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Medical research services search through the medical literature to find treatments available for your health condition and for information about medications. Many services also offer an opinion about which treatment they consider best for your particular situation. 

In addition to dedicated research services, consider calling your local medical school, public or university library to inquire about research assistance. Their services are likely free. If an institution does not have a formal research service, perhaps they can suggest an individual with a research background who will do the research for you either for a fee or for free.

Services will need at least the following information before starting their search:

• Your exact diagnosis. (You can get this from your primary care doctor or specialist).
• The treatments you already had.
• Your priorities.

Information a research service provides may be helpful - or it may be incomplete, biased toward certain treatments or not relevant to your situation.

• For information about research services that specialize in cancer, click here. 
• For information about services that research all health conditions, click here. 

If you use a research service, please share your experience and opinion about the service (including fees and costs). Email Survivorship A to Z. 

If you are seeking a second opinion, see Second Medical Opinions 101.

NOTE: For free, Medivizor  provides personalized health information information about cutting-edge research, treatment options, relevant clinical trials, and more, specifically for the user's situation. It also provides free updates. 

Initial Research by:

Lindsey Brass, New York City

Research services that specialize in cancer include the following:

• Can Help, P.O.Box 1678, Livingston, NJ 07039, www.canhelp.com , Tel. 800.364.2341 is an information and referral service that includes information on complementary therapies. It was started by medical writer Patrick McGrady.
• Medivisor pulls together latest treatment information. www.Medivizor.com
• Schine On-Line Services, 39 Brenton Ave., Providence RI 02906, Tel.: 800.346.3287  www.FindCure.com
• Also see the services mentioned in the next section. Each service researches cancer as well as other medical topics.

Research services that research information about all health conditions include the following:

Doctor Evidence, Los Angeles, CA.,   www.DoctorEvidence.com,  Personalized packages.

The Health Resource, Inc. Conway, AZ, 800.949.0090 or 501.329.5272, www.thehealthresource.com . The researchers at The Health Resource research, locate, and sort through all the possible beneficial treatment options. They have access to 25,000 medical journals and databases, an in-house library and hundreds of medical files, and other sources not available on the internet. Financial assistance is available to help pay their fee.

Healthy Self www.networksplus.net/healthyself , Tel.: 785.233.8745

The Institute For Health And Healing at California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA. Tel.: 415.600.3681. www.cpmc.org/services/ihh/hhc/research . The institute has an extensive collection of current, useful health information that is provided in a variety of formats ranging from easy-to-understand materials to the technical, professional literature. 

Medical Research Solutions, Delray Beach, FL,  www.medresearchsolutions.com  Tel.561.703.5925

Planetree Library has been in existence for more than 20 years. Planetree will research any drug or treatment and alternatives for a fee ranging between $50 and $195 depending on the amount of time needed to do the research. All you have to do is call to start the process. www.myhealthandhealing.org  415. 600.368

NOTE: For information about researching prescription drugs, click here.