The Medical Library Association Guide to Finding Out about Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Best Print and Electronic Resources - Softcover

Gregory A. Crawford

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555707270 ISBN 13: 9781555707279

Publisher: ALA Neal-Schuman, 2010

Synopsis

Homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic and herbal medicine, massage, yoga, acupuncture, meditation, and more: complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is now the fastest-growing sector of American health care. Librarians must be prepared to answer questions about CAM and to include authoritative, readable sources of information about it in their collections. Here's a comprehensive introduction to the major types of CAM, from Ayurveda to spiritual healing, and an up-to-date guide to 605 books, 162 websites, and 226 periodicals covering these areas. Author Gregory A. Crawford, who holds a Doctor of Naturopathy degree in addition to both an MLS and a PhD, is ideally suited to familiarize librarians with CAM. Covering both mainstream and lesser-known treatments and therapies, he provides the history and background of each topic, explaining its major uses and the training of practitioners. An extensive annotated list of books, periodicals, and websites devoted to the specific therapy includes English-language materials from the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia. With this guide, librarians will know how to answer questions about CAM and be able to point users to the best and most reliable sources for further information. For those seeking to better represent CAM in their own libraries, the book will also prove invaluable as a collection development tool.

About this title

Reviews

The popularity of alternative medicine is increasing. A 2007 survey found that 38.1 million American adults consulted an alternative practitioner. Finding accurate information is difficult since there are so many types of alternative treatments and most of them have no standards of practice. This new guide from the Medical Library Association, written by a librarian who is also a Reiki master teacher and naturopath, is a welcome resource. After an introductory chapter explaining alternative medicine and providing general print and electronic resources, Crawford offers 23 chapters devoted to specific alternative therapies: chiropractic, Alexander technique, homeopathy, etc. Each chapter includes background and history, primary uses, training, and sources. All sources are the most recent available and include print, electronic, and periodical materials. The book is expensive but very useful. --Barbara Bibel

Edition details

• Publisher: ALA Neal-Schuman
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1555707270
• ISBN 13: 9781555707279
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 265