FromBumptoGrump:BooksWin!

Win 1 of 5 copies of Traditional Herbal Medicines – a guide to their safer use courtesy of Hammersmith Press

New book shows how to use herbs safely with other herbs and with conventional medicines

Britons are increasingly turning first to complementary remedies such as herbal medicines, when it comes to choosing a healthcare treatment.

- In 2007 alone, British consumers will invest £191 million in complementary medicines – a 32% increase in sales since 2002
- By 2011 complementary healthcare sales will break the £250 million barrier
- 49% of British women and almost three in 10 (28%) men have used complementary medication and would use it again.
- Herbal remedies, such as green tea varieties and echinacea, haveproved the most popular. Not only do they account for almost two-thirds (63%) of the market, but sales here have also grown the fastest since 2002. Indeed, this year we will spend almost £120 million on herbal remedies, nearly 40% more than five years ago.
With a growing number of people buying and using herbal medicines, there's never been a better time for a comprehensive guide that tells you how to use them safely, particularly in conjunction with conventional medicines. Traditional Herbal Medicines – a guide to their safer use (Hammersmith Press, £18.99) is written by experts at the Medical Toxicology Unit of Guy’s & St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
According to the latest Mintel report, spend on herbal remedies has increased by 40% over the past five years. Many experts, however, are worried that the average man on the street is self-prescribing over-the-counter herbal medicines without knowing enough about the herbs they're taking, some of which may be harmful if taken incorrectly.
One of the book’s co-authors Dr Lakshman Karalliedde MB BS DA FRCA, consultant, Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division (London), Health Protection Agency, says: “One of the key reasons for the increased use of traditional herbal medicines in developed countries is the generally accepted perception that ‘natural’ products are safe. They have stood the test of time and do not carry the risks inherent in newly developed conventional medicines.

“There’s not enough awareness that the ingredients that make traditional medicines effective could also be potentially capable of causing serious illness such as allergy, liver or kidney malfunction, blindness, cancer or even death."

“Herbal medicines should therefore be used with the same degree of caution as conventional medicines, but this is difficult given the lack of information available about effectiveness, optimum dose or adverse effects.”

The problem is that while the toxic profiles of conventional medicines have been extensively documented and publicised, the harmful effects of herbal medicines – either taken on their own or in combination with conventional medicines – aren’t well enough known. According to a National Institute of Medical Herbalists survey, 96% of qualified medical herbalists believed that conventional doctors do not know enough about herbs to give their patients advice. And if GPs are relatively in the dark, what hope is there for members of the general public?

It was with this in mind – and the growing, urgent need for more information to be made available to the public – that a group of toxicology experts got together to co-author Traditional Herbal Medicines – namely Dr Lakshman Karalliedde, who spent 10 years at the MTU and is now a toxicologist with the Chemical Hazards and Poisons Division of the Health Protection Agency; Debbie Shaw, who heads the MTU’s Chinese Medicine Advisory Service; and Indika Gawarammana, former registrar at the MTU. They have combined their significant knowledge of traditional medicines to produce a comprehensive herbal compendium covering traditional herbal remedies from around the world, describing their sources, known effects and side effects, dosages, interactions and – most importantly – precautions. It’s a must for anyone involved in prescribing either conventional or traditional herbal medicines – as well as the growing number of people who are taking them.

Traditional Herbal Medicines: A Guide To Their Safer Use is published by Hammersmith Press on September 25, price £19.99.
To win the prize, simply email us at comps@frombumptogrump.co.uk with the answer to the following question

Please include your full name and address, putting "Traditional Medicines" in the subject line.

Win 1 of 3 copies of Match Wits with the Kids: A Little Learning for all the Family courtesy of Icon Books

School’s out for summer… or is it? The latest craze to hit Britain sends parents back to the classroom, while their kids enjoy a well deserved rest. If you are wondering what to do with your children this Summer, why not match wits with your kids?

As your children break up for Summer, you are probably wondering how to fill those long July and August weeks. MATCH WITS WITH THE KIDS: A LITTLE LEARNING FOR ALL THE FAMILY is a fun, educational book designed to bring parents and kids together through interactive learning and quizzes. A general knowledge book for all the family, MATCH WITS WITH THE KIDS can be read/ played in the car, on the beach, in the garden – just about anywhere you want!

MATCH WITS WITH THE KIDS focuses on the core school subjects, such as English, Maths, Science, History, Geography and Modern Languages – subjects that the average 11-14 year old is currently learning at school. Based on Key Stage 3 of the National Curriculum, this book presents all the subjects from first principles with detailed lessons and memory-aids to make those school days come rushing back. And to give your children the extra benefit of understanding their own language a little bit more, the author even includes an introduction to Latin so the old school motto does finally make sense. Each of the 9 lessons is a chapter on a core subject concluded with a spot-test to jog your memory (and make sure you aren’t cheating by skipping pages). At the end of the book, there is a whole chapter devoted to quizzes and also a parents/ kids scoring system. It is all laid out to show you how much you thought you knew compared to what you actually do know and whether you really as smart as you thought you were.

MATCH WITS WITH THE KIDS encourages children to see learning as fun and also reminds adults of the fun of learning. The perfect book to enjoy as a family or just to sharpen your IQ (after reading this, you will be itching to help your kids with their homework). For Summer fun for everyone this year – switch off the telly and match wits with the kids.

JONATHAN GREEN has worked as a teacher for the last thirteen years, four of those as a deputy head teacher. In that time he has also written numerous popular books for children and science fiction and fantasy novels for adults. His book, What Is Myrrh Anyway? (Icon) will be published in November 2008.
For more information, please visit www.matchwits.co.uk and see Jon speaking on Meet the Author www.meettheauthor.co.uk/bookbites/1742.html
To win the prize, simply email us at comps@frombumptogrump.co.uk with the answer to the following question

Please include your full name and address, putting "Match Wits with the Kids" in the subject line.

Learn the Alphabet with Thomas! Learn the alphabet one letter at a time with help from Thomas and Friends. In these bold and clear board books for all young Thomas fans each letter is illustrated with a character or situation that young fans will instantly recognize and love. The perfect way to start your child on their ABCs!

Please include your full name and address, putting "Thomas ABC" in the subject line.

Thomas and Friends want to help you learn to count! Thomas' 123 gives you all the numbers 1- 10 next to each engine: from Thomas (Number 1) to Douglas (Number 10). The book runs through all the numbers with lots of
different things to count on each page. There's plenty of numbers to spot so your child will be counting 1 to 10 in no time!

Please include your full name and address, putting "Thomas 123 " in the subject line.

Terms and Conditions

The Prize Finder - UK Competitions

UK Wins - UK Competitions and Prize Draws

Are you interested in sponsoring a competition on this page?

Please contact us at letstalk@frombumptogrump.co.uk for more details.