Database of the Week

In a society where some doctors may be too quick to prescribe drugs to relieve symptoms, and may give little thought to the side effects of these drugs, natural alternatives may be a viable option either in conjunction with, or in place of prescriptions.

But if doctors don’t have the time to educate their patients about these options, how do they become informed?

 In an attempt to educate myself about natural, holistic alternatives, I came across Alt HealthWatch. This one-stop shop is an EBSCOhost database that can be found among several Health and Medicine databases listed on the Library's website at http://www2.swccd.edu/~library. All staff and currently enrolled students may access the database 7/24 by logging on with your student ID and password.

This resource enlightens patients about natural, alternative ways to heal illnesses and promote wellness through hundreds of journals and reports (several of which are peer-reviewed), and includes over 200 international publications. I find this particular database a refreshing perspective to health as it offers therapies such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, yoga, chiropractic, nutrition and more!

Review by Tanya Carr, SWC Librarian