Complementary and Alternative Medicine Sourcebook

Omnigraphics' Health Reference Series is designed for the general reader seeking guidance on how to avoid serious illness by following preventive lifestyles and recognizing early warning signs. It also supports the layperson who has received a diagnosis of a serious disease or disorder as well as the family member or nonprofessional caregiver who must learn to care and to cope with the illness. Each volume in the series deals comprehensively with a particular area of medical concern and contains material found in publications issued by the National Institutes of Health and other agencies and associations. Nowhere else can general readers find this information conveniently collected, coordinated, and indexed in book form.

Complementary and alternative Medicine (CAM) therapies play a key role in the health care of many Americans. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine reports that in the United States, about four in 10 adults and about one in nine children use some form of CAM, such as deep breathing, dietary supplements, massage, meditation, or yoga. CAM, alone or in conjunction with mainstream medicine, is often used to treat an increasing variety of diseases and conditions, such as arthritis, anxiety, back pain, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and sleep problems.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Sourcebook, Fourth Edition provides updated information for people considering these therapies for general well-being or specific health conditions. It discusses how to select a CAM practitioner, talk with a primary health care provider about using CAM, evaluate information on the internet, and pay for CAM therapies. It describes whole medical systems, such as Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, Native American medicine, acupuncture, homeopathy, and naturopathy. It also talks about the safe use of dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and herbs. Information on biologically based therapies, mind-body medicine, manipulative and body-based therapies, and energy-based therapies is also included. A glossary of related terms and a directory of additional resources provide additional help and information.

This volume is a new edition of a title in the Health Reference Series, which compiles government and other publications into a convenient form for consumer-health collections. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Sourcebook offers information on topics ranging from particular therapies (acupuncture, music therapy, reflexology, yoga, etc.) to alternative treatments for particular diseases and conditions. Also here are a glossary and a directory of resources. --Mary Ellen Quinn