Body watch : the health hot lines

Sneezing from allergies? Suffering from gout? Does someone close to you have Alzheimer’s disease? The good news is that for just about any physical health problem you can name--and even

those you can’t--there are lots of organizations and federal agencies out there ready to provide assistance. The best news: Most of it is free. Here is a sampling of resources, which will

send you brochures, bibliographies, studies and other printed material. For groups that don’t list phone numbers, write for information. To contact the local chapters of national

organizations, consult your phone book. (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC) AGING * Administration on Aging Department of Health and Human Services 330 Independence Ave. S.W. Washington,

D.C. 20201 (800) 677-1116 (Eldercare Locator Program only) * National Institute on Aging Information Center P.O. Box 8057 Gaithersburg, Md. 20898-8057 AIDS / HIV * Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention National AIDS Hotline (800) 342-2437 (24 hours); Spanish: (800) 344-7432; TTY: (800) 243-7889 * Project Inform HIV/AIDS Treatment Hotline (800) 822-7422 or (415)

558-9051 ALCOHOL ABUSE * National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence 12 W. 21st St. New York, N.Y. 10010 (800) 622-2255 or (212) 206-6770 * American Council on Alcoholism (800)

527-5344 * National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information P.O. Box 2345 Rockville, Md. 20847-2345 (800) 729-6686 or (301) 468-2600; TTY: (800) 487-4889 or (301) 230-2867; fax: (301)

468-6433 ALLERGIES AND ASTHMA * American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 611 E. Wells St. Milwaukee, Wis. 53202 (800) 822-2762 * Allergy and Asthma Network 3554 Chain Bridge Road

Suite 200 Fairfax, Va. 22030 (800) 878-4403 * Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America 1125 15th St. N.W., Suite 502 Washington, D.C. 20005 (800) 7-ASTHMA ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE * Office for

the Study of Unconventional Medical Practices National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 2B25 Bethesda, Md. 20892 (301) 496-7498 Refers to associations including homeopathy,

acupuncture, chiropractic. ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE * Alzheimer’s Assn. 919 N. Michigan, Suite 1000 Chicago, Ill. 60611-1676 (800) 272-3900 ARTHRITIS * National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and

Skin Diseases Information Clearinghouse 1 AMS Circle Bethesda, Md. 20892-3675 (301) 495-4484; fax: (301) 587-4352 * Arthritis Foundation Information Line 1314 Spring St. N.W. Atlanta, Ga.

30309 (800) 283-7800 BACK PAIN * Back Pain Hotline, (800) 247-BACK CANCER * American Cancer Society Response Line (800) 227-2345 * Cancer Information Service National Cancer Institute

Building 31, Room 10A16 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Md. 20892 (800) 4-CANCER * American Institute for Cancer Research 1759 R St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009 (800) 843-8114 CHILDREN’S

HEALTH * National Information Center for Children and Youth With Disabilities P.O. Box 1492 Washington, D.C. 20013-1492 Voice or TTY: (800) 695-0285 or (202) 884-8200; fax: (202) 884-8441 *

National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information P.O. Box 1182 Washington, D.C. 20013-1182 (800) FYI-3366 or (703) 385-7565; fax: (703) 385-3206 * National Youth Crisis Hotline

(800) 448-4663 (24 hours) DENTAL * American Dental Assn. 211 E. Chicago Ave. Chicago, Ill. 60611 (312) 440-2593 * National Institute of Dental Research Building 31 Room 2C35 31 Center Drive

MSC 2290 Bethesda, Md. 20892-2290 (301) 496-4261 DIABETES * American Diabetes Assn. (800) DIABETES or (703) 549-1500; fax: (703) 549-6995 DIGESTIVE DISORDERS * National Digestive Diseases

Information Clearinghouse 2 Information Way Bethesda, Md. 20892-3570 DRUG ABUSE * National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information P.O. Box 2345 Rockville, Md. 20847-2345 (800)

729-6686 or (301) 468-2600; TTY: (800) 487-4889 or (301) 230-2867; fax: (301) 468-6433 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH * Environmental Protection Agency Public Information Center 401 M St. S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20460 (800) 424-4000; Asbestos Hot Line: (800) 368-5888; Drinking Water Hot Line: (800) 426-4791; Lead Hot Line: (800) LEAD-FYI; Indoor Air Hot Line: (800) 438-4318; Radon

Hot Line: (800) SOS-RADON EYES * The National Eye Institute 2020 Vision Place Bethesda, Md. 20892-3658 * National Eye Care Project Helpline P.O. Box 9688 San Francisco, Calif. 94101-9688

(800) 222-EYES * American Council of the Blind 1155 15th St. N.W., Suite 720 Washington, D.C. 20005 (800) 424-8666 or (202) 467-5081; fax: (202) 467-5085; electronic bulletin board: (202)

331-1058 * National Assn. for Parents of the Visually Impaired P.O. Box 317 Watertown, Mass. 02272-0317 (800) 562-6265; fax: (617) 972-7444 FAMILY PLANNING * Office of Population Affairs

Clearinghouse P.O. Box 30686 Bethesda, Md. 20824-0686 (301) 654-6190; fax: (301) 907-9655 Information, publications and referrals in areas of family planning, adolescent pregnancy and

adoption. * Planned Parenthood Federation of America 810 7th Ave. New York, N.Y. 10019 (800) 669-0156 (health information); (800) 230-PLAN (for the center nearest you) FOOD SAFETY * Meat and

