Dr. Fred Hui is an integrative medicine practitioner in Toronto, Ontario, and I’m one of his biggest fans. Since my early interest in intravenous vitamin therapy and chelation, Dr. Hui has played an instrumental role in my career. His complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments have been a game-changer for many of my family members, friends, and clients over the past 20 years. (Check out How I Saved My Mother’s Life for one powerful example.)

Unfortunately, the CAM treatments that Dr. Hui and others offer are under threat and may soon be unavailable in Ontario. I recently received the following message:

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) has announced its intention to make drastic changes to its Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) policy. If adopted, the new policy would severely restrict physicians from offering CAM treatments. Physicians like myself could be left practicing in fear of unjust disciplinary action from the CPSO.

Patients should have the right to access the care they need and prefer—whether it’s conventional or integrative/CAM-based. The proposed policy robs patients of that autonomy.

The new regulations mandate that physicians may only offer treatments backed by specific types of scientific evidence—namely randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case-control studies. But since natural and non-patentable therapies rarely receive the financial backing to support large RCTs, they’re left in the cold. No patent means no profit incentive—and that means no research funding.

The proposed policy also removes the current reference to Section 5.1 of the Ontario Medicine Act, which explicitly protects physicians offering non-traditional or non-mainstream therapies. That section reads:
“Physicians shall not be found guilty of professional misconduct or incompetence solely on the basis that they practice a therapy that is non-traditional or that departs from the prevailing medical practice.”

If this policy goes through, it will be nearly impossible for CAM physicians to continue practicing—and for patients to continue receiving their care.

Take Action Before It’s Too Late

You can help ensure that your right to access integrative medical treatments is not taken away. The CPSO has invited public feedback on the proposed changes until March 15, 2021. The final policy could be adopted as soon as May/June 2021.

Use these tools to make your voice heard:

• Patient Information Guide (PDF)
• Template Letter to the Minister of Health (DOC)
• Template Letter to the CPSO (DOC)

Final Thought:

Whether you currently use CAM treatments or not, one day you or a loved one might desperately need them. This is about patient rights, autonomy, and access to care. If these changes go through unchecked, an entire category of healthcare options could vanish in Ontario. Please take a moment to act—and share this article widely. Together, we can protect the future of integrative medicine.