Contents
Understanding Medications
The Magic Molecules 4-11
New healing molecules 5; Designer medications 6; The safety factor 7; Naming medicines 7; Generic name and its brand names 8; How medicines act inside our bodies 8; How our bodies dispose of medicines 9; Adverse reactions 10
Getting the Best Out of Medicines
A Doctor's Prescription 12-17
Symbols and acronyms in a medical prescription 13; The proper use of medicines 15
Some Mix-ups You Could Do Without
Food-Drug Interactions 18-25
Food-drug interactions to guard against 19; Ways to avoid conflicts between food and medications 24; Medications and nutrition 24; Medications that cause nutritional deficiencies 24; How to prevent nutritional deficiencies 25
Popular Beliefs about Medications
Facts and Fables 26-31
Shots, pills and capsules 27; The heat index 28; The less, the better 28; The withering effect 29; The ultimate medicine 29; Claims and falsehoods 30; Safety of herbs and traditional medicines 30
Medicine Chest
Common Medicines: Benefits and Safeguards 32-48
Antibiotics 33; Anti-tuberculous drugs 34; Anti-viral drugs 35; Anti-malarial drugs 36; Anthelminthic drugs 37; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 37; Anti-histamines 38; Corticosteroids 39; Antiemetic drugs 39; Ulcer-healing drugs 40; Bronchodilators 40; Anti-hypertensive drugs 41; Diuretics 42; Angina-relieving drugs 43; Anti-diabetic medications 44; Anti-migraine drugs 45; Anti-convulsant drugs 46; Anxiolytics 46; Anti-depressant drugs 47; Anti-psychotic drugs 48
Understanding Medications
The Magic Molecules
The quest for substances that treat pain, illness, and restore health is as ancient
as the human race itself. Thousands of years ago, when man expressed juice from
a succulent leaf to apply to a wound, when he made alcohol and used it to ease pain,
when he discovered the curative powers of roots, barks, leaves, herbs and minerals,
he was well and truly on the course to discover a whole new world of medicinal substances.
Getting the Best Out of Medicines
A Doctor's Prescription
Medicines must always be used with great care.
are capable of doing a great deal of good, but if
They used indiscriminately, they are capable of causing
serious harm. When you discuss with a physician, let him
or her know if you have recently taken your treatment
any other medications, including any over-the-counter (OTC)
formulae, because these could affect your treatment. In addition,
you should reveal if you have previously suffered any adverse reaction
with any medication. If y are planning to have a baby or suspect you
Popular Beliefs about Medications
Facts and Fables
Just as in any other walk of life, myths about medications
also bestride our social order. They express and confirm
our cultural attitudes, our values, and our past experiences,
which over time acquire a pedestal of permanence in our
minds. If once a medicine shot came in handy to diffuse a
medical crisis, or a few bottles of glucose instilled life into a
dehydrated person, or a medicine led to a disastrous adverse
effect, the image remains entrenched in our minds and takes on
a special meaning, but all that meets the eye is not always the