Complementary and alternative medicine in Canada: what is the future?

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM(is on the rise in both numbers of patients and dollars expended. The existence of systems of traditional medicine is not new in North America or other parts of the world, but the CAM label has been applied to both traditional medicine and newer practices. Traditional medicine is uniquely defined by its philosophy and integrative approach and may be critically evaluated by different levels of research. Several of the larger and more established CAM disciplines meet the criteria of both a traditional system of medicine and that of professionalism. There is a need for governments to protect the public as CAM practices appear to proliferate, and to move forward by regulating those groups that meet the provincial criteria for self-regulation.