Healthnet: Connecticut Consumer Health Information Network
Lyman Maynard Stowe Library
University of Connecticut Health Center
Farmington CT
This resource list was developed for the Alternative Medicine program Healthnet sponsored on November 5, 2003 at the Farmington Public Library. These are recommended resources for public and health sciences libraries. All of the listed books may not be available in the University of Connecticut Health Center Library.
American Cancer Society’s complementary and alternative cancer methods handbook. Anneke Smith, editor. American Cancer Society, 2002. 278 p. (ISBN 0-9442-3540-9), $14.95.
This book provides two page summaries of the use and effects of more than two hundred complementary and alternative methods of cancer treatment,. Treatments described include mind, body, and spirit methods, herbs, vitamins and minerals, diet and nutrition, and biological preparations. This guide also advises patients and families how to evaluate alternative therapies. There are guidelines for safe use of dietary supplements and questions to ask about each alternative therapy to determine if it is safe and effective. The book also includes specific warnings about possible dangers from unproven treatments.
American Pharmaceutical Association practical guide to natural medicines. Andrea Pierce. William Morrow and Company, 1999. 752 p. (ISBN 0-688-16151-0), $37.00.
Published under the auspices of the American Pharmaceutical Association, a national organization of pharmacists, this guide has information on more than 300 natural treatments. Each entry includes a description of the herb, supplement, or substance, its uses, forms, dosage, results of research on its effectiveness, and potential harm. There is a bibliography at the end of each entry and list of references to footnotes in text.
The best alternative medicine: what works? what does not? Kenneth R. Pelletier. Simon & Schuster Fireside, 2000. 448 p. (ISBN 0-684-84207-6), hardcover. /Fireside 448 p. (ISBN 0-7432-0027-6) pap. 2002. $15.00.
This guide has scientifically based evaluations on the safety and efficacy of popular alternative treatments such as herbs, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and other therapies and provides the necessary documentation to support the information. Approximately two thirds of the book is devoted to the evaluations. The remaining sections discuss alternative treatments for common medical conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure, colds and flu, depression, digestive problems, and others.
The complementary and alternative medicine information source book. Alan M. Rees. Oryx Press, 2001. 240 p. (ISBN 1-57356-388-9), $49.95.
This is a collection of rated reviews of the best sources for information on alternative and complementary therapies. Sources include books, Internet sites, pamphlets, professional books and journals, newsletters, CD-ROM databases, and contacts for hundreds of professional groups and resource organizations.
Dictionary of alternative medicine. 2nd edition. Joseph Segen. Appleton-Lange, 2000. 407 p. (ISBN 0-8385-1621-1), pap. $31.95.
A handy book that offers succinct descriptions of terms related to alternative therapeutic systems - acupuncture, chiropractic, aromatherapy, energy medicine, and the like. Methods considered to be quackery are also included. The author does not make any judgment as to claims of efficacy for the therapy. Devices used, names of individuals associated with alternative therapies, and conditions associated with or caused by the different therapies are discussed.
Encyclopedia of natural medicine. Rev. 2nd edition. Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno. Prima Pub., 1998. 960 p. (0-7615-1157-1), $24.95.
Natural medicine, or naturopathy, is the method of employing natural means to prevent and treat disease. Herbs, vitamins, minerals, diet and nutritional supplements, exercise, acupuncture, and homeopathy are some of the methods used. This guide describes common diseases and medical conditions and offers prescriptions for treatment. Each treatment recommendation includes, for the most part, suggested general measures (i.e., drink more fluids), as well as dietary changes, a regimen of vitamin supplements, botanical remedies, and exercises or other mechanical therapies. Includes an extensive list of references to research reported in the journal literature.
Finding the right treatment: modern and alternative medicine: a comprehensive reference guide that will help you get the best of both worlds. Jacqueline Krohn and Frances Taylor. Hartley & Marks, Inc., 2002. 700 p. (ISBN 0-88179-196-2), $24.95.
This handbook provides an analysis and description of conventional and alternative medicine, the effectiveness of their treatments and therapies, and their strengths and weaknesses. An encyclopedia of common health problems offers a description of each condition, its signs and symptoms, how it is diagnosed, how it is treated using conventional medicine, and how the condition may be treated using alternative methods such as homeopathy, herbs, acupuncture, exercise, and nutritional supplements.
The 5-Minute herb and dietary supplement consult.
Adriane Fugh-Berman, editor. Lippincott,
Williams & Wilkins,
2003. 475 p. (ISBN 0-683-30273-6), $59.95.
Although this guide to herbs and dietary supplements is
concise, the research-based information provided in each herb’s two-page
description is comprehensive and detailed. There are descriptions
of more than one hundred sixty herbs, vitamins, minerals, and dietary
supplements. Written mainly in technical terms for a medical audience,
the information is clearly laid out and categorized by topics such as active
ingredients, mechanism of action, adverse reactions, evidence of effectiveness,
and dosage. Footnotes in the text refer to books and medical journal
articles that form the basis of descriptions of the herbs’ effects, uses,
and risks.
