Week 10: EBSCOHost

I decided to look at MasterFile Premier as my EBSCO database of choice.  This is stepping a little outside of my box, because normally I go to Academic Search Premier for everything.  Consumer Reports is included, which is the magazine I get the most questions about.  I also looked for "Fine Gardening" which was not included, but "Architectural Digest" was.

Even though it's a medical term, I decided to search for information about ear infections, since I'm currently suffering from a few.  I read an article from 2010 about alternative cures for ear infections from antibiotics.  

Here is what it said:
If it feels like> AN EAR INFECTION

Use mullein and garlic eardrops "Mullein flower is anti-inflammatory and garlic is antibacterial," says Wilson. Drop garlic in the ear, as it's sensitive to stomach acid. BEST BUY Herb Pharm Mullein/ Garlic Compound (Ear Drops) ($12; herb-pharm.com)

Take quercetin "Like vitamin C, quercetin relieves the histamine-induced swelling that jams fluid [a breeding ground for bacteria] in the ears, but unlike C, higher doses of quercetin won't cause loose stool," Wilson says. BEST BUY Natrol Quercetin ($10; natrol.com)

Chew xylitol gum "This sugar alcohol is antibacterial specifically against the pathogens that cause ear infections," says Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., author of 2009's Prescription Alternatives. BEST BUY Spry Green Tea Gum ($9; xlear.com) or Jarrow Formulas XyliPure Xylitol powder ($10 and up; jarrow.com).

Pop a protease "Taken on an empty stomach, the same enzymes that digest protein can break down mucus and slow its production, helping clear the ears of bacteria," says Crain. Bromelain, in particular, has promising antibacterial and antiviral properties. BEST BUY Enzymedica Repair Gold ($50; enzymedica.com)

I can't imagine putting garlic in my ear.  I'll let you know if I get that far.  I'm sticking to Western medicine for now.

I had no idea the Idiots Guides were available via NetLibrary (or EBSCO Ebook Collection)  I scanned the list of children's nonfiction.  It's sort of an interesting collection. I wonder if there is a way to add it to our library catalog.  The fiction selection is even smaller, but I suppose the point of this guide is to increase the state's nonfiction.  Maybe my search skills need to be brushed up, but it seems to me that there are only three Idiot's Guides in the database.  For me, it doesn't appear that Full text is the default.  I did a search for alternative medicine as well and saw there was a few titles that looked like they might be interesting to flip through.

I got better results for Constitution Day when I searched within the results as well as the titles.  When I first did the search, I got a lot of Asian titles.  When I searched within the results, I got more books about the US Constitution in American culture.

When I do a search with Oklahoma as the publisher, I get titles printed by the University of Oklahoma Press.  These do not necessarily have anything to do with the state itself.  The University of Oklahoma Press seems to have more to do with ancient Greek culture than Oklahoma.  I suppose if they were doing something on very ancient Western history, that might be appropriate.