Magic Molecules: How Drugs Work

We have all been drug users at one time or another. Drugs can be used as medicines, as food additives, for pleasure, and to protect our long-term health. With so many new drugs on the market and an ever-widening definition of what exactly makes a drug a drug, we should all be well informed about the drugs we use--how they work, their benefits, and their risks. This book is a unique guide for the general reader to the drugs of everyday life--from commonly prescribed medicines to recreational drugs (including illicit ones) and food supplements. The author examines how drugs interact with their targets in the body, where drugs come from, how they are developed, and what new kinds of drugs are on the horizon. She reviews all the major pharmaceutical medicines--painkillers, antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, anti-depressants, heart drugs, tranquilizers, and hormones. Much more than a consumer handbook, this volume conveys the fascinating science behind drugs in an easily accessible way.

Almost all of us have used medical drugs at some point to help make us well, or at least to help us feel better while we endure our illnesses. Yet most of them are mysterious to us, even those that are thoroughly understood by scientists. Susan Aldridge wrote Magic Molecules: How Drugs Work as a guide for scientifically literate consumers to help us understand these chemicals and their effects on our bodies. Looking at painkillers, antibiotics, cancer therapies, "smart drugs," and many others, she uses clear, plain language and illustrations to describe the mechanisms of these medications.

But Magic Molecules is no encyclopedia. Aldridge includes fascinating discussions of related topics such as viral diseases, clinical trials, and the history of drug use, interwoven with her descriptions of the drugs we use each day. How does ibuprofen differ from aspirin? Why does chemotherapy make us sick? How come pregnant women have to be so careful with their medications? These questions and more are answered in this book that combines the usefulness of a reference text with the delightful charm of the best scientific works. --Rob Lightner