Health Sciences

Review of Naturopathy and Western Herbal Medicine

Risks and Regulatory Requirements for Complementary Healthcare (RRRCH)

Researcher: Professor Vivian Lin
Funding: Victorian Department of Human Services
Research Partners: La Trobe University (lead agency), The University of Western Sydney, the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (SCU), RMIT University, the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group, and the National Herbalists Association of Australia.

Summary

This project described and assessed practices, benefits and risks surrounding the use of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine in Australia, to provide recommendations to the Victorian Department of Human Services concerning whether regulatory requirements for naturopathy and Western herbal medicine shall be introduced. This research was commissioned by the Victorian Department of Human Services, and was conducted through La Trobe University as a lead agency for a consortium comprised of the University of Western Sydney, the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (SCU), RMIT University, the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Review Group, and the National Herbalists Association of Australia.

The research project was comprehensive in scope, focussing on all major aspects of naturopathy and Western herbal medicine (WHM) practice in Australia.The research components formed the basis for an assessment of naturopathy and WHM in Australia against the AHMAC Criteria for Assessing the Need for Statutory Regulation of Unregulated Health Occupations. Regulatory models and other measures to protect consumers of naturopathy and WHM were also be explored, and the final report made recommendations for the introduction of such measures, as (or if) appropriate.

Status of the project: Completed

Research Outputs to date:

Conference Presentations

Publications

Lin, Vivian. 2004. The regulation of complementary health: sacrificing integrity? (Letter to the editor). Medical Journal of Australia 180 (2):96.

Lin, Vivian. 2005. Regulating complementary practitioners: The public-health academic. Complementary Medicine May/June:54-56.

Lin, V., Bensoussan, A., Myers, S., McCabe, P., Cohen, M., Hill, S., et al. (2005). The practice and regulatory requirements for naturopathy and Western herbal medicine, Melbourne, Victorian Government Department of Human Services.

Lin, Vivian (2006). Chinese medicine, naturopathy, and western herbal medicine: Issues in health workforce regulation. In M. Cohen (Ed.), Holistic healthcare perspectives. Melbourne: AIMA.

Lin, V., & Gillick, D. (2006). Is registration of Chinese medicine protecting public health and safety? Health Issues, 88(Spring), 20-24.

Xue, C., Zhang, L., Lin, V., & Storey, D. (2006). The use of complementary and alternative medicine in Australia. Health Issues, 88(Spring).

Unpublished Report

More about the RRRCH project and to access the final report