Special Topic: Influenza Pandemic
Informational pamphlet(PDF) prepared by our library staff.
List of selected books
List of web sites
General Health Resources
Kids Health
www.kidshealth.org
Excellent pamphlet-type information on infections, behavior & emotions,
nutrition, surgery, and growing up healthy for children, teens, parents, and
practitioners.
The Alternative Medicine
Homepage
www.pitt.edu/~cbw/altm.html
The University of Pittsburgh hosts this award-winning directory of links that
describes itself as a “jump station for sources of information on
unconventional, unorthodox, unproven, or alternative, complementary, innovative,
integrative therapies.”
PDR.net (Physician’s Desk Reference)
www.pdr.net
While primarily designed for use by medical professionals, this site has a
consumer’s section with links to Health News, Getting Well Network, and MEDLINE.
Getting Well Network provides answers to important health questions as well as
information about allergies, arthritis, hypertension, depression, and breast
cancer. The drug information, which includes herbal medicine, is free, but one
must register to get it. This site can also help one locate and rate doctors.
Quackwatch
www.quackwatch.com
Quackwatch is a guide to health fraud, quackery, and making intelligent
decisions. The site has no ties to any commercial or industrial organization.
The site provides information about a wide variety of frauds and questionable
health practices. Information about how to spot quackery and some common
misconceptions about health issues is provided. A question and answer forum is
available.
Ask Dr. Weil
www.drweil.com
Dr. Weil, well-known author of many books about health and fitness, maintains a
site that uses a question and answer forum. It also has information about diets
and recipes. It also offers advice on alternative medicine and provides links to
several self-help sites.
Family Doctor
www.familydoctor.org
Maintained by the American Academy of Family Physicians, Family Doctor allows
searching databases by specific health topic and offers several Health Info
Handouts.
Hardin Meta Directory
of Internet Health Sources
www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/index.html
This directory, maintained by the University of Iowa, offers many links to sites
related to diseases and conditions. Subjects such as stem cell research and
cholesterol are listed as well. It states, “We list the best sites that list the
sites.”
The Mayo Clinic
www.mayoclinic.com
This website is maintained by the famed Mayo Clinic and offers information about
diseases and conditions from A to Z. It also has sections about personal health,
lifestyle planning, disease self-managing, and an interactive question and
answer forum. The Clinic site offers a newsletter. One must register to receive
the newsletter and to use the interactive Question and Answer section. A
comprehensive first aid guide is also provided.
Federation of State Medical Boards
www.docinfo.org
This fee-based site gives access to a database to learn “. . . if your physician
has any disciplinary actions on file.” The site states, “. . . the public can
access the most comprehensive nationally consolidated data bank of disciplinary
histories on U.S. licensed physicians in existence.” A report of a physician’s
record can be purchased either by using a credit card or ordering by mail.
WebMDHealth
http://my.webmd.com/
In addition to medical news, this site provides a lot of information about
diseases and wellness. It also offers Find A Doctor, Clinic section, and
information about how to find health insurance. WebMD Newsletter registration is
also offered. Several message boards are listed.
Lab Tests Online
www.labtestsonline.org
Lab Tests Online is a peer-reviewed, non-commercial public resource on clinical
lab testing. In addition to recent news and current topics of interest, this
site offers information about most of the frequently used lab tests. Lab test
information is arranged by test name, condition or disease being diagnosed, and
the frequency of use. There is a search box available to make searching quick
and easy.
Consumer Protection Healthcare Handbook
www.DrAnonymous.com
The stated goals of this site are to help protect
individuals against unfair decisions by an insurance company or HMO and to bring
fairness and responsibility to the healthcare industry. The site offers a
downloadable, for a fee, handbook that is said to help those with problems or
who have questions about the healthcare insurance system. Some excerpts of the
handbook are available.
Health Insurance Information,
Counseling, and Assistance
www.hiicap.state.ny.us
The New York State Office of the Aging
maintains this site. It is a “… free, accurate and unbiased consumer help with
Medicare, managed care, Medigap insurance, long term care insurance and more for
Medicare beneficiaries, their families and others.”
MedicineNet
www.medicinenet.com
MedicineNet is a network of doctors producing
comprehensive, up-to-date health information for the public.” This site offers
information about important health information from the doctor’s perspective.
Emedicine
http://emedicine.com
“Imagine textbooks . . . that can be improved or updated 24
hours a day that allow unlimited access to thousands of x-rays, color
illustrations, and pictures that allow the reader to instantly send comments,
questions, and potential new pictorials additions to the topic author that allow
online viewing of author topic lectures and procedures that can be used
free-of-charge by medical practitioners and the public. . . .”
