National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
On May 28, 2002, the National Centers for Complementary Therapy and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), one of more than 27 Institutes and Centers composing the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced the launch of its redesigned website: http://nccam.nih.gov/.
According to an NIH news release, part of NCCAM's mission is disseminating accurate and valid information about such treatments to the public and to professionals. The site emphasizes the connection of science, nature, and complementary therapy and alternative medicine (CAM), offering information about exploring complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of traditional medical treatment. The site offers a detailed description of both complementary and alternative medicine, illustrating how they differ from each other, as well as tips for making decisions about using these therapies. The site also provides an "Alerts and Advisories" section that offers information on drug interactions, harmful side effects, and public health advisories, as well as a section that offers treatment information based on a particular therapy or by a condition or disease.
Congress established the NCCAM at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1998 to stimulate, develop, and support research on CAM for the benefit of the public. As stated in the website, the NCCAM is "an advocate for quality science, rigorous and relevant research, and open and objective inquiry into which CAM practices work, which do not, and why. Its overriding mission is to give the American public reliable information about the safety and effectiveness of CAM practices."
5/02