A concise, well-organized review of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and how they may interact. You are lucky if your health care provider knows half of what is in this book. If you are taking medication for a chronic condition, this is a must-buy.

Everyone should own this book! Speaking as a pharmacist...I believe this is one of the best reference books available!

The example of a man who consumed a six-pack of diet cola and his arthritis improved by the end of the football game he was watching is hard to believe. I was sick for years from consuming only a small amount of diet cola or NutraSweet in such things as Crystal Lite. When I drank the entire can of a 12 oz can of Diet Coke instead of the usual small amount, I became so ill immediately that I had to see a doctor right away.

If you take any herbal supplements, this might just be a good book to have as a reference. Did you know that taking St. John's wort and antidepressants can cause excess serotonin to be produced resulting in severe agitation, nausea, confusion and possibly even a heart attack? Well, according to a list of drugs that don't mix, that could happen.

The authors suggest you read this book before taking any medications (prescriptions and OTC drugs). You might also want to ask your doctor if there is any medication you should not take with any new prescription drug he gives you. Most pharmacies will give you a list, but more often than not, there is no information on herbal medications or reactions.

Kava Kava can cause sedation if taken with Xanaz or Valium. Xanax and Valium also should never be taken with alcohol or it will cause extreme sedation.

Ginkgo biloba can cause excessive bleeding if taken with Coumadin or Aspirin. Ginseng can increase the potency of estrogen. Echinacea should not be taken with Ketoconazole or methotrexate for more than eight weeks or it will cause liver damage.

If Antibiotics are taken with milk or other dairy products, it may not be fully absorbed and cause the infection to persist.

A great book to help you see what you can and can't take together. Hopefully you will just take Herbs. They usually have less side effects, but you do have to read up about them.

After checking out the Graedon's book, we stocked up on a few items as we headed out of town for a weekend camping trip. One of their recommendations is Alka-Seltzer for bee stings. (We had never heard of this!) When one of our daughters was unfortunate enough to cross paths with a bee while identifying wild flowers, we popped a wet Alka-Seltzer on the site of the sting. She was skeptical, but the pain and swelling was completely gone in a few minutes. We won't go anywhere without Alka-Seltzer this summer and a few of the other home remedies they recommend. Excellent! Everybody needs a copy in their home library.

I am Diabetic and take Insulin and was taking Rezulin, which were not even listed in book. I also take Immodium AD and Lomotil for bowel problems and these were also omitted. A drug prescribed for sleep - Visteril - was also not listed. Since I also take Prozac, Lasix and was taking Prinivil, information about these drugs was in the book and was helpful. The layout and presentation were better than most in conveying the results of the drug interactions.

Perhaps one of the most enlightening books I have read this year is this one. Writen by the authors of the multi-million copy seller The People's Pharmacy, this book goes into great details about not only drug-drug reactions, but contains charts, case studies and information about what foods, vitamins and minerals can cause deadly interactions in people. Reading this book not only gave me a renewed horror for the power of the drugs our society has created (prescription AND non-prescription can be just as deadly) but also a renewed respect for these drugs. In this book you find that foods as simple as oatmeal can cause death if you are taking certain drugs, and that a page long list of foods could be fatal to anyone taking MAO inhibitors. Herbs are not mentioned except for licorice, but there is enough information given (in a chart as well) about what vitamins, minerals and other factors effect the medication, that if you had access to information on the content of your herbs (many books will tell you the nutrient content of herbs) then you could cross-reference quite efficiently. If you are taking any medication -prescription or non and are also consuming any food, vitamins, or herbs you MUST read this book. This book review is in the JAN 1999 issue of Herb'n Home newsletter. The editor of the newsletter , Kristie Burns, did an article on combining drugs with herbs and found this book an invaluable reference.