Reference & Resources

Health & Wellness

Alternative and Complimentary Medicine

About Herbs, Botanicals, and Other Products
Consumer version of evidence-based information on herbs, botanicals, vitamins, and other supplements.  Includes evaluations of alternative or unproved cancer therapies. Administered by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

Acupuncture.com
Gives an overview of acupuncture as well as Frequently Asked Questions.  Lists licensed acupuncturists by region.

Alternative Health News Online
Alternative medicine topics including Diet and Nutrition, Mind/Body Control, Manual Healing, Alternative Medical Systems, Longevity, and more.  Links to Dr. Andrew Weil's "Ask Dr. Weil" column.

The Alternative Medicine HomePage
Information "on unconventional, unorthodox, unproven, or alternative, complementary, innovative, integrative therapies."

The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians
Information on whole patient wellness, concentrating on underlying causes of disease, rather than focusing solely on symptomatic treatment.

Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases
Searches can be performed for plant, chemical, activity and ethnobotany.

Herbal Medicine
Dedicated to Herbal Medicine information with links to related MedlinePlus web pages.

National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
From the National Institutes of Health, this office "facilitates research and evaluation of unconventional medical practices and disseminates this information to the public."

Clinical Trials and Research

CancerTrialsHelp.org
Learn more about cancer clinical trials, and get help deciding if a trial is right for you, a friend or a loved one.  Includes information about insurance issues, questions to ask your doctor, the ABC's of clinical trials and much more.

CenterWatch Clinical Trials
Lists over 41,000 industry and government-sponsored clinical trials. Also includes information on new drug therapies in research and those recently approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration.  Designed for patients and professionals.

Clinical Trials
Information about federally and privately supported clinical research in human volunteers.  Includes details about a trial's purpose, who may participate, locations, and phone numbers for more information.

Dental Health

ADA Online
Contains sections on how to find a dentist, gum diseases, oral health and a page especially for kids.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
The Parent Information section addresses 24 topics concerning dental care for children.

Dental Health
Dedicated to resources about dental health issues from MedlinePlus.

Eastman DentalCenter
Part of the University of Rochester, the Eastman Dental Center provides patient care, postdoctoral education and research.

Dictionaries

MediLexicon
This web site includes a dictionary of over 85,000 medical, pharmaceutical, biomedical & healthcare acronyms and abbreviations.

Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary on MedlinePlus
This online medical dictionary allows you to use a wildcard character to help you look up words when you aren’t sure how to spell them or when you need to look up a partial word.  If you misspell the word you are trying to look up, the program will automatically display a list of words that sound like or that are spelled similarly to the word you typed.  If you aren't sure how to spell a word, try spelling it the way it sounds.  The spelling help feature will looks for words that sound like one you have typed.

Diet & Nutrition

FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Provides consumer advice on food additives, food borne illnesses, food labeling and more.

Nutrition.gov
Nutrition.gov provides easy access to all online federal government information on nutrition. This resource makes obtaining government information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety easily accessible in one place. It covers a wide variety of links to food and nutrition resources on the Internet including food allergies, food labeling, dietary guidance, dietary supplements, nutrition and cancer, vegetarian nutrition, the Dietary Guidelines, MyPyramid food guidance system, and preparing nutritious meals.

USDA National Nutrient Database
This searchable database reports the nutrient values (calories, protein, minerals, vitamins, fats and amino acids, etc.) for more than 6,000 foods.

Disabilities and Special Needs

Abledata
Searchable database of over 18,000 assistive technology products that are currently available for people with disabilities.

Disabilities/Special Needs
MedlinePlus web page dedicated to disabilities and special needs.

DisabilityInfo.gov
Provides access to disability-related information and programs available across the government on numerous subjects, including civil rights, education, employment, housing, health, income support, technology, transportation, and community life.

Mobility Aids
How to Choose and Use Crutches and Canes, Financial Assistance for Prosthesis and Other Assistive Devices, Car Seats for Children with Special Needs, Wheelchairs, Accessible Vans, and more from MedlinePlus.

National RehabilitationInformationCenter
Disability-related research and rehabilitation information.

Diseases & Disorders

— General

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Health and Safety topics including: birth defects, diseases and conditions, emergency preparedness, traveler's health, and vaccines and immunizations.

Deciphering MedSpeak
Developed by the Medical Library Association, this glossary is designed to help consumers understand common medical terms. Also includes a guide to the words doctors use when writing prescriptions.

