With so much information about alternative treatments in the media and on the World Wide Web, many patients have become skilled at doing their own research and cross checking with friends, family or on-line chat groups. Healthcare consumers nowadays often inform their own physicians about new treatment and trends.

There are many warnings in the media about misleading or false information. Several government information clearinghouses and web sites have been developed to guide patients. However, this is not always appropriate for alternative and complementary medicine as these practices are often outside of officially accepted medical practice.

On the other hand there are increasing numbers of commercial resources. Books about products or commercial web sites (.com) are developed with the aim of selling particular products, therapies, or practitioners. It is important to be wary of the information they provide.

The Resource Guides of the Alternative Medicine Foundation are designed to help you make sense of all the information out there. It is important to know where the information is coming from, whether or not it is based on credible research, and how it was compiled. All the foundation's resources are categorized as follows:

	Authoritative research resources:
	Listings include reports of clinical trials and peer-reviewed scientific research. However, it is important to note that many practitioners feel the randomized controlled trial is not always the most appropriate research methodology for alternative and complementary treatments.
	Case studies/observational data:
	Case studies, experiential reports and observational findings of practitioners may provide valuable insights and leads for clinical practice or for further research projects.
	Folk/traditional information:
	Long standing traditional or indigenous systems of medicine, e.g., Chinese, Ayurvedic, Native American, are empirical systems of knowledge, handed down from generation to generation. They have practical validity, even though most of the practices have not been studied in randomized clinical trials, favored by western biomedicine.

The philosophy followed for all the activities and resources of the Alternative Medicine Foundation is to give a neutral description by category since there is a lack of agreement on what constitutes good evidence. See the also the evidence-based herbal resource, HerbMed^®:   http://www.herbmed.org

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE RESOURCE GUIDES DOES NOT SUBSTITUTE FOR THE ADVICE AND TREATMENT OF A PHYSICIAN OR OTHER LICENSED HEALTH PROFESSIONAL. THE GUIDES ARE PROVIDED SOLELY AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL.