Positive Health Online

Abstract

BOON, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, heather.boon@utorotno.ca, reviewed (10 references) the regulation of complementary and alternative medicine from a Canadian perspective. Increased use of CAM therapies in Canada has made the regulation of these practitioners an important issue for Canadian policy makers. Regulatory structures that are difficult to change, fear of adding costs to an under-funded healthcare system, and the lack of internal cohesion of some CAM practitioner groups, all hinder attempts to implement new policies. However there appears to be at present a window of opportunity provided by an environmental health regulations review and public support for regulation. The biggest challenge appears to be the fact that currently in Canada, healthcare providers are regulated by individual provinces. Thus some professions (e.g. Chiropractors) are regulated in all provinces; some (e.g. Herbalists and Homeopaths) are not regulated in all provinces; and some (e.g. Naturopathic practitioners, Acupuncturists, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners) are regulated in some provinces but not in others. The harmonization of regulations and scopes of practice for all CAM practitioners is seen as highly desirable for the future.

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Conclusion

References

Boon H. Regulation of complementary/alternative medicine: a Canadian perspective. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 10 (1): 14-19, Mar 2002.

Comment

It would appear that these issues are not limited to Canada, but are certainly pressing challenges for the UK as well.