Evaluating Health Information
Advice on what to consider when evaluating the quality of health information found on the Internet.

Familydoctor.org
Health information for the whole family that is written and reviewed by physicians and patient education professionals at the American Academy of Family Physicians.  Information is available in both English and Spanish.

FDA
Health information for both consumers and professionals ranging from food safety issues to medical devices and drugs. Includes Foods, Human Drugs, Biologics, Medical Devices/Radiological Health, Animal Drugs, Cosmetics Field Operations/Imports, Toxicology, and Problem Reporting with FDA Regulated Products.  The "Dockets" section gives access to up-to-date government rulings, recalls, regulations and other miscellaneous documents related to food and drugs.

Healthfinder
Health-related sites for both consumers and health professionals.  Many links are available in Chinese-Traditional, English, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Medical Encyclopedia
Articles about diseases, tests, symptoms, injuries, and surgeries.   Extensive library of medical photographs and illustrations.

MedlinePlus
Excellent source of health information from the world's largest medical library.  Health care professionals and consumers can depend on it for information that is authoritative and up to date. MedlinePlus has extensive information from the National Institutes of Health and other trusted sources on over 700 diseases and conditions. Information is available in both English and Spanish. Frequently requested topics include: Back Pain, Cancer, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, High Blood Pressure, Knee Injuries and Disorders, Lupus, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Thyroid Diseases, and West Nile Virus. A complete list of topics is available by clicking on Health Topics.

Mayo Clinic Health and Medical Information
Mayo Clinic's extensive Web site for medical information.

National Council Against Health Fraud
Focuses upon health misinformation, fraud, and quackery. This site contains hundreds of articles that can help you evaluate health claims.  Includes a link to report a fraud or suspected fraud.

— Asthma

Allergic Conditions: Asthma
Information from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the largest professional medical specialty organization representing professionals with a special interest in allergy and asthma.

American Lung Association: Asthma
In addition to general information about asthma, this page from the American Lung Association has sections on asthma in older people, asthma in teens, news, and medications.

MedlinePlus: Asthma
Developed by the National Library of Medicine, this site directs consumers to high quality health information on asthma.

MedlinePlus: Asthma in Children
Developed by the National Library of Medicine, this site directs consumers to high quality health information on asthma in children.

— Attention Deficit Disorder

ADDA
Information from the National Attention Deficit Disorder Association.

CHADD
Children and Adults with Attentional Disorders.  At the bottom of the page are links to online fact sheets.

Greater Rochester Attention Deficit Disorder Association
The Rochester chapter.

LDA Life and Learning Services
Genesee Valley's resource for meeting special learning needs.

— Cancer

Cancer and Careers
A resource for working women with cancer, their employers, coworkers and caregivers.

Cancer.gov
From the National Cancer Institute, this is a comprehensive resource with accurate and up-to-date information on all types of cancer, clinical trials, research programs, funding opportunities and cancer statistics.

Memorial Sloan-KetteringCancerCenter
Contains information on cancer prevention and detection and treatment.

OncoLink
From the University of Pennsylvania, this comprehensive site is updated daily.  It is searchable.  Major sections include news, cancer types, treatment options, coping, a sizeable question and answer section, and links to a large number of cancer related web sites.

— Diabetes

American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy.  Their web site includes links to news, summaries of articles published in medical journals, information in Spanish, an area for health care professionals, and a section for recently diagnosed people.

Diabetes Public Health Resource
From the U.S. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, this site provides information on statistics, trends, and the costs of diabetes.  It also has a diabetes frequently-asked-questions section and basic information on the disease and its complications.

FDA Diabetes Information
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the medical products used to treat diabetes, including glucose meters, insulin pumps, diabetes medicines, and insulin.  While the site includes some overview information on diabetes, most of information found here is on medical products and food and meal planning.

MedlinePlus: Diabetes
MedlinePlus was developed by the National Library of Medicine to help consumers locate high quality health information online.  The MedlinePlus: Diabetes page has links to recent news, overviews, diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials and research, prevention, and disease management. The Go Local feature allows you to find New York diabetes service resources.

National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
Part of the U.S. National Institutes Of Health, the Clearinghouse web site has an A-Z list of topics and an extensive Financial Help for Diabetes Care fact sheet.  Some materials are in Spanish.

— HIV/AIDS

AEGIS (HIV/AIDS)
The largest HIV/AIDS web site in the world, it provides the latest news on treatment, statistics, policy, and research.

AIDS Rochester On-Line
Information about the services and resources AIDS Rochester provides.

