Adverse reactions to prescription medicines are now a leading cause of death in America. If you are one of the millions who take at least one prescription drug regularly, how can you stay safe? Though powerful treatments, medicines are unpredictable because they don’t work the same in everyone, just as chocolate has a different effect on your pet than it does on you. Why Dogs Can’t Eat Chocolate: How Medicines Work and How YOU Can Take Them Safely bridges the gap between what doctors may assume you know about your medicines and what you actually understand about how to take them safely. Pharmacist and award-winning medical educator Louise Achey has been translating complex and confusing concepts about how medicine works for thirty-four years. From Barney the Bassett hound puppy’s encounter with chocolate to the three “Ds” of taking medicine safely, Dr. Louise explains in a clear and entertaining way what happens in our body when we take a medicine or supplement. She uses a common question (why is chocolate so dangerous for dogs?) to illustrate why side effects from medicines happen to some of us and not to others, and provides specific proven strategies to help you take your medicine and food supplements safely.