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Core Concepts in Health, 9/e

Paul M. Insel, Stanford University School of Medicine
Walton T. Roth, Stanford University School of Medicine

Health Care: Conventional and Complementary Medicine

Health Links

General Consumer Information

Conventional Medical Therapies and Providers

Complementary and Alternative Therapies and Practitioners

Dietary Supplements and Herbal Remedies

Research Studies

General Consumer Information
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (http://www.ahrq.gov) Provides practical, evidence-based information on health care treatments and outcomes for consumers and practitioners.



American Council on Science and Health (http://www.acsh.org) Provides consumer education materials relating to food, pharmaceuticals, lifestyle, environment, and health.



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Current Health Related Hoaxes and Rumors (http://www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm) Includes information on false Internet and e-mail reports relating to health.



Federal Trade Commission: Consumer Protection--Diet, Health, and Fitness (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-health.htm) Includes online brochures about a variety of consumer health topics, including fitness equipment, generic drugs, and fraudulent health claims.



Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Operation Cure-All (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/cureall/index.html) Includes links to selected commercial health sites that provide reliable health information as well as tips for avoiding unscrupulous online marketers; consumers can also report health fraud to the FTC online .



Food and Drug Administration (http://www.fda.gov) Provides information on FDA consumer protection activities; helpful FDA sites include the following: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/morecons.html consumer information page http://www.fda.gov/fdac/ FDA Consumer magazine (see especially a http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/699_fraud.html recent article on how to spot health fraud) http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-fraud.html tips for avoiding health fraud http://www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/default.htm tips for buying medical products online http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/index.html MedWatch program for reporting adverse effects from products regulated by the FDA



Healthfinder (http://www.healthfinder.gov) A gateway to online publications, Web sites, support and self-help groups, and agencies and organizations that produce reliable health information.



Healthscope (http://www.healthscope.org) Presents tips for making sound health care decisions; some of the information is specific to California, but many of the general guidelines are applicable to all states.



National Council for Reliable Health Information (http://www.ncahf.org) Provides news and information about health fraud and quackery and links to related Web sites.



National Health Information Center (NHIC) (http://www.health.gov/nhic) Helps put consumers in touch with the organizations that are best able to provide answers to health-related questions.



National Institutes of Health Consensus Program Information Center (http://consensus.nih.gov) Provides guidelines about evaluating and treating various medical conditions.



NLM MedlinePlus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus) Provides access to consumer-oriented health information on a variety of topics; the page on http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthfraud.html health fraud includes news and links to information on fraudulent health products and services.



Quackwatch (http://www.quackwatch.com) Provides information on health fraud, quackery, and health decision making. One feature describes http://www.quackwatch.com/02ConsumerProtection/complain.html where to complain or seek help for possible health fraud or dangerous products; links to relevant agencies are provided.



U.S. Consumer Gateway: Health (http://www.consumer.gov/health.htm) A gateway to online government publications relating to health.



U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: Guide to Clinical Preventive Services (http://cpmcnet.columbia.edu/texts/gcps) A major report on the scientific basis and cost-effectiveness of interventions for many potentially preventable diseases and conditions.



White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy (http://www.whccamp.hhs.gov) Includes recommendations on policy and legislation relating to complementary and alternative medicine.

Conventional Medical Therapies and Providers
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) (http://www.aafp.org) Provides information about specific health topics and flow-charts to aid in self-care decisions.



American Academy of Periodontology (http://www.perio.org) Includes information about periodontal diseases and about maintaining oral health.



American Board of Medical Specialties (http://www.abms.org) Provides information on board certification, including information on specific physicians.



American Dental Association Online: Oral Health (http://www.ada.org/public/topics/alpha.asp) Provides information on a variety of topics relating to dental care.



American Medical Association (AMA) (http://www.ama-assn.org) Provides information about recent medical news, consumer health information, and links to related sites; site also includes information about physicians, including their training, licensure, and board certification.



American Optometric Association (http://www.aoanet.org) Includes helpful eye care information for consumers.



American Osteopathic Association (AOA) (http://www.aoa-net.org) Provides information about osteopathic medicine and practitioners and consumer-oriented information on selected health topics.



American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) (http://www.apma.org) Professional organization representing the majority of U.S. podiatrists; site includes tips for maintaining foot health and a searchable directory of podiatrists.



Association of State Medical Board Executive Directors: DocFinder (http://www.docboard.org) Provides information about licensing from selected states.



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Celebrating a Century of Success (http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/tengpha.htm) Presents information on ten great public health achievements of the twentieth century that helped Americans to live longer and healthier lives; includes vaccinations, control of infectious diseases, and safer food.



Doctors for Adults (http://www.doctorsforadults.com) Provides information about doctors of internal medicine, their subspecialties, and common health issues that they diagnose and treat.



Food and Drug Administration: From Test Tube to Patient: Improving Health Through Human D... (http://www.fda.gov/cder/about/whatwedo/testtube.pdf) Describes the lengthy process of developing, testing, and approving new drugs.



