The Patient and Family Library at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center.
Brought to you by the Patient and Family Librarian

• About these links
• Aging / End of Life
• Arthritis / Immunology / Rheumatology
• Alternative / Complementary Medicine
• Behavioral / Mental Health
• Blood
• Cancer
• Dental Health
• Dermatology / Skin Problems
• Diabetes Mellitus
• Diet / Nutrition
• Eye Ear Nose & Throat
• Genetics / Genetic or Congenital Conditions
• Geographic or Ethnic Populations
• Gastrointestinal / Stomach
• Genitourinary / Kidney / Bladder
• Health Care System / Insurance
• Heart / Cardiac / Blood Pressure
• Infectious Diseases / Infection Control
• Lungs / Breathing
• Medications / Drugs
• Nervous System / Neurological Conditions
• Pain / Pain Control
• Pediatrics / Children / Adolescents
• Pregnancy
• Rest / Exercise / Fitness
• Sex, Sexuality, Sexual Identity
• Support and Connections
• Surgery
• Tests: Laboratory, Radiology
• Therapies and Rehabilitation
• Women’s Health
• Reference

About these links: We do not try to make this list all-inclusive.  Instead we look for high-quality, up-to-date sites with information for health care consumers that carry little or no advertising.  With this criteria, you will see a lot of “standard” government sites and support organizations, but you may also come across gems created and maintained by knowledgeable individuals with a passion for their subject.

The information links provided on this site are provided to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

We encourage you to contact us with any questions about additional resources available to meet your needs.

Aging & End of Life   

• Alliance for Aging Research
• Advance Directives by State and general information on end-of-life issues
• Americans for Better Care of the Dying (ABCD)
• Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS)
• Eldercare Learnings: a site “dedicated to people who are committed to providing intensive care to their aging parents.”
• Funeral Consumers Alliance
• Geriatric Mental Health Foundation consumer health information
• Healthy Aging: their healthy aging resources include a retirement chart.
• Helping your Child Deal with Death from KidsHealth
• National Center for Assisted Living: The assisted living voice of the American Health Care Association (AHCA).
• National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
• Medicare: Nursing home information.
• International Longevity Center
• Long-Term care glossary: About end-of-life decision-making
• Mourning the death of a spouse From National Institute on Aging
• National Association of State Units on Aging: State government agencies that share a common agenda of providing opportunities and support for older persons who want to live independent lives and maintain close family and community ties.
• National Institute on Aging
• The AGS Foundation: Established in 1999 by The American Geriatrics Society.

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Arthritis, Immunology, Rheumatology

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• International Scleroderma Network
• National Arthritis Foundation, including links to Arthritis Today magazine.
• National Psoriasis Foundation
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Information Clearinghouse
• Scleroderma Research Foundation
• Spondylitis Association of America

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Alternative Health & Complementary Medicine

• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine

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Behavioral / Mental Health

• Anxiety Disorders Association of America
• Autism Society of America
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance
• Mourning the death of a spouse From National Institute on Aging
• NACOA: National Association for Children of Alcoholics
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network 
• National Eating Disorders Association
• National Institute of Mental Health (publications)
• National Problem Gambling Awareness Week
• NIAAA: National Institute on  Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

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Blood

• Aplastic Anemia and MDS (Myelodysplastic syndromes) International Foundation
• Iron Disorders Institute: preventing disorders caused by Iron-out-of-Balance

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Cancer

• ACOR: Association of Online Cancer Resources.  “For everyone affected by cancer and related disorders.”
• American Association for Cancer Research
• Arizona Myeloma Network
• Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
• Breastcancer.org
• Cancer Pain.org
• Clinical Trials.gov: A registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and around the world. This information should be used in conjunction with advice from your health care provider.
• CureSearch  Family and patient information at levels appropriate for each age group.  Includes information for the stages of dealing with childhood cancer: (1) newly diagnosed, (2) In treatment, (3) end of treatment, and (4) after treatment
• How to research the medical literature: Site has not been updated since 2004, but the basic information still holds up.
• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• Lung Cancer Alliance
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• National Cancer Institute
• National Cancer Survivors: sponsors of the National Cancer Survivors Day
• National Comprehensive Cancer Network:  Treatment Guidelines: information for patients.
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
• Prevent Cancer
• Skin Cancer Foundation

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Dental

• How to care for your baby’s teeth: From Familydoctor.org
• Mouth and teeth: How to keep them healthy from Familydoctor.org.

