Note: BizShop and Steve Veltkamp list these organizations as a starting point for your own research. No recommendation is implied for any group other than the Olympic Home Based Business Association. If you have either a good or bad experience with any of these groups, or any other holistic health organization, please let us know. We'll update our list and that will help your peers immensely.

American Holistic Health Association (AHHA), POB 17400, Anaheim, CA 92817-7400, USA (714)779-6152 ahha@healthy.net http://www.healthy.net/ahha/index.html

Association of Holistic Health Centers (AHHC), POB 2367, Carefree, AZ 85377 http://www.healthy.net/othersites/ahhc/index.html

American Society of Alternative Therapists (ASAT), POB 703, Rockport,MA 01966 (978)281-4400 asat@asat.org http://www.asat.org

Coalition for Natural Health (CNH), 1220 L Street NW, Suite 100-408, Washington, DC 20005 1-800-586-4264,cnh@naturalhealth.org,http://www.naturalhealth.org

Health Medicine Forum (HMF), POB 233, Sausalito,CA 94965, 415.331.1380, Fax: 415.332.9516, hmf@healthmedicine.org, http://www.healthmedicine.org

All Natural Health Association (ANHA),POB 834,Clyde,NC 28721,704.926.9557,ANHAssoc@aol.com,http://members.aol.com/ANHAssoc/proff.html

Mailing Lists

Use CataList, the official catalog of LISTSERV® lists to locate a mailing/listserv list.

The Herblist, the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Discussion List

To post to the list: write an article and send it to: HERB@trearnpc.ege.edu.tr

To subscribe: write to Listserv@trearnpc.ege.edu.tr with the following text: SUBscribe HERB your full name. If you only wish the digest (to get all posts for the previous day in one email message) you can add another line SET HERB DIGEST

AromaResearch

Aromatherapy and Science meet with a view to furthering the cause of research into the efficacy of using Essential Oils as a viable evidence-based healing modality. This group is intended for Professional Aromatherapists who have an active interest in, or may be already taking part in, Research projects or small-scale Aromatherapy trials.Post message: AromaResearch@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: AromaResearch-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: AromaResearch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com List owner: AromaResearch-owner@yahoogroups.com

The Aromatherapy List

To post to the list: write an article and send it to: aromatherapy@idma.com

To subscribe: write to listserv@idma.com with the following text: subscribe aromatherapy or, if you want it to another address than the one you're at when subscribing: subscribe aromatherapy other-address@your_site.your_net

The Healthfraud Discussion List: provides a forum for discussing health frauds, quackery, and unscientific health matters. It is very active, with more than 300 members and about 50 postings per day.

"To subscribe, send an empty message to healthfraud-subscribe@lists.quackwatch.com You will receive a reply with instructions you should keep for reference."

The Holistic List: Holistic Discussion Group

To post an article: write an article and send it to: holistic@siucvmb.bitnet To subscribe: write to listserv@siucvmb.siu.edu with the following text: SUBscribe HOLISTIC your full name (report on the herblist: this address works if above doesn't: listserv%siucvmb.bitnet@vm42.cso.uiuc.edu) If you only wish the digest you can add another line: SET HOLISTIC DIGEST

Internal Arts, Worldwide Recruitment Newsgroup: "Bi-monthly newsgroup listing international employment opportunities in the field of complementary medicine and therapy"

The Kombucha List

To subscribe: write to kombucha-request@shore.net with the following text: SUBSCRIBE (If this doesn't work try HELP to the same address.)

Natural Healthline-AE

free bi-weekly newsletter of events and information for the Natural Health Village To subscribe: send message to webmaster@naturalhealthvillagevillage.com In the body of the message write subscribe healthline (your name)

The Paracelsus Mailing List

Subscription is limited to practitioners, educators, researchers and students in alternative and conventional medical fields. To subscribe: write to majordomo@teleport.com with the following text: SUBSCRIBE PARACELSUS and, as part of the subscription approval process, send a biographical note indicating training, practice and interests to paracelsus@teleport.com

The OrMed Mailing List - Oriental Medicine Mailing List

To post to the list: write an article and send it to: OrMed@bkhouse.cts.com To subscribe: write to listserv@bkhouse.cts.com with the following text: SUBSCRIBE emailaddress OrMed (like SUBSCRIBE joe@abc.edu OrMed)

Use Google Groups to locate specific newsgroups and threads.

