided in each chapter ensure the complete and total understanding of the subject and help in the student in research.
Overall a great book for the Graduate student in Organic Chemistry.

This book is not for introductory organic students. It is a condensed review with some explanation for a huge number of synthetically useful organic reactions. It explains exactly what it needs to, with diagrams when necessary. This book has been extremely useful in my graduate level organic classes.

This fourth edition has no big difference with the new fifth release. However, the price is only half. That is a good purchase for me.

I bought this book for my first semester of nursing classes. I haven't started my classes yet, but I have been working my way through the book ahead of time. It is very easy to read and understand. Step-by-step instructions are concise along with examples. Many examples for you to complete yourself with answers to check your work. Summary tests at the end of each chapter are great too. I am not worried about understanding the concepts in this book once my class starts. I feel very prepared for my class.

Okay, so not everyone agrees how much fun a testbook can be. This book was pretty straightforward in explanation. Great examples, and plenty of practice.

The book was as described by seller. It is exactly what I needed and sold at a good price. Shipping was equally very fast.

This book was well-used with markings all over it, but I guess you take what you can get for the cheap price. It still works out great!

I purchased this book in order to get ahead in an upcoming pharm class. I had no idea that it would be so difficult to put it down. The authors of the book make it fun to learn the concepts by putting them in everyday terms. When I finish a chapter, I can't wait to begin the next one. Additionally, this is the first time the SI has made sense to me.

salam! this product is brilliant and exciting.. but not for every body..why?? becuase it is good as a review or revision not to start studying all over from the zero.becoz it remindÓ u with stuff u know but with other aspects.
in general the voice is rather clear and it is not boring at all exactly with the biology sections. all u need is to relax and listen for some days and take organs digrams and concentrate with the lesson for other days and revise ur informations for the last days. eventually, the test on the cd is cool though it has some disadvantages.. whenever u answer incorrectly the programe doesnot tell u which question is incorrect and what is the correct answer.
finally, i advise u to buy it as a revision and beside a text book with answerd qs. with details.

I thought these taps would be an easy way out. But how is hearing a guy ramble off facts about biology and chem going to help you do the math, chem, and vocab problems. These tapes did not help me at all. If you struggle with Biology this tapes would be great but otherwise they are no help. ...

These disks will help you greatly if you are a person who has a decent understanding of the material, but needs a review of the important stuff. The biology section is particularly helpful, since much of the biology tested is learned through memorization. The chemistry parts are also helpful, but you have to keep in mind that most people will need other references to help with the visual aspects of the subjects.

All you need for the PCAT are these disks and a book that reviews these subjects to use a reference/supplementation. I used Audiolearn and older Kaplan MCAT review books and did pretty well: 99% composite, or a score of 472 when you add up the 5 sections. I listened to these disks whenever I was driving, and only referenced the books for test questions and to look up specific questions that I had. I found that listening to the material was much more efficient than reading the stuff myself, especially since it's not wise to read while driving.

I used these CDs to help me review for the November and January PCAT. As others have said the biology section is the most valuable. The chemistry is less so but that's the nature of the test. Hearing someone define concepts in chemistry isn't going to help you on the test except as a way to refresh your memory of things you might have forgotten. In addition to the CDs, I used the Kaplan Online review course. They didn't have a classroom session in my area. The Kaplan Review was worth it's weight in gold. Other review books will just list the subjects that are on the test. The kaplan material is like a text book with online classroom sessions and quizzes. The CDs are an excellent supplement to your other review materials if you'll use them. I only listened to them in my car. I don't think they would be as effective listening at home. They wouldn't be able to keep my attention as well. I got in the 92nd precentile on the January test.

Preparing for the PCAT can be a daunting task. These tapes can really take the edge off of the stress brought on by Pharmcas, the PCAT, and your grades. I just simply listen to them in my car, while jogging, or while trying to fall asleep, and I feel as though I studied. The only draw back, as far as I can tell, is that they do not tell you how to take the PCAT. What I mean is that they don't offer any problem solving advice. The tapes are strictly an informational review, and I still would study with other materials as well. It may take a couple sessions with each tape to grab up all of the information, but they are worth it!

I had seen at least four other books and this one is by far the best thing you will find out there. The 5 practice exams are just genious. Great book.

I just passed the exam using this book. It is a refresher but very cut and dry. There is not a bunch of extra info you will not need. The practice exams are helpful too. Some question were on the test! I had been looking at another book but pitched it after finding this one. THERE ARE SOME MISTAKES IN EDITING OF THIS BOOK. You still have to study alot but it will help for passing the test, especially if you are in a retail setting with no clinical setting experience. Hope this helps.

I purchased this review book with the understanding that it was written and edited by professionals. I am into the second practice test and I have found several errors. ONE IS CRITICAL. I will write another review when I have finished all the practice tests (there are 5), and update any further discrepencies.

At this point I would NOT recommend this book to anyone studying for the PTCB for the first time.

Although I have been a pharmacy technician for 9 years, I purchased this book to study for the national certification exam which I had never taken. I found this book to be extremely thorough and it included a lot of valuable information for pharmacy technicians. The book is especially useful to gain knowledge of pharmacy practices and technician duties pertaining to hospital settings. I took the national exam in November and I feel confident that I did very well because I used this book to study. I especially liked the fact that this book had several practice exams, not just one like many of the other review books do.

