Well, it's about time!

[David Jamieson]

Queen's Park (the provincial legislature of the province of Ontario in Canada) has tabled a bill to regulate traditional chinese medicine practice.

This is a huge step forward in legitimizing the various practices and only moving toward the amalgamation of eastern and western medical practices on a field of the best of both worlds being available under a universal health care system ranked...well somewhere down the list but hey, not bad! like 7th, or 30th depending on how you compile the statistics (http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/164/1/84-a).

Anyway, here's the official article:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/media/news_releases/archives/nr_06/oct/nr_102406.html

Of course there is some protestation, but overall the feeling appears mutually positive.

Depending how you look at it... :D

[herb ox]

Yeah, regulation can be a funny thing... Here in the verdant, sunny climes of Northern Cali, we have our daily struggles with the profession and are constantly battling off regulatory bills presented by western medical lobbying organizations, while seeking to promote our legitimacy by promoting our own regulatory opinions.

Recently, Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger turned down a bill to better define the term "Asian bodywork" to imply a legitimate practice of various traditional modalities of massage as used in Asia. Practicioners would require certification, registration, etc, etc. The bill was declined by the Governor with the circular reasoning that the bill to define the term could not be approved since there is no currently acceped definition for "Asian bodywork"... Funny, I say... funny.

I'm glad to hear Ontario is acknowledging TCM as a legit form of healthcare requiring regulation. Good move, Ontario!

Thanks for the update, Sir!

herb ox

[AJM]

I'm dubious about regulation if there's a likelyhood that the regulators know less about the subject than many of the practitioners.

[David Jamieson]

It's better than having any nick, johhny or sammy out there prescribing potentially harmful herbs or practicing highly questionable acupuncture treatments etc without any accountability to the patient whatsoever.

It seeks to put a house in order and give it recognition that it deserves and frankly, I'd rather it be a little tougher to get a smoother service and a better selection of services made available to people who are genuinely suffering.

It will also put to end quickly any and all charlatans and hobby healers out there who really should not be doing a lot of the things they are doing.

[Plymouth Rocks]

Sorry, Gubment intervention in private enterprise is seldom a good idea. Legislation is beneficial to the TCM, massage, whatever schools is all. You see what a horrific job they have done with education, healthcare, etc.

[David Jamieson]

PR-

I don't think it's intervention beyond wanting to have accountability and regulation attached to this practice the same as any other thing that can benefit society.

Regulation in Health care is very important. Especially when we are talking about how life changing treatments can be on both positive and negative levels.

[GeneChing]

Ban herbalists? 'ear dat, herbox? You may be banned across the pond! ;)

Prince Charles calls for herbal medicine to be formally regulated (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1232390/Prince-Charles-calls-alternative-medicine-formally-regulated.html)
By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 4:29 PM on 01st December 2009

Prince Charles has clashed with the medical establishment by calling for alternative medicine to be given the official seal of approval.

The Prince, a long-standing supporter of complementary therapies, wants herbalists and acupuncturists to be formally regulated like physiotherapists and osteopaths.

His Foundation for Integrated Health says a system of registration will protect livelihoods under threat from new EU rules on the therapies.

But the Royal College of Physicians says it would confer an air of 'respectability' on a branch of medicine that is not proven to work.

The row centres on an EU directive that will from next year ban herbalists, including practitioners of Chinese medicine, from prescribing many treatments unless the law recognises them as health professionals.

The Foundation, which was set up by the Prince of Wales in 1993, says the solution is a system of registration, that would put herbalists on equal footing to physiotherapists and osteopaths. Acupuncturists would also be registered.

A spokesman for the charity said that without the scheme the therapies could be driven underground, and lives put at risk.

He added: 'The Government is under pressure from a small but vociferous group of scientists who claim that regulation is about recognising professional status rather than protecting the public.

'That is absolutely wrong. If Government caves in to their demands, public health will be put at risk.

'Millions of us use herbal medicine - around a quarter of the population have done so at some time in their lives and about one in twelve have consulted a herbalist.

'The Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health fears that many will be unwilling to give up the remedies they believe help them, and instead resort to unregulated internet retailers or bogus practitioners.

'There have been cases where the products they use have been found to be adulterated with unsafe, illegal pharmaceuticals - and to contain lead, mercury or arsenic.'

Dr Michael Dixon, the charity's medical director, said: 'No one deserves to die for no better reason than preferring herbal remedies to conventional medicine.'

A spokesman for the Prince said he had recently met Health Secretary Andy Burnham.

He added that one of the Foundation's main objectives was to 'safeguard the millions of people who regularly use herbal medicine.'

