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Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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The field of complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) encompasses a wide range of holistic therapies and healing practices.
Until recently, many of these treatments were not taught in most medical schools,
used in hospitals, or reimbursed by medical insurance. Increasingly, as these
therapies become more widespread, practitioners need both professional and patient-oriented
information regarding their use and effectiveness.
The Health Sciences and Human Services
Library's Complementary and Alternative Medicine web page links users to a small
number of selected web sites that may be useful to both health care providers
and consumers. See selection
criteria.
Health Care Information Resources: Alternative
Medicine
(http://hsl.lib.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/altmed.html)
This comprehensive site offers links to general resources on alternative medicine
as well as extensive lists of resources on specific therapies. Informative descriptions
of resources are included. It is maintained by staff of McMaster University
Health Sciences Library in Hamilton, Ontario.
The
Alternative Medicine HomePage
(http://www.pitt.edu/~cbw/altm.html)
The Alternative Medicine HomePage provides annotated links to a variety of resources.
Sections include alternative medicine resources for AIDS and HIV, databases,
Internet resources, mailing lists & newsgroups, government resources, Pennsylvania
resources, practitioner's directories, and related resources. Charles B. Wessel,
M.L.S., Health Sciences Library System, University of Pittsburgh, maintains
the site.
Ask
Noah: Alternative Medicine
(http://www.noah-health.org/en/alternative/index.html)
A comprehensive site compiled by the NOAH (New York Online Access to Health)
project provides links to information on alternative healing approaches and
resources. It includes links to book reviews, educational institutions, and
directories of practitioners. A Spanish language site is also offered.
Cancer.gov--Complementary
and Alternative Medicine
A site sponsored by the National Cancer Institute links to resources that include
introductory information, articles on specific topics, and links to related
web sites.
FDA
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition: Dietary Supplements
(http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html)
This site offers information regarding the Food and Drug Administration's regulation
of dietary supplements. It includes links to warnings and safety information,
adverse event reporting, announcements and meetings, and general information.
Industry information and regulations, questions and answers, and other sources
of information are also provided.
HealthWeb:
Alternative Medicine
(http://healthweb.org/browse.cfm?subjectid=24)
HealthWeb provides links to a variety of subjects in the field of alternative
and complementary medicine. It includes links to chiropractic and homeopathy
sites, as well as resources for Eastern systems of medicine, herbal medicine,
manual healing methods, meta sites, mind/body methods, online publications,
and therapies for special health conditions. The site is sponsored by The Greater
Midwest Region of the National Network Libraries of Medicine and participating
HealthWeb institutions, particularly the Health Sciences Libraries - Wisconsin,
University of Wisconsin.
HolisticKids.org
(http://www.holistickids.org/)
HolisticKids.org is sponsored by
the Pediatric Integrative Medical Education (PIME) project based at Children's
Hospital, Boston. The site includes overviews of therapies, links to information
resources, common pediatric teaching problems and tools, and links to practioners,
primarily in the Boston area.
IBIDS
Database
(http://ods.od.nih.gov/databases/ibids.html)
The International Bibliographic
Information on Dietary Supplements database provides access to almost 400,000
scientific citations on dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and
botanicals. Abstracts to some citations are provided. The site also provides
a consumer information database and links to the Dietary Supplements Resource
List from the USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center. IBIDS is produced
by the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health.
The
Longwood Herbal Task Force
(http://www.longwoodherbal.org)
This site includes in-depth mongraphs on herbal products and supplements written
by health professionals and students. It also provides clinical information
summaries, patient fact sheets, interactions and toxicity information, and links
to other resources. The LHTF was organized by faculty, staff and students from
Children’s Hospital, the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in order to learn and disseminate information
about herbs and dietary supplements.
MEDLINEplus:
Alternative Medicine
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.html)
Sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, this site includes links to news,
general information, clinical trials, research resources, information on specific
conditions/aspects, directories, lists of print publications, and alternative
medicine organizations.
Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)-About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products
(http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/11570.cfm)
Sponsored by the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the site provides searchable
herb information for healthcare professionals. Entries include a clinical summary
for each agent with details about constituents, adverse effects, interactions,
and potential benefits or problems. A consumer version of each monograph also
is available.ss
NCCAM:
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(http://nccam.nih.gov/)
This is the official site for the National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health. The site includes access
to factsheets, consensus reports, and databases for both health practitioners
and the general public. Information regarding research policies, funding opportunities,
and training is also provided. Links to complementary and alternative medicine
databases are included.
Quackwatch
(http://www.quackwatch.com)
Operated by Dr. Stephen Barrett, M.D., Quackwatch provides a skeptic's look
at a number of alternative medicine therapies. It provides both general information,
as well as critical analyses of an extensive list of practices. Links to a number
of related sites are included.
Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine
(http://www.rosenthal.hs.columbia.edu)
The Rosenthal Center, an affiliate of Columbia
University, seeks to contribute to the informed research and practice of complementary
and alternative medicine. The web site offers information about the center,
its projects and training programs. It also offers selected links to CAM resources
for practioners, patients, and the Columbia community.
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