Health Grades (http://www.healthgrades.com) Provides information and ratings on many U.S. physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, fertility clinics, health plans, and other health services.



Hospital Select (http://www.hospitalselect.com) Provides basic information about many U.S. hospitals, including size, annual number of visits and surgeries, and services offered.



MedlinePlus: Health Facilities (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthfacilities.html) Provides new and information on health facilities, including links to sites with information on choosing and using facilities.



SearchPointe (http://www.SearchPointe.com) Offers information on many U.S. physicians, including education, training, and any disciplinary information.

Complementary and Alternative Therapies and Practitioners
Acupuncture.Com (http://www.acupuncture.com) Provides information on traditional Chinese medicine and includes a directory of state laws regarding acupuncture.



Alternative Health News Online (http://www.altmedicine.com) Provides a selection of Web pages on complementary and alternative medicine.



American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) (http://www.medicalacupuncture.org) Provides information about acupuncture and a searchable directory of medical doctors who have been certified by the American Board of Medical Acupuncture.



American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM) (http://www.aaom.org) Provides referrals to certified practitioners.



American Chiropractic Association (http://amerchiro.org) Provides information on chiropractic care, consumer tips, and a searchable directory of certified chiropractors.



American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) (http://www.amtamassage.org) Provides information on massage therapy, on certification by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), and a searchable directory of members.



FDA Guide to Choosing Medical Treatments (http://www.fda.gov/oashi/aids/fdaguide.html) Provides general criteria about how to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new treatment; lists some clinical trials now underway to test alternative treatments.



MedlinePlus: Alternative Medicine (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.html) Provides new and links to information on a variety of types of complementary and alternative medicine.



National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) (http://nccam.nih.gov) Provides general information packets, answers to frequently asked questions about alternative therapies, research abstracts, and bibliographies.



National Center for Homeopathy (http://www.homeopathic.org) Provides information about homeopathy and a directory of member practitioners.



National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (NCCAOM) (http://www.nccaom.org) Promotes nationally recognized standards of competency and safety in acupuncture, Chinese herbology, and Oriental bodywork therapy; includes a searchable directory of certified practitioners.



University of Texas Center for Complementary/Integrative Medicine (http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/cimer) Provides background information and a review of the scientific literature on selected alternative therapies used for cancer prevention and control.



Whole Health MD (http://www.wholehealthmd.com) Includes news, recipes, a resource library, and a directory of CAM practitioners.

Dietary Supplements and Herbal Remedies
American Botanical Council (http://www.herbalgram.org) Provides basic information about selected popular herbs; also includes ordering information for the German Commission E monographs on herbs.



Archives of Family Medicine: A Review of 12 Commonly Used Medicinal Herbs (http://archfami.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/7/6/523) Full text of a journal article that reviewed the research on 12 popular medicinal herbs.



ConsumerLab.Com (http://www.consumerlabs.com) Provides information on test results of dietary supplements, including data on which brands of supplements provide the concentrations of ingredients listed on their labels.



Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Dietary Supplements. (http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html) Provides a description of FDA's role in regulating dietary supplements and information on special warnings and actions taken by the FDA regarding specific supplements, including drug interactions.



FDA MedWatch (http://www.fda.gov/medwatch) Collects reports of adverse effects from dietary supplements, drugs, and medical devices; consumers can report adverse effects directly to the agency via the Web site.



Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for the Industr... (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/dietsupp.htm) Provides information about advertising regulations relating to dietary supplements.



Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Promotion for Kid's Dietary Supplements Leaves a Source T... (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/features/kidsupp.htm) A consumer feature with information and advice about supplements marketed for children.



MedlinePlus: Vitamin and Mineral Supplements (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/vitaminandmineralsupplements.html) Provides links to information on vitamin and mineral supplements from government agencies and major medical associations.



National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov) Provides general information about dietary supplements as well as an extensive database of scientific abstracts and citations about supplements. The http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements/intro.html Clinical Nutrition Service offers consumer-oriented fact sheets.



National Nutritional Foods Association (http://www.nnfa.org) Provides information about supplement industry activities and the association's TruLabel program, which seeks to certify good manufacturing practices.



RxList: Alternatives (http://www.rxlist.com/alternative.htm) Includes information about Western herbals, Chinese herbal medicine, and homeopathic remedies.



U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Center: Dietary Supplements (http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000015.html) Provides information about dietary supplements and links to related sites.



U.S. Pharmacopeia: Dietary Supplements (http://www.usp.org/dietarysupplements) Provides information about USP certification activities.

Research Studies Abstracts and/or citations of research studies on alternative therapies are available at the following sites: See also the listings in Chapter 1 (general wellness), Chapter 22 (self-care and health insurance), and Appendix C (evaluating online health information).
National Library of Medicine: PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed)



National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (http://nccam.nih.gov)



NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov)

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