I woke up this morning with even more pain in my eye. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, but this pain was unbearable. It was like there were hundreds of tiny knives in my eye socket and my eyeball was rubbing against their very sharp tips. Even the slightest eyeball movements brought me to tears. I called my doctor and got an appointment for 10:15am. The second I stepped out the door to go to my appointment I thought I was going to die. I’m pretty sure the sun burned a whole right through my eye. So Lee drove me to the doctor. I have pink eye. I have had pink eye many, many, many times before, but this time it’s different. It’s not goopy and it’s one hundred times more painful. But I’ve know gone through a full day of drops and I’m already feeling tons better.

Which brings me to today’s [very late] post. I’ve agreed to review The 24-Hour Pharmacist as part of the Mother Talk blog tours. I couldn’t find a cure for pink eye, but I did find a ton of other helpful tips for other ailments that haunt me.

I’m not a big “drug” person. And by that I mean, my head has to be really pounding for me to even take some Advil. You will never find me pushing my doctor to prescribe antibiotics. And I rarely take the monthly ‘maintenance’ drugs my doctor does prescribe for me. I’m not pointing this out to convince you not to take medication. If you doctor prescribes something please don’t be like me. Take the medication! I’m just pointing this out to say I was a little skeptical about this book at first. I assumed it would be about different drugs on the market that will cure all that ails me. But I was wrong.

The 24-Hour Pharmacist is written by Suzy Cohen, a pharmacist and author of the syndicated column “Dear Pharmacist.” She breaks the book up in to sections based on sections of the body; Above the Waist, Above the Neck, Below the Waist, And Everything in Between. In each chapter she gives expert advice on everything from colds to toe fungus to heart disease and depression. But she doesn’t just spout out long lists of symptoms and tell you what drugs to take. She explains why we suffer from these diseases, describes the current drugs on the market and then gives some natural alternatives.

The very first chapter is about fatigue. I’m a working mother of five trying to get my college degree. Oh do I ever know about fatigue. So right away I was hooked, marking pages to reread later and taking note of what to look for at the pharmacy and health food stores to help energize me.

Since I suffer from a mild case of OCD I was particularly interested in Section 6; Frazzled, Frustrated, and Freaked Out. My doctor prescribed some medication but I just can’t bring myself to take it anymore. So I was thrilled to read Cohen’s suggestions. I’ve already cut out caffeine, but now I’m going to try to cut out sweeteners add in some fruits, like blueberries and oranges, and I’m thinking about trying some supplements like Omega-3 fatty acids and drinking Chamomile Tea.

I also loved every chapter in the “And Everything in Between” section. Here Cohen gives tips on safe weight loss, cosmetics and other beauty products, how to avoid a cold and more. Did you know pineapple can help your arthritis? Or zinc can help your acne? And chocolate is good for you? Too bad I don’t like chocolate.

Throughout the book, Cohen talks about how making changes to our diet and exercising can help keep us healthy. Not just help us lose weight, but help prevent anxiety and depression and a whole slew of other issues we may encounter. In the Placebos and Healing Treats chapter sums up some of the best ways to keep yourself healthy; relaxing, laughing and thinking positive.

She ends the book with a list of “drug muggers.” Did you know that some of the drugs we take to cure some ailments can actually deplete our bodies of nutrients we need? This is definitely a chapter you will want to check out so you can make sure you are taking supplements or eating food rich in the nutrients your body might be missing.

I highly recommend this book. It’s a great resource. I’ve flagged several pages to go back to later and I’ve written down a few supplements I want to try. Of course, always discuss your health with your doctor, but this book gives you some ideas to run by him/her. It’s time you start to get some control of your care.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 26th, 2007 at 11:55 pm and is filed under Reviews. Comments are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.