Suburban Oblivion

Somewhere in the Middle

// July 9th, 2007 // Opinion //

I was excited to join the Parent Bloggers Network, and eagerly took on the first assignment they offered me- a book by Suzy Cohen R.Ph., titled “The 24 Hour Pharmacist”. I initially thought it would be a book discussing different types of prescription medications. Instead it turned out to be exactly the opposite- alternatives to prescription drugs for various ailments. Oh boy…What have I gotten myself into??

I am not one to generally look to alternative medicine. There are some things I go along with, even embrace, because I know they work. I am much more likely to start cranberry pills than call a Dr. for a bladder infection, and I always eat a lot of yogurt when I am on antibiotics to help keep nasty stomach and secondary infection issues at bay. But truth be told, that’s about as far as it goes for me. I tend to avoid things I don’t feel are well-proven, and many so-called natural remedies fall under my self-imposed umbrella. With this book I got to look the enemy straight in the eye, so to speak.

What I found surprised me. First off, the book is NOT the dry text I was expecting. Cohen has a strong, personable voice in her writing, and it immediately makes you feel like she is as trustworthy as someone you’ve known for years. The book is packed with information, but in a way that makes sense. The 24 Hour Pharmacist is broken up into different sections of the body, such as ‘Above the Waist’, ‘Below the Waist’, ‘Above the Neck’, and so on, making it easy to flip to the section you want to further investigate. Each of those sections is further divided into the different ailments and concerns.

What I liked most about this book, in addition to the organization, is the way she takes on various issues. She is very thorough, for instance when discussing depression, letting you know not only what supplements there are to combat this, but also what foods may help, as well as what other medications you may be taking that could be exacerbating it. She won me over totally when she made a point of saying she was NOT saying to go off these other meds, but to discuss the symptoms with your doctor. She obviously believes in alternative supplements, while recognizing the value of modern prescription medications as well. That balance is hard to find, and goes a long way towards supporting her credibility in my mind. She goes into a lot of interesting detail as to not only what works, but why it works, again scoring points here.

Surprisingly enough with all this talk of vitamin supplements, Cohen has recommendations of over-the-counter products as well, such as Cetaphil for lice treatment, Neosporin Plus for cuts, Delsym for coughs, and many others. Once again that balance comes in!

In addition to the book, Suzy Cohen also writes a syndicated column titled “Dear Pharmacist” which appears in newspapers across the country. Many of these column pieces can be found on her website, http://www.dearpharmacist.com .

When both sides are so vocal, it’s comforting to see there IS a happy medium between alternative medicine and prescription cures.

Head on over to the Parent Bloggers Network and leave a comment on the campaign launch post for this book and you’ll be entered to win a $50 CVS gift card for your prescription and vitamin supplement needs!

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