How can patients and their health care providers learn more about complementary and alternative therapies?
Patients and their doctor or nurse can learn about complementary and alternative therapies from the following Government agencies: * The NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) facilitates research and evaluation of complementary and alternative practices and has information about a variety of methods. NCCAM Clearinghouse Post Office Box 8218 Silver Spring, MD 20907-8218 Telephone/TTY/TDY: 1-888-644-6226 (toll free) Web site: http://altmed.od.nih.gov/nccam/ * The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates drugs and medical devices to ensure that they are safe and effective. FDA 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857 Telephone: 1-888-463-6332 Web site: http://www.fda.gov/ * The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces consumer protection laws. Publications available from the FTC include: “Who Cares: Sources of Information About Health Care Products and Services” “Fraudulent Health Claims: Don’t Be Fooled” Consumer Response Center Federal Trade Commission R