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Dermatology / Skin Problems

• Burn Institute
• Burn Survivors Online
• BurnSurvivor.org
• National Psoriasis Foundation
• Phoenix Society: For burn survivors: Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan

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Diabetes Mellitus

• American Diabetes Association
• Diabetes Public Health Resource from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Diabetes Information from HealthFinder.gov
• Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
• Heart of Diabetes: Diabetes information from the American Heart Association
• National Diabetes Education Program
• National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

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Diet / Nutrition

• American Council for Fitness and Nutrition
• American Dietetic Association Consumer Information
• Dietary Supplements Labels Database: Brands, ingredients and references. 
• Fruits and Veggies Matter: from the CDC
• Gluten Intolerance Group
• National Eating Disorders Association

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Eye Ear Nose & Throat

• AMD.org: Help for age-related macular degeneration
• Children of Deaf Adults International: A non-profit organization for the hearing sons and daughters of deaf parents.
• Getting your eyedrops in your eyes  for glaucoma patients.  Video 
• Lighthouse International: A non-profit dedicated to preserving vision and helping people of all ages overcome the challenges of vision loss.
• National Association for Visually Handicapped
• National Eye Institute
• National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders
• Prevent Blindness America

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Genetics / Genetic or Congenital Conditions

• Children’s Craniofacial Association: “Empowering and giving hope to facially disfigured individuals and their families.
• Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Foundation
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• National Down Syndrome Society
• National Organization for Rare Disorders: Includes a rare diseases database
• Spinal Bifida Association
• Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance

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Geographic or Ethnic Populations

• Asian American Health site from the National Library of Medicine

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Gastrointestinal / Stomach

• Children with Crohn’s and Colitis
• Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America 
• GERD information from IFFGD: the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
• Gluten Intolerance Group
• International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD)
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
• United Ostomy Associations of America

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Genitourinary / Kidney / Bladder

• Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
• Interstitial Cystitis Association
• Kidney Times: “Health information beyond the ordinary”
• National Kidney Foundation
• National Kidney Foundation Hope Street: Graphic novel
• RenalWeb Patient Education

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Health Care System / Insurance

• A Consumer Guide to Handling Disputes with your Private Employer Health Plan (Arizona): From the Kaiser Family Foundation
• Arizona Department of Health Services
• Arizona Department of Insurance Consumer Information
• Arizona Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) forms
• Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System: Programs
• Arizona Health Statistics
• Arizona Immunization Program
• Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS)
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
• Federation of State Medical Boards consumer information
• Health Insurance Glossary
• Healthy People 2010: A government site with a comprehensive set of disease prevention and health promotion objectives for the nation.
• Institute for safe medicine practices consumer information
• Insure Kids Now: A U.S. government site, “linking the nation’s children to health insurance”.  Takes you to state programs.
• Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control MMWR
• National Center for Health Statistics: From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• NeedyMeds.org: information about assistance with health care and medications 
• Office of Civil Rights -- HIPAA from U. S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Put it in Writing: American Hospital Association information about Advance Directives including state-specific information, a consumer toolkit and Spanish-language versions.
• Questions and Answers about health insurance: From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).  Also try the “consumers & patients” link at the top of the page.
• Questions are the Answer: Going to the doctor?  Build your question list online. From the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

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Heart / Cardiac / Blood pressure

• American Heart Association
• Congenital Heart Information Network
• Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
  patient page on heart failure  from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)

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Infectious Diseases / Infection Control

