Andy Burnham Plans to Regulate Chinese Medicine and Herbal Remedies

High-street herbal remedies, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture are to be more tightly regulated. Andy Burnham, the Health Secretary, said he was “minded to legislate” so that all providers of unlicensed medicines had to register with a regulator.

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council will ensure that practitioners are properly trained and operating a safe business. A pilot study is also planned to analyse how acupuncture could be used within the NHS to help conditions such as lower back pain. Critics say that the proposals, due to be implemented later this year, do not go far enough.

It is estimated that Britons spend about £1.6 billion a year on alternative and complementary remedies, with one in five people having tried the medicines or therapies. The CNHC, the only regulatory body for complementary healthcare that has official government backing, currently issues “charter marks” to registered practitioners of 11 therapies, including massage, aromatherapy and yoga.'

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