Pharmacology & Medications
📋 What it is
Medicines are chemicals that change how the body works; dose and safety matter enormously.
🗣️ Coach says
Pharmacology is the science of medicines — chemicals that interact with the body to treat illness. The KEY idea is that "the dose makes the poison": the right amount helps, too much harms. That’s why medicines have careful instructions and should only be taken as directed by an adult or doctor.
🧠 Memory hook
Medicines = chemicals that change the body. "The dose makes the poison" — amount + safety matter hugely.
😂 Giggle
What did one virus say to the other?
"Stay positive — oh wait, that's bad in our case!"
😲 Whoa!
Many medicines started as compounds from plants — aspirin’s active ingredient comes from a chemical originally found in willow bark, used for pain for thousands of years.
✅ Quick check: Why does the DOSE of a medicine matter so much?
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
Because "the dose makes the poison" — the right amount helps, but too much can harm; safety depends on amount.
Effect and safety of a drug depend on dose.
🪄 Trick question: If a little of a medicine helps, does taking more always help faster?
Careful — think it through, then reveal.
No — more can be dangerous; the correct dose is the safe one, and extra can cause harm.
Higher dose ≠ better; it can be toxic.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Read the dosing box on a household medicine (with an adult) — notice how exact the amounts are.