• CIDRAP Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy from the University of Minnesota.
• Infection Control in Health Care Settings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Hepatitis Foundation International: Education page.  Try the links on the left.
• HIV Insite
• National HIV and STD Testing Resources: find local testing sites
• Lyme Disease Foundation

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Lungs / Breathing

• American Lung Association
• American Thoracic Society Patient Education:  “Thoracic” refers to the chest.
• Arizona Smokers’ Helpline
• Lung Cancer Alliance
• Post-Polio Health International
• SmokeFree.gov

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Medications / Drugs

• Consumer Education / Information from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• Daily Med: Prescription medicine information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM)
• DoubleCheckMD: list your medications, see their interactions
• NeedyMeds.org: information about assistance with health care and medications 

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Nervous System / Neurological Conditions

• Alzheimer’s Association 24-Hour Helpline: 1.800.272.3900
• Alzheimer’s Association Desert Southwest: Local chapter
• Alzheimer’s Association
• Alzheimer’s disease From the National Institute on Aging
• Division for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Autism Society of America
• Brain Injury Association of America
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Dana Foundation: a private philanthropic foundation with principal interests in brain science, immunology, and arts education.
• Epilepsy Foundation
• Huntington’s Disease Advocacy Center
• Lewy Body Dementia Association.
• Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of American, Inc.
• National Aphasia Association
• NINDS : National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• Pain in Dementia: Family and caregivers guide
• Post-Polio Health International
• Post-Polio Syndrome Central: lists many Post Polio resources

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Pain / Pain Control

• Cancer Pain.org
• Pain in Dementia: Family and caregivers guide

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Pediatrics / Children / Adolescents

• Banner Kids
• BAM! Body and Mind from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) .  For kids / teens.
• CureSearch  Family and patient information at levels appropriate for each age group.  Includes information for the stages of dealing with childhood cancer: (1) newly diagnosed, (2) In treatment, (3) end of treatment, and (4) after treatment
• Girls’ health at Girlshealth.gov
• Helping your Child Deal with Death from KidsHealth
  How to care for your baby’s teeth
• National Child Traumatic Stress Network
• National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders
• Starlight Starbright at Starlight Children’s Foundation: games that educate, entertain and inspire.
  

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Pregnancy

• Banner Kids
• Healthy Pregnancy From womenshealth.gov
• High blood pressure during pregnancy (Preeclampsia)
• March of Dimes
• Prenatal classes at Banner Thunderbird Medical Center

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Rest / Exercise / Fitness

• American Council for Fitness and Nutrition
• American Sleep Apnea Association
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Better Sleep Council
• What is RLS? : Restless Legs Syndrome

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Surgery

• Considering Surgery? Information from National Institute on Aging
• OrganDonor.gov
• Surgery from the Merck Online Manuals: Includes a sketch of the equipment and personnel in a typical operating room.

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Sex / Sexuality / Sexual Identity

• American Social Health Association: discussions of sexually transmitted disease.  This site contains advertising.

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Support and Connections

• ACOR: Association of Online Cancer Resources.  “For everyone affected by cancer and related disorders.”
• E-Patients.net  “Because health care professionals can’t do it alone.”
• Patients like me
• Trusera: connect with people with similar health issues.

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 Tests: Laboratory, Radiology

• Lab Tests Online®: A public resource on clinical lab testing

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Therapies and Rehabilitation

• AOTA: American Occupational Therapy Association: Consumer Information
• Assistance Dogs International

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Women’s Health

• Breast Cancer and Genetic Screening
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women’s Health. “Advancing Womens’ Health through Science and Information.”
• Living Beyond Breast Cancer
• NCCC National Cervical Cancer Coalition
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
• National Ovarian Cancer Coalition
• Our Bodies, Our Selves: Health information
• Society for Women’s Health Research: Supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Medtronic.
• Women’s Health: From the National Women’s Health Information Center.

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Reference

• Health Insurance Glossary
• Long-Term care glossary About end-of-life decision-making
• National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC)
• Tox Town: from the National Library of Medicine.  For kids, parents, teachers to learn about environmental health concerns and toxic chemicals where they live, work, and play.

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