As the burden of complex chronic disease increases more people are turning to alternative and complementary medicine (CAM) and need guidance in making their healthcare choices.
The ever increasing cost of chronic disease