Much of the money spent on research in Canada - and the rest of the world – is focused on tests and treatments that can be patented. A lot of that money comes from the pharmaceutical industry, but this is only part of the reason. It also comes from a shift in how we think of the role of science in society. Research is now seen as a driver of business innovation and job creation. Universities proudly announce partnerships with industry and our governments rightly emphasize the importance of research to the future of Canada.

Herbs cannot be patented. No one can mass-market meditation, no empires will ever be built on diet and exercise and acupuncture does not create jobs. The feeling is that therapies without the potential for a multibillion-dollar payoff are inherently less valuable. The end result is that funding agencies, institutions and researchers neglect them. But this does not mean that they cannot help people who are sick.

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health oversees federally-funded health research. They are filling this gap by directly funding clinical trials of alternative therapies. Their National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) was established in 1998 and has an annual budget is $121 million that is used to fund CAM research.

Our Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), based in Ottawa, funds health research with an annual budget of $700 million. They have taken a step in the right direction by establishing an initiative together with Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Directorate. What we really need is a specific CIHR institute whose budget is based on a mandate to conduct CAM research — just like NCCAM in the US.

Lack of funding is just one obstacle. Research has already been done to suggest that chewing gum prevents bowel obstructions, exercise is as good as antidepressants, probiotic bacteria reduce ear infections in kids and tai chi prevents falls in the elderly. The reason most doctors do not suggest these options is that they simply haven’t heard about them.

The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine is joining a handful of Canadian Universities that are teaching medical students about CAM. The Seekers Centre will develop and teach that part of the undergraduate medical curriculum. This will help us catch up to countries like Germany, France and other European countries, where medical students study herbal and botanical medicine, acupuncture and mind-body medicine.

We need research to learn what alternative medicine works best. We need to teach our doctors about CAM. Ottawa plays a major role in shaping health care. This makes it a good place to create a Centre for Excellence in Integrative Medicine.

Dr. Richard Nahas | Seekers Centre for Integrative Medicine