This textbook introduces students to the myriad of laws that govern the practice of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and, by doing so, provides a general health law survey as well. After broadly describing CAM and the ongoing tension between CAM and conventional medicine, the book covers traditional health law basics through the lens of CAM regulation and practice. Medical licensure and scope of practice, malpractice, informed consent, Food and Drug Administration regulation of dietary supplements, and antitrust are each addressed. The authors close by examining new innovations in CAM regulation.
News articles, government reports, excerpts from literature, and real life problems (as well as critical cases and statutes) are used throughout the text to examine the intersection between CAM and the law. Through use of this approach, the text is accessible not only to law students but to graduate students in public health and other professionals who seek to learn more about this burgeoning field.