Why Another C.A.M Professional Body Won't Stop The Cowboys
Posted Mar 04 2009 4:58am
When it comes to finding an alternative solution to your health problem one of the biggest fears is that you are duped by a “C.A.M Cowboy” who promised everything, delivered nothing and may have even exacerbated your condition. If you have a serious health condition you want to be reassured that the therapy, treatment or supplement and the practitioner providing them are genuine and of high quality.
So who can you turn to for those assurances?…
There are 26 professional bodies in the UK representing the different types of therapies and those are just the mainstream ones such as Acupuncture and Homeopathy. In addition there are seven general Complementary and Alternative Medicine organisations in the UK and eight international C.A.M organisations worldwide.
The fact that there are at least three professional bodies representing each therapy would not only confuse me but it also gives the impression that anyone could set up a representational organisation thereby diminishing the credibility of industry as a whole.
So which regulatory professional body do you trust?
Well, the clue to the answer is in the question. Recently the UK government has called for the tighter regulation of the Alternative Medicine industry and its practitioners. So far the press has highlighted voluntary registration schemes such as the Natural Healthcare Council and the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.
But what I’m calling for is the founding of the C.A.M equivalent to the General Medical Council for medical doctors. Which would mean that upon qualifying each practitioner must by law register with the “C.A.M Council” and the criteria for successful registration must be tough and not guaranteed i.e. If you’re not on the register you may not practice. It would also mean that if the practitioner is struck off the council for contravening the council’s regulations they probably won’t be able to work in the industry again.
This may seem a little draconian but as the law stands there is nothing to prevent a therapist, who has committed a crime against a client, from setting up practice again in another town - think Radovan Karadzic. By checking that the practitioner is registered with the one definitive C.A.M Council, and thereby weeding out the cowboys that aren’t, the patient will gain reassurance and the industry slowly gains more credibility.
When it comes to finding an alternative solution to your health problem one of the biggest fears is that you are duped by a “C.A.M Cowboy” who promised everything, delivered nothing and may have even exacerbated your condition. If you have a serious health condition you want to be reassured that the therapy, treatment or supplement and the practitioner providing them are genuine and of high quality.
So who can you turn to for those assurances?…
There are 26 professional bodies in the UK representing the different types of therapies and those are just the mainstream ones such as Acupuncture and Homeopathy. In addition there are seven general Complementary and Alternative Medicine organisations in the UK and eight international C.A.M organisations worldwide.
The fact that there are at least three professional bodies representing each therapy would not only confuse me but it also gives the impression that anyone could set up a representational organisation thereby diminishing the credibility of industry as a whole.
So which regulatory professional body do you trust?
Well, the clue to the answer is in the question. Recently the UK government has called for the tighter regulation of the Alternative Medicine industry and its practitioners. So far the press has highlighted voluntary registration schemes such as the Natural Healthcare Council and the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council.
But what I’m calling for is the founding of the C.A.M equivalent to the General Medical Council for medical doctors. Which would mean that upon qualifying each practitioner must by law register with the “C.A.M Council” and the criteria for successful registration must be tough and not guaranteed i.e. If you’re not on the register you may not practice. It would also mean that if the practitioner is struck off the council for contravening the council’s regulations they probably won’t be able to work in the industry again.
This may seem a little draconian but as the law stands there is nothing to prevent a therapist, who has committed a crime against a client, from setting up practice again in another town - think Radovan Karadzic. By checking that the practitioner is registered with the one definitive C.A.M Council, and thereby weeding out the cowboys that aren’t, the patient will gain reassurance and the industry slowly gains more credibility.