Yahoo Groups Alternative Medicine search and post to over 2,000+ groups in alternative medicine, arranged by modality and interest

Try PHOAKS: People Helping One Another Know Stuff " help each other find appropriate and relevant web resources in a simple and timely manner.": allows you to find web sites being discussed in newsgroups

Databases: Alternative Medicine

Resources

• ACUBASE, by the Biblioth�ue Universitatire de M�icine de N�es: database of over 11,000 French and English references and full text articles dedicated specifically to the discipline of acupuncture, also includes conference proceedings.

• AGRICOLA

  (AGRICultural OnLine Access): "bibliographic database of citations to the agricultural literature created by the National Agricultural Library and its

  cooperators" includes citations herbs

  and medicinal plants and includes references from The Herb Research

  Foundations' HerbalGram

• AMED- Allied

  and Complementary Medicine is a unique database

  produced by the Health Care Information Service of the British Library This database will be of interest to individuals wanting to know more about alternatives to conventional medicine, and includes resources to complementary medicine, palliative care and several professions allied to medicine. Available in a variety of formats from print to online. Indexed journals are found on this list.

• AltHealthWatch

  , EBSCO Information Services: 'web-based fulltext database of periodicals, peer-reviewed

  journals, academic and professional publications, magazines, consumer

  newsletters and newspapers, research reports, and association, http://www.epnet.com/eptech/.

• Bandolier Evidence-based health care: "print and Internet journal using evidence-based medicine techniques to provide advice about particular treatments or diseases for healthcare professionals and consumers. The content is 'tertiary' publishing, distilling the information from (secondary) reviews of (primary)trials and making it comprehensible."
  • Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • Oxford Pain Internet Site

• CINAHL, Cumulative Index to

  Nursing and Allied Health: indexes alternative medicine journals

• CISCOM Database, The Centralized Information Service for Complementary Medicine, The Research Council for Complementary Medicine, United Kingdom: 4,000 randomized trials and over 60,000 citations and abstracts

  covering and arranged by the major complementary therapies including acupuncture, aromatherapy, healing, hypnotherapy, chiropractic, homoeopathy, and manipulative.

• CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects) database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other research institutions. These projects are funded by theNational Institutes of Health (NIH), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Office of Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH)

• Chinese Medicine: Traditional Chinese Medicine Database System, Institute of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine: ten Chinese language and two English language databases available on the web. The English language database, Traditional Chinese Medicinal Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (TCMLARS) contains references and abstracts to articles on acupuncture and phytotherapies beginning in 1984. The Traditional Chinese Drug Database (TCDBASE), also in English language, contains a Chinese materia medica that includes medicinal plants, herbal drugs, animal derived drugs and mineral drugs.

• ClinicalTrials.gov: locate current information on disease treatment at particular institution or by a disease, drug, modality, therapy or procedure. Does contain complementary and alternative medicine therapies [search by words: alternative (medicine or therapy) or complementary (medicine or therapy) or by particular modality: acupuncture or by a particular substance: ginko or shark cartilage

• The Cochrane Collaboration: systematic, up-to-date review of relevant randomized control trials of health care includes subscribed access to The Cochrane Library and free access to The Abstracts of Cochrane Reviews. Search for complementary and alternative therapies (examples: acupuncture, ginko, chinese medicine)

• Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field, [ "to help promote and facilitate the production of

  systematic reviews in topics such as acupuncture, massage,

  chiropractic, herbal medicine, homeopathy and mind-body therapy" ] University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Center for Integrative Medicine Medicine

  • This program does systematic literature review and evaluation. This program maintains Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field Registry of Randomized Controlled Trails. To use these database go here.
  • To understand the definition, role and function of a Cochrane Collaboration Field read the Cochrane Manual on 3.4 Fields (Networks).

• Dr. Duke's

  Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases, Agricultural Research

  Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Datadiwan :

  'a database where you can access actual information on holistic medicine

  and frontier sciences. Secondly, the Datadiwan is as a scientific discussion

  forum, where interested parties can discuss scientific topics with others

  like-minded people...all over the globe. And thirdly, the Datadiwan is a network

  which links research institutions and organizations world-wide.' Most

  literature is in German.