But the Royal College of Physicians is against statutory regulation on the grounds that it would make such treatments appear 'credible'.

In a submission to the Department of Health, which is consulting over the possibility of introducing registration, it said that herbalism, in particular, carries 'significant' risks. And registration could 'increase the possibility of harm'.

David Colquhoun, a professor of pharmacology at University College London, said: 'Registration is a nonsense.

'You can't make sensible rules for registering something until you know if it works or not. There is quite good evidence that most of it doesn't work.

'This particular form of registration will give what appears to the public to be an endorsement and that is going to endanger patients.

'As for Charles, his behaviour is desperately unconstitutional. The monarchy doesn't interfere in public affairs but he does it unashamedly.'

[herb ox]

* sigh... *

[mawali]

Professional registration is always a good thing but the established Royal Physicians Association fear that their revenue will decrease so they are up in arms. Professional registration should be a easy process.

I have added some abstract verbiage here as an example, to wit,
Those who practice acupuncture must have graduated from a recognized school of acupuncture and have passed xxx exam.......add info to designate specialty if any, along with a CV documenting experieince paid or internship. The spokesperson of the Royal Physicians gives the impression that it is about respect recognizing a 'bogus' profession but I see it as protecting the public while ensuring educational standards. Herbal medicine is far more challenging but again the individual must have completed xxx years of training and education.
The UK/Prince of Wales trust can easily follow/copy WHO criteria for acupuncture as a template!

This is not a difficult. The more pages you have towards regulation and healthcare simplification, it tells of the hidden agendas where each middle person wants thier share of the pie. This is the sad case of what is going on regarding pretense and hypocracy off the backs of those really needing the care!

Look at the present US health care system. It appears that people would rather spend money on war than on their own citizens health and even attempt to help those companies that routinely deny benefits because it would decrease the salary of the CEO! and they call that free market enterprise! Right! my backside.

[GeneChing]

Regulation of complementary therapists 'may harm patients' (http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=23&storycode=4124485&c=2)
03 Dec 09
By Nigel Praities

Statutory regulation of herbalists and Chinese medicine practitioners is ‘completely inappropriate’ and will put patients at risk, according to doctors' leaders.

In comments that put the college on a direct collision course with the Government and prominent pressure groups, the Royal College of Physicians said plans to extend regulation would legitimise therapies that have no proven benefit.

Alternative medicine practitioners are currently subject to voluntary regulation by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council, but this system has been criticised as ‘misleading and dangerous’.

The Government plans to introduce statutory regulation for acupuncturists, herbalists and Chinese and other traditional medicine practitioners before new EU rules on the supply of complementary therapies come into force in 2011.

As part of a consultation on the plans that closed last month, the RCP has weighed in with a strongly worded response – seen by Pulse – saying those offering ‘unproven’ complementary medicines should not be allowed the status of a regulated profession.

‘This approach would be completely inappropriate for those “disciplines” of complementary therapy whose therapies are neither of proven benefit nor appropriately tested,' reads the response.
Click here to find out more!

‘Extending the imprimatur of statutory regulation analogous to that applied to medical, nursing, dentistry, and physiotherapy, to practitioners whose therapies are neither of proven benefit nor appropriately tested, has the potential to increase the possibility of harm.'

The RCP said it supported statutory regulation of acupuncture, but not for other complementary therapies: ‘Herbal and traditional medicine which are largely or completely of unproven benefit should be regulated in terms of consumer protection,’ the statement says.

The comments are in direct opposition to those issued by the Prince of Wales’ Foundation for Integrated Health this week.

A spokesperson for the foundation said patients will be ‘abandoned to quackery’ unless the Government introduces statutory regulation of herbal medicine.

The EU rules due to be introduced in 2011 dictate that only statutory registered professionals will be able to prescribe herbal medicines. The foundation argues this will result in patients seeking ‘bogus’ practitioners to access herbal medicines.
Can I get another * sigh... * from herb ox? :p

[uki]

Queen's Park (the provincial legislature of the province of Ontario in Canada) has tabled a bill to regulate traditional chinese medicine practice.aaaahhhhh yes... more government meddling. :rolleyes:

[taai gihk yahn]

aaaahhhhh yes... more government meddling. :rolleyes:

well, it's fitting, if you consider that the inception of TCM itself is the product of one of the biggest government "meddles" in 20th c. history...

[uki]

well, it's fitting, if you consider that the inception of TCM itself is the product of one of the biggest government "meddles" in 20th c. history...up there with yoga, McMA, and organic natural foods.

