The A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions: How to Improve Your Health and Avoid Problems When Using Common Medications and Natural Supplements Together

By Forrest Batz, Schuyler W. Lininger J.R. D.C., Steve Austin N.D.

Book Overview

If you're either taking, or thinking of taking, vitamins or herbs along with your prescription and non-prescription medications, then you and your family must have this book! Millions of people, just like you, use both without knowing that some combinations are beneficial while some can be downright dangerous. Based on the information fromHealthnotes Onlinedatabase,theA-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactionsis written by a highly respected team of natural medicine experts --medical doctors, naturopathic physicians, and pharmacists-who have created a natural health information resource that is both comprehensive and user-friendly. TheA-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactionshelps you learn which drugs can deplete your body's essential nutrients; which supplements can help your prescriptions work better, or reduce drug side effects; and which herbs and drugs should never be taken together. Did you know that: ?Along with bad bacteria, antibiotics kill good bacteria that need to be replenished? ?Birth control pills deplete the body's stores of folic acid? ?Asian ginseng may help your flu vaccine work better? ?Ginkgo can help reduce Prozac-induced sexual dysfunction? ?Vitamin K can destroy the drug action of Warfarin?? "TheA-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactionsis presented in a very clear and concise manner-making it accessible to both health professionals and consumers. It is an indispensable resource for people who take medications, as well as those who prescribe or dispense them-and it's especially useful for anyone concerned about nutrition and herbal therapies. It will be an essential resource on my bookshelf."-Joe Graden, MS, AuthorThe Peoples' Pharmacy "This comprehensive review of drug-nutrient interactions-by far the most exhaustive of its kind-is an invaluable tool for all consumers and professionals, integrating the worlds of conventional and alternative medicine."-Julian Whitaker, MD, Editor, Health & Healingnewsletter "The use of this excellent book can do so much to improve a person's general health and knowledge. Putting into practice the easy-to-use information in this book can help avoid many potential problems and can greatly increase good health and well-being."-James M. Brodsky, RPh, Instructor, University of Southern California College of Pharmacy Recommended by the Today Show.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761515992
• ISBN13: 9780761515999
• Release Date: November 1999
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (CA)
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 2.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.5" x 10.9"

Customer Reviews

Each Family should have this book.

There are many interactions between medicines, medicines & herbs, and herbs. Even doctors are not aware of them all. A responsible person should be aware. All families should have this book, or one like it, if there are any medicines, supplements, herbs, or vitamins being taken in the home. Examples: St. John's Wort-the sun should be avoided. Valerian should not be taken with pharmaceuticals for the depression, sleep, or nervous conditions.

Essential reference book

The "A-Z" Guide is an essential reference book for anyone who take supplements (vitamins, minerals, or herbs) and also takes medication of any kind--whether over-the-counter or prescription. This is a comprehensive and very easy-to-use reference guide. You can look up either the medicine or the supplement and found out whether there are any known interactions--positive or negative. Sometimes the Guide recommends supplements to take along with the medication because the drug either depletes a nutrient (e.g. Lipitor and Coenzyme Q10) or reduces a drug's side effects (e.g. Zoloft and Ginkgo). At other times you shouldn't take the drug and the supplement together because. Thousands and thousands of well-referenced interactions are included in this valuable book. NOTE: Some of the earlier reviews of this book refer to the first edition. They cite some legitimate concerns--which appear to have been remedied in the 2nd Edition.

Be safe with supplements

I purchased this book as I have fibromyalgia and wanted to try some alternative therapies, and ensure their safety with my prescription medications. I feel that it is an excellent guide for that, and actually is quite useful as a simplified prescription medication guide. It is easy to use, easy to understand, and does a great job of listing and describing medication/herbal/vitamin/supplement interactions. I purchased one for my parents, and my sister purchased one as well. Very useful book if you take any medications and any other type of supplement. Includes just about every medication available, with the exception of those released after its publication.

A Book for Today's Health Consumer

The authors of this book have made a significant contribution to the resources available for today's health consumer. By providing this current, well-organized and useful "guide" they are helping those of us trying to protect or improve our own health, and those of us facilitating others in doing that, tremendously! Their research is thorough and and unbiased - I highly recommend it.

A "Must Have" Reference for Patients and Doctors.

The editors and authors of this HealthNotes publication have presented the most up-to-date information in an easy to read format without compromising scientific judgement. In the information world of alternative medicine, it is all to easy for conventional medical texts to react out of fear by recommending "extreme caution" for just about any prescription or possible nutrient/herbal interaction. "The A-Z Guide..." does a tremendous job of integrating insights of physicians form several different disciplines (the book is written by an MD, ND, and DC, et. al.), which provides the reader with a diverse and thorough scientific review of known and suspected interactions. I have personally found this book extremely helpful in the waiting room and on my desk as a quick refernce.