A Doctor's Guide to Herbs and Supplements

A scientific yet accessible guide to herbs, vitamins and minerals, co-written by a physician whose herbal therapy study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine

What was once considered alternative medicine has made its way into the mainstream; half of all Americans have tried some from of complementary medicine, and more than $15 billion is spent annually on natural remedies. It is no surprise, then, that there's a tremendous amount of misinformation on the subject, leaving consumers searching for a solid and reliable book. A Doctors Guide to Herbs and Supplements is that book, providing readers with the scientifically documented facts they need to make informed decisions about taking herbs and supplemnents. Based on up-to-date medical research, this comprehensive guide explains what these compounds are and demystifies how they do-or don't- work.

At the heart of the book are A to Z entries for the 100 most commonly used medicinal herbs and nutritional supplements. Each entry details what the herb or supplement is, if and how it works, who shouldn't use it, and how it may interact with other medications. Focusing on consumer safety, Dr. DiPaola offers a checklist of questions anyone should ask before using a medicinal herb, including:

*Am I currently taking a prescription medication?
*Do I have any underlying medical conditions?
*What does this label tell me? And what doesn't it say?

An invaluable reference, A Doctors Guide to Herbs and Supplements is the ideal choice for the busy consumer looking for a concise, user-friendly book about the most commonly used natural remedies and revitalizers.

Robert DiPaola, M.D., is a general internist and oncologist who has a special interest in herbal medicine. He has done both clinical and lab research using herbs, including a study on prostate cancer patients that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. DiPaola has received a clinical oncology fellowship award from The American Cancer Society, and was included in The Best Doctors in America in 1998. He is currently an assistant professor at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (The Robert Wood Johnson Medical School).

Timothy Gower writes a monthly column for The Los Angeles Times, and is a contributing editor for Health magazine. He lives in Harwich, MA.