Customer Reviews

PDR for Nonprescription Drugs, Dietary Supplements, and Herbs, 2008 (Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) for Nonprescription Drugs and Dietary Supplements)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a Medical Transcription student who is building up her reference collection. As a former librarian, I have always used the PDR for any drug reference questions I had. Complete with a Manufacturers' Index, Product Name Index, Product Catagory Index, Active Ingredients Index and Companion Drug Index, it allows the user to easily find needed information about any OTC drugs they may take or want to try. It also contains a Product Identification Guide with full-color illustrations, non-prescription drug information, dietary, herbal supplement and generic drug information and product comparison tables that let the user compare the active ingredients and dosages of common brand-name OTC drugs. This is a valuable resource for anyone in the medical field and for those who want to have more information they can discuss with their physician. Remember to always discuss any drug with your physician before using any supplements or OTC drugs; especially if you are on prescription medication. Drug interactions can sometimes be fatal when mixed.

This book fails to discuss many herbals commonly used by complementary physicians and discusses many obscure herbals, seldom used in the United States, which would be difficult to find, even in the largest health food stores.

It does contain excellent information describing many little known uses of ginkgo, garlic, berberine and other popular herbals, while containing almost no information concerning many other commonly used herbals.

The Editors need to survey sales of herbals in the United States and re-examine which herbals they discuss, in this book.

I believe most practitioners and laymen would prefer more detailed information concerning the 100 most popular herbals in the United States, not information about 200 herbs which probably do not comprise over 2 percent of herbal purchases, nationwide. Of course, my figures are estimates. Perhaps these obscure herbals are popular in China.

Physicians need to be able to check side effects and interactions of herbals patients actually use.

Information on weight loss herbals appears to be lacking, and weight loss herbals would obviously be a popular topic. Detailed discussions of Irvingia, Hoodia, Cambogia Garcinia, Banaba and Gymnema Sylvestre should be provided. Some Hoodia studies were discussed and referenced, but Banaba is not mentioned, nor is corosolic acid.

Dosages and extracts actually used are also ignored. Examples include deglycrrizinated licorice, DGL, and 85 % 3 N butylphthalide celery seed extracts.

The contents list appears very dated.

I recommend the German Commission E Monographs, as a first reference, since it discusses herbals which are actually being used, in Europe and the United States.

Steven Sponaugle

I was looking for something else. This is more like a "who makes it" rather than what's it for.

The book is great, If you want to learn what are Transfer Factors, see page 689.

A must for your library information.