Q: Can you recommend some Web sites and newsletters to learn more about nutrition and complementary medicine?

MISSY RODEY, Durango, Colo.

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A: It is interesting that something as basic as nutrition and diet have been classified as "complementary" or "alternative" medicine, but in our Western view of medicine, nutrition often takes a back seat to drugs or surgical interventions.

There are some helpful resources that I use to keep up with the latest clinical trials, dietary patterns or dietary supplements that are classified as complementary medicine.

Try these Web sites• The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (www.nccam.nih.gov) is one of the centers of the National Institutes of Health. You can learn about clinical trials sponsored by the NIH and obtain general information on the evidence supporting the use of glucosamine for arthritis or echinacea for respiratory infections.

• The Office of Dietary Supplements (www.ods.od.nih.gov) is another good resource that focuses on supplements. Click on health information to find out the latest research on vitamin D or learn more about vitamins, minerals and herbal remedies that might be useful treatments for many conditions.

• The American Botanical Council (www.herbalgram.org) is a good place to learn more about plants and plant extracts used as alternative therapies. Parts of this Web site are available for free, and I like the virtual tour section.

Good nutrition newsletters

• Nutrition Action, a subscription newsletter from Consumers for Science in the Public Interest (www.cspinet.org) provides more than just information on alternative medicine. I find its reviews of dietary supplements to be timely and informative. For example, in the June issue it reviews new evidence on multivitamins and suggests who might benefit from supplementation along with dosing strategies.

• Environmental Nutrition (www.environmentalnutrition.com) is also a subscription newsletter, and it contains interesting evidence-based articles on everything from potential health benefits of exotic fruits and vegetables to reviews of dietary supplements.