[David Jamieson]

Not sure how government is meddling by enacting accountability statutes into law.

Is it government meddling to tell people who do not have engineering degrees that they are not eligible to put engineering stamps on architectural drawings?

Is it government meddling to tell people who have never studied physiology that they will not be able to have a daily job whereby they perform life saving surgeries?

Why is government to you anyway? Do you honestly regard it as something whole and apart and separate from you? You elect the person you want to represent your views and concerns.

If you don't participate at all in the political process, then I can see why you would fear or despise government. Fear and loathing directed towards something is generally the first product of not knowing.

You have to realize that you have a voice and that your voice counts. If you give up your voice and remove yourself from your community, then why complain? You don't want to be part of it, you don't want to exercise your freedom and rights and you don't care about anyone else's.

recognize.

[uki]

Not sure how government is meddling by enacting accountability statutes into law.meddling = restrictions/penalties


Is it government meddling to tell people who do not have engineering degrees that they are not eligible to put engineering stamps on architectural drawings?to think anyone needs a degree to define understanding is ridiculous...


Is it government meddling to tell people who have never studied physiology that they will not be able to have a daily job whereby they perform life saving surgeries?what if the people have a uncanny natural ability to preform the appropriate tasks and procedures without "sanctioned" training??


Why is government to you anyway? Do you honestly regard it as something whole and apart and separate from you? You elect the person you want to represent your views and concerns.i acknowledge no government... i live according to my own moral judgements according to the experience i have gained in life. i need no other person to dictate on how to live... i see my childrens smiling faces, i smile at the morning sun... i do my best not to infringe another person pursuit of happiness. i watch over my fellow man, my neighbor. i value the faces of parents who have found joy in life thru their children... i do not need to obey some man-made laws in order to live a good and honest life. governments are for people too afraid to make their own desicions in life.


If you don't participate at all in the political process, then I can see why you would fear or despise government. Fear and loathing directed towards something is generally the first product of not knowing.there is no government...


You have to realize that you have a voice and that your voice counts. If you give up your voice and remove yourself from your community, then why complain? You don't want to be part of it, you don't want to exercise your freedom and rights and you don't care about anyone else's.my voice is here on the broadband... it reaches and affects those who it does... i am exercising my freedom right here, right now. thought creates... people need to be empowered... power to the people. :)


recognize.understand. :p

[David Jamieson]

uh good luck with that.

I don't buy into what you are saying because you say it from the comfort of a democratic republic. lol

[couch]

Here in Nova Scotia (another province without regulation - while I hang on to my Alberta license), there are a few associations. Most acupuncture assocs were created because these people wanted in to our assocs, but they didn't meet the professional or educational standards - so they created their own! And companies like Blue Cross recognize them!

Yes, regulation has its good and bad points...but as long as I'm able to make a living and the MDs leave me a alone - I'm happy. And I'm also happy knowing that everyone else around me in Nova Scotia had to pass a board exam that included Clean Needle Technique.

Regulation in Ontario is a good thing. Hopefully it will shine the light for other non-regulated provinces. Keep me posted/updated.

My best,
CTK, Reg.Acupunk

[GeneChing]

This might become my new TCM legislation thread.


New law sparks debate over future of traditional Chinese medicine (http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/health/china-new-law-traditional-chinese-medicine-tcm/index.html)
By Cody Abbey, CNN
Updated 2:58 AM ET, Fri June 30, 2017
Chinese medicine looks to go mainstream
Source: CNN

Story highlights
Chinese medicine has both proponents and skeptics in China
The new law aims to standardize how traditional medicine is practiced
Beijing (CNN)At the dinner table, if there is one topic that Lu Yuping's family is careful to avoid, it's medicine.

Her husband and other relatives chide her for making weekly trips to the local pharmacy to buy large piles of traditional herbs to treat her daily ailments.
"They're always telling me to stop wasting money on Chinese medicine and just go to a Western hospital to get real care," said Lu, a 60-year-old retired hospital accountant who lives in Shanghai. "But I don't care what they say. I know that it works."

http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170628102319-lu-yuping-exlarge-169.jpeg
Lu Yuping is a 60-year-old retired hospital accountant who lives in Shanghai and a regular user of Chinese medicine

Lu recalls when traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) played a greater role in Chinese society. "Now, I'd say nearly 80% of people just rely on Western medical treatment," she said.
Through a new law, which will go into effect on July 1, the Chinese government hopes to reverse that shift.

What is Chinese medicine?
More than 2,000 years old, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) covers five main areas: acupuncture, massage, plants and herbs, dietary therapy and qigong exercises.