I took the PTCB exam on September 17, 2005 in Chicago. I currently work at CVS Pharmacy and ONLY used Noah Reifman's book to prepare for the exam. I passed the exam easily and earned my "CPhT" designation using this text. It's well-written and easy to read. The several sample exams are exactly what you will find on the exam itself. I prepped for less than a week using this text and am glad it was recommended to me.

This text makes self-studying simple.

I am using some of the facts in this book for my novel writing. Thank you Katherine Eban for writing this book

This is an outstanding book every American should read. This book was recommended to me by a Vice President of a large mail order pharmacy corporation. I am the Assistant Vice President for Supply Chain Pharmacy Operations of a large healthcare system. As such I am responsible for making our Supply Chain Pharmacy Operations more safe and efficient. This book has been an eye opener for me. I have already quoted it several times in meetings and on conference calls. We all need to be engaged in making our healthcare supply chain as safe and efficient as possible. This is a non-fiction book, but it reads like a fiction one because its so unbelievable. It could very easily be made into a movie and be very successful in that media.

While the FDA and drug companies rail about the potential dangers of imported drugs, they ignore or downplay reports about adulterated, counterfeit drugs from within the U.S., and fight efforts to improve the reliability of the system. Meanwhile, law-enforcement efforts to correct the problem are frequently blocked by political intervention for donors, legal threats, a patch-work of varying State laws, fraudulent paperwork, regulators giving drug wholesaling licenses to known criminals, and inter-departmental squabbling over who's in charge or gets the credit.

Sources of problem drugs include theft from warehouses, trucks, and hospitals, diversion from lower-priced markets (eg. foreign sales), purchase from Medicaid recipients, relabeling vials containing weak doses with fraudulent labels claiming much stronger contents, and pills made from worthless ingredients.

The book also summarizes the serious impact in two instances of seriously ill patients receiving adulterated drugs.

This is a well researched book (really well) and uses easy to understand language. It was a bit confusing to me in the beginning since he used some flashback type story telling. I was hoping to pull some powerful statistics out of this book, but was only to get some weak ones. This a a great book to have if you like having evidence that the U.S. Government is no saviour.

As a Professional working in the Pharmaceutical business and living in the State of Florida, I can identify very well with the contents of this book.A great deal of bureaucratic barriers are set causing obstacles to efficiently operate our Pharmaceuticals within State Law.The Investigators listed in this book were committed, determined, tireless and underpaid servants of the State, that worked in a system that was largely unappreciative and at times seen unorganized.Dangerous Doses is a very scary and real story about the importance of regulating and overseeing the buying and selling of drugs.I highly recommend this book, because of its informative and real look into the world of counterfeit drugs. Remember this effects us in one way or another.

The book was brand new and at a great price. It arrived promptly in perfect packaging.

Helps make material taught in class solid. Also has nutrtitional information, and OTC drug information in interacting diseases.

Each copy of the book comes with a eBook download code that allows the book owner to download an electronic copy of the book. The eBook version of the book is a special pdf file that can only be viewed on the computer that downloaded the eBook. The pdf file may be copied to another computer but the file will not be viewable on the other computer due to digital rights management features built into the file. Also, there is a 10 page/day print limit on the file. So if you want to avoid carrying the 3 inch thick book around, you had better download the eBook version to a laptop.

One of the most useful and logical texts on pharmacotherapy available. Explaining the disease process then introducing the drugs gives the reader a structure with which to approach the details of drug therapy and allows extension into structurally-similar drugs that may not be covered.

I didn't have this book during my P3 (3rd year of PharmD school) year; we used the text by Kradjan that had a patient-based format. DePiro's more traditional format makes it easier to find info quickly. The downloadable format of this text (which comes with the book) makes it even faster to find info. A downside would be books like these are out-of-date as soon as they're published, but I've been using the DePiro just fine for my P4 clerkships and plan to use Kradjan's as a doorstop. (I'm not really a kid)

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.

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.

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 probably the best single text I have read on healthcare policy issues in the USA. The books addresses every relevant aspect of our system. Unlike other excellent books, such as Dr. Arnold Relman's book, A Second Opinion, which analyzes the system, then makes recommendations on how to reform it, the authors here mainly explicate. The format of the book includes brief, usually fictitious, vignettes about physicians, patients or administrators that illustrate the points the authors present. That format - combined with the simply-presented, clear narrative and analysis - works very well. I also find the references to be excellent. Aside from Dr. Relman's book, I recommend any of the books by Prof. Victor Fuchs, in particular Who Shall Live?, books by Prof. Theodore Marmor and the classic by Prof. Paul Starr, The Social Transformation of American Medicine. There are many other excellent books and articles by a wide range of insightful analysts. These kinds of books are invaluable for understanding the issues in healthcare. So much of the information that filters through to the average person via news reports, propaganda issued by parties with vested interests to protect and superficial proposals from polticians is inaccurate and misleading, usually grossly so. Reading a book such as this goes a very long way towards cutting through that clutter regardless of one's personal experiences and prejudices.

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 like the way this book lists herbal remedies side by side with conventional medical treatments. It's useful to see your options laid out like that. I like the organization. It's easy to find what you need. I also like that one of the authors has an M.D. it's encouraging to see that a traditionally trained doctor sees the value of phytomedicinals. The book is organized by health problems. Under each heading, there is a listing of herbal as well as conventional remedies, as well as a paragraph describing how each remedy works. This method of organization makes much more sense than listing herbs alphabetically, especially for someone who's in a hurry to find something. I only just received the book from amazon.com, but I can already foresee that I will use it often. I only wish they had made the book bigger and printed it on nicer paper. Oh well...you can't have everything, I guess.

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"