Review: Statutory regulation of invasive complementary therapies, such as hijama and acupuncture, is the only effective way of ensuring both patient safety and good practice

Abstract

The development of statutory regulation of healthcare professionals first emerged in the 15th century in the UK. However, it was not until the 20th century that statutory regulation of complementary therapies emerged with the Osteopath and Chiropractors Acts. However, during that period, acupuncture failed to gain statutory regulation but was rather subject to the equivalent of trading standards. This review explores the background to this failure and the present need for statutory regulation. It draws comparisons with the need for regulation of hijama, another invasive therapy, for which there is at present no regulation. The benefits of the negative licensing model developed in Australia are considered.