Disease Specific Resources
National Organization for Rare
Disorders (NORD)
www.rarediseases.org
NORD specializes in providing information about rare and little known diseases,
sometimes called “Orphan Diseases.” Here you can find the newsletter “Orphan
Disease Update” or search the Rare Disease Database, the Organizational
Database, and the Orphan Drug Designation Database. NORD is a federation of
voluntary health organizations and is committed to the identification,
treatment, and cure of rare disorders. It is the primary non-governmental
clearinghouse for information on rare disorders.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
www.leukemia.org/hmlls
A website that offers patient services such as a question and answer section and
support groups. Also offered are several services related to disease
information. News about leukemia treatment and research is also provided. One
can also register for an Email Newsletter.
Steve Dunn’s Cancer Guide
www.cancerguide.org
Steve Dunn is a cancer survivor. His site is “. . . dedicated to helping you
find the answers to your questions about cancer.” Tour of CancerGuide and
CancerGuide’s Table of Contents makes this site user friendly and very useful.
Many links relating to cancer, treatment, and research are provided, too.
Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR)
www.acor.org
ACOR is a cancer information system that offers over 140 electronic mailing
lists and a variety of unique websites. The mailing lists are specifically
designed to be online support groups providing information to patients,
caregivers and others looking for answers about cancer. Chat rooms are also
available.
Mayo Clinic
www.mayoclinic.com/takecharge/healthdecisionguides/prostatecancer
This Mayo Clinic site includes personal stories from prostate cancer survivors as well as the pros and cons of various porstate cancer treatments.
Johns Hopkins University
http://urology.jhu.edu
Home page for the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Patrick Walsh, considered the nation's preeminent prostate surgeon and the pioneer in developing the nerve-sparing prostatectomy.
Dr. William Catalona
www.drcatalona.com
The site for William Catalona of Northwestern University, the country's highest-volume prostate cancer surgeon. One fo the most informative and consumer-friendly sites.
Mental Health
Dr. Ivan’s Depression
Central
www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
Dr. Ivan Goldberg, a practicing
psychologist, maintains this site. It is a “. . . clearing house for information
on all types of depressive disorders and on the most effective treatments for
individuals suffering from depression, bi-polar disorder, cyclothymia, dysthymia,
and other mood disorders.”
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
www.nami.org
“NAMI is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to
the improvement of the quality of life of those whose lives are affected by
these diseases.” This site offers much information and serves as an information
collection and dissemination center.
National Institute for Mental
Health
www.nimh.nih.gov/home.htm
NIMH conducts and supports research nationwide on
mental illness and mental health, including studies of the brain, behavior, and
mental health services.
Professional and Medical Associations
AMA Health Insight
www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/3457.html
The American Medical Association site offers information about specific
conditions and general family health. Here you will also find forms for charting
your personal health history.
American Pharmaceutical Association
www.aphanet.org
The National Professional Society of Pharmacists maintains this site, and while
it is aimed toward those in that profession, it has many links to health related
databanks, information centers, poison control centers, drug recalls and alerts,
and much information about almost all drugs.
American Chiropractic Association
www.amerchiro.org
Chiropractic information, reference and healthcare links can be found at this
site. Also, one can search for a local Doctor of Chiropractic and find valuable
health tips. Those using Medicare benefits can find information about Medicare
and chiropractic treatments.
American Medical Association
www.ama-assn.org
The AMA’s site provides free access to many world-class journals such as JAMA,
AMA Archives, and others from 1997 to the present. Its Consumer Health
Information section offers information about general and specific health issues,
KidsHealth Club, Doctor Finder, and much more. Of special value is a link to the
Journal of the American Medical Association Information Centers that gives
access to information about AIDS, asthma, migraine, and women’s health.
American Osteophathic Association
http://www.aoa-net.org
The AOA's web site offers information about consumer health, osteopathic sources, and research information. It offers special sections relating to women's and children's helath. A link is given for OSTMED, an osteopathic literature database filled with useful information. The site also provides a link to selected full-text articles from the organization's Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. Links to other publications are offered as well.
ADAonline (American Dental Association)
www.ada.org
The ADA’s site has helpful information about oral health and dental treatments.
Information for patients and consumers covers such topics as fluorides, tobacco
products, and dental procedures. Also, information for seniors about oral health
can be found here. Use this site to find a dentist.
American Psychological Association
www.apa.org/psychnet
This web site offers information about aging, depression, disabilities,
parenting, and lesbian/gay issues. The site is arranged in three parts: Public,
Psychologists, and Students. One can also search various APA databases for
assistance finding a psychologist.
