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.