LibGuides: Health and Wellness Resources: Complementary & Alternative Medicine

Definitions

What is the difference between complementary, alternative, and integrative medicine?

Complementary medicine refers to treatments that are used along with standard medical treatments, like using acupuncture to help with side effects of cancer treatment.
Alternative medicine refers to treatments that are used instead of standard medical treatments.
Integrative medicine is a total approach to care that combines standard medical treatment with other practices that have been shown to be safe and effective.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Websites

About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products
From the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, a tool for the public as well as healthcare professionals to help you figure out the value of using common herbs and other dietary supplements. Provides objective information including a clinical summary for each agent and details about constituents, adverse effects, interactions, and potential benefits or problems.
WebMD: Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Learn more about complementary and alternative treatment options in this series of articles on various topics.
MedlinePlus Complementary and Integrative Medicine
Provides background information and news on complementary and alternative medical approaches.
National Cancer Institute: Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Patients
Evidence-based information summaries for a selection of integrative, alternative, and complementary therapies for cancer treatment.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
The NCCIH studies the usefulness and safety of complementary and integrative health interventions and their roles in improving health and health care.
Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Research and health information from the National Cancer Institute including an A to Z list of complementary and alternative therapies.

eBooks

Alternative Medicine? by Roberta Bivins
ISBN: 9780191568817
Publication Date: 2007-01-01
Comparing the medical systems of China, India, and the west - both mainstream and alternative - Roberta Bivins shows how medical expertise has migrated from one culture to another. From acupuncture in Regency England to homeopathy in the 'Wild West', Bivins unearths the roots of today's distinctions between alternative, complementary, and orthodox medicine, and shows how popular interest in medical alternatives is a phenomenon with a long and fascinating pedigree.
The Complete Guide to Complementary Therapies in Cancer Care by Barrie R. Cassileth
ISBN: 9789814335669
Publication Date: 2011-07-18
This unique and comprehensive book guides the way through the often confusing maze of complementary and alternative therapies promoted to cancer patients and survivors. The functions, benefits, backgrounds and risks are clearly presented.
Perspectives on Complementary and Alternative Medicines by Ian N. Olver (Editor); Monica Robotin (Editor)
ISBN: 9781848165571
Publication Date: 2011-10-19
This book provides a full range of perspectives on CAMS from patients and CAMS practitioners to conventional doctors who oppose the use of these alternative treatments because of the lack of evidence of efficacy and safety. Then there are the CAMS researchers, educators and regulators who view CAMS from different perspectives. The broad array of opinions build a complete picture of the issues for discerning readers to be adequately informed to make up their minds and draw their own conclusions.

Library Books

Alternative Cures That Really Work by Ronald L. Hoffman; Barry Fox
Call Number: R733.H615 2006
ISBN: 9781594864537
Publication Date: 2007-08-21
Explores the most effective natural treatments for a wide range of ailments, covering food remedies, herbs, nutritional supplements, and other healing techniques.
Alternative Medicine by Greenhaven Press Editors; Lynn Zott (Editor); David M. Haugen
Call Number: R733.A4587 2012
ISBN: 9780737754384
Publication Date: 2012-07-13
Explores the effectiveness of alternative medicines such as homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, and chelation therapy, reasons for the popularity of alternative medicines, whether alternative and conventional medicine can work together.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Richard P. Capriccioso; Paul Moglia; Salem Press Staff
Call Number: R733.C6524 2012 v. 1-4
ISBN: 9781587658709
Publication Date: 2012-03-01
The set contains over 700 essays on a variety of topics, including acupuncture, aromatherapy, crystal healing, detoxification, herbal medicine, magnet therapy, probiotics, Qigong, traditional Chinese herbal medicine, vegan diets, and vitamins and minerals
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Sourcebook by Sandra J. Judd (Editor)
Call Number: R735.C66 2006
ISBN: 0780808649
Publication Date: 2006-03-01
Provides basic consumer health information about alternative and complementary medical therapies. Includes index, glossary of related terms, and other resources.
The Duke Encyclopedia of New Medicine by Tracy Gaudet (Foreword by); Linda Smith; Duke Center for Integrative Medicine Staff; Richard Liebowitz
ISBN: 9781594864940
Publication Date: 2006-11-14
Increasingly the trend in health care is away from a disease-oriented, physician- and technology-centered model toward a wellness-oriented, patient-centered approach that combines alternative healing therapies with conventional medicine. This medical reference, with hundreds of full-color images, is the most authoritative and comprehensive ever published on integrative care.
New Medicine by Kenneth R. Pelletier (Contribution by); David Peters; Berman Fugh
Call Number: RC81.N523 2007
ISBN: 9780756609337
Publication Date: 2007-02-19
Covers key issues in integrated medicine, including how to combine herbal and conventional medicines safely, when to treat ailments yourself and when to seek expert help, and how to choose therapies to suit your disposition and needs.
What Your Doctor Hasn't Told You and the Health Store Clerk Doesn't Know by Edward Schneider; Leigh Ann Hirschman
Call Number: R733.S35 2006
ISBN: 9781583332528
Publication Date: 2006-06-01
A guide to alternative therapies for sleep problems, chronic pain, heart disease, and other health disorders draws on up-to-date medical research to counsel readers about the benefits of such treatments as yoga, acupuncture, and herbal supplements