Green pharmacy herbal handbook: your comprehensive reference to the best herbs for healing. James Duke. Rodale Press, 2000. 288 p. ( ISBN: 1-579-54184-4), $19.95.
This encyclopedic herbal desk reference describes 180 herbs. There is an index of disorders that links the reader to the main entry for the herb used to treat the disorder. Information is given on the form of the herb, its uses, parts used, side effects, and dosages.
Healing with homeopathy: the doctor's guide. Wayne B. Jonas and Jennifer Jacobs. Warner Books, 1998. 349 p. 0-446-67342-0 $14.99.
This guide describes homeopathic remedies and has case histories of patients who have been helped by these remedies. The authors also discuss the limitations of this type of treatment. Common ailments discussed are digestive problems, headaches, acute back and neck pain, emotional problems, children’s illnesses, coughs and colds, and women’s complaints. References are included to published research and a summary chart in an appendix lists remedies and the illnesses for which they are prescribed.
Inside chiropractic : a patient’s guide. Samuel Homola. Edited by Stephen Barrett. Prometheus Books, 1999. 280 p. (ISBN 1-57392-698-1), $28.00.
This practical guide describes the facts and falsehoods of chiropractic. Dr. Homola, a practicing chiropractor, discusses the theories underlying this form of treatment and describes the methods used by its practitioners. He believes that chiropractic by a skilled practitioner can be beneficial for patients who have certain types of medical conditions. He is highly critical of those who make claims of a cure or remedy for conditions beyond the profession’s capability, for example that chiropractic can treat infection and disease.
Integrative medicine. David Rakel. Saunders, 2003. 891 p. (ISBN 0-7216-9288-5), $69.95.
Written for the primary care physician, this book is a comprehensive, well-organized guide to treatment and prevention of nearly eighty medical conditions. References to journal articles and books cited within the text appear at the end of each brief chapter. Each disease-related chapter includes sections on the disease’s symptoms and background, types of therapy possibly effective including nutrition, mind-body techniques, medications, spirituality, and surgery. Also in the chapter are “Therapies to consider,” ones that may be effective but have not been proven scientifically, and a “Therapeutic review” which highlights therapies recommended in the chapter. The book concludes with chapters on how to implement a number of alternative and complementary techniques, e.g. meditation, guided imagery, self-hypnosis, acupuncture
Natural medicines: a comprehensive database. 4th
ed. Therapeutic Research Faculty, 2002. 1957 p.
(ISBN 0-9676136-6-3), $90.00. This database is
also available online. The rate for a single subscriber is $91.00.
May be ordered online at http://www.naturaldatabase.com . You may
also write to Natural Medicines, 3120 W. March Lane, PO Box 8190, Stockton
CA 95208; telephone: 209/472-2244.
The Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database gives accurate scientific data for every herbal medicine and dietary supplement used and referenced in North America. The database covers more products than any other reference. For each product the database provides 15 categories of information. These categories include other names by which the product is known, safety and effectiveness ratings, common dosages, potential interactions with drugs, foods and other natural products, and potential effects on laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures.
The natural pharmacy. Complete home reference to natural medicine. Schuyler W. Linninger, editor. Prima Publishing, 1999. 621 p. (ISBN 0-7615-1967-X), $24.95 pap.
The Natural Pharmacy is based on a health information database, “ Healthnotes Online,” that is available in supermarkets, pharmacies, and natural food stores in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain through in store touch screen kiosks. The book is divided into four sections: Health Concerns, Nutritional Supplements, Herbs, and Homeopathic Remedies, and has a cross-reference index to the disorders for which specific homeopathic remedies are recommended. There is an index and references to articles and books that evaluate uses of the herbs. Its editorial advisers are physicians and naturopathic doctors.
The New York Times guide to alternative health: A consumer reference. Jane Brody and Denise Grady. Henry Holt, 2001. 394 p. (ISBN 0-8050-6743-4), $16.00.
Two noted New York Times reporters examine the products, research, and the scams associated with alternative and complementary medicine. With contributions by other writers for the Times, they discuss the facts about unregulated dietary supplements, the interactions between prescription drugs and herbal medicines, and evaluate claims of popular treatments such as St. John’s wort, Echinacea, and ginkgo.
PDR for herbal medicines. 2nd ed. rev. Medical Economics Co., 2000. 858 p. (ISBN 1-56363-361-2), $59.95.
This compendium offers information on over 600 common botanicals. The monographs are based on the findings of the German Regulatory Authority’s herbal watchdog agency, better known as "Commission E". Based on an intensive review of peer-reviewed medical literature, each monograph describes the herb’s scientific name and its most common name along with a description of the botanical parts of the herb and its actions and pharmacology. Indications and usage, contraindications, precautions and possible adverse reactions, symptoms and consequences of overdose, dosages, and references to the scientific literature are included. A full-color identification guide of 400 herbs, a scientific names index, and a common name index are included.