• Directory

  of Databases, Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center

  for Complementary & Alternative Medicine, Columbia Presbyterian Medical

  Center, New York : 'compilation of established sources in the USA, Eur ope

  and Asia, designed to facilitate research by both professionals and the public.

  This may be clinical, biomedical, review, meta-analytical or survey research.

  The listing is hyperlinked to existing Web sites where available, or to brief

  information on the resource, such as: how to obtain further details; type of

  literature covered; size of the holding; and mode of access'

• EMBASE: an international database to citations covering the biomedical, pharmacological and drug literature. Detailed description can be found at the EMBASE home page

• HerbMed™

  - ' herbal database – provides hyperlinked access to the scientific

  data underlying the use of herbs for health. It is an evidence-based

  information resource for professionals, researchers and general public, project

  of the Alternative Medicine Foundation'

• The Hom-Inform Database of indexed literature references in

  homoeopathy is produced by British Homoeopathic Library at Glasgow Homoeopathic

  Hospital is searchable free

  online.

• Index to Chiropractic Literature 1985-2004: bibliographic citations produced by "the Chiropractic Library Consortium (CLIBCON: a group of health science librarians working in chiropractic colleges throughout the world whose goal

  is to improve access to the chiropractic literature"

• The

  International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) database:

  'produced by the Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of

  Health, in conjunction with the Food and Nutrition Information Center, National

  Agricultural Library, United States Department of Agriculture. IBIDS contains

  bibliographic records, including abstracts published in international scientific

  journals on the topic of dietary supplements, including vitamins, minerals,

  herbal and botanical supplements. The general public, scientists, researchers,

  and other interested parties will be able to search the database using keywords

  to obtain the citations of research journal articles.'

• MANTIS - Manual, Alternative and Natural Therapy Index System, ( formerly CHIROLARS ) Action Potential, Inc.: coverage for health care

  disciplines not significantly represented in the major biomedical databases,

  references from more than 1,000 journals, with preference given to peer-reviewed

  journals. Includes health promotion, & prevention, accupuncture,

  allopathic medicine, alternative medicine, chiropractic, herbal medicine,

  homeopathy, naturopathy, osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, and Chinese

  medicine.

  • MANTIS database available as a fee-based product from the following services and web sites:
    • ChiroACCESS; the online chiropractic community
    • Dialog Corporation
    • Health Index
    • OVID Technologies, Inc.

• MEDLINE Database, [use MEDLINE to

  find bibliographic references to scientific-based studies in alternative and

  complementary medicine] the best interface is

  PubMed from

  the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland. The MEDLINE database

  supports the teachings and research of the current medical system in the United

  States.

  *

  Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Research Using Medline, Jane Saxton, Bastyr University Library: a guide to utilizing PubMed for CAM research

• MICROMEDEX Complementary & Alternative Medicine (CAM) Series, "an accurate and scientifically based, in-depth series of databases covering four areas: herbal medicine and dietary supplements,clinical protocols, patient education, and herbal & dietary supplement toxicology." The AltMedDex System, the first in the series provides information on

  herbals and other dietary supplements. "The Complementary & Alternative Medicine Series from MICROMEDEX is a comprehensive, clinically focused reference tool that is based on a thorough compilation of scientific

  literature. Monographs in the series present data on administration, dosing, warnings, precautions, contraindications, and interactions."

• NAPRALERT,

  NAtural PRoducts ALERT from

  STN International:

  contains bibliographic and factual data on natural products, including

  information on the pharmacology,biological activity, taxonomic distribution,

  ethno-medicine and chemistry of plant, microbial, and animal (including

  marine)extracts. In addition, the file contains data on the chemistry and

  pharmacology of secondary metabolites that are derived from natural sources and

  that have known structure. The NAPRALERT File contains more than 100,000

  records from 1650 to the present. Approximately 50% of the file is from

  systematic survey of the literature from 1975 to the present. The remaining

  records were obtained by selective retrospective indexing dating back to 1650.

• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
  • CAM

    on PubMed: bibliographic citations

    obtained from the National Library of Medicine's PubMed (Medline) database that uses a feature to locate citations with a CAM subset database search

  • NCCAM Grantee Publications Database: provides citations of publications by NCCAM grantees. It represents the results of NCCAM-funded research.

