Homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic and herbal medicine, massage, yoga, acupuncture, meditation, and more...complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is now the fastest-growing sector of American health care. Librarians must be prepared to answer questions about CAM and to include authoritative, readable sources of information about it in their collections. Here's a comprehensive introduction to the major types of CAM, from Ayurveda to spiritual healing, and an up-to-date guide to 605 books, 162 websites, and 226 periodicals covering these areas.
Author Gregory A. Crawford, who holds a Doctor of Naturopathy degree in addition to both an MLS and PhD, is ideally suited to familiarize librarians with CAM. Covering both mainstream and lesser-known treatments and therapies, he provides the history and background of each topic, explaining its major uses and the training of practitioners. An extensive annotated list of books, periodicals and websites devoted to the specific therapy includes English-language materials from the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia.
With this guide, librarians will know how to answer questions about CAM and be able to point users to the best and most reliable sources for further information. For those seeking to represent CAM in their own libraries, the book will also prove invaluable as a collection development tool.