Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Standards of Practice Definition
(link to Standards)
“Complementary and Alternative Medicine (hereafter referred to as “CAM”) means a group of diverse medical and healthcare systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.
While some scientific evidence exists regarding some CAM therapies, for most there are key questions that are yet to be answered through well designed scientific studies. These questions include whether these therapies are safe and whether they are effective for the diseases or medical conditions for which they are used.
The list of what is considered to be CAM changes continually, as those therapies that are proven to be safe and effective become adopted into conventional healthcare and as new approaches to healthcare emerge.”
Complementary and Alternative Medicine may include:
- Bioelectromagnetic Applications
- Diet/Nutrition/Lifestyle Changes
- Mind/Body Control
| - Pharmacological and Biological Treatments
- Structural and Energetic Therapies
- Traditional and Ethnomedicine
|
Physicians who wish to provide complementary and alternative medicine to a patient must:
- Apply to the College for approval to provide complementary and alternative medicine to a patient
- Provide evidence they have met the College’s requirements for training and standards of practice and are aware of the safety issues surrounding the complementary and alternative medicine.
Note: Approval from the College does not mean the College endorses the complementary and alternative medicine. It simply means that a physician has met the conditions required to provide a complementary and alternative medicine.
Quick Links
Acupuncture
In order to be accredited in Alberta to perform acupuncture in medical practice, a physician must:
- Hold a certificate from the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada, Level 1 Part 1 or beyond; or
- Have successfully completed the Medical Acupuncture Certificate Program at the University of Alberta; or
- Hold a certificate of completion of Level I from the McMaster Medical Acupuncture Program.
Requests and supporting documentation can be emailed to Dr. Bryan Ward, Deputy Registrar at Bryan.Ward@cpsa.ab.ca; or by mail to College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta, Attention Dr. Bryan Ward, 2700-10020 100 Street NW, Edmonton AB T5J 0N3.
Contact
Tanya Wicks, Executive Assistant
780-969-5005 or 1-800-561-3899 ext. 5005 (in Alberta)
Tanya.Wicks@cpsa.ab.ca