Natural Standard, a database assessing herbal medicine, supplements, and other complementary and alternative therapies, is now available from the Biomedical Libraries. Connect to http://www.naturalstandard.com.
Natural Standard describes itself as founded by healthcare providers and researchers to provide high-quality, evidence-based information about complementary and alternative medicine including dietary supplements and integrative therapies. Grades reflect the level of available scientific data for or against the use of each therapy for a specific medical condition. It is impartial; not supported by any interest group, professional organization or product manufacturer.
The evidence grading system is explained at http://www.naturalstandard.com/grading.asp.
Other sources of information about alternative therapies include free sites such as Medline Plus, HerbMed.org, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and the Office of Dietary Supplements, as well as comprehensive drug information resources from the Biomedical Libraries such as UpToDate, Clinical Pharmacology Online, DynaMed, and Micromedex.
Questions? Contact Peggy Sleeth, Associate Director for Information Resources.
