a
webliography
by
Karl Rusterholtz
10
February 2013
Complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM) is a broad category of practices or therapies
neither taught widely in U.S. medical schools nor generally available in U.S. hospitals. Complementary modalities are those treatments
that are used in conjunction with mainstream treatments and alternative
modalities are those treatments that are used instead of mainstream medical
treatments (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [NCCAM]). Though manipulative and mind-body therapies,
such as osteopathic manipulation, biofeedback, meditation, and yoga, are
considered CAM, biologically-based and alternative medical systems are of
particular concern to physicians of conventional medicine, particularly when
these practices are sought by patients without the knowledge of their doctors. Though CAM focuses on practices within the
Unities States, alternative medicine is popular worldwide and is not always
considered alternative.
Herbal
and dietary supplements are used widely in the United States, however, their efficacy
and safety are not as controlled here as in Europe. Again, this is of particular concern to physicians
of conventional medicine. CAM is often
sought by those diagnosed with cancer. However,
biologically-based alternative therapies can significantly impact the health of
patients and may interfere with bio- and chemotherapies in the oncology
setting. Therefore, the focus and goal
of this webliography is to be a resource to healthcare professionals and their patients
diagnosed with cancer. It is important
that oncology patients and their healthcare professionals speak openly and
fluently about CAM practices and how these practices can impact conventional
therapies.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov/
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the federal government's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It is 1 of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
CAM Basics: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam
This factsheet webpage provides an introduction to, definition of, and types of complementary and alternatives medicine. Hypertext links to consumer information and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are also provided.
Resources for Healthcare Professionals: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam
This webpage provides evidence-based resources with the intent of preparing healthcare professionals to discuss CAM approaches with their patients. Hypertext links within the webpage provide additional information, including evidence-based medicine and guidelines for oncology and rheumatology (whose patients are often treated with bio- and chemotherapies) professionals.
National Cancer Institute
http://www.cancer.gov/
With the task of protecting consumer health and safety as relates to food and drugs in the United States, the FDA has oversight of prescription medications. Supplements do not fall under this category as long as they do not make any specific health claims. However, due to many of the (sometimes fraudulent) claims made by companies, the FDA has some oversight.
How to Spot Health Fraud: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/EmergencyPreparedness/BioterrorismandDrugPreparedness/ucm137284.htm
This webpage is a useful guide for consumers, particularly those who are desperate to find a cure for their cancer.
National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements
The goal of the Office of Dietary Supplements, within the National Institutes of Health, is to provide information on dietary supplements to consumers, scientists, health professionals, or members of the dietary supplement industry.
Factsheets: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/
In addition to the hypertext links for individual dietary supplements, there are several useful, general supplement information factsheets provided.
National Institutes of Health: U.S. National Library of Medicine
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov/
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is the federal government's lead agency for scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). It is 1 of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
CAM Basics: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam
This factsheet webpage provides an introduction to, definition of, and types of complementary and alternatives medicine. Hypertext links to consumer information and frequently asked questions (FAQs) are also provided.
Resources for Healthcare Professionals: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam
This webpage provides evidence-based resources with the intent of preparing healthcare professionals to discuss CAM approaches with their patients. Hypertext links within the webpage provide additional information, including evidence-based medicine and guidelines for oncology and rheumatology (whose patients are often treated with bio- and chemotherapies) professionals.
National Cancer Institute
http://www.cancer.gov/
The National Cancer Institute is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. NCI conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. Tabs on the NCI homepage guide the user to general cancer topics, clinical trials information, cancer statistics, and research funding information.
Dictionary of Cancer Terms: http://www.cancer.gov/dictionary
This is an easy-to-use, searchable database of terms related to cancer and medicine. Professionals and patients can search on types of cancers, individual chemotherapies, and chemotherapy regimens. Links from this page lead the user to other databases specific to cancer genetics, cancer statistics, and specific drugs. Within the drug specific database, some drug entries include a "patient information" button that links to a drug information summary page.
Education and Training: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/cancerlibrary/health-professional-training-tools
This is a collection of cancer education and training tools and offerings from NCI and NIH for health professionals. The education and training material formats include online and downloadable self-studies, CD/DVD resources, and webinars.
Publications locator: https://pubs.cancer.gov/ncipl/detail.aspx?prodid=P042
In addition to providing a general link to NCI publications, this specific link leads the user to "Thinking About Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Guide for People with Cancer" which describes how to make informed decisions about CAM.
This Youtube channel provides audio-visual learners many useful videos, including much of the information that can be found in text on the main NCI website. Many videos are also presented in Spanish.
National Cancer Institute: Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM) is an office of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. OCCAM is responsible for NCI's research agenda in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as it relates to cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and symptom management. A brief (1:48) video by the OCCAM Director explains the meaning of CAM and some of the precautions patients should take.
For Patients: http://cam.cancer.gov/health_patients.html
This webpage resource provides hypertext links to important considerations prior to using CAM and safety warnings from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This 15-page, downloadable workbook, "Talking about Complementary and Alternative Medicine with Health Care Providers: A Workbook and Tips", is a resource directed toward patients, but useful to healthcare providers as well.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
With the task of protecting consumer health and safety as relates to food and drugs in the United States, the FDA has oversight of prescription medications. Supplements do not fall under this category as long as they do not make any specific health claims. However, due to many of the (sometimes fraudulent) claims made by companies, the FDA has some oversight.
How to Spot Health Fraud: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/EmergencyPreparedness/BioterrorismandDrugPreparedness/ucm137284.htm
This webpage is a useful guide for consumers, particularly those who are desperate to find a cure for their cancer.
National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements
The goal of the Office of Dietary Supplements, within the National Institutes of Health, is to provide information on dietary supplements to consumers, scientists, health professionals, or members of the dietary supplement industry.
Factsheets: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/
In addition to the hypertext links for individual dietary supplements, there are several useful, general supplement information factsheets provided.
National Institutes of Health: U.S. National Library of Medicine
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
The US. National Library of Medicine with the National Institutes of Health provides a searchable database of literature covering many topics related to health, medicine, and biotechnology. Using the search function, the user can search on terms of interest for published literature on, for example, "alternative and complementary medicine". Adding the term "evidence-based" will provide a list of articles from the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. From there, it is easy to search within the journal for research on CAM and chemotherapy.
Oncology Nursing Society
The Oncology Nursing Society is a professional nursing organization of over 35,000 registered nurses and other healthcare providers dedicated to excellence in patient care, education, research, and administration in oncology nursing.
CAM Resources: http://www.ons.org/ClinicalResources/BreastCancer/CAM
Several links are provided, including a Power Point presentation on various types of CAM. A hypertext link directs the user to a webpage that discusses several issues of which to be aware with regard to dietary supplements. Much of the information is a reiteration of information that can be found on the websites noted above. However, the website provides links to the society's PEP (Putting Evidence into Practice) series of factsheets for symptom management. For example, the PEP for Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CNIV) indicates whether certain CAM practices are "recommended for practice", "likely to be effective" or "effectiveness not established".
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