The American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines

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With an endorsement from Dr. Andrew Weil, you know this book is going to be good. And it's about time that an authoritative book like this was written; it'll come in handy for consumers who are bewildered by the lack of labeling on the hundreds of supplements available, as well as doctors and pharmacists, who likely learned nothing about these remedies in school.

The American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA) has listed more than 200 herbs--and some supplements, like DHEA, zinc, and Coenzyme Q10--alphabetically. Many herbs are illustrated. Each listing includes the following:

scientific and other common names (including those used in traditional Chinese medicine),
what part of the plant is used,
what ailment or ailments it's recommended for,
the forms in which it is available,
the dosages commonly used,
and solid discussions of effectiveness and safety based on scientific study.

The APhA also rates each herb on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being given to herbs that have been judged the most safe and effective over the years. It also cites both book and journal sources, so you know exactly where to research further if you're interested in learning even more about a particular herb.

Dr. Weil points out that while the majority of prescription drugs were derived from botanicals, the lack of standardization in the U.S. supplement industry poses a hazard. For example, extract of feverfew has been shown to be effective in treating migraine in England, but the feverfew on the U.S. market may or may not be English feverfew, and therefore may or may not be as effective. The essential "Do's and Don'ts for Wise Consumers" gives tips on choosing the best brand of herbs, and the quick indices (one listed by symptoms and the herbs recommended for treatment, and one listing the herbs and the ailments they're used for) make it easy to familiarize yourself with the many herbs available. Highly recommended. --Erica Jorgensen

Book Description

Echinacea, ephedra, evening primrose oil...garlic, ginger, ginseng...St. John's wort, selenium, shark cartilage -- these are just a few of the natural medicines that millions of people are using. But do they work? Medical authorities often argue against them; alternative medicine advocates tout them. What's a consumer to do, while waiting for modern science to catch up with often ancient practices?

Help is here, with The American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines. This unique book from a trusted name in medicine rates the effectiveness and safety of more than three hundred natural substances, based on a careful assessment of the scientific research available. The alphabetically arranged listings include every substance readers are likely to want to know about -- and some they may not be familiar with, but should be.

At a glance readers will learn the source of the substance, the forms in which it is commonly available, the claims made for it, and what scientific studies do (or don't) show about those claims. Known side effects and dangers are noted as well. A basic 1-to-5 rating scale ranks each substance. The highest rating is given to those substances with a great degree of safety and effectiveness based on "years of use and extensive, high-quality studies."

Readers also learn how natural medicines are regulated and tested here and abroad, and do's and don'ts when selecting natural medicines. Special indexes organize the medicines according to those commonly used for various symptoms.

Comprehensive and authoritative, featuring an introduction by best-selling medical authority Andrew T. Weil, M.D., The American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines. is the reference to trust for anyone interested in natural medicines -- from the skeptic to the curious to the dedicated -- and promises to be the touchstone for consumers for years to come.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointingly Shoddy.......2001-09-08

Don't believe the rave reviews...She omits quite a few prominent dietary supplements (e.g., phosphatidyl serine), and the entries are pretty superficial from a pharmacologic standpoint, especially for a book from the APA. For example, 1) she mentions that Ginger is used for arthritic inflammation, but never says why it is credible for that purpose (it is a significant COX-2 inhibitor, a la Vioxx or Celebrex), 2) she omits that the primary modern use of Elder is as an anti-viral (she doesn't mention the substantial lab work on its mode of anti-infection action or list the well-known Israeli clinical trial as an anti-flu drug, 3) she erroneously equates grape seed and pine bark extracts as sources of antioxidant OPCs (the former is substantially more potent). And, she offers almost no info on the pros and cons of differing product forms, which can have very different effects and potencies (e.g., ground plant vs. standardized extract).
Laypeople and even professionals are much better off with The Natural Health Bible (Stephen Bratman, MD), Michael Murray's Encyclopedia of Natural Medicines, and similar works by Saul Hendler, MD and Dennis McKenna, PhD (the titles escape me).

