Alternative and Complementary Medicine
General Resource Guide

Contents:
   Explanation of terminology
   Common Abbreviations

Categorized Information Resources:
   Books
   Journals
   Government resources
   Professional Associations
   Web resources
   Referral services see Choosing an Alternative or Complementary Medicine Practitoner
   Search services

For an explanation of the criteria for selection and organization of the resources, see the two introductions:

Introduction for Professionals
Introduction for Patients and Health Care Consumers

Alternative and complementary medicine encompasses a great number of practices and systems of healthcare. Some have been incorporated into standard care as in the many integrative or integrated medicine clinics that have recently opened, usually under the direction of a conventional physician or MD.

Conventional medicine or western biomedicine is sometimes referred to as allopathic medicine, derived from the Greek, allo, meaning opposite, and pathos, meaning suffering. In general, conventional medicine focuses on diseases and employs techniques to eradicate it. For example, antibiotic drugs for bacterial infections or anti-hypertensives for high blood pressure.

Alternative and complementary medicine is frequently referred to as CAM, although the two terms have different connotations. Alternative medicine is used to replace conventional treatments, so opting for a nutritional therapy for cancer instead of chemotherapy is alternative. Complementary therapies are used alongside conventional treatments. For example, acupuncture or herbs may be used for the nausea associated with chemotherapy.

Conventional biomedicine is sometimes referred to as traditional medicine. This is a misnomer. Traditional systems of medicine existed long before the development of modern western medicine. Traditional systems, such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), or Tibetan Medicine have developed distinctly different concepts of health and disease that usually combine concepts of body, mind, and spirit. Notions of cancer or infectious diseases have no direct parallels in these systems.

New perspectives on health and medicine, incorporating ideas of "life force", balance and harmony may be referred to as mind-body approaches. Yoga, guided imagery, biofeedback, hypnosis are examples. Novel approaches emphasizing spiritual practices and the wholeness of all aspects of human life are often referred to as holistic, wholistic, or New Age medicine.

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Common Abbreviations

ACT - Acupuncture Therapist
AHP - Advanced Heller Practice
AP - Acupuncture Physician
CA - Certified Acupuncturist
CAMT - Certified Acupressure Massage Therapist
CAC- Certified Acupuncturist
CAT - Certified Alexander Teacher
CBT- Certified Biofeedback Therapy
CBPM - Certified Bonnie Prudden Myotherapy
CHOM - Certified Homeopathic
CLMP - Certified Licensed Massage Practitioner
CHT - Certified Hypnotherapist
CLMT - Certified Licensed Massage Therapist
CMP - Certified Massage Practitioner
CMP- Certified Massage Therapist
CNS - Certified Nurse Specialist
CNP - Certified Nurse Practitioner
CR - Certified Rolfer
CST - Certified Structural Therapist
CTP - Certified Trager Practitioner
CVA - Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist
DAC - Doctor of Acupuncture
DCH - Doctor of Clinical Hypnotherapy
DC - Doctor of Chiropractic
DHOM - Diplomate of Homeopathic Medicine
DDS - Doctor of Dentistry
DHANP - Diplomate of the Homeopathic Academy of Naturopathic Physicians
DHMS - Diplomate of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery
DIPLAC - Diplomate of Licensed Acupuncturist
DO - Doctor of Osteopathy
DHT- Diplomate of Homeotherapeutics
DOM - Doctor of Oriental Medicine
DIPAC - Diplomate American Board of Medical Acupuncture
HHP - Holistic Health Practitioner
HMP - Homeopathic Medical Doctor
LAC - Licensed Acupuncturist
LN - Licensed Nutritionist
MDH - Medical Doctor of Homeopathy
MT - Massage Therapist
NCTMB - Nationally Certified Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
NT - Nutritional Counselor
ND - Doctor of Naturopathy
OBT - Oriental Bodywork Therapist
NMD - Doctor of Naturopathy
OMD - Oriental Medical Doctor
PP - Polarity Practitioner
RCT - Registered Craniosacral Therapist
RAC - Registered Acupuncturist
RPP - Registered Polarity Practitioner
ST - Somatic Therapist
RSHOM - Registered with the Society of Homeopaths

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Categorized Resources

NOTE:  The following resource listings are not intended to be comprehensive, nor to be used as a guide for treatment. They are provided for information only. The resources are selected and categorized to help you with your own research:

  BOOKS  

AUTHORITATIVE RESEARCH RESOURCES

Bradly P Jacobs, MD, MPH, Katherine Gundling, MD The ACP Evidence-Based Guide to Complementary & Alternative Medicine ACP Press, 2009 Written from a generalist clinician perspective this guide from American College of Physicians provides accessible scientifically-based information on subspecialty areas with at-a-glance summaries.

Richard P Brown, Patricia L Gerbarg, Philip R. Muskin How to Use herbs, Nutrients, and Yoga in Mental Health Care FW.W.Norton & Company, 2009 A reference book for healthcare professionals and the public on integrative mental health approaches. The authors are clinical psychologists and medical school professors.

