Orthodox medicine: Introduction

Chapter 25 Orthodox medicine


Introduction


This section is designed as an overview of the general orthodox medications that are available. Each chapter has a brief review of anatomy and physiology to make it easier to understand the action of the drugs discussed.


It is possible to learn the actions of each type of medication by rote. On rare occasions, for example with the medication for epilepsy, this will be necessary. For the majority of drugs, however, there is some logic to their use and being able to understand their method of action will allow you to appreciate how they interact with the patient’s metabolism.


A deeper understanding of how modern drugs work will enable you, in many cases, to anticipate interactions, not only with orthodox medication but also with herbs and even nutritional supplements. This is a confusing and largely uncharted area; more drugs are developed and made available each year and a practitioner familiar with the principles of basic physiology and pharmacology stands a good chance of identifying problem areas.


Throughout the various chapters in this section, every attempt has been made to cross-reference, both to herbal medicine and nutritional supplementation. The basis of relevant adverse effects is also explained.


The range of orthodox medication is vast and the mechanisms by which they act are equally as numerous and in many cases very complex. For the purposes of this book, the drugs described have been limited to those you are likely to encounter clinically, and descriptions are largely generic. Where appropriate, however, a brief mention will be made of those usually only available under strict medical supervision.


It is impossible to give a complete list of adverse effects; however, these can be accessed in formularies, many of which are available online.



Formularies online



eMIMS (2007) eMIMS: Subscription only. Online. Available: http://www.healthcarerepublic.com/welcome/eMIMS/index.cfm?ctype=OTC-eMIMS/ [accessed 7 March 2008].


Australia: Australian Medicines Handbook. Subscription only. Online. Available: http://www.amh.net.au/ [accessed 7 March 2008].


UK: British National Formulary Home Page, British National Formulary. Online. Available: http://bnf.org/bnf/ [accessed 7 March 2008].


USA: American hospital formulary service online. Online. Available: http://www.ashp.org/ahfs/ [accessed 7 March 2008].

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Jul 22, 2016 | Posted by in PHARMACY | Comments Off on Orthodox medicine: Introduction

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