American Holistic Medical
Association (AHMA)
www.holisticmedicine.org
The AHMA newsletter has consumer information about various aspects of holistic
medicine. Information about how to find doctors who use holistic ideas and
methods in their practice of medicine can be found here.
Drug Information
Drug InfoNet
www.DrugInfonet.com
This site provides both information and links to areas on
the web concerning healthcare and pharmaceutical related topics. This site is
free.
Healthtouch
www.healthtouch.com
“Look up information about prescription or over-the-counter
medications to find out about common drug uses, proper use of medicines, and
possible drug side effects. This information comes from Medi-Span®.
Government Resources
MEDLINEplus
www.medlineplus.gov
MEDLINEplus is a gold mine of up-to-date, quality health care information from
the world’s largest medical library, the National Library at the National
Institutes of Health. MEDLINEplus provides access to extensive information about
specific diseases, conditions, drugs and physicians
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov
The CDC is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services, and its
mission is to promote health by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and
disability. Here you will find Health Topics A to Z, which is a list of disease
and health topics with links to information about them. Also available are
health statistics, scientific data, and laboratory information. The site also
has links to information networks, public health partners, state and local
health departments, and web resources. Especially valuable is Travelers’ Health,
which contains information useful for those traveling outside the U.S.
National Institutes of Health
www.nih.gov
The NIH site contains much health-related information as well as news and
events. It offers links to various national organizations that deal with
specific diseases and conditions. It also provides information about special
programs related to such things as AIDS research, women’s health, drugs, and
minority health concerns.
National Institute of Mental
Health
www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat
This site offers information about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of
mental illnesses. Included are brochures, information sheets, reports, press
releases, fact sheets and other educational materials. The site has an
alphabetical list of common disorders, such as Anxiety Disorders, Eating
Disorders, and Suicide that are linked to appropriate sites and pages. The site
is also available in Spanish.
ClinicalTrials.gov
www.clinicaltrials.gov
The U. S. National Institutes of Health, through its National Library of
Medicine, has developed ClinicalTrials.gov to provide patients, family members
and the general public with current information about clinical research studies.
Office of Rare Diseases (NIH)
http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov
“Here you can find information on more than 6000 rare diseases, including
current research, publications from scientific and medical journals, completed
research, ongoing studies, and patient support groups.”
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMSHA)
www.samhsa.gov
This site offers information about substance abuse and mental health issues. It
contains links to various centers for the prevention and treatment of drug abuse
and mental health issues. It also offers a link to the National Clearing House
for Alcohol and Drug Information. The site maintains science-based programs on
the prevention of substance abuse in youth.
Health Finder
www.healthfinder.gov
HealthFinder offers a health library, information about health care, and a
directory of organizations. One section, Just for You, organizes health topics
by age, race, ethnicity and sex.
National Library of Medicine
www.nlm.nih.gov
This is the world’s largest online medical library and navigating around the
site is easy. The material is arranged into five subject areas, all of which are
listed on the home page. For in-depth information on a medical term or
condition, start with the section called “Health Information.” A link to MEDLINE
is also available.
State of Ohio Resources
The State of Ohio Medical Board
http://med.ohio.gov
The Ohio Medical Board’s allows one to find a licensed medical professional in
any particular area of Ohio. In addition, license profiles and the status of
physicians is available. There is also a Consumer’s Guide.
Local Resources
The Cleveland Clinic
www.clevelandclinic.org
As one of the country’s leading hospitals, especially in heart care, The
Clinic’s web site contains valuable information about disease studies, clinical
trials, support groups, and online live health talks. The website also provides
maps and directions to the Clinic in Cleveland as well as information about the
Clinic’s new Cancer Center.
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of
Medicine (NEOUCOM)
www.neoucom.edu
NEOUCOM, northeast Ohio’s own medical school in Rootstown, has a website that
provides information about the school, community health sciences, and continuing
medical education. Events and news about the school are highlighted.
NetWellness
www.netwellness.org
NetWellness is a quality health information and education services website
created and evaluated by Ohio State University and Case Western Reserve
University. The site offers electronic encyclopedias, information about clinical
trials, ask an expert forum, and links to several other web sites.
Local Hospitals
The sites below are offered by local hospitals. All are similar and offer a lot
of information, but they also exhibit some differences that reflect the
strengths, focus, and mission of the hospital. Children’s Hospital, for example,
specializes in the care of children.
Aultman Hospital
www.aultman.com
Children’s Hospital
www.akronchildrens.org
Akron General
www.agmc.org
Summa Health Systems
www.summahealth.org
Robinson Memorial Hospital
www.robinsonmemorial.org
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
These web sites provide general information about complementary
and alternative medicine only and should not be used in place of professional
health care, diagnosis, or treatment. Please keep in mind that very
few complementary and alternative treatments or materials have been tested
for safety and/or efficacy.
