In March 2015 my friend and colleague Victoria Maizes, MD, executive director of the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, convened a think tank of graduates and faculty of the Center to plan the future course of the field and identify ways that we might influence the future of health care. Early in our discussions we agreed that overmedication in our society is a top priority and that integrative medicine can help reduce it. I first thought of a book on the subject during the meeting, and I thank Victoria for inspiring me to write it.
My agent, Richard Pine of InkWell Management, strongly encouraged me to work on it, as did my editor, Tracy Behar, of Little, Brown. I am most grateful for their support and efforts to get the manuscript ready for publication.
I could not have completed the book without the help of another friend and colleague, Russell Greenfield, MD, who not only edited chapter drafts and compiled references but also kept the contributors to their deadlines and supplied information for the chapter on cold and flu medications. Big thanks to him.
I also thank the contributors listed here to here. The research they did for me was invaluable. And I thank all the patients who let me use their stories about experiences with medications.
My assistant, Nancy Olmstead, kept my office in order. She and my business partner, Richard Baxter, managed my schedule so that I had time to write.
Finally, I thank my canine companions, Ajax and Juno, who were a constant presence by my desk throughout my work on the book.
Tucson, Arizona
June 2016