Natural Health Products
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Introduction
Natural health products (NHPs) are agents that are safe for over the counter selection. They include herbal medicine, homeopathic products, probiotics, TCM, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential fatty acids
Regulation of Natural Health Products
The Natural Health Product Directorate is in place to ensure safety, efficacy, and quality of NHPs
As of 2004, NHPs are regulated as a subset of drugs under the Food and Drug Act
Standard of Evidence (SOE) assigns product licenses based on evidence and NPN numbers
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
- site licensing
- standardized label content
- adverse reactions must be recorded and reported by manufacturers
Reasons for Using Natural Health Products
- patients want to take control of their health
- may be unhappy with current therapy
- 'natural' is better than 'synthetic'
- everyone is doing it
A List of Natural Health Products
Resources and References
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