Many of the annotations for the web sites below are
based on the work of Diane Kovacs, creator of How to Find Good Complimentary
& Alternative Medicine Information on the Web.
Dictionaries and Definitions
The two sites listed below are helpful in determining what is or is not
complementary and/or alternative medicine. Definitions, descriptions,
histories, and discussions relating to CAM are provided at both sites.
National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH).
www.nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/
MedlinePlus
Dictionaries.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/dictionaries.html
Excellent CAM Sources
The Alternative Medicine
Medical Homepage Brochure
www.pitt.edu/~cbw/altm.html
One of the first comprehensive directories of information about alternative
medicine, this site was created and is maintained by medical librarian, Charles
Wessel, at the University of Pittsburgh. The site features excellent
bibliographies and descriptions of research studies on the use of Alternative
Therapies. All sites are annotated and monitored by Mr. Wessel.
This site is probably the best place to begin learning about CAM.
Ask
NOAH: Alternative Medicine (English and Spanish)
www.noah-health.org/english/alternative/alternative.html
Compiled by the NOAH (New York Online Access to Health), this list is
very selective and organized by sources of information. A list of healing
therapies with appropriate links to each is given.
The HON (Health on the Net Foundation)
MedHunt
www.hon.ch/MedHunt/
This site is based in Switzerland and is supported in part by the Economic
and Social Council of the United Nations. The Geneva University Hospital
and the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics maintain the site. In addition
to its many links of interest for CAM, the site provides information about
the HON Code of Accreditation that verifies the ethics of health web sites.
National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine
www.nccam.nih.gov
Within the context of the “Health Information” entries, links to other
relevant web sites are provided. Also, web sites for further information
or related links are given in side-bars.
Alternative Medicine
Foundation
www-hsl.mcmaster.ca/tomflem/altmed.html
A comprehensive collection of links to U.S. and Canadian alternative medicine
information “. . .for patients, their families, friends and health care workers.”
This site is compiled by Tom Fleming, Head of Public Services, Health Sciences
Library, McMaster University. Although he is not selective, he does
warn that inclusion of a site does not imply endorsement of that site.
Richard & Hinda
Rosenthal Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine
www.rosenthal.hs.columbia.edu/CAM.html
This excellent site has clearly written and carefully checked annotations.
This site includes information about off-Web resources, fee-based databases,
and referrals to other organizations for further information.
Healthfinder
– Health Library – Alternative Medicine
www.healthfinder.gov/scripts/Topics.asp?keyword=114&context=5&Branch=5
This is one of the best sites for CAM. This health library contains
very carefully selected representatives sites for each CAM therapy that is
included.
MedlinePlus
www.medlineplus.gov
This is a valuable source of CAM therapy information and web sites, although
it tends to be a bit uneven in coverage of CAM topics.
Websites that warn of dangers, side effects, and complications of CAM
therapies as well as product recalls and bans:
NIH – National Center for Complementary
and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov/
Under “Health Information,” the ‘Alerts and Advisories’ section provides
current news and archives of warnings and dangerous treatments, etc., as
well as educational materials for the healthcare consumer concerning such
things as “dietary supplements”, “CAM Therapies and biological terrorism,”
and other topics of interest.
Food and Drug Administration
New
www.fda.gov/opacom/hpwhats.html
Anything that the USFDA oversees is reported here. Safety alerts
regarding foods, nutritional supplements, herb drug interactions, CAM therapy
research and dangers are here.
Quackwatch
www.quackwatch.com
Quackwatch is a non-profit corporation whose purpose is to combat health-related
frauds, myths, fads, and fallacies. Its primary focus is on quackery-related
information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere.
National Council Against Health Fraud
www.ncahf.org
“NCAHF is a private nonprofit, voluntary health agency that focuses upon
health misinformation, fraud, and quackery.” This site publishes warnings
and alerts about consumer health fraud activities, updates and position papers
on different medical claims, including claims that some medical practices
are harmful, such as dental amalgams, vaccinations, etc.
Sites that Review and Evaluate CAM & Conventional Therapies
CAMline
www.camline.org
“CAMline is an evidence based website on complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) for healthcare professionals and the public. It represents
a collaboration of conventional and CAM organizations, interests, and expertise.”
The project is based in Canada but includes research from worldwide projects.
PubMed
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed
This is an outstanding tool for searching CAM therapy articles from authoritative
journals. Many other CAM Web sites link back to the PubMed site.
