Doctors who offer alternative therapies, such as acupuncture or chiropractic, shouldn't be hassled by the College of Physicians and Surgeons, a college committee says.

By Art Chamberlain, Toronto Star Health Reporter

``Physicians who practise medicine that is both safe and honest have nothing to fear from the college,'' says a report to be presented today to the college's governing council. ``In essence, we believe that physicians be allowed a reasonable and responsible degree of latitude in the kinds of therapies they offer to patients,'' said Dr. David Walker, chair of the committee that held public hearings in July. ``We also believe that patients have every right to seek whatever kind of therapy they want.''

But Liberal MPP Monte Kwinter (Wilson Heights) slammed the report as a quick effort ``cobbled together in response to my bill.'' Last spring, Kwinter introduced a private member's bill that would ensure doctors who provide non-traditional therapies are not guilty of misconduct. ``They were surprised when my bill passed second reading, because they thought the government was going to kill it, and scrambled to react,'' Kwinter said. Kwinter's bill has been referred to a legislative committee, but no date has been set for hearings on it.

The college committee's report says, ``It should not be misconduct to refer a patient, honestly and without conflict of interest, to unconventional or complementary practitioners when appropriate and where there is no reason to believe such a referral would expose the patient to harm.'' The report says the committee found no evidence that practitioners of alternative medicine had been targeted by the college, as some critics complained during the public hearings.

Only eight of the 462 cases referred to the college's discipline committee involved unconventional therapy and in only four of those were the allegations of poor treatment upheld. Medicine is part art, part science and the art shouldn't be limited because scientific proof of its effectiveness is lacking, the report says.

In the past, alternatives have been rejected because they haven't been subjected to the same regulatory and scientific process most medical methods face. Medical students need to be aware of patients' diverse options and should be taught about alternatives. Also, doctors need access to information so they can advise patients who want to use herbs and other medicines about possible risks, the report says.

Doctors are urged to assess patients using conventional methods, advise patients about conventional treatments and provide enough information so patients can make informed choices about alternative therapies.

A report by Statistics Canada found 15 per cent of Canadians aged 15 and over used an alternative health practitioner in 1994 and 1995.

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