Institutional reference library
Official sources in health, prevention and life sciences
The Alternative Medicine College of Canada encourages its students to consult recognized institutional and scientific sources in order to deepen their knowledge in health, prevention, nutrition and biomedical sciences. This library brings together a selection of resources from government bodies, universities and international institutions.
World Health Organization (WHO)
Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS)
Useful resources
- Traditional, complementary and integrative medicine
- Health promotion
- Disease prevention
- Nutrition
- Physical activity
- Mental health
- Ageing
Use it for
- official definitions
- global statistics
- international recommendations
Health Canada
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada.html
Official documentation on:
- nutrition
- food
- vitamins
- natural health products
- food safety
- prevention
Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ)
Excellent for:
- prevention
- public health
- nutrition
- environment
- lifestyle habits
- Québec data
Government of Québec — Ministry of Health
https://www.quebec.ca/en/health
References on:
- chronic diseases
- prevention
- health promotion
- nutrition
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Probably the largest biomedical research institution in the world.
Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH)
Excellent source for:
- vitamins
- minerals
- plants
- dietary supplements
Each fact sheet is based on the scientific literature.
PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Official database of scientific publications.
Lets you search:
- nutrition
- phytotherapy
- microbiota
- prevention
- physiology
- etc.
Cochrane Library
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/
The global reference for systematic reviews.
Very useful for learning how to interpret scientific evidence.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
An essential reference for complementary medicine.
Documentation on:
- acupuncture
- meditation
- yoga
- probiotics
- phytotherapy
- aromatherapy
EFSA — European Food Safety Authority
The European reference for:
- nutrition
- food safety
- vitamins
- edible plants
PasseportSanté
https://www.passeportsante.net/
Use as a resource for accessible, popularized information.
Very useful for students.
(To be distinguished from institutional sources.)
Ordre des diététistes du Québec
Professional reference on:
- nutrition
- clinical practice
- nutrition and diet
U.S. National Library of Medicine — MedlinePlus
A very good documentary resource intended for the general public.
Merck Manual
A medical reference used worldwide.
Very useful for:
- anatomy
- pathophysiology
- diseases
MSD Manual — French version
Inserm — French National Institute of Health and Medical Research
French research.
CNRS
French scientific research.
Université Laval
Université de Montréal
Harvard Medical School
Mayo Clinic
Excellent science communication.
Cleveland Clinic
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/
Very good clinical documentation.
American Heart Association
American Diabetes Association
American Cancer Society
British Medical Journal (BMJ)
Nature
Science
The Lancet
For CMDQ students
We recommend always giving priority to:
- peer-reviewed scientific publications;
- recommendations from public health bodies;
- data from recognized universities and institutions;
- best-practice guidelines published by the competent authorities.
Information from blogs, social media or commercial websites should be consulted with discernment and, where possible, checked against scientific or institutional sources.