Herbmed
www.herbmed.org
Information about medicinal herbs, including reference to scientific research
about any benefits and dangers of specific medicinal herbs. Published
by the Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc. Note that it publishes
links to research reports and does live PubMed searches. It has warnings,
etc., that link to PubMed.
Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
American Academy of Medical
Acupuncture
www.medicalacupuncture.org
This organization’s web site is an excellent place to begin a search for
information. It provides a directory of medical acupuncturists and
contains articles about acupuncture and other areas of Traditional Chinese
Medicine (TCM) as well. The site lists all the credible acupuncture
and TCM organizations in North America as well as the colleges where practitioners
may study.
Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and
Oriental Medicine
www.ccaom.org
This site lists all of the credible acupuncture and TCM (Traditional Chinese
Medicine) organizations in North America as well as the colleges where practitioners
may study.
Acupuncture and Oriental
Medicine Alliance
www.acupuncturealliance.org
This site provides links to information about accredited colleges and
schools for acupuncture and oriental medicine, current articles about treatments,
Chinese traditional herbs and warnings, links to continuing education opportunities,
and links to other association Web sites.
Naturopathy
Naturopathy
– NCCAM
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/index.htm#d8
“Naturopathic medicine is a CAM alternative medical system in which practitioners
work with natural healing forces within the body, with a goal of helping
the body heal from disease and attain better health. Practices may include
dietary modifications, massage, exercise, acupuncture, minor surgery, and
various other interventions.”
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
www.naturopathic.org
This site is maintained by AANP.
In the US and many other countries naturopathic physicians may be licensed
or eligible for licensing as primary care providers. This site provides
authoritative information about the practice of naturopathic medicine and
accredited naturopathic medical schools and programs. It also provides
a directory of naturopathic practitioners and credible naturopathic associations
in the US and Canada.
Musculoskeletal Manipulation/Energy Therapies
American Massage Therapy
Association
www.amtamassage.org/home.htm
This site publishes information about massage therapy and integrative
medicine. It includes links to research articles, other sites, and
a directory of practitioners.
National Certification Board for Therapeutic
Massage and Bodywork
www.ncbtmb.com
This site offers very thorough coverage of all types of massage therapy,
energy work, and bodywork. The glossary describes hundreds of different
energy and massage therapy modalities. The site provides a directory
of practitioners, details about the education, and certification requirements
for massage therapists.
Nutrition – Food
Mayo
Clinic
www.mayoclinic.com/findinformation/conditioncenters/centers.cfm?objectid=000851DA-6222-1B37-8D7E80C8D77A0000
This site is a great place to begin learning about good, healthy eating
habits and nutritional facts. This friendly, clearly written web publication
covers the basics of healthy eating. The “Weight Control” section covers
healthy weight management and addresses many dietary supplements that may
or may not assist in weight control.
Food
and Nutrition Board, the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine
www4.nationalacademies.org/IOM/IOMHome.nsf/Pages/Food+and+Nutrition+Board
This site publishes recent research reports on nutrition, recommendations
and guidelines as well as links to further information about dietary supplements.
Food and Nutrition
Center. (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/etext/000105.html
This site publishes the “Recommended Daily Allowances” or RDA of nutritional
elements as recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board (see above).
The site provides consumer education on nutritional topics, warnings about
product recalls and dangers, as well as links to many interesting and credible
Resources Offered
by Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library
Health and fitness information is also available in magazines, and the library
provides two large magazine databases: InfoTrac and EBSCOhost.
Both databases can be accessed at the Stow-Munroe Falls Library or at home
through the library’s web page 24 hours a day. Go to the library’s database web page at www.smfpl.org/databases.htm
and click on the InfoTrac button. (If you are at home you’ll need to use your library card number.) In addition to periodicals, most of which are offered
full-text, InfoTrac also offers information from over a dozen specialized
reference books. This site provides for printing and sending information via
email. There is also a Kids’ Edition, K-12, that includes a health section on
children’s reading levels.
By clicking on the EbscoHost button and following the same procedures as with
InfoTrac, you will find a database much like InfoTrac. Most indexed material is
provided full-text. Health Source Plus and Clinical Reference Systems are
particularly helpful.
OPLIN
The Ohio Public Library Information Network
(OPLIN) maintains several sites and databases about health issues. You can search for health related information using Oplin's OneSearch tool. Select "Health and Medicine" from the drop-down menu and enter your search to find information from a wide variety of sites and databases.
These web sites provide general health information for public benefit, and
they should not be used in place of professional health care, diagnosis, or
treatment. The Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library does not endorse or recommend
any of the web sites listed.
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