---

Government of Canada Engages with Traditional Chinese Medicine Community

---

Dr. Colin Carrie, Parliamentary Secretary on Health, held the second roundtable discussions of this year with the members of the Traditional Chinese Medicine community to hear their perspectives on the regulation of Traditional Chinese Medicines in Canada on December 5, 2011 in Toronto.

"Our government has been actively listening to the Traditional Chinese Medicine community to learn more about what we can do to ensure we're striking the right balance in our approach to Traditional Chinese Medicines and other natural health products." said Dr. Carrie.

More than 1, 400 traditional Chinese Medicines are currently available for sale in Canada. Health Canada accepts information from both literature references to traditional use and modern scientific literature as evidence to support the safety and efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicines.

"Canadians want to have a full range of options to improve and maintain their health." said Dr. Carrie. "We will continue to work closely with the Traditional Chinese Medicine community to ensure quality standards for the use of Chinese medicines." It is equally important that patients are aware of the safety issues to ensure the efficiency.

Source: Health Canada