It is no secret that the Royal Family use homeopathy and other natural methods to help them stay healthy. Prince Charles also tends an organic garden on his country estate. When diagnosed with breast cancer, Hollywood actress Suzanne Somers turned to non-conventional methods to augment her treatment program. Canadian gold medal athlete Jennifer Heil has developed a winning health regime that includes yoga, food supplements, and a whole food diet to keep her in top Olympic form.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has come of age and is no longer relegated to the "fringe" bin by the mainstream. It is not unusual to see chiropractic, naturopathy, and herbal medicine being advertised on television. But is natural medicine really the new kid on the block? Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) can boast a five thousand year-old history. Likewise, Ayurvedic medicine is firmly rooted in centuries of East Indian tradition.

On every continent, throughout history, herbs and other plants have been used for healing. The World Health Organization states that the majority of people in developing countries use traditional medicine to meet their primary health care needs. In the 20th century, allopathic medicine is really the new kid on the block.

The demand for integrated medicine is growing worldwide; with studies estimating one in three people served by conventional medicine also use CAM. In 2003, Statistics Canada found that 20 percent of Canadians surveyed reported using some type of alternative or complementary healthcare as opposed to about 15 percent in 1994/1995, which confirms the suspected trend towards increased use of CAM. This figure is modest compared to American figures reported in a Thomson Medstat Survey.

A Journal of the American Medical Association report concluded that the majority of those surveyed who use alternative medicine does so because they find CAM to be more congruent with their values, beliefs, and philosophy towards health and life. Some respondents saw alternative treatments as offering more personal autonomy and control over healthcare decisions.

Most often it is informed consumers who are driving the burgeoning demand for integrated medicine. However, surveys reveal that in Canada more than 50 percent of physicians have referred patients to CAM practitioners with the majority of referrals being for chronic conditions for which conventional therapy had failed.

Andrew Weil, MD acknowledged at a 2005 conference of the Association of Complementary Physicians of British Columbia that the Canadian and U.S. health systems are going through a period of intense change, as the conventional reliance on industrial medicine comes under increasing challenge. Medical authorities are beginning to recognize and meet this challenge.

In October, 2005, the British Columbia Medical Association issued a press release stating, "Chronically ill patients with diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure, among others, are the ones who will benefit the most from a primary care practice that includes family physicians working alongside other healthcare professionals."

In BC it is estimated that 17 percent of family physicians already practice in multidisciplinary care settings. The healthcare pendulum is slowly swinging into balance. Just as natural medicine doesn't always meet the needs of every condition (broken bones and other acute or crisis situations, for example), allopathic medicine often falls short in healing the root causes of chronic conditions such as allergies or back pain. A blending of allopathic and CAM is the balance that the healthcare pendulum seeks.

With continuing public demand for an integrated healthcare system that embraces, without prejudice or penalty, a range of healthcare options, and in the spirit of cooperation among various disciplines, Canada is poised to build a healthcare model that can offer superior care to patients and respectful support to practitioners.

Cathrine Gabriel has worked in the natural health field for over 30 years. She has managed her family's health food store, is a past administrator of Health Action Network Society and former co-host of the Healthy Living Show with Croft Woodruff. Cathrine now lives in Alberta.

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