• Native American

  Ethnobotany Database

  , Dan Moerman, Professor of Anthropology, University of

  Michigan-Dearborn: 'foods, drugs, dyes, fibers and other uses of plants (a

  total of over 47,000 items). This represents uses by 291 Native American groups

  of 3,895 species from 243 different plant families.'

• Natural Medical Protocols for Doctors: "fee-based service that "includes current research data and treatment protocols for most common medical conditions and cross-linked reference material about vitamins, minerals, herbs, homeopathy and other supplements and therapies. The information was gathered and organized by a consortium of doctors from various branches of medicine. This includes MDs

  (conventional medical doctors), NDs (naturopathic doctors), Acupuncturists and PhDs of various kinds. The data compiled here was taken from research journals (through 2000) and medical books and the reference citations are included."

• Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database: "up-to-date clinical data on the natural medicines, herbal medicines, and dietary supplements used in the western world. This database is compiled by pharmacists and physicians who are part of the Pharmacist's Letter and Prescriber's Letter research and editorial staff" book counterpart Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database editors: Jeff M. Jellin, Forrest Batz, and Kathy Hitchens (Pharmacist's Letter/Prescriber's Letter), 1310 pp, $92, Web version $92, both versions $132, ISBN 0-9676136-2-0, Stockton, Calif, Therapeutic Research Faculty, 1999.
  • ePocrates RX Pro Features: Alternative Medicine Monographs & Interactions: for use in PDAs ePocrates has partnered with Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database

• Natural Standard, "an international research collaboration synthesizes data on complementary and alternative therapies. Using a comprehensive methodology and reproducible grading scales, information is created that is evidence-based, consensus-based, and peer-reviewed, tapping into the collective expertise of a multidisciplinary Editorial Board". Register and subscription required to use. Information arranged by herbs and supplements, conditions and alternative modalities.

• Online Archive of American Folk Medicine, "For more than fifty years, folklorists associated with the University of California, Los Angeles have systematically documented beliefs and practices relating to folk medicine and alternative healthcare. In order to make the data more readily available to the worldwide community of researchers and medical practitioners, this Archive was established in 1996 under the direction of Dr. Michael Owen Jones, a professor of folklore and history at UCLA.

• Patent Database,

  United States Patent and Trademark Office: tool to locate registered patents in complementary and alternative medicine

• PhytoNET, Centre For

  Complementary Health Studies University of Exeter: 'resource for those

  involved in the development, manufacture, regulation and surveillance of

  phytomedicines and herbal drugs', contains information from the European

  Scientific Co-operative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP), forms to submit adverse effects

  of herbal medicines, development of European standards for safe use of

  phytomedicines

• Phytotherapies.org free service to individuals registering with the site, "sponsored by Herbworx Corporation, an Australian company dedicated to ensuring that practitioners are supplied not only with high quality herbal medicine, but also clinically relevant, scientifically validated technical information, and Phytomedicine, manufacturer quality herbal extracts for practitioners." Even though it is a commercial service the herbal monograph database contains indications, actions, constituents, studies & articles.

• Poisonous

  Plant Database , United States Food & Drug Administration,

  Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition, Office of Plant and Dairy Foods

  and Beverages

• PsychInfo, American Psychological Association: source for mind-body and other complementary and alternative therapies used in mental disorders, stress reduction or psychological and behavioral processes and neuroimmunology.

• The Special

  Nutritionals Adverse Event Monitoring System , United States Food and Drug Administration, Center for Food

  Safety & Applied Nutrition, Office of Special Nutritionals: database of adverse effects from the use of a special nutritional products: dietary supplements, infant formulas and medical foods" reported to this agency by the health professional or consumer Note: This database/website has been removed. Read the information at Adverse Event Reporting Dietary Supplements, United States Department of Health and Human Services, United States Food & Drug Administration,

  Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition

• Tropical Plant Database:'authored

  and maintained by Ms. Leslie Taylor and much of the information contained herein

  can be found in her book, Herbal Secrets of the Rainforest, from Prima

  Publishing, Inc.'

Revision: March 2005.

For additions or comments please respond to 'The Alternative

Medicine Homepage' ©1994-2005. Charles B. Wessel, M.L.S.,

cbw@pitt.edu - Falk Library of the Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh,

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261