This guide to print and online health resources lists resources deemed useful, authoritative and current. It does not include materials pertinent only to specific diseases or conditions; for such materials, please ask a librarian for assistance. This guide is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for consulting with your physician or other health care provider.
General Health and Health Reference
- American College of Physicians Complete Home Medical Guide, second edition. 2003. [R 616.024 AME]
This user-friendly reference book provides in-depth information on a wide variety of health topics. There is a section on maintaining good health through lifestyle and a section on assessing symptoms. The rest of the book discusses conditions and disorders, and includes many full-color photographs and illustrations. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The United States Centers for Disease Control site offers detailed travelers' health information and recommendations, online health brochures and reports, statistical data, health-related announcements and more. - ClinicalTrials.Gov
Developed by the National Institutes for Health, this site provides information regarding current clinical research on medical treatments for all sorts of health problems. Search or browse by type or name of condition to find links to relevant trials. Useful information about trials in general is also available. - Consumer Health Complete (database)
This database is available through the Ohio Public Library Information Network. It provides access to health information found in reference books, pamphlets, newsletters and more. Topics covered include prescription drugs, medical tests and alternative therapies. The page is also available in Spanish. - Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 30th edition. 2003. [R 610.3 DOR]
With over 100,000 terms and many illustrations, this book is among the largest medical dictionaries. Useful appendices included laboratory test ranges, phobias and much more. - Health Source: Consumer Edition (database)
Available from home with a valid library card. This database provides full text from over 150 journals covering nutrition, childcare, sports medicine, general health and other health issues. It also links to a medical dictionary. - Johns Hopkins Symptoms and Remedies. 2003. [R 616.024 JOH (NWL)] [616.024 JOH (OWL)]
This reference guide from the Johns Hopkins Medical Center is divided into two sections. The first section discusses symptoms and possible diagnoses, while the second section gives more information about each disorder, including additional symptoms, how to prevent the condition and when to seek medical care. - MayoClinic.com
The Mayo Clinic offers good reference materials for diseases and conditions, drugs, first-aid and self-care. You may also ask questions of the clinic's experts. - MEDLINE
Search the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database of over 11 million citations to articles published in over 4,000 biomedical journals dating to 1966. Abstracts, but not full text, are provided. - MEDLINEPlus
The National Library of Medicine maintains this authoritative and easy-to-use site providing information on all sorts of health matters, including diseases, medical terms, drugs, hospitals, news and more. - Merck Manual, 18th edition. 2006. [R 616.075 MER]
A standard and comprehensive reference for health professionals and others, the Merck Manual covers almost all medical disorders, symptoms, common clinical procedures, current therapies and laboratory tests. Also available online. - Merck Manual of Geriatrics, third edition. 2000. [R 618.97 MER (OWL)]
This authoritative guide to health issues surrounding aging not only includes information on numerous conditions and diseases, but also on the biology of aging, managed care, quality of life and much more. Also available online. - National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
The National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is a federation of health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare "orphan" conditions and the organizations that serve them. NORD is committed to the identification, treatment and cure of rare disorders through programs of education, advocacy, research and service. - Stedman's Medical Dictionary, 28th edition. 2006. [R 610.3 STE]
As well as a thorough dictionary of medical terms, this book contains drawings and photo illustrations of many terms and conditions, and has several useful appendices of blood types, temperature conversions and other health matters. - Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 20th edition. 2005. [610.3 TAB]
In addition to concise definitions for thousands of medical terms, this dictionary has several useful appendices covering such matters as nutrition, alternative therapies, phobias, medical abbreviations and poisons.
Selecting a Provider
- 20,125 Questionable Doctors Disciplined by State and Federal Governments by Sidney Wolfe et al. 2000. [R 610.25 QUE]
The Public Citizen Health Research Group compiled this list from state and federal medical licensing and disciplinary boards' records. As well as listing disciplined doctors by state and giving their offense(s), it explains how to file complaints regarding physician wrongdoing. Some states' information is online (registration is free) at www.questionabledoctors.org/intro.cfm. - AMA Physician Select
AMA Physician Select is a directory of nearly 700,000 licensed U.S. physicians. You can search by name or specialization, and by state, city or zip code. - Comparative Guide to American Hospitals, first edition. 2005. [R 362.11]
This reference book ranks hospitals in the U. S. based on their standard of care for three common ailments: heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia. Each hospital is profiled in a following section. A state by state statistical summary is included as well, allowing users to quickly compare hospitals in a specific state. - Medicare Long Term Care Guide
The information on this site is provided by Medicare, and includes topics such as Steps to Choosing Long Term Care, Types of Long Term Care and Paying for Long Term Care. An additional page of resources suggests agencies to contact for further investigation. - Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists. Revised annually. [R 610.25 OFF]
This four-volume set lists physicians certified by one (or more) of the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. It contains brief biographical information on the doctors, their pertinent medical training and contact information. Specialists can be found by name, geographic location or specialty. The online version of this information is available (free registration is required) at http://www.abms.org/newsearch.asp. - State of Ohio Long Term Care Consumer Guide
Published by the Ohio Department of Aging, this web site includes information about nursing homes and assisted living facilities to help consumers, family members and professionals search for the appropriate facility to meet an individual's needs. You can search online for Residential Assisted Living Facilities as well as Nursing Facilities. - State of Ohio Medical Board
This is the official site of Ohio's Medical Board, the agency that oversees doctors, pharmacist assistants, massage therapists, cosmetic therapists, acupuncturists, mechanotherapists and anesthesiologist assistants. It provides information on Board actions, a database of Ohio licensees and any formal actions taken or pending against them, as well as information on how to file complaints against a practitioner.
