ALTERNATIVE
MEDICINE
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Alternative Medicine Resource Guide
home.rmci.net/michael
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As the blurb would have it, 'the alternative
medicine centre for today's needs.' And for
those seeking a change from the medical
establishment's recipe of drugs to treat the
symptoms, there is a comprehensive menu of
holistic therapies dealing with the root
causes. Acupuncture, reflexology, herbology
and hypnosis have all moved into the medical
mainstream in recent years, but there are also
links to New Age sites dealing with the less
quantifiable benefits of astrology, Reiki,
Kundalini and more.
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Herbal Information Centre
www.kcweb.com/herb
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Did you know that taking Cat's Claw can boost
the body's immune system and so be a weapon
against diseases of immuno-deficiency such as
HIV. In fact, have you ever heard of Cat's
Claw? This handy plant - a tropical vine that
grows in the rainforests of South America and
Asia for your information - is one of dozens
of alternative and natural remedies listed on
the Herbal Information Centre site.
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International Center for Humor and
Health
www.humorandhealth.com
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We love the idea of this site. It exists with
aim of spreading the healing art of laughter.
We all know we feel better when we laugh, but
these guys claim that laughter is 'a strong
curative that the world needs'. The centre
also performs research on humour and its
relation to health, education, happiness and
social well-being. Sounds a bit serious in
fact.
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United Kingdom Alternative Health
Centre
www.jeze.demon.co.uk
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The Alternative Health Centre aims to be the
official Internet resource of information,
practitioners, businesses and events related
to the practice of alternative health therapy
in the United Kingdom. You'll find a guide for
a specific remedies, treatment and/or
practitioners in your area. And the site
provides detailed information to help us lay
persons cut through the mystique and make
choices about the wide range of alternative
health services and products.
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Natural Land
www.naturalland.com
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Where alternative medicine meets dietary
advice. The online US health magazine reflects
the growing interest in the West in natural
medicine and herbal remedies. Natural Land
tends to deal with prevention as much as cure
- so it goes heavily on eating the right foods
in the right balance to prevent yourself
getting sick in the first place. Includes
features on weight loss, healthy cooking,
organic foods and personal fitness.
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Polarity
www.eclipse.co.uk/masterworks/Polarity/Polarity%20home.htm
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Exploring the art of polarity therapy -
polarity is the art and science of stimulating
and balancing the flow of life energy within
the human being. Sounds a bit new age - it is
but it all makes perfect sense. The site has
visuals of polarity therapy being practised
and each demonstration is accompanied by a
list of benefits - both physical and mental.
The site has a serenity about it as benefits a
mentally stimulating therapy and after you've
browsed this site, you'll be looking up your
nearest polarity therapist.
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SpiritWeb
www.spiritweb.org
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Ignore the home page on this site and skip
straight to the yoga section. Anything and
everything you wanted to know about the world
of yoga is here. Find out the differences
between Bhaki Yoga (the yoga of love and
destruction) and Hatha Yoga (concerned with
physical and energetical purification and
training). The site is designed for those with
an academic interest in the history and
meaning behind yoga. You'll find ancient texts
extolling the virtues of meditation and mental
balance but for practical demonstrations
you'll have to search elsewhere.
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Loretta Elaine's Gems for Friends
www.gems4friends.com
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No, we're not talking Richard Burton and Liz
Taylor-style rocks here, but gems exuding life
and spirit-enhancing properties. 'Explore
alternative avenues for inner growth. Take
control of your own life,' demands spiritual
guru Loretta Elaine. Aromatherapy, Feng Shui,
use of flower essences, gemstones, herbs,
massage and bodywork are among the avenues
signposted. Each section has a host of links
to recommended sites, prefaced by explanatory
editorial on their benefits.
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DISEASE
ASSOCIA
-TIONS
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FIRST AID
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Introduction to First Aid
www.cs.tcd.ie/cnnnghmp/spinfin/firstaid
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Very good starting point for any of us who've
forgotten all we learned in our school first
aid classes. Admirably straightforward, this
largely text-based site is a series of links
to short tutorials. You move from What is
First Aid?, through the essential components
of the first aid kit. The Accident Scene is as
basic as telling you how to call an ambulance
(many people panic and forget or assume
someone else has done it).
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Technical First Aid
www.intel-sec.demon.co.uk/tech/firstaid
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Working on the show-and-tell basis, in other
words it's pretty hard to describe to someone
how to apply a sling without showing them,
this site does just that with some useful
pictures. Burns, broken arms, fainting and so
forth, each section starts with precautions,
leads on to actions, and then has a series of
photos confirming the action you should be
taking.