CDC National Prevention Information Network
A service of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB prevention.

HIV InSite
Comprehensive, current and reliable information for everyone from researchers and health care professionals to the general public.  Provided by the University of California, San Francisco; the UCSF AIDS Program at San Francisco General Hospital; and the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies.

—Mental Health

APA Online
The American Psychiatric Association site includes information on what is mental illness, choosing a psychiatrist, medications and other general resources.

American Psychological Association
Information on mental health and psychological issues categorized into consumer information, family, and the mind-body connection.

National Institute for Mental Health
Information for the consumer on mental disorders and resources for researchers and professionals too.

— Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

CDC National Prevention Information Network
A service of the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB prevention.

Traveler’s Health

CDC Travel Information Page
From the Centers for Disease Control, this site lists the precautions and vaccinations you should take before traveling to a foreign country.

Disease Outbreak News
From the World Health Organization.

Travel Medicine
Articles on travel medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Doctors, Healthcare Providers, and Organizations

AMA Physician Select On-Line Doctor Finder
Provides information on virtually every licensed physician in the U.S. and its possessions, including more than 650,000 doctors of medicine and doctors of osteopathy (DO).  May be searched by physician name or specialty.

American Board of Medical Specialties
List of all board certified physicians.  Includes the 24 approved medical specialty boards (such as cardiology or anesthesiology) in the United States.  "Board-certified" physicians have completed their residencies and passed exams sponsored by the board.

American Dental Association Member Directory
Search for a specific dentist by name and state or find a specialist in your area by searching city, state or zip code. Provides address, telephone number, e-mail address and office location map for members of the American Dental Association.

American Hospital Directory
Hospital information based on Medicare data, hospital cost reports, and other public use files obtained from the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Some information available by subscription only; free information includes summary hospital data.

Best Hospitals- U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report's annual listing of top hospitals, ranked according to 17 separate specialties.

Find a Dentist
Allows you to search for a New York State dentist by name, specialty, county, city, zip, special services (for example, weekend hours or nitrous oxide), or language.

Hospital Compare
"This tool provides information on how well the hospitals in your area care for all their adult patients with certain medical conditions." Specific United States hospitals are compared with national averages in their treatment of the three medical conditions of heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia. Hospitals are searchable by name or by location. From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
 
MedlinePlus Directories
Directories of health organizations, research centers, physicians, hospitals and more.

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Click on "Find a Hospice Program" to search for hospices by state, county, and/or city. The site also has basic information on hospice care.
 
New York State Department of Health Physician Profile
Allows you to search for a physician, detailing the doctor’s medical education, translation services available at the doctor’s office, and legal actions taken against the doctor.

Organizations from the National Library of Medicine’s MEDLINEplus
List of organizations that provide up to date and authoritative health information. Some of the organizations listed include: the American Cancer Society, National Institute of Mental Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association.

World Health Organization
Communicable diseases outbreaks news reports, WHO reports, travel information, and press releases.

Drugs, Herbs, & Medicine

DrugDigest
Potential interactions between two or more drugs (and some herbs) can be checked on this web site. Also included is consumer information on prescription and nonprescription drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and images of 6,000 pills and capsules.

MedlinePlus Drug Information
Consumer information on prescription and over-the-counter medications from two sources: the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the United States Pharmacopeia, an independent nonprofit group that sets the standards for U.S. medical products. Also has links to the Food and Drug Administration information on newly approved prescription drugs, drug recalls, and alerts.

NeedyMeds.com
NeedyMeds provides a directory of Patient Assistance Programs to help those who can't afford their medicines obtain them at no cost or low cost.  The information is obtained from the drug manufacturers on a regular basis.

Prescription Drug and Other Assistance Programs
Lists prices of 60,000 drugs at 75,000 U.S. Internet or retail pharmacies.  Updated weekly, this complicated web site is primarily intended to assist Medicare beneficiaries compare Medicare-approved drug discount cards. It includes prices for generic drugs.

RxList
Rxlist.com has drug information for both consumers and health professionals. This web site allows searching by brand names, generic names, keywords, or drug categories.  Special features includes a "fuzzy" search, which assumes the drug name may be misspelled, and an imprint search, which allows searching for the identifying alphanumeric characters printed on tablets and capsules.

The Natural Pharmacist
Available for free through iherb.com, The Natural Pharmacist has three major herb related sections: detailed articles on 200 herbs, supplements, vitamins, and minerals; articles on more than 100 conditions for which herbs and supplements might be used, and a directory of drug-herb and drug-supplement interactions. It is assembled by physicians and pharmacists.