ONLINE RESOURCES
PubMed has a feature that allows the searcher to retrieve journal article citations related to complementary and alternative medicine. (CAM). “CAM on PubMed” currently contains over 220,000 citations related to CAM. This subset of the National Library of Medicine's Medline database is a result of a cooperative project between the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM). You can search “CAM on PubMed” from the NCCAM site at http://nccam.nih.gov and your searches will automatically be limited to CAM-related citations. If you search directly from PubMed, you need to limit your search to the CAM subset. First click on the “Limits” button. Next, select “Complementary Medicine” on the Subsets pull down menu (on the right side of the “Limits” page). Your search will be limited to complementary and alternative medicine citations.
The popular doctor discusses alternative healing remedies for many common ailments. Although Dr. Weil sells vitamin and mineral supplements on his site, the information he provides is balanced and not aimed at selling his products.
From the Falk Library of the Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh , this site serves as a jump station for a wealth of sources of information on unconventional, alternative, complementary, innovative, and integrative therapies.
Connecticut Holistic Health Association
The mission of this organization is to promote awareness of the principles of holistic health, support the practice of holistic healthcare, and facilitate opportunities to achieve wellness. Although there isn’t much information here on alternative therapies, there is a Connecticut listing of alternative medicine practitioners and facilities with links to their web sites when available. This resource is similar to looking in the telephone book yellow pages so there isn’t a way to judge the quality of the practitioner.
Health and Wellness Resource Center- select "Link to Individual Databases" then select "Health and Wellness Resource Center"
The Health and Wellness Resource Center(HWRC) has an alternative health module. The “Drug and Herb Finder” offers monographs on prescription, over-the-counter medications, and herbal products. The herbal product information is from Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E. Monographs, PDR for Nutritional Supplements, PDR for Herbal Medicines, and the “PDR Family Guide to Natural Medicines and Healing Therapies.
A separate section of HWRC has the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine which offers profiles of common medical conditions and how they may be treated using alternative therapies such as meditation, herbs, homeopathy, relaxation training, chiropractic, acupuncture, and others.
Alternative medicine topics may also be searched from the main page of the HWRC with the results including not only information on alternative medical treatments, but standard medical therapies as well.
HerbMed is an interactive, electronic
herbal database. It provides hyperlinked access to the scientific and medical
research articles on the use of herbs for treating medical conditions.
This evidence-based information resource is for professionals, researchers,
and the general public.
Search the MedlinePlus database for a wealth of information on alternative medicine. Enter searches using the terms “Alternative medicine”, “acupuncture”, “herbal medicine”, “chiropractic”, and “cancer alternative therapy”. Under each topic there is news about current research, overviews and background information, links to information on research currently being conducted in alternative and complementary therapies, directories, organizations to contact, and advice on the safety and efficacy of various therapies. Under the general heading “Alternative medicine”, you can find information about magnet therapy, massage, biofeedback, aromatherapy, selecting a complementary and alternative medicine practitioner, and five questions to ask when considering an alternative therapy.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education Resources
When properly combined with standard cancer treatments, some complementary therapies can enhance wellness and quality of life, but others may be harmful during or after treatment for cancer. M. D. Anderson Cancer Center’s Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education Resources (CIMER) web site is offered to help patients and physicians decide how best to integrate such therapies into their care. The feature “Reviews of Therapies” offer evidence-based reviews of published research studies on a variety of complementary/integrative or alternative cancer therapies such as traditional Chinese medicine, macrobiotic diets, massage therapy, tai chi, and many others. Each therapy is given a grade (A, B,C, etc.) based on the amount of scientific research supporting its usefulness in treating types of cancer. Short summaries of the reviews are provided in English and Spanish.
National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Part of the National Institutes of Health, the NCAM site has general information about alternative and complementary therapies with links to research studies currently being conducted on alternative therapies for addiction, aging, AIDS, cancer, asthma, stroke and neurologic conditions, and women's health.
The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), part of the National Institutes of Health, supports research and disseminates research results in the area of dietary supplements as they relate to improving health and treating diseases. The Health Information sections describe what constitutes dietary supplements and includes fact sheets on supplements, safety notices, access to the International Bibliographic Information on Supplements database (fee-based for full-text articles), Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI) and Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA ), and separate listings of related links for consumers and professionals.
Information on health fraud, medical quackery, “new age” medicine and “alternative” and “complementary” medicine from an opinionated physician who investigates the validity of their claims. Scroll the list of contents to find “Non- recommended sources for health advice” for a listing of doctors and also a listing of “Questionable Organizations”.
Rosenthal Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Offers links to resources on acupuncture, homeopathy,
chiropractic, herbal medicine, and alternative therapies for
cancer and women's health. The Center sponsors research on alternative
and complementary medical practices.
For a print copy of this resource list which includes the web addresses, contact Alberta Richetelle - richetelle@nso.uchc.edu or telephone 860/679-4055.
Healthnet 11/03
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