Written specifically for massage therapists, this excellent text makes the basics of pharmacology easy to understand. It explains the biochemical and physical effects and actions of a wide variety of drug classes, explores how they move throughout the body, and addresses the use of drugs to prevent and treat diseases. This cutting-edge text also introduces a deductive reasoning process that can be used to develop safe individualized bodywork protocols for clients receiving drug therapy. Readers will learn a practical method for assessing the effects of drug therapies on their clients and the implications for massage therapy.