Excellent resource for the professional and layperson!.......2000-01-06

I was given this book as a gift and was delighted! The information about herbs and other supplements was complete, well written, and useful. As a professional herbalist, I would highly recommend this book for both health care professionals and laypeople. It is an excellent clinical resource that provides up to date clinical information on studies of efficacy as well as drug interaction and contraindications. My only complaint is that some of the translations of Chinese herb names was done incorrectly (although I hope this will be rectified by the next printing).

Overall an excellet book!

At last! A useful guide to this emerging market.......1999-05-03

I'm a pharmacist who believes every physician interested in an easy to use, up to date overview of this emerging market needs this book.VERY pleased with it!

An excellent health-care reference just in the nick of time.......1999-04-19

In the growing movement for U.S. consumers to take charge of their health, we now have a resource to help us become knowledgeable and informed consumers of medical services. That resource is the 700-plus page reference, American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines, by Andrea Peirce. It is a giant work - lots of pages of organized research written for layperson and health-care professional. It is a smorgasbord of data about dietary supplements. And like most smorgasbords, you can expect it will take some time for consumers and health-care professionals to digest its content and to develop the habit of consulting it. The health-care professions can help by recommending that their members become familiar with the book. Perhaps professional associations can buy large numbers of the reference book and make them available to their members at a discount. What is certain is that the Practical Guide to Natural Medicines is a godsend for consumers, like me, who are looking for guidance. And that guidance is provided throughout the book. It begins with the shout-out by the National Professional Society of Pharmacist's executive vice president urging consumers to include your pharmacist in your medical recovery team. Pass on records, including medicines, to your druggist. In the introduction, noted physician-researcher Andrew Weil brings an inquiring mind of a superb teacher who continues to explore the boundaries of the frontier we often call natural medicines. Weil declares: "This guide to natural remedies is an excellent addition to the information available on the subject. It is comprehensive, clear, well researched, and useful." After examining dozens of entries, I am convinced that Weil's assessment of Andrea Peirce's work is correct. The author is a reliable researcher who has done her homework, consulting leading authorities and reviewing clinical studies. She even cites important natural remedy findings from the federal agency in Germany, where herbal medicines are tested and regulated by the government. And if this work help us make wise health-care decisions and increase the efficacy of health-care providers, then may the saints be praised.

Excellent and objective approach to using natural medicines.......1999-04-10

As a user of herbal remedies, I found this book extremely informative. One of the most objective books I've seen on using herbs and natural supplements. Scientific research is included with each herb/supplement that has undergone laboratory testing. Both positive and negative aspects are included along with traditional uses, safe doses, a rating of 1-5, and warnings when applicable. With too many people jumping on the herbal bandwagon and forgetting that natural doesn't necessarily mean safe especially when mixed with other medications, this book is a "must have". Although I've had good results with some of the herbs that have not undergone stringent testing and, therefore didn't receive a high rating, this book is a great guide especially for the beginner.

Book Description

Janes At the Controls is a new series providing a 'hands-on' briefing of what it is like to fly and fight in modern combat aircraft.By following a hypothetical mission set sometime in the near future, the full capabilities of the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 will be revealed.With its APG-65 multimode radar and infra-red search and tracking sensor, the Hornet can operate by day or by night over the harshest environment of all: the ocean.It can carry a formidable ordinance load including Harpoon anti-ship missiles and SLAM, it's equivalent for land targets.In this scenario the Hornets will use lasar guided bombs for pinpoint precision against enemy missile craft lurking among neutral shipping.

Customer Reviews:

Great Book For Young Enthusiasts.......2002-02-20

The targeted audience for this book was a little below my interest level. But this would be an excellent book for a child or young teen interested in the Hornet. It has lots of photos, illustrations, even details the Hornet Pilot's flight gear.

