Garlic to GinsengChallenging Alternative Medicine Queries

@ Your LibrarySally M. Patrick, M.L.S. Project Director

Utah Consumer Health Information InitiativeAlice Weber, M.L.S., RN

Acquisitions LibrarianSpencer 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

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/

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 high-quality 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 Medicine-

http://nccam.nih.gov/

• Hawaii Health Portal-

http://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 coursehttp://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 Network-

UCHIN-(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/

evaluatinghealthinformation.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/traditionalchinesemedicine.htm

http://www.nmns.edu.tw/New/Introduction/nmns/e/6-1.htm

• Homeopathy

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7217/1115

Bibliography for History of CAM

• (All sites accessed 3/19/04)

• Acupuncturehttp://www.americanacupuncture.com/history.htm

• Ayurvedahttp://enotalone.com/article/2289.html

• Unconventional Medicinehttp://www.corsello.com/politics/WarAgainstMedicine.pdf