Prescription Alternatives : Hundreds of Safe, Natural, Prescription-Free Remedies to Restore & Maintain Your Health (Paperback)

by Earl Mindell (Author), Virginia Hopkins (Author) "WHAT DO YOU WANT when you go to an M.D.?..." (more)
Key Phrases: drug information insert, taking these types, drug treadmill, North America, South Pacific, Warner Books (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Each year, 140,000 Americans die from the adverse effects of prescription drug use, and 938,000 Americans are "injured" due to prescription and dispensing errors. Eleven million people are abusing prescription drugs. Drug companies are forming "alliances" with HMOs to control the drugs you take, often at the expense of simpler, cheaper, and healthier lifestyle changes. No wonder alternative-medicine crusader Earl Mindell, author of Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible and Earl Mindell's Herb Bible, wants you to inform yourself and take control of your treatment. "Physicians ... are trained to diagnose a disease and find a pill to treat it with," he says. It's up to us, the patients, to investigate the potential side effects of our prescription drugs and alternatives to taking them.

Prescription Alternatives is a layperson's crash course in prescription drugs and alternative treatments, such as dietary changes and nutritional supplements. Mindell covers drug interactions, how to read labels and inserts, and how to avoid abuse. He discusses prescription drugs and alternative treatments in detail for heart disease, digestive diseases, respiratory illnesses, pain relief, infections, sleep disorders, depression, diabetes, eye diseases, prostate enlargement, hormone replacement, osteoporosis, and herpes. This is information you won't get from your HMO--and in this case, what you don't know can hurt you. --Joan Price --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
"Earl L. Mindell draws on his encyclopedic knowledge of pharmacology, nutrition, and natural healing to present a comprehensive survey of more than 1,000 simple, safe, nature-based remedies."--BOOK JACKET. "In this updated and expanded second edition of his authoritative guide, Dr. Mindell shows that you can solve your health problems without using drugs and teaches you how to monitor your body as you switch from drugs to natural health."--BOOK JACKET.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies; 3rd edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879839899
• ISBN-13: 978-0879839895
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #692,440 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #72 in

  Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prescription Alternatives, Second Edition, November 28, 2002

By	Cassandra Barnes "Cassandra" (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Purchasing Prescription Alternatives, Second Edition, by Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D. and Virginia Hopkins, M.A., may just be the best investment you can make in your health.
Drug companies spend more than a billion dollars each year on advertising. They sponsor talks in medical schools, providing free meals and medical supplies to students. They also fund most of the medical research going on today and keep doctors' offices supplied with "free" samples. Between drug companies and the pressures put doctors by HMO's, it's no wonder that most people who go to see a doctor walk away with a prescription to be filled.
Sometimes those prescriptions are essential, particularly in the cases of sudden, acute illnesses. But often they do more harm than good. Mindell and Hopkins's goal is to "teach you how to be a knowledgeable and conservative drug user, who knows how to ask the right questions and get the necessary information to stay healthy."
They explain that nearly one million people are "injured" by drugs every year, and "at least 11 million people are abusing prescription drugs." They caution that having FDA approval doesn't mean a drug is safe, reminding readers that "those FDA-approved drugs are killing at least 140,000 people a year, just in hospitals."
The bulk of the book is a detailed listing of hundreds of drugs prescribed every day, including those for heart disease, digestive disorders, asthma and allergies, pain relief, diabetes, insomnia, prostate problems, osteoporosis, eye diseases, and herpes. They also include antibiotics, antifungals, and synthetic hormones.
Mindell and Hopkins start with a description of the disease or ailment and its causes and effects on the body. They then explain how it could be prevented in the first place, making their book useful also for people who are currently healthy. Following that is a list of the drugs that can be prescribed, using both the brand names and generic names. An explanation of how each drug works in the body comes next, along with information on side effects. They then discuss all the interactions each drug has with other drugs, with nutritional supplements, and food. Lastly, they provide information on natural alternatives.
"You absolutely cannot count on the FDA, the drug company, your physician or your pharmacist to keep you safe from dangerous drugs and their interactions," say Mindell and Hopkins. Prescription Alternatives will give readers all the information they need to make wise choices about which, if any, drug is best for them, as well as helping them avoid the adverse consequences that can result from simple human error in obtaining and using prescription drugs.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Absolute Must For Every Home! I give it 10 stars!, January 31, 2001

By	Karen Villanueva "authorcare" (Albuquerque, NM United States) - See all my reviews

Earl Mindell and Virginia Hopkins have provided one of the most important books of the CENTURY. So many of us listen to our doctors and take the prescriptions offered without THINKING. It is time for pill-poppers to wake up to the motives of the pharmaceutical companies, and to the very dangerous risks we take when we pop a prescription pill without investigating its long term effects.

This book has become a Health Bible for me and my friends. I tell people about it every day. If there is one thing you do for those you love, let it be to buy them this book.

Prescription Alternatives provides live-saving information. It informs us of the risks we take when we blindly accept any prescription our doctors offer. It provides us with all of the alternative choices that won't just suppress or mask a symptom but will change our health in the best and safest way possible. When are we, as a nation of consumers, going to take back the responsibility of maintaining our health? Don't take my word for it, read up on the facts for yourself. Then go out and buy a copy for every one you love! The natural food and supplement stores will love you for it!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A way around prescription drugs. Eye-opening!, June 12, 2000

By A Customer

This is an easy to read book on natural alternatives to over the counter and prescription drugs. Particular attention is paid to the hazards of drug interaction which can lead to poor health. (The "cure" being worse than the disease.....). The book is well organized, with a good index. Drugs are profiled by type, covering the gamut from NSAIDS to Narcotics. Each drug is discussed. The author tells you: what the drug does in your body, what conditions it is prescribe for, side effects, when you should NOT take the drug, and interactions with other drugs and food. If you must take a drug, the author offers information on supplements that balance out or minimize the potential damage to your body. And of course, the natural alternative to taking pharmaceuticals - specific, herbs, vitamins and minerals, and diet, are given. The author does sermonize from time to time, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent book.