| More Canadians are turning to alternative health care, and in Western Canada, nearly a quarter of people over age 18 have used alternative healing methods at some point, according to a new Statistics Canada report.
Alternative health care providers include acupuncturists, chiropractors, massage therapists, homeopaths and naturopaths.
The report says 3.8 million Canadians, or about 17 per cent of the population, consulted alternative health care providers in 1998 and 1999, an increase from about 15 per cent in 1994/95.
In Western Canada, the number of people who used alternative health care jumped up to 25 per cent, which the report says is largely due to the difference in public health care plans. Chiropractic care, for example, is more likely to be an insured service in Western Canada.
The report also states that the vast majority of those who used alternative health care used it as a supplement to the traditional health care system, rather than rejecting traditional doctors altogether.
The study’s results didn’t surprise local homeopath Fernando Davalos. He says that as more people realize there is solid science and proven results behind alternative therapies, they begin to accept them more.
"A lot of people don’t understand how it works. It’s difficult to believe some small pellets or liquids may heal them," Davalos says. "But once they use it... they realize it works."
Davalos says he still encounters resistance from some patients and traditional health care professionals, but people are beginning to realize that alternative therapies like homeopathy have a place in modern medicine.
"I talk to many doctors and some won’t believe it, but some will say ‘I don’t promote it, but I’m not against it,’" says Davalos, who works out of Kensington’s Telstar Drugs.
"There’s a space for homeopathy and alternative medicine and there’s a space for traditional medicine."
Dr. Henry Haddad, director of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), says the trend towards alternative health care shows people want to take a more active role in their health.
Haddad points out the Statistics Canada study shows people who use alternative health care are more likely to have a regular, traditional doctor than the rest of the population, and actually live healthier lifestyles.
"I think it reflects the desire for citizens to participate actively in their health," he says. "It doesn’t reflect a shift away from traditional medicine."
He also says the CMA generally has no problem with alternative health care, but it thinks there needs to be more regulations for natural supplements and alternative health care providers to ensure their quality.
"As far as the (alternative health care) providers goes, we philosophically have no opposition to their use, but, like every thing else, I think it’s a two-edged sword," Haddad says. "There are risks and there are benefits."
To minimize those risks, he says patients who are taking natural supplements or undergoing treatment from an alternative health care provider should inform their doctor – the same way most people tell their alternative health care providers what treatment their traditional doctor has prescribed.
Haddad also believes there should be standards of education and practice for alternative health care providers, as exists in traditional medicine.
"Nurses and health care providers are among the most heavily regulated workers in our country," he says. "We have a feeling alternative health care providers should have some regulations."
Davalos, who spent four years in Mexico studying homeopathy before moving to Canada, agrees with Haddad that there should be more regulation in place.
"I am the first to say homoeopathists should be learned, have a diploma or meet regulations," Davalos says. "I support 100 per cent that thinking." |
