In this guide, we discuss many different therapies and various types of practitioners. Only some of these practitioners are regulated by legislation. Health care, including complementary therapies, is regulated at the provincial level in Canada. That means provincial parliaments pass laws empowering governing bodies to set educational requirements and other standards for practitioners. In some cases, practitioners must be licensed, and only those holding a licence may practise. This is the case for chiropractors in most parts of Canada. Other professions have "protected title" legislation. For example, in Ontario, anyone can give a massage, but only those with specific credentials can call themselves registered massage therapists.

In each section of this guide, we give information about the regulations that apply to practitioners in that discipline.

When applicable, we outline education standards for practitioners, which readers may also use to judge unregulated practitioners. See Bonnie and Craig Harden's excellent book, Alternative Health Care: The Canadian Directory, for more information about the regulations that apply to complementary practitioners and an extensive listing of local and national professional organizations.