Garlic to Ginseng
Challenging Alternative Medicine Queries @ Your Library
Sally M. Patrick, M.L.S. Project Director Utah Consumer Health Information Initiative Alice Weber, M.L.S., RN Acquisitions Librarian Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library University of Utah
Utah Library Association Annual Conference May 6, 2004
Goals for Today
• Introductions & overview of Eccles Library services & resources • Brief history of Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) • Realize the need to promote an evidence based approach to educating consumers about CAM • Provide exposure to Evidence-based resources in CAM
History
• Ayurveda – 1500 BC to AD 500 • Acupuncture – 5,000 years old • Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) – 2,000 years old • Homeopathy – 1790s
• Allopathic Medicine
History in the U.S.
• 1991- $2 million to NIH • 1993 – Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) • 1998 – NCCAM established • 2001 – CAM on PubMed
• 2002 – NCCAM’s first Clinical Trial
The Reference Interview… Things to Consider
• Provide complete and authoritative health information not medical advice or interpretations
– When in doubt, always refer back to practitioner
• Teach critical evaluation of Internet resources
• Anxiety – be sensitive and respect privacy
Evaluating Consumer Health Information Resources
MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing – Consider the source – Focus on quality – Be a cyber-skeptic – Look for the evidence – Check for currency – Beware of bias – Protect your privacy – Consult with a health professional From MedlinePlus page on Evaluating Health Information
CAM Definitions
• Complementary
• Used together with conventional medicine.
• Alternative
• Used in place of conventional medicine.
• Integrative Medicine
– Combines mainstream medical therapies and CAM therapies for which there is some highquality scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness.
CAM Categories
• Alternative Medical Systems
• Mind-Body Interventions • Biologically Based Therapies
• Manipulative and Body-based Methods
• Energy Therapies
– Biofield Therapies – Bioelectromagnetic-based Therapies
Online Resources just for starters…
• Eccles Health Sciences Library http://medlib.med.utah.edu/
– Librarians’ Index to the Internet
• Utah Public Pioneer http://pioneer.utah.gov/
– Utah Consumer Health Information
Network
http://uchin.med.utah.edu/
Online Resources just for starters…
• MedlinePlus- http://medlineplus.gov/ • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicinehttp://nccam.nih.gov/ • Hawaii Health Portalhttp://hawaiihealthportal.org
In Summary…
• CAM is a legitimate part of evidence-based medicine and therefore important to provide to patrons if high quality • Use MedlinePlus & NCCAM links for quality information • Be aware more and more CAM is being focused on by patrons • Consumer Health: An Evidence Based Approach to CAM-NN/LM MCR course
http://nnlm.gov/mcr/consumer_health/cam/
Bibliography
• Eccles Health Sciences Library http://medlib.med.utah.edu/
– Librarians’ Index to the Internet www.lii.org
• Utah Public Pioneer - http://pioneer.utah.gov/
• Utah Consumer Health Information NetworkUCHIN-(look for on Public Pioneer) -
http://uchin.med.utah.edu/
Bibliography
• MedlinePlus- http://medlineplus.gov/ • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine -http://nccam.nih.gov/ • Hawaii Health Portal -http://hawaiihealthportal.org • Evaluation of Health Information: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/evaluatinghealthi nformation.html http://nccam.nih.gov/health/webresources/
Bibliography
for History of CAM
• (All sites accessed 3/19/04) • Traditional Chinese Medicine http://www.tcminternational.com/traditio nalchinesemedicine.htm http://www.nmns.edu.tw/New/Introductio n/nmns/e/6-1.htm • Homeopathy http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/f ull/319/7217/1115
Bibliography
for History of CAM
• (All sites accessed 3/19/04)
• Acupuncture
http://www.americanacupuncture.com/history. htm
• Ayurveda
http://enotalone.com/article/2289.html
• Unconventional Medicine
http://www.corsello.com/politics/WarAgainstM edicine.pdf