Kenneth Pelletier, Andrew Weil (introduction) The Best Alternative Medicine Fireside, 2002 Dr. Kenneth Pelletier provides an authoritative consumer reference guide that focuses on the existing body of clinical research and the safest applications of the 12 most common practices.

Wayne B Jonas & Jeffrey S Levin (Eds.) Essentials of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 1999 Textbook, for physicians about the foundations of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and the safety of CAM products and practices. Overviews nearly two dozen CAM systems.

Spencer, JW and Jacobs, J (Eds.) Complementary and Alternative Medicine: An Evidence-Based Approach Mosby, 1998 Individual chapters deal with disease states and patient groups, along with information on and evidence for therapies used to treat them. Provides categorization of types of evidence and how the research has been evaluated.

Micozzi, Marc (Ed.) Current Review of Complementary Medicine Current Medicine, 1999 Individual chapters deal with particular modalities or diseases.  Information on how to create an herbal formulary, insurance coverage and surveys of usage.

Fugh-Berman, Adrian Alternative Medicine: What Works Williams-Wilkins, 1997 A comprehensive and readable review of the scientific evidence both for and against a range of therapies.

Report to the National Institutes of Health, Office of Alternative Medicine Expanding Medical Horizons NIH Publication, 1994 Useful reference resource, covering a wide range of scientific, clinical and historical research on alternative medical approaches.

CASE STUDIES/OBSERVATIONAL DATA

Andrew Weil, MD Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self-Care for Optimum Health Houghton Mifflin, rev. ed, 2004 New edition of Dr. Weil's resource on preventive health maintenance and alternative healing is expanded to include advice about low-carb diets, hormone replacement therapy, Alzheimer's, attention deficit disorder, reflux disease, autism, type 2 diabetes, and more.

Roanne Weisman & Brian Berman, MD Own Your Health Health Communications, 2003 Weisman, a medical writer, used a range of alternative treatments to aid recovery after suffering a debilitating stroke. This reference book was inspired by her experiences.

Bill Gottlieb (Ed) New Choices in Natural Healing Rodale, 1997 A comprehensive guide to self-care using alternative therapies.

James S. Gordon Manifesto for a New Medicine Addison Wesley, 1996 A guide for practitioners and patients on how to integrate the best of conventional and alternative healthcare.

Weil, Andrew Spontaneous Healing Fawcett, 1996 General health guide based on the idea that the body has the power to heal itself, also applied to remissions of cancer and other life threatening diseases.

Burton Goldberg Group Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide Future Medicine Publishing, 1998, revised ed. An encyclopedic guide to therapies and alternative treatments for a range of health problems, compiled through interviews with practitioners. Standard conventional diagnoses and treatments are also described.

FOLK/TRADITIONAL INFORMATION

Grossinger, Richard Planet Medicine Vol. I: Origins Planet Medicine Vol. II: Modalities North Atlantic Books, Rev. eds: Vol. I 2001, Vol.II, 2003 Description of the healing traditions in many cultures: Shamanic, Taoist, Ayurvedic, as well as modern alternative therapies and mind-body approaches.

See also the Resource Guide on Traditional Medical Systems:

Ayurveda
Tibetan Medicine
Chinese Traditional Medicine

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JOURNALS

AUTHORITATIVE RESEARCH RESOURCES

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine
Published by InnoVision Communications, Boulder, CO. (303) 440-7402
Peer reviewed academic journal with news items, 10 issues a year.
Editor in Chief, Mark A. Hyman, MD.

Integrative Medicine: A Clinician's Journal
Published by InnoVision Communications, Boulder, CO. (303) 440-7402
Provides clinicians with peer-reviewed, scientifically accurate, practical information about the integration of conventional and natural medicine. editor, Joseph Pizzorno, ND

F.A.C.T: Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
Published by the Pharmaceutical Press, London, UK
FACT is a quarterly review journal that aims to present the evidence on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in an analytical and impartial manner.
Editor-in-Chief, Edzard Ernst, MD

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine:
Research on Paradigm, Practice, and Policy
Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Larchmont, NY. (800) M-LIEBERT
Peer-reviewed academic journal, 10 issues a year. Editor-in-Chief, Kim Jobst, DM, MRCP.

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
Published by Jonathan Collin, MD, Port Townsend, WA. (360) 385-6021
Scientific and anecdotal information from researchers, health practititioners and patients.  Editor-in-Chief:  Jonathan Collin, MD.

POPULAR MAGAZINES

Alternative Medicine: The Art and Science of Healthy Living
Published by InnoVision Communications, Boulder, CO. (303) 440-7402
Formerly Alternative Medicine Digest and Alternative Medicine Magazine (not affiliated with the Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc.) Sections include, "Ask the Doctor" featuring a different CAM practitioner each issue, health matters, healing foods, and min-body topics.

Prevention Magazine
http://www.prevention.com/
Published by Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA. (610) 967-5171 or NY (212) 697-2040
Information on vitamins, minerals, herbs, diet and nutrition, as well as healthy recipes.

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GOVERNMENT RESOURCES

CAM on PubMed
NCCAM and the National Library of Medicine (NLM) partnered to create a subset of NLM's PubMed. PubMed provides access to citations from the MEDLINE database and additional life science journals. High quality research resources are publicly available.