Basically good, but could have used better proofreading.......2000-10-24

Overall, this is a pretty good read. Lots of good pictures, especially of USMC Hornets, which don't always get coverage. However, the author (or maybe the editor) mis-labels a few pictures,there are several noticeable typos, & a couple of places where the info is questionable (do you REALLY want to arm the ejection seat before you strap in?) These problems wouldn't be worth mentioning if it weren't for the fact that for the most part this is an excellent book, especially for the layman aviation enthusiast!

Basic but amazing.......2000-09-16

This book gives you basic information about the F/A-18 Hornet if you just want to know something about the plane. The book also gives you amazing pictures which I think it's very difficult to find anywhere else & it's in color. But if you really want to know everything about this jet, then I would recommend the "Boeing F/A-18 Hornet" by Dennis R. Jenkins. That book will give you really complete information about the F/A-18 Hornet, there are also nice pictures but the problem is that the pictures are in black & white(Only 8 pages with color pictures). On the other hand, if you want pictures, then get THIS book or the "McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet: A photo chronicle(Schiffer Military/Aviation History)" by William G. Holder. Further more, this book will be a valuable aset to the fans of the F/A-18 Hornet.

why this book is cool.......1999-10-19

even though i've never read it looks coo

An interesting, fully-detailed book about the F/a 18........1999-04-17

Great for anyone who loves planes! It has great pictures, describes the plane from nose to arrestor hook to the wingtip sidewinders, and has a mission-from the cat launch to the touchdown. At the Controls, F/a 18 Hornet is probably the best book on one of the best planes!!!

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Crusades: The Essential Readings (Blackwell Essential Readings in History)

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The Crusades: The Essential Readings (Blackwell Essential Readings in History)

Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0631230238

Book Description

The twelve complete articles in this volume represent some of the best recent scholarship on the crusades. The collection introduces students to fundamental concepts of crusading, including the nature of the movement, the motivation of the participants, and the impact on the East. The focus is not on individual crusades but on the political, economic, spiritual, and demographic factors behind these medieval holy wars and on their consequences.A strong editorial structure guides students through the competing perspectives that have dominated scholarly discussion. An opening introduction summarizes relevant historical events and provides an overview of the historiography. Each article is then contextualized by the editor with a discussion of its significance to scholarship.

Book Description

Universal information is provided to allow readers to understand the concepts that form the foundations for specific guidelines. KEY FEATURES:This book examines the interface between forestry and wildlife. Also, examines natural resource management. Men and women deciding how to manage forests (foresters, wildlife managers, recreation managers, etc.), natural resource managers, naturalists and environmentalists, and policy makers.

Customer Reviews:

The best text I know of on the the topic.......2001-12-20

This is an excellent textbook that has aged well and belongs close to the desk of anyone who is involved in managing forests and their contents. Hunter does an excellent job of pulling together ideas of landscape ecology, traditional wildlife management, and forestry techniques with a strong emphasis on the practical. The book is well written & I often find myself "coming to" seven or eight pages later after having pulled it off the shelf to look up one thing & then being drawn in to read more and more. My only complaint is that it IS a textbook, which affects the structure somewhat & more importantly affects the price. It is a lot to ask some of Hunter's audience to pay, but another way of looking at this is that it is cheaper in money, time and shelf space to get one good book than several bad ones, and this is certainly that one good book.

An absolute gem.......2001-03-16

Malcolm Hunter's "Wildlife, Forests, and Forestry" is a gem of a book and an absolute must for every forest manager. This was the first synthesis of landscape ecology, wildlife biology, and forest management that I encountered, and I still refer to it today. Unlike many scholarly works, Hunter's treatment easily lends itself to operational, on the ground applications. Likewise, the prose is straightforward and suitable for those new to the field. I also strongly recommend his subsequent synthesis, "Maintaining Biodiversity in Forest Ecosystems," which is even better.

Wildlife, Forests and Forestry: Principles of Managing Forests for Biological Diversity

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Wildlife, Forests and Forestry: Principles of Managing Forests for Biological Diversity
Malcolm L. Hunter
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OIUU9Y

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