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Weleda
www.weleda.co.uk
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A little bit different to the standard
repertoire of cold compresses and head between
the knees, the Weleda site is all about the
practice of first aid using homeopathic and
anthroposophic medicines. In other words,
herbal remedies that work with your body to
rectify the problem. So you might use Arnica
for sprains and bruises or Combudoron for
minor burns or scalds. Or just pick a dock
leaf to cure that nettle sting.
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NHS Direct
www.nhs50.nhs.uk
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NHS Direct is the Government's attempt to
push the nation's healthcare online. Still at
the pilot stage, the aim is to have nurses
staffing a 24-hour helpline covering the whole
of the UK in 2000. Cynics might suggest it's a
DIY attempt at medicine, designed to save the
Exchequer money, but what it does do is put
you a keyboard tap away from expert medical
advice.
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First Aid Quiz
www.ambleside.schoolzone.co.uk/ambleweb/quizes/firstaid.htm
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Bringing a welcome bit of fun to a sometimes
grim subject, this site is the work of Year 6
pupils at Ambleside School. This is an
excellent way to teach children the basics of
first aid, and it makes it a lot more
involving for adults too. A series of 10
multiple choice questions - Where do you check
for a pulse? If someone has a bad burn what do
you do straight away?, - plus more quizzes if
you get hooked.
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First Aid Skill For Life
members.tripod.co.uk/rescue/Firstaid_index.html
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The home page warns that 'the information
given on this site should not be used as a
substitute for a first aid course', but we'd
be pushed to find a course quite as
comprehensive as this one. Certainly our
training in the Scouts never covered frostbite
or phobias. Select 'panic attacks' say, and
you'll be given a brief description, a list of
symptoms, a menu of first aid treatments, and
then links to other sites that will cover the
problem in more depth.
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Outer Limits
www.ceedex.co.uk/outerlimits/health/faid.html
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Okay, most accidents do happen in the home,
but you're more than likely to pick up the odd
knock and scrape if you're white water rafting
down the Amazon or taking part in the Sahara
Ultrathon. This then is a site dedicated to
adventure travellers, starting with the wise
advice that if you are going to put yourself
into the back of beyond, knowing the numbers
999 isn't going to do you a lot of good and
you should equip yourself with the
basics.
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St John Ambulance
www.stjohnambulance.org.uk
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Brought to you by the people you see patching
up the general public at fetes, fairs and
football matches, the St John Ambulance site
carries the stamp of authority and experience
when it comes to first aid. The site starts
with a run through of the aims of first aid
training in the workplace and a look at the
legislation. Suitably chastened by your lack
of knowledge, you can then get details of
courses.
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HEALTH
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BBC Health
www.bbc.co.uk/health
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Of course, it doesn't do any harm having
the resources of programmes such as Horizon,
Maternity Hospital or the Human Body to draw
on, let alone Holby City and Casualty. The
Beeb's richest seam is, of course, its news
and documentary programmes, and you'll find
plenty of material from BBC TV news and
Radios 4 and 5. And it's the ideal
complement to your BBC viewing and
listening, with the opportunity to dig
deeper into the programmes broadcast. Even
if you never switch on the telly or radio
you'll find this a terrific standalone site,
with fun features such as getting fit by
doing the dusting, and vital news reports on
breast cancer screening and the recent flu
epidemic. The sort of site that gives the
Web a good name.
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Health Net
www.healthnet.org.uk/facts/factsht7.htm
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We Brits may be living longer, but the fact
is that we're eating far too well these days,
and that's one reason why heart disease is the
single biggest killer of men and women in this
country. The good news is that, for most of
us, the remedy lies in our hands. This site
targets kids as well as adults, as many of the
bad dietary habits stem right from
childhood.
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HIV/AIDS Links
www.brad.ac.uk/staff/ijhodgson/hivlinks.htm
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Since the huge public health campaigns of the
1980s, HIV and AIDS have dropped from the
front pages somewhat. Needless to say, it's
still one of our greatest public health risks,
and still one of our biggest taboos. This
exhaustive site catalogues national and
international links (AIDS is of course an
enormous threat in many African countries),
and also lists news sites, medical pages and
the home pages of people with AIDS and their
carers.
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Alzheimer's Disease Society
www.alzheimers.org.uk
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As Britons get healthier and receive better
medical care, we live longer and longer. The
irony of this ageing society is, of course,
that we become more prone to the diseases of
ageing, such as Alzheimer's. This web site
offers excellent support for those dealing
with the onset of the disease and, just as
crucial, for their carers and partners.