Poultry Hotline (sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture) (800) 535-4555 * Seafood Hotline (800) FDA-4010 (24 hours) GENERAL HEALTH: * National Health Information Center P.O. Box

1133, Washington, D.C. 20013-1133 (800) 336-4797 or (301) 565-4167; fax: (301) 984-4256 Sponsored by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. Referrals, database, publications; Spanish-speaking operators available. * CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Technical Information

Service Branch 4770 Buford Highway MS K13 Atlanta, Ga. 30341-3724 (404) 488-5080 * Food and Drug Administration Office of Consumer Affairs 5600 Fishers Lane HFE-88 Rockville, Md. 20857 (301)

443-3170; fax: (301) 443-9767 HEADACHE * National Headache Foundation 5252 N. Western Ave. Chicago, Ill. 60625 (800) 843-2256 HEARING IMPAIRED * National Institute on Deafness and Other

Communication Disorders Information Clearinghouse 1 Communication Ave. Bethesda, Md. 20892-3456 (800) 241-1044; TTY: (800) 241-1055; fax: (301) 907-8830 * Self Help for Hard of Hearing

People 7910 Woodmont Ave., Suite 1200 Bethesda, Md. 20814 (301) 657-2248; TTY: (301) 657-2249; fax: (301) 913-9413 HEART * American Heart Assn. 7272 Greenville Ave. Dallas, Tex. 75231 (800)

242-8721 * National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Information Center P.O. Box 30105 Bethesda, Md. 20824-0105 (800) 575-WELL or (301) 251-1222; fax: (301) 251-1223 IMMUNIZATION * National

Coalition for Adult Immunizations 4733 Bethesda Ave., Suite 750 Bethesda, Md. 20814 (301) 656-0003 IMPOTENCE * Impotence Information Center P.O. Box 9 Minneapolis, Minn. 55440 (800) 843-4315

KIDNEY * National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse 3 Information Way Bethesda, Md. 20892-3580 (800) 891-5390 or (301) 654-4415; fax: (301) 907-8906 LICE * National

Pediculosis Assn. P.O. Box 149 Newton, Mass. 02161 (617) 449-6487 LIVER * American Liver Foundation 1425 Pompton Ave. Cedar Grove, N.J. 07009 (800) 223-0179 or (201) 256-2550 LUNG * American

Lung Assn. 1740 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10019-4374 (800) LUNG-USA or (212) 315-8700 * National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine (303) 355-5864; Lung Line: (800)

222-5864; Lung Facts: (800) 552-LUNG NEUROLOGY * National Institute of Health Neurological Disorders and Stroke P.O. Box 5801 Bethesda, Md. 20824 (800) 352-9424 or (301) 496-5751

NEUROMUSCULAR DISEASES * Muscular Dystrophy Assn. 3300 E. Sunrise Drive Tucson, Ariz. 85718 (800) 572-1717 NUTRITION * Food and Nutrition Information Center U.S. Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Library 10301 Baltimore Blvd. Room 304 Beltsville, Md. 20705-2351 * American Dietetic Assn.’s Consumer Nutrition Hotline (800) 366-1655 ORTHOPEDIC * American Academy of

Orthopaedic Surgeons P.O. Box 1998 Des Plaines Ill. 60017 (800) 824-BONES (24 hours) or (708) 823-7186; fax: (708) 823-8026 PARALYSIS * American Paralysis Assn. 500 Morris Ave. Springfield,

N.J. 07081 (800) 225-0292; fax: (201) 912-9433 PARKINSON’S DISEASE * American Parkinson’s Disease Assn. 1250 Hyland Blvd. Staten Island, N.Y. 10305 (800) 223-2732; fax: (718) 981-4399 RARE

DISORDERS * FDA Office of Orphan Products Development 5600 Fisher’s Lane (HF-35) Rockville, Md. 20857 (800) 300-7469 Information and referrals for disorders that affect less than 200,000

people nationally. * National Organization for Rare Disorders P.O. Box 8923 New Fairfield, Conn. 06812 (800) 999-6673 or (203) 746-6518; fax: (203) 746-6481; TTY: (203) 746-6927 Information

on 5,000 rare disorders and their symptoms, standard and investigative therapies. REHABILITATION * National Rehabilitation Information Center 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 935 Silver Spring,

Md. 20910-3319 (800) 346-2742 or (301) 588-9284, Ext. 22 for voice and TTY; fax: (301) 587-1967 SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES * CDC National STD Hotline (800) 227-8922 SKIN * American

Academy of Dermatology P.O. Box 681069 Schaumburg, Ill. 60168 SLEEP * Better Sleep Council 333 Commerce St. Alexandria, Va. 22314 (703) 683-8371 SMOKING * CDC Office on Smoking and Health

4770 Buford Highway N.E. Mail Stop K 50 Atlanta, Ga. 30341-3724 (800) CDC-1311 or (404) 488-5762 or 5705; fax: (404) 488-5939 * California Nicotine Anonymous P.O. Box 25335 Los Angeles,

Calif. 90025 (800) 642-0666 (California only) SPINAL CORD INJURY * National Spinal Cord Injury Assn. 545 Concord Ave. Cambridge, Mass. 02138 (800) 962-9629 or (617) 441-8500 STROKE *

National Stroke Assn. (800) STROKES or (303) 771-1700 SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME * SIDS Alliance 1314 Bedford Ave., Suite 210 Baltimore, Md. 21208 (800) 221-SIDS or (410) 653-8226; fax:

(410) 653-8709 UROLOGICAL DISORDERS * American Foundation for Urologic Disease (800) 242-2383 MORE TO READ