INTRODUCTION
Most mainstream physicians are of little assistance when it comes to providing guidance to patients in the area of complementary medicine. How does a consumer interested in exploring complementary therapies go about making the right choice?
Always begin by obtaining a medical diagnosis for your condition from a physician. If you decide to stop using mainstream medicine, do so only because you have weighed the benefits and side effects of the treatment and determined that there is no longer a sufficient reason to continue. Never abandon a promising mainstream therapy in favor of an unproven complementary therapy.
Educate yourself thoroughly about the field of complementary medicine for your condition so that you will have a context for comparing therapies and making decisions.
There are a number of useful resource books that may be of great help in understanding the field of complementary medicine and in choosing specific therapies.
The Internet can be a valuable tool for locating information about the range of complementary therapies available. Medically oriented sites generally provide the most reliable information, but these rarely discuss complementary therapies.
Internet sites that are established by patient advocacy or support groups are often very good sources of information about complementary therapies. Discussion groups can give you a sense of which therapies people are finding helpful. The same is true of support groups. Hearing from many people who have tried a particular therapy is a good indication that you should investigate more closely.
Resources
Alternative Health News Online
Helpful alternative, complimentary and preventive health news.
Cancer Decisions
The site aims at helping patients choose the best alternative and conventional cancer treatments, specific to each diagnosis.
Center For Alternative Medicine Research in Cancer
Produced by the University of Texas Center for Alternative Medicine Research (UT-CAM) this site is dedicated to investigating the effectiveness of alternative/complementary therapies used for cancer prevention and control. A wide variety of agents are reviewed. The resource list for patients and families includes book and periodical recommendations, Internet resources, and links to organizations offering further information on specific alternative cancer therapies.
National Center For Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The National Institutes of Health, NCCAM, conducts and supports basic and applied research on complementary and alternative medicine. This site disseminates information from this research to practitioners and the public. The Information Resources section has an index consisting of bibliographic citations from the National Library of Medicine`s database.
Health World Online
Alternative & Complementary Medicine Center
Includes overviews of alternative and integrative medicine, alternative approaches to specific health questions, and practitioner referrals, with extensive information on specific therapies: Acupuncture, Ayurvedic Medicine, chiropractic, Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy, Naturopathic Medicine, Osteopathy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, among others.
Books
Sandwell Mind Bookshop
A good selection of books on alternative and complementary cancer therapies.
The American Holistic Health Association Complete Guide to Alternative Medicine
William B. Collinge, Len Duhl
Paperback, 361 pagesPublished by Warner Books
Publication date: December 1997
ISBN: 0446672580
Choices in Healing: Integrating the Best of Conventional and Complementary Approaches to Cancer
by Michael Lerner
Published by MIT Press
Publication date: April 1996
ISBN: 0262621045
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine
by Michael T. Murray, Joseph E. Pizzorno, Joseph Pizzorno
Paperback, 640 pages
Published by Prima Publishing
Publication date: February 1998
ISBN: 0761511571
Complementary Medicine : An Integrated Approach
by Julian Kenyon, Peter Lewis, George Lewith, J Kenyon
Paperback
Published by Oxford Univ Press
Publication date: August 1996
ISBN: 0192625659
Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide
by Deepak Chopra, Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., Puyallup,
Washington, 1994.
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