Alternative Medicine and
Holistic Health
This research guide provides a starting point for finding information about alternative medicine and holistic health. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list of resources, but a place to begin your search.
The St. Kate's library liaison for the Master of Arts in Holistic Health Studies (MAHS) is Sue Gray. Contact her by phone (651-690-7898) or e-mail (sagray@stkate.edu) if you have questions or need assistance.
Finding Books: Searching CLICnet
Background Resources: Reference Books
Finding Journal Articles and Online Databases
Finding Books: Searching CLICnet
Use CLICnet, the online library catalog, to search for books and media in the St. Kate's Library and the seven other CLIC libraries. Click on the red "Request" button to get an item not at the St. Kate's Minneapolis Campus Library.
Subject Terms for Searching
You can use any of the following terms to search subject in CLICnet:
- Alternative medicine
- Holistic medicine
- Homeopathy
- Integrative medicine
- Mental healing
- Herbs - Therapeutic use
- Medicine - Ayurvedic
- Mental healing
- Mind and body
- Naturopathy
- Reiki
- Self-care, health
- Touch - Therapeutic use
- Traditional medicine
Background Resources: Reference Books
Reference books are a good place to start to find background information and overviews on a variety of alternative medicine topics. Reference books (labeled REF) cannot be checked out of the library.
Encyclopedia of Folk Medicine: Old World and New World Traditions
REF R733 .H376 2004 (Mpls & St Paul Campus Libraries)
Encyclopedia of Homeopathy
REF RX41 .L625 2006 (Mpls)
Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
REF R733 .F86 2001 (Mpls)
Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine
REF R733 .G34 2005 (Mpls)
4-volume set
Mosby's Dictionary of Complementary & Alternative Medicine
REF R733 .M678 2005 (Mpls)
Natural Standard Herb & Supplement Handbook: the clinical bottom line
REF RM666 .H33 N43 2005 (Mpls)
Natural Standard Herb & Supplement Reference: evidence-based clinical reviews
REF RM666 .H33 N44 2005 (Mpls)
Nursing 2004 Herbal Medicine Handbook
REF RM666 .H33 N87 2004 (Mpls)
Professional Guide to Complementary & Alternative Therapies
REF R733 .P755 2001 (St Paul)
Whole Person Healthcare
REF R733 .W489 2007 (Mpls)
3-volume set
E-books (accessible through CLICnet)
There are alternative medicine electronic books accessible through CLICnet, the online library catalog, including the following:
Exploring Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Mosby's Dictionary of Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Mosby's Handbook of Herbs & Natural Supplements
Find Journal Articles and Online Databases
To find journal articles on alternative medicine, see our Health Sciences Databases page.
Recommended St. Kate's databases for holistic health include:
Alt HealthWatch
AMED
CINAHL
The Cochrane Library
Health Reference Center Academic
Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition
MEDLINE or PubMed
SAGE Premier (health sciences e-journals)
Ask a Reference Librarian to recommend additional databases that might be useful to your research.
Journals in the St. Kate's Collection
To see if the St. Kate's Library has the journal you need, in print or online, use Journals A-Z. Be sure to compare the issue dates available to those that you need.
Electronic Journals (E-Journals)
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmccomplementalternmed
BioMed Central publishes this open access journal of "original peer-reviewed research articles in complementary and alternative healthcare interventions, with a specific emphasis on those that elucidate biological mechanisms of action. "
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://ecam.oxfordjournals.org/
An "international, peer-reviewed journal that seeks to understand the sources and to encourage rigorous research in this new, yet ancient world of complementary and alternative medicine."
Archives of Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, vols. 1-5, 2004-2008
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/tocrender.fcgi?journal=241&action=archive
Internet Resources
General Sites
The Alternative Medicine Foundation
http://www.amfoundation.org
Provides consumers and professionals with "responsible, evidence-based information on the integration of alternative and conventional medicine."
The Alternative Medicine Homepage
http://www.pitt.edu/~cbw/altm.html
This page links to databases, Internet resources, mailing lists, newsgroups, government resources, and practitioner directories.
http://nccam.nih.gov/research/camonpubmed/
Provides "access to citations from the MEDLINE database and additional life science journals on complementary and alternative medicine. It also includes links to many full-text articles at journal Web sites and other related Web resources."
NHS Evidence - complementary and alternative medicine
http://www.library.nhs.uk/cam/
The library's aim is make good quality, relevant information on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) available to health professionals and patients in the UK. The first phase of the library's development has focused on a number of CAM therapies, including acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, chiropractic, homeopathy, hypnosis, herbal medicine, osteopathy, reflexology, meditation and yoga.
healthfinder.gov Alternative Medicine
http://www.healthfinder.gov/scripts/SearchContext.asp?topic=35&super=114&Branch=5
healthfinder.gov is a Federal web site for consumers, developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services together with other Federal agencies. healthfinder.gov links to carefully selected information and Web sites from over 1,500 health-related organizations. See information on complementary medicine, Chinese medicine, naturopathic medicine, and more.
http://www.outcomesdatabase.org/
IN-CAM is a database of "outcome measures of particular importance to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) research in order to facilitate and support the assessment of CAM interventions through high quality research, and thus, to improve clinical practice and inform policy." The database was developed by the Canadian Interdisciplinary Network for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research (IN-CAM) and is maintained by Centennial College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
MEDLINEPlus: Alternative Medicine
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.html
This site is an extension of the National Library of Medicine's database and provides information on alternative medical therapies, clinical trials, research, laws and policies, organizations, and publications.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://nccam.nih.gov/
This site provides links to publications, databases, patient education materials, research information, and fact sheets.
NOAH New York Online Access to Health, Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://www.noah-health.org/en/alternative/index.html
NOAH provides "access to high quality full-text consumer health information in English and Spanish that is accurate, timely, relevant and unbiased." See information on acupuncture, herbal medicine, reiki, therapeutic touch, and more.
Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Cancer Institute
http://www.cancer.gov/cam
OCAM was established to coordinate and enhance the activities of the National Cancer Institute in the areas of complementary and alternative medicine.
The Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
http://www.rosenthal.hs.columbia.edu
The Rosenthal Center, based at Columbia University's College of Physicians & Surgeons, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, is "one of the first comprehensive programs at a major medical center to examine alternative therapies with academic focus and scientific rigor."
Dietary Supplements and Herbology
International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements (IBIDS) Database
http://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_INformation/IBIDS.aspx
Provides access to bibliographic citations and abstracts from international, and scientific literature on dietary supplements. IBIDS is a collaboration between the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Nutrition Information Center of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library.
Herbal Medicine from MedlinePlus
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbalmedicine.html
Excellent health information from the world's largest medical library, the National Library of Medicine.
http://www.herbmed.org
An interactive, electronic herbal database that provides access to information about 30 of the most popular herbs.
Citation Style Assistance
Most MAHS faculty prefer that students use APA (American Psychological Association) for citing sources in their research papers. Click here to access our APA citation style guide. Click here to access all of our citation guides and more information about APA.
RefWorks is a web-based citation manager that allows you to store and organize your research citations. It will also create bibliographies formatted in the citation style of your choice, and can be used to insert citations into your paper. Click here to get started with RefWorks and to access our guides and tutorials.