Resolutely unsolemn, the site even has a
memory quiz, looking at the practical aspects
of how the brain works.
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What is Sickle Cell?
mrcjamaica.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/whatis.htm
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The answer to that question is 'a common
inherited abnormality of haemoglobin
production'. The blood disorder almost
exclusively affects Afro-Caribbean people and,
tragically, is often a killer among children.
This informative and cool-headed site talks
worried parents through the facts about Sickle
Cells, answers some frequently-asked
questions, and looks at new movements in
research. Also provides links to events and
mutual help groups.
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Yahoo Health
health.yahoo.com
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Whatever your condition, Yahoo's excellent
health-specific search engine will point you
in the direction of a multitude of expert
doctors, self-help groups, discussion groups
and useful literature. Typing in 'piles', for
instance, called up the dedicated Yahoo page
in seconds. Each page has a definition,
alternative names, causes, prevention,
symptoms, treatment and pictures (we skipped
the last one). Most important of all, it gives
advice on getting the right care and getting
it quickly.
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Parkinson's Disease
new.parkinsons.org.uk/parkinsons.htm
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This disease of the central nervous system was
first identified by Dr James Parkinson in
1817, when he described a condition which he
called the 'Shaking Palsy'. In recent years,
sufferers such as Terry Thomas and Muhammad
Ali have brought the illness into the media
spotlight. This site not only has links to
just about every Parkinson's web site in
existence, but includes invaluable information
on dealing with the disease, including
technology issues.
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Diseases
www.medinfo.cam.ac.uk/phgu/info_database/Diseases
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If you want to find out more about the
genetic basis of diseases, this Cambridge
University site makes fascinating reading.
Alzheimer's Disease, Down's Syndrome, Cystic
Fibrosis and more are covered. Not just
interesting to find out why our genetic
material sometimes rebels, but because this
raises ethical issues about genetic testing
and population screening. If you ever worry
about the medical profession knowing too much,
this is a crucial site to visit.
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Emerging Infectious Diseases
www.zen.co.uk/nchadd/infect.htm
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Here's a cheery little site to make you worry
about the impending march of superviruses on
the unsuspecting UK. If you thought Ebola
virus and E-coli were yesterday's news, think
again. The webmasters, based in Oldham, keep a
keen eye out for recent reports of new
outbreaks, the rise of global epidemics and
the emergence of completely new bugs, such as
the delightful flesh-eating virus of a few
years back.
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HEALTH
SUPPORT
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Tripod
members.tripod.co.uk
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Tripod is a part of the Lycos search engine,
and makes it its business to hunt down,
catalogue and collate UK members' discussion
groups. Given that a large part of searching
the Internet is what you filter out, this is a
huge bonus for subjects like this. It means
that type in 'support groups' and what you
won't get are people trying to flog you
huckster-type remedies, you won't get
glorified adverts, and you won't get US sites
you can't use anyway.
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Samaritans
www.samaritans.org
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A few years ago the Samaritans started
providing an email contact service, in
particular to provide a communications channel
with a high risk group, young males. As the
Internet audience has expanded, so has the
Samaritans website, adding articles, history
and fundraising details to the vital contact
information. Topical help articles, such as
one on coping with exam results, join
statistics on suicide and reports on the cost
of living. Stephen Fry, Imogen Stubbs and
others provide a few words.
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CancerBACUP
www.cancerbacup.org.uk
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Thankfully, the days when cancer was the
disease only spoken about in whispers,
euphemised as the Big C, and where the
prognosis was always bad are now mostly over.
CancerBACUP aims to help people live with
cancer by providing information and emotional
support for patients, their families and
health professionals. There are 1,500 pages
here covering all types of cancer, and a
personalised service allows you to gain
information about your cancer and its
treatment.
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Health Centre UK
www.healthcentre.org.uk
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The type of excellent resource that has long
been common (in Internet terms) in the US and
is, thankfully, becoming more established over
here. The Health Centre is, if not a
definitive, then a quickly growing list of
UK-based self-help and support groups, some
maintained by the Health Centre itself, some
merely links to third parties. Well organised,
starting with a 'What's on the Web' section, a
list of health providers, online manuals,
discussion groups and on and on.
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Patient UK
www.patient.org.uk
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This UK site aims to help non-medical people
find information about health issues primarily
from UK sources. In other words, don't take
the doctor's word for it, find out for
yourself. An astonishingly detailed index of
UK support groups, from professional bodies
down to those founded by people who've been on
the rough end of medical incompetence. Groups
are broken down into Men's, Women's, Dental,
Travel Health, and much more.