Most practitioners learn from a master rather than studying the discipline at university -- although this is also possible.

China has some 3,966 TCM hospitals and 42,528 TCM clinics, which employ around 452,000 practitioners.

The new law will give practitioners the opportunity to qualify as licensed physicians.

Source: CCTV

The new legislation will aim to raise the status of TCM by requiring local governments to launch TCM institutions in all medical centers, increasing funding for its development, and widening the scale of TCM education.
Su Rui, an assistant researcher at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, believes that the new law might successfully promote the development and practice of Chinese medicine, which has been on the decline in China in recent decades.
One of the challenges of getting doctors to come on board, she says, is closing the profit differential between TCM and Western medicine.
As opposed to using expensive laboratory tests and X-rays to diagnose illness, TCM doctors often simply rely on external signs such as a person's pulse, and the color and texture of their tongue -- known as she tai.
"Doctors are often reluctant to use Chinese medicine because it's not lucrative. If a doctor can make 50 yuan from using TCM medicine and 100 yuan from Western medicine, then of course they'll use Western," said Su.

Skeptics and advocates

The other challenge is skepticism among some Chinese, particularly a younger generation that is more familiar with Western medicine.
Last year, the death of a young Chinese actress who chose to treat cancer with TCM instead of chemotherapy triggered a debate around the effectiveness of Chinese medicine.
Liu Guiming, a retired factory worker in Chengdu, says he has lost several friends to illnesses who, he believes, might have survived if they had not solely relied on TCM.
"Western medicine is more common nowadays, and rightly so. That's because you can actually see the effect, especially with more serious diseases," said Liu. "I think TCM will eventually die out."
Proponents of TCM argue that compared with Western medicine, the traditional form places more emphasis on prevention.
Every day, Lu Yuping stews a large pot of bitter herbs to treat even the slightest of discomforts like dry mouth.
"My husband tells me that I'm not sick, but I feel that these are signs of imbalances in the body," she said. "So I go to the doctor or pharmacist to get the necessary treatment before it gets serious."

http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170628101450-chinese-medicine-tease-exlarge-169.jpg
Workers at a traditional chinese medicine store prepare various dried items.

Wang Chunyuan, a 30-year-old yoga instructor in Beijing, said he uses TCM because it focuses on the root of the problem instead of simply on outward symptoms.
"You might have a headache, but it could be caused by a number of things. It might be dryness in the environment, or it might be imbalances in your bodily energy, or maybe it's psychological," he said. "TCM takes those nuances into account."
There is much disagreement, however, about which illnesses can be effectively treated by TCM.
Not subject to Western testing standards such as randomized controlled clinical trials, and comparison with placebos, TCM efficacy has been difficult to study or provide evidence for.
But surgeon Jiang Ping believes that even for some serious conditions like collapsed lungs and brain tumors, TCM can be more effective than Western medicine and has fewer side effects.
"We still can't explain why it works, but we know that it works (in certain situations)," said Jiang. "You can't explain it using science, and that's because the scientific means are currently too limited."
In Hong Kong, the two medical traditions exist side by side and both are commonly covered by private health insurance policies. The city, which is a special administrative region of China, has a Chinese Medicine Council that regulates the industry.

Generation gap?

Lu, the retired accountant from Shanghai, says that while she and her husband frequently argue over TCM, most people her age see its value.
The same, however, does not prove true for those under 60 years old, she says. "Younger people have less exposure to TCM, and fewer people are studying it," she said.
Shan Liyun, a pharmacist at a popular vendor of TCM in Beijing, also sees cause for concern. He worries that if nothing is done the practice won't be passed down to increasingly-Westernized future generations.
That includes 22-year-old Zhang Xiaoyi, who graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in the US this year. She has suspicions that if TCM has any effects, they are mostly psychological.

http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170628102446-chinese-medicine-bags-exlarge-169.jpeg
The Chinese herbal medicine Lu Yuping buys each week.

But not all young people are skeptics.
A 29-year-old PhD student at Peking University in Beijing, Wu Pengzheng, contends that people his age should not be so quick to dismiss a medical tradition that has existed for more than 2000 years.
However, he doesn't feel that the government needs to go out of its way to support it. "Just let it go its normal path, and if it's useful then it will naturally develop," he said.
As for Lu, who intends to continue brewing her herbs twice daily despite her husband's grumbling, she thinks that the key to TCM's survival is just what the government plans: "mutual learning" and "integration" with Western medicine.
"That way, they can make up for each other's deficiencies," she said.