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Bad medicine Are Quebec-trained naturopaths a danger to patients and the profession? by TRACEY PEEVER
Although Quebec naturopaths are not regulated by a governing body, Sussana Czeranko, a naturopathic physician practicing in NDG, believes they ought to be. Czeranko is concerned by the fact that the number of North Americans consulting natural practitioners has been increasing by 20 per cent annually. With 80 per cent of the population consulting an alternative health care practitioner at some point in their medical history, the need for a monitoring body may seem self-evident. Paul Martel, a lawyer and professor at UQAM, recognized the dangers of this unregulated health-care practice in 1992 and proposed a program of government regulation--Attention Santé--for naturopaths. This program suggested that naturopaths be legally recognized, subject to an ethics code, education requirements, licensing and insurance coverage for the patients' and practitioners' protection. But this proposal was not adopted and Quebec naturopaths with varied backgrounds continue to practice. Sussana Czeranko trained for four years at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine after receiving an undergraduate pre-med degree in kinesiology. After 5,000 hours of classroom instruction in Western medicine like anatomy, pathology and natural practices like herbology and homeopathy, in addition to 1,500 hours of internship and four days of board exams, only then was Czeranko admitted to the Ontario Naturopathic Association. As one of the few naturopathic physicians practicing in Quebec, she is also concerned about the poor regulation of naturopathy in Quebec--which stands in marked contrast to many other provinces. Paul Desautels, Director of the Academy of Naturopaths and Naturotherapists (ANN) seems to feel Czeranko's concerns are exaggerated; he claims that naturopaths in Quebec are regulated provided they join the ANN (many natural therapists are covered by the ANN, including masotherapists and homeopaths). "ANN members are recognized across Canada and covered by insurance companies," explains Desautels. As for legally regulating naturopathy, Desautels remains ambivalent. "It doesn't really matter if naturopaths are legally regulated or not--the public isn't in any danger. The ANN has had only five complaints in 10 years by people unsatisfied with their treatment." But Dr. James Spring, chairman of the Board of Directors of Drugless Therapy and Naturopathy in Ontario, disagrees. He notes that "Quebec-trained naturopaths are a concern for the rest of Canada because they're not approved in other provinces. B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario all have regulatory boards in place; Alberta and Nova Scotia have also begun to install regulations."
But Guylaine Lanctôt, an M.D. who strongly supports alternative medicine, fervently opposes regulation of the naturopathic profession. Lanctôt authored The Medical Mafia--a chilling account of Quebec's health care system. Lanctôt cites the regulation of acupuncture in Quebec as a classic example. In the mid-'80s, the government classified acupuncturists as "non-doctors" and threatened them with prosecution of "illegal practice of medicine." Traditional schools were closed and an experimental one set up in its place, where acupuncturists had to retrain and then apply for new licenses. Czeranko's concern remains with the protection of the public. "Medical treatment is a sacred practice," she says. "There ought to be clearly defined requirements in Quebec for those who aspire to this profession." |
In 1994 a Quebec family, in a desperate attempt to relieve their young daughter's suffering from diabetes, consulted a "naturopath." This naturopath "listened to the angels," who told him to take the young girl off of insulin. The little girl died shortly afterwards.