Drugs and Medications
- Clinical Pharmacology (database)
This resource contains current information about prescription and nonprescription drugs as well as herbal and nutritional supplements. Uses, actions, cautions, interactions and side effects are among the matters covered. - Complete Drug Reference 2006 by Consumer Reports. [R 615.1 COM]
This list of almost every prescription and nonprescription medicine provides authoritative consumer-oriented information about the drug's proper uses, precautions, generic and brand names and indications. Unlike the Physicians Desk Reference, this is not merely a replication of manufacturer package inserts, but contains independent reports. - Physicians Desk Reference [PDR]. Revised annually. [R 615.1 PHY]
This guide to prescription drugs contains each listing's official, FDA-approved information from the drug's manufacturer. Drug effects, dosages, contraindications, warnings and more are provided, as are pictures of most of the medications. - Worst Pills, Best Pills: A Consumer's Guide to Avoiding Drug-Induced Death or Illness, revised edition by Sidney Wolfe et al. 2005. [615.1 WOR]
This compendium from the Public Citizen Health Research Group presents information about prescription drugs, complete with warnings beyond those of the Food and Drug Administration. It is consumer-oriented and contains general information regarding drug use, purchasing and other relevant matters.
Alternative Health Care
- Alternative Medicine HomePage
The Alternative Medicine HomePage is a jump-station for sources of information on unconventional, alternative or complementary therapies. It provides links to information on folk and herbal medicines, homeopathy, new age healing, chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathy, massage, music therapy and more. - Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, second edition. 2005. [R 615.5 GAL]
This four-volume set includes more than 800 articles about health and alternative medicine. Articles cover topics such as complementary therapies, herbs and remedies and common medical diseases and conditions. Resource material is included with each article. - Medical Advisor: The Complete Guide to Alternative and Conventional Treatments, second edition. 2000. [R 610.3 MED (OWL)]
Information on hundreds of health problems and their treatment is offered here, organized by symptoms. It gives descriptions of both conventional and alternative remedies (including acupuncture, herbs, homeopathy and more) and notes possible side effects and interactions with other treatments. It also provides general health guidelines, emergency first aid advice and guidelines on when to call your doctor. - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
One of the National Institutes of Health, the NCCAM provides scientifically researched information regarding complementary and alternative healing practices. A database of the literature and other authoritative information on these topics are among its features. - Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. 2000. [R 615.535 NAT (OWL)]
Compiled by the editors of Pharmacists' Letter and Prescribers' Letter, this is a print version of the web-based reference source of the same name at http:www.naturaldatabases.com. It provides a consensus of current scientific information on herbal medicines, dietary supplements and other natural medicines. Useful information on interactions, efficacy, cautions, dosages and more is included, as are alternative names and brand names. - PDR for Herbal Medicines, third edition. 2004. [R 615.321 PDR]
Based on both the German Commission E Monographs and the PhytoPharm U. S. Institute of Phytopharmaceuticals' literature review, this is a thorough guide to herbal medicines. It includes a color identification guide, brand names, common names, indications and contraindications, usages, homeopathic uses, Asian (Chinese and Indian) uses, side effects, interactions and more. - Quackwatch
This site, operated by a retired physician turned consumer advocate, is a guide to medical quackery, health fraud and intelligent health-related decisions. Its extensive contents cover chiropractic, magnet therapy and many other alternative therapies, as well as information on consumer protection, health strategies and nutrition.
Mental Health
- APA Resources for the Public
The American Psychological Association provides news, recommended books, online brochures, a Help for Life's Problems center and much more useful information about all kinds of psychological conditions. - Authoritative Guide to Self-Help Resources in Mental Health edited by John Norcross et al. 2003. [362.2 AUT]
Based on a survey of over 2,500 psychologists, this guide lists books, movies and Internet sites aimed at self-help for mental health problems. Its ratings range from five stars (Strongly Recommended) to a dagger (Strongly Not Recommended). Over two dozen alphabetically-arranged topics organize the book, including anger, divorce, stress and teenagers and parenting. - National Mental Health Information Center
This web site of the federal CMHS contains online publications, the latest news and much more information regarding mental illnesses. Its Links about Mental Health leads to a large list of mental health resources on the Internet. - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR, fourth edition. (Text revision). 2000. [R 616.89 DIA]
The American Psychiatric Association creates this as the authoritative guide to symptoms and diagnoses of the full range of mental disorders. Written for professionals, it is still often useful for members of the public. - Encyclopedia of Mental Health. 2001. [R 616.89 ENC]
This three-volume set contains well over 100 short articles, written by experts, on all sorts of mental health and related matters, from child maltreatment, managed care and shyness to procrastination, television viewing and paranoia. - Mental Health Disorders Sourcebook, third edition edited by Karen Bellenir. 2005. [R 616.89 MEN]
This volume contains solid, consumer-oriented articles on mental health generally, as well as on several major sorts of mental illness (anxiety, schizophrenia, etc.) and types of therapy. The articles are authoritative but may be a few years old, so they are best read as overviews rather than cutting-edge knowledge. A list of additional resources and organizations is also provided. - Psych Central— Mental Health & Psychology Resources Online
This huge directory of online mental health resources, compiled by a psychologist, is useful to both consumers and professionals. Subject headings make browsing easy and the site has a search option too. Each site listed is annotated to make selection easier. - Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection (database)
The Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection is a comprehensive database with more than 510 full text titles covering topics such as emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry and psychology, mental processes, anthropology and observational and experimental methods.
revised 9/06