Emergency and First Aid

American Red Cross
Index of Health and Safety Tips.  Emphasis on personal safety such as water safety, home heating safety, hiking and camping safety and protection from insects.

American Red Cross Disaster Services
American Red Cross disaster preparedness materials that are available in foreign languages: Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

Heimlich Maneuver
Learn specific Heimlich maneuver instructions for choking, drowning, and asthmatic adults and children.

HealthWorld Online
Detailed procedures for administering first aid for such injuries and conditions as electric shock, drowning, and seizures.  Useful flowchart guides one to determine when to administer first aid and when to seek emergency care.

MedlinePlus First Aid and Emergencies
Dedicated to first aid and emergencies.

Facilities

America’s Best Hospitals
Updated annually, this web site from U.S. News and World Report ranks hospitals in seventeen specialties. One can browse rankings by medical specialty or search by specialty and/or location. More than 203 United States hospitals are included.

Find a Hospital
From the American Hospital Association and MedlinePlus, Find a Hospital allows you to search by the name of a hospital within a state, or find hospitals in a zip code or city.  The information provided for each hospital includes their address, phone number, web address, number of beds, accreditation status, a detailed list of services provided, and a MapQuest map.

MedlinePlus Directories
Links to directories of hospitals, clinics and other health facilities selected by the National Library of Medicine.

Nursing Home Compare
This U.S. government database summarizes information about the performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.

Fitness and Wellness

Exercise and Physical Fitness
Dedicated to exercise and physical fitness information.

Exercise For Seniors
Dedicated to exercise information for seniors.

Exercise For Children
Dedicated to exercise and fitness information for children.

Germs and Hygiene
MedlinePlus web page relating to germs and hygiene. Read about proper handwashing procedures; learn what germs are and how to keep them away.

Healthy People 2010
Provides a framework for prevention for the United States. It is a statement of national health objectives designed to identify the most significant preventable threats to health and to establish national goals to reduce these threats.

Sports Fitness
Dedicated to sports fitness.

Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health
Diet and nutrition information.

Body Mass Index
Body mass index (BMI) measures weight in proportion to height and is used to determine an individual's ideal weight. Calculate your own BMI at this site from CDC (Center for Disease Control).

ACE Fitness Facts
Information on fitness products, programs and trends from the American Council of Exercise.

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Information on dietary supplements.

NIH Portion Distortion
See how today's portions compare to the portions available 20 years ago.

Health Statistics

National Center for Health Statistics Data Warehouse
The National Center for Health Statistics is the principal health statistics agency for the United States. This web site includes data on diseases/conditions, health status of the population, and the use of health care. It includes a handy A-Z list of popular topics. The information is presented in a variety of formats (charts, graphs, tables, and text) and the site is searchable.

New York State Department of Health
Statistics and data on diseases and conditions gathered specifically for New York State.

Statistical Resources on the Web: Health
From the University of Michigan’s University Library, this is a wonderful annotated directory of links for locating statistics on the Web. It has sections with links for U.S. and international health statistics and specific subject links (for example, abortion or mental health).

Medical History & Biography

Exhibitions in the History of Medicine
Online exhibits from the National Library of Medicine in the history of medicine and other topics.

Images from the History of Medicine (IHM)
Searchable by keyword or browsable by subject, this web site provides access to nearly 60,000 images from the History of Medicine Division of the National Library of Medicine.

MedHist: The Gateway to Internet Resources for the History of Medicine
Browse categories or search for keywords in this annotated directory of web sites. Topics include specific diseases, witchcraft, quackery, people, places, and specific time periods.

Substance Abuse

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence
Offers information on prevention, education, intervention, research and treatment for adults, teens and educators.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Contains frequently asked questions about alcoholism; links to research programs and publications from the Institute as well as other resources on the Internet.

National Institute on Drug Abuse
A searchable site that includes information on specific drugs of abuse, research reports, and resources for students and educators.

PrevLine Prevention Online
The web site for the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information.

Support Groups

ClicOnHealth
High-quality healthcare information and resources, including listings of support groups, for the people of the Greater Rochester area, including Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Wyoming, and Wayne counties.

SupportPath.com
A directory of online support communities, message boards, and chat groups for a wide variety of diseases and conditions.
 
If you have questions after consulting these resources, please contact the Information Desk at (585) 359-7092.

Updated August 2007