Healthfinder.gov
This resource from the Department of Health & Human Services provides information on the integration of alternative and complementary medicine, with an emphasis on healthy lifestyles.

MedlinePlus - Alternative Medicine (also called CAM)
Authoritative consumer health information from the National Library of Medicine.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health (NCCAM/NIH)
NCCAM is dedicated to exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science; training CAM researchers; and disseminating authoritative information.

NCCAM Public Information Clearinghouse
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/clearinghouse/index.htm
P.O. Box 7923
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20898
Tel: 1-888-644-6226; outside U.S.: (301) 519-3153
Fax: 1-866-464-3616 (Toll-Free)
TTY: 1-866-464-3615 (Toll-Free)
Email: info@nccam.nih.gov
For fact sheets and information with government clearance. 

Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM), National Institutes of Health
OCCAM was established in October 1998 to coordinate and enhance the activities of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the arena of complementary and alternative medicine.

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), National Institutes of Health
The mission of ODS is to strengthen knowledge and understanding of dietary supplements by evaluating scientific information, stimulating and supporting research, disseminating research results, and educating the public to foster an enhanced quality of life and health for the U.S. population.

White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy
President Clinton formed this commission to make recommendations on public policy and legislation pertaining to complementary and alternative medicine.  See the web site for information on Commission and Town Hall meetings. Final Report published in March 2002

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PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

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WEB RESOURCES

Promotional and commercial sites are not included in this listing unless they provide significant impartial information resources.

AUTHORITATIVE RESEARCH RESOURCES

Directory of Databases
Compilation of the major databases containing significant alternative medicine resources. The categorized listings are hyperlinked to existing Web sites where available, or to brief information on the resource, such as: how to obtain further details; type of literature covered; size of the holding; and mode of access.

DrugWatch
Extensive directory of pharmaceutical drugs with information on interactions, side effects, conditions, and news alerts.


HealthDirectoryMoz
Information on a wide list of alternative medicine modalities, with more general resources for alternative medicine at http://www.healthdirectorymoz.com/Alternative/Resources/

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
Provides systematically assessed product information and product ingredient information. Searchable by natural product name, disease or condition, or drug name. Requires subscription for access.

Natural Standard
Validated rating scales are used to evaluate the quality of available scientific evidence. Information is incorporated into comprehensive monographs which are designed to facilitate clinical decision making. Subscription required for access.

R & H Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
A comprehensive and authoritative listing, from Columbia University, NYC, of complementary and alternative medicine resources .

UK-Bandolier - Complementary and Alternative Therapies
UK Site sponsored by the private health insurance company, BUPA, containing quality evaluated, primarily evidence-based information on alternative and complementary therapies.

There are many more sites that give listings of related sites and resources.  The following are the most comprehensive metasites:

Ask Noah - Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Continuum Center for Health and Healing - click on the pull down listing of therapies

Infoholix - global directory of information

Savvy Patients - Integrative Medicine on the Internet

InteliHealth: Alternative Health WorldwideHealth - from Aetna

MedWeb - Emory University listing on Alternative Medicine

University of Pittsburgh - Alternative Medicine Guide

Yahoo - Alternative Medicine

ADVICE SITES

Ask Doctor Weil
You can search for advice on specific health problems and therapies. The site provides listings of integrative medicine practitioners who have graduated from the University of Arizona's Program in Integrative Medicine, by geographical location and specialty.

Dr. Whitaker.com
Popular advice site but with a heavy emphasis on product sales.

HealthWorld Online
Provides expert articles and summaries on a wide range of topics.

Revolution Health - Natural Health & Alternative Medicine
Health portal founded by Steve Case has a section on alternative medicine.

FOLK/TRADITIONAL INFORMATION

Online Archive of American Folk Medicine
Dr. Michael Owen Jones, a professor of folklore and history at UCLA, directed the creation of this database from archives amassed since the 1940's.

Open Directory - Folk Medicine
International directory of links to many folk and traditional medicine-related sites.

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REFERRAL SERVICES

NOTE:  The Alternative Medicine Foundation cannot provide referrals.

For a listing of organizations that do provide practitioner listings, see Choosing an Alternative or Complementary Medicine Practitioner, and click on Practitioner Listings.

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  SEARCH SERVICES

 The following organizations provide customized literature searches for a fee.

American Holistic Health Association (AHHA)- Health Information Search Services
This web page lists details and costs for several organizations which offer fee-based searches or packets on health issues.

Herb Research Foundation
http://www.herbs.org
4141 15th St.
Boulder, CO 80304
Tel: (303) 449-2265
VM: (800) 748-2617
Fax: (303) 449-7849
Email: Click on Contact Us for email form on web site
Provides searches on specific herbal treatments and dietary supplements. Herb information packets are customized to your specific needs.

World Research Foundation
http://www.wrf.org/
41 Bell Rock Plaza
Sedona, AZ 86351
Tel: (928) 284-3300
Fax: (928) 284-3530
Email: info@wrf.org
Provides information packets on many health topics, as well as books and videos. These can be ordered for a varied donation, based on size and scope of packet.

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