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Nursing: Subject Guide (Atlanta Campus): Complementary, Alternative, & Herbal Med

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

MedlinePlus
MedlinePlus provides extensive information from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, and other trusted sources on over 600 diseases and conditions. The Complementary and Alternative Therapies Topic section contains links to information on common complementary and alternative medicine therapies.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
One of the Institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NCCAM is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, training researchers, and disseminating authoritative information to the public and professionals. The site contains general information on complementary and alternative medicine, research and clinical trials.

Alternative Medicine Foundation
The Alternative Medicine Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides consumers and professionals with responsible, evidence-based information on the integration of alternative and conventional medicine.  The site contains resource guides on a variety of alternative treatment modalities, health issues and a primer on medical research studies. It is also the home of HerbMed.

CAM on PubMed
PubMed provides access to citations from the MEDLINE database and additional life science journals. It also includes links to many full-text articles at journal Web sites and other related Web resources.  Users can limit their results to journal articles related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by selecting “Complementary Medicine” under the Limits option.  PubMed is an excellent resource for locating research article citations.

Cochrane Collaboration
Produces and disseminates systematic reviews of healthcare interventions and promotes the search for evidence in the form of clinical trials and other studies of interventions.  Although a subscription is required to read the full text of a review, abstracts can be viewed online for free.

University of Maryland Complementary and Alternative Medicine Index
Look here for information on herbs. Bibliographies are included.

ALT - Healthwatch
Alt-Healthwatch is a full-text database of periodicals, peer-reviewed journals, academic and professional publications, magazines, consumer newsletters and newspapers, research reports and association newsletters focused on complementary, alternative and integrated approaches to health care and wellness.

OCCAM
Office of Cancer Complimentary and Alternative Medicine is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and deals with NCI's agenda for complimentary and alternative medicine as it relates to cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and symptom management.

Herbal Medicine

About Herbs – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
This Web site for consumers and healthcare professionals provides objective information and a clinical summary for each agent and details about constituents, adverse effects, interactions, and potential benefits or problems. Evaluations of alternative or unproved cancer therapies also are given.

Agricola
A bibliographic database of citations to the agricultural literature created by the U.S. National Agricultural Library and its cooperators, AGRICOLA contains citations for journal articles, books, audiovisuals and other resources.

Medicinal Herb Garden – Images
Located on the campus the University of Washington in Seattle, the Medicinal Herb Garden is a resource for herbalists, medics, and botanists of all levels.  The site contains high quality photographs of a wide variety of herbs.

Native American Healing

American Indian Health
This Web resource on American Indian Health, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, is designed to bring together health and medical resources pertinent to the American Indian population including policies, consumer health information, and research.

Tribal Connections
This database developed by the National Library of Medicine provides health related resources for Native Americans and Alaska Natives.  Content includes columns from Native American health specialists that combine western and Indian approaches to healing and healthy living and that focus on nutrition and diet.

Health Professions Librarian

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Joel Glogowski
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Reputable Websites

The open web is home to a lot of great information and a lot of misinformation. When reviewing sites, consider their Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose/Objectivity. Click here to view a list of questions that cover each of these five areas.

  • Currency: The timeliness of the information. This matters less in cases like this, where the figures are historical.
  • Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. If the content isn't on target, it's not the right site for you.
  • Authority: The source of the information. Is it from a university or respected medical or historical authority?
  • Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content. Check for citations, and verify that information is accurate.
  • Purpose/Objectivity: The presence of bias or prejudice/The reason the information exists. Is the host trying to sell or convince you of something? If so, avoid that site.

The CRAAP test was developed by Meriam Library, California State University, Chico