The training that natural health practitioners receive depends on the type
of complementary and alternative health therapy. It can range from several years
of intensive education to a few weekend courses.
Teaching standards tend to be highest for:
How do I know if a practitioner is qualified to practice?
Check the practitioner's credentials, which may be listed on their brochures
and business cards. Many natural health practitioners post their degrees or
certificates in their office or waiting area.
Practitioners may also display a certificate showing that they belong to a
professional association. The association can tell you if someone is a "member
in good standing," and is qualified to practise with an up-to-date license
or certification.
Right now, only a few therapies are licensed. This means that training standards
have been set by a governing organization for that particular therapy. But even
among these licensed therapies, training standards may vary widely across Canada.
Here are examples of the training required for some of the better-known complementary
and alternative therapies in Canada:
Acupuncture
There are two main approaches to the practice of acupuncture: "Traditional
Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture" and "medical acupuncture":
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture can be taught as a stand-alone
practice or as one part of TCM. Training usually involves a three-year certification
program, but can last as long as five or six years, depending on the institution.
- Medical acupuncture training is geared towards licensed health professionals,
such as M.D.s, physiotherapists, dentists, naturopathic doctors (N.D.s) and
chiropractors (D.C.s). Health professionals can become certified in medical
acupuncture by taking programs ranging from weekend workshops to two or three
year part-time courses.
Acupuncture is regulated in British Columbia and Alberta.
Ayurveda/Ayurvedic medicine
There are no Canadian equivalents to the five-and-a-half year full-time Ayurvedic
training programs offered in India. In North America, portions of the Indian
training are taught in general interest courses and programs for health professionals.
These courses are not as in-depth as full Ayurvedic training, so graduates of
introductory programs may be asked not to offer Ayurvedic services unless they're
supervised by a fully-trained Ayurvedic physician.
Chiropractic
Registered or licensed chiropractors, or D.C.s (Doctors of Chiropractic) have
completed a four- to five-year full-time program. The Council of Chiropractic
Education of Canada (CCE(C)) supervises chiropractic education in Canada. For
more information on the education of chiropractors see the Canadian Chiropractic Association website.
Herbalism
Herbalism is an unregulated profession in Canada. Training standards very widely.
More uniform standards are being developed for European approaches to herbalism,
known as medical herbalism, or phytomedicine.
Some herbalists receive their training in programs based on western scientific
medicine. Others learn about the use of plants as medicines from the point of
view of naturopathic medicine, the
Wise Woman tradition,
Traditional Chinese
Medicine/TCM, Ayurveda, or Aboriginal or First Nations healing traditions.
Homeopathy
Homeopaths are not regulated in Canada, although Ontario's Health Professions
Regulatory Advisory Council recommended in an April 2006 report that homeopaths
should be regulated in the province. Training requirements vary widely. The
use of the title Homeopathic Doctor (HD) has no legal status, although it may
indicate a certain level of training.
Massage therapy
Massage therapy training requirements vary across Canada. Only British Columbia,
Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador regulate the practice of massage therapy
Professional colleges of massage therapy set the training requirements for each
province and no federal body oversees the profession.
Qualified practitioners can choose to affiliate with provincial and territorial
massage therapy associations that are part of the Canadian Massage Therapists
Alliance (CMTA). The CMTA requires members to have 2,200 hours of training through
a recognized program.
Naturopathic medicine
Naturopaths (or N.D.s) are regulated in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario
and Saskatchewan. Qualified naturopathic doctors have completed four-year, graduate-level
training programs and passed licensing examinations.
Note: In Quebec, some unregulated practitioners, such as natural
healers, natural health consultants and holistic practitioners use the title
of "naturopath" or "naturotherapist" The amount and quality
of their training varies considerably.
Additional resources
What is naturopathic medicine – Canadian Association
of Naturopathic Doctors
Educational Listings – Ontario Herbalists Association
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