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Self Help UK
www.self-help.org.uk
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A free service provided by a company called
Acumen Solutions, specialists in health care
applications on the Internet. What they've
come up with is an excellent searchable
database of over 1,000 self-help organisations
and support groups across the UK, providing
support, guidance and advice to patients,
carers and their relatives. You can also
quickly click to access the discussion forums
hosted on the Health Index UK site.
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The Site
www.thesite.org.uk
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More of a survivor's guide than a support
group, but with solid advice on day to day
challenges such as sex, drugs and money. The
whole site has a kind of urban feel, but don't
be fooled - this site can really help.
Reliable answers to sexual health questions
for both genders, whatever sexuality. Aids is
tackled, so is abortion. Along with advice are
the details of groups who can help. Not all is
so grim - there is a sports section for those
who want to do more and the Money part tells
you how to get more. Advice on loans is fine -
the list of grant giving organisations is
better. Most of all this site is your mate,
with a little more streetwise knowledge
maybe.
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NUTRITION
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Diet and Nutrition Manual
www.bluestone.demon.co.uk
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Enter the library. This is the intellectuals
guide to diet and weight loss. The site takes
the form of a web book and is packed with
useful and in depth info. It's entitled the
diet and nutrition manual and is an excellent
reference if you want to dig deeper than the
food plans and exercise programs. The site is
in two parts. The opening page gives you
little tasters of the main manual, and
sections range from 'How your body works' to
'Reprogram your taste buds' and thankfully
'treat yourself'.
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Health Net UK
www.healthnet.org.uk
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If you click onto the web site of the
Coronary Prevention Group looking for clearly
labelled links to dry and scholarly articles
about coronary issues, then you're in for a
shock. Or a shockwave. Videos, sound,
interactive games - the Health Net site
sometimes comes on like a hyperactive tot
who's swallowed too many E numbers, but hey,
they're trying to make healthcare fun and pull
in the teenagers too. We loved the
cartoons.
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Alternative Health News Online
www.altmedicine.com
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The prospect of receiving daily updates on
the latest in alternative remedies and
discoveries on what's harmful could be a
blessing or a nightmare depending on your
equilibrium. But leaving aside the terror of
clicking online one morning to discover salad,
exercise and meditation have been discovered
to be very bad for you, this site is slickly
maintained and really covers the bases from
ancient herbal remedies to the latest
alternative therapies.
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The Nutrition Society
www.nutsoc.org.uk
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The Nutrition Society is 'concerned with the
scientific study of nutrition and its
application to the maintenance of human and
animal health', so among the many dozens of
links on the home page, you'll find the
Australasian Pig Science Association as well
as the more predictable British Diatetic
Association and the Association for the Study
of Obesity. Excellent news pages keep you in
touch with the latest research from around the
world.
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Institute of Nutritional Science
www.superlife.co.uk/institute
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This New Zealand company aims to bridge the
gap between cutting-edge scientific research
and the punter in the street. Figuring that
most learned works in nutrition journals are
unlikely to find their way into the hands of
the people who need them, it puts together
everyday language reports on the latest papers
and research, so the public can benefit from
the latest findings in nutrition.
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British Nutrition Foundation
www.nutrition.org.uk
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This is a top education site. A great
resource for teachers and anyone wanting to
understand dieting and their diet, the site is
clearly and simply laid out with pages on
nutrition facts, nutrition news and food
education. This site tells you what you should
be eating at different stages in your life and
why, from babies to pensioners. Info is
available on subjects from healthy teeth to
food allergies and you can investigate
carbohydrates, fats, proteins and vitamins.
The site even covers drink under the guise of
alcohol in the UK diet. Will that glass of
wine or pint of lager really fit into your
diet?
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King's College London Library
www.kcl.ac.uk/kis/support/lib/netsubs/diet.html
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Most of us aren't going to get the chance to
pop into King's College's excellent research
library, but if you have a PC and Internet
access then you're in business. A host of
links to web sites covering diet and
dietetics, and very useful pages on food
safety, for instance. If you want to know the
facts about GM foods or food additives then
this is where you should start.
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Nutrition and Health
www.livjm.ac.uk/sports_science/nutrheal.htm
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Quite a technical set of pages based around
the nutritional requirements of athletes. But
this makes fascinating reading whether you're
training for the London Marathon or just want
to check what the food you eat is doing to
your body. There are sections on the
macronutrients such as calories, fat and
protein; minerals and vitamins; non-nutrients
like alcohol and caffeine; and on self
analysis and meal planning.
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