Complementary and Alternative Medicine Info for
Seniors Added to NIHSeniorHealth.com
Website is joint effort of the National Institute on
Aging and National Library of Medicine
Dec. 15, 2008 The use of complementary and
alternative medicine declines as Americans move up into the ranks of
senior citizens probably due to lack of coverage by Medicare for most
of these but still a substantial number of seniors use CAM. To help
seniors make better therapy choices, the topic has been added to
NIHSeniorHealth.com.
Some form of CAM, which can include products such
as vitamins and herbal supplements, and practices such as chiropractic
manipulation, acupuncture, meditation and massage, is used by 41 percent
of adults in the U.S. that are age 60 to 69.
They and other consumers can learn about these
approaches in "Complementary and Alternative Medicine," the latest topic
on NIHSeniorHealth, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Web site
designed especially for older adults.
"CAM covers a wide range of therapies and practices
not currently considered part of conventional medicine. Thus, its
important to be well informed if you are considering using any," says
Josephine P. Briggs, M.D., director of the National Center for
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the NIH, which
developed the topic.
"Its also important to inform your health care
provider about any CAM therapies you may use."
Older adults who go to
http://nihseniorhealth.gov/cam/toc.html will find easy-to-understand
information on the basics of CAM , as well as useful tips on how to be
an informed consumer, choose a CAM practitioner and talk candidly with
their doctor about CAM use, according to the announcement.
One of the fastest growing age groups using the
Internet, older Americans increasingly turn to the Web for health
information. In fact, 68 percent of online seniors look for health and
medical information when they go on the Web.
NIHSeniorHealth is a joint effort of the National
Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The
site is based on the latest research on cognition and aging. It features
short, easy-to-read segments of information that can be accessed in a
number of formats, including various large-print type sizes,
open-captioned videos, and an audio version. Additional topics coming
soon to the site include dry eye and substance abuse among older adults.
The NCCAM explores complementary and alternative
medical practices in the context of rigorous science, trains CAM
researchers, and disseminates authoritative information to the public
and professionals through its Web site (www.nccam.nih.gov)
and clearinghouse (1-888-644-6226).
Located at the NIH in Bethesda, Md., the NLM is the
world's largest library of the health sciences and collects, organizes,
and makes available biomedical science information to scientists, health
professionals, and the public. For more information, visit the Web site
at
http://www.nlm.nih.gov.
The NIA leads the federal effort supporting and
conducting research on aging and the medical, social and behavioral
issues of older people. For more information on research and aging, go
to
www.nia.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) The
Nation's Medical Research Agency includes 27 Institutes and Centers
and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the
causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit
www.nih.gov.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Dec. 15, 2008 The use of complementary and
alternative medicine declines as Americans move up into the ranks of
senior citizens probably due to lack of coverage by Medicare for most
of these but still a substantial number of seniors use CAM. To help
seniors make better therapy choices, the topic has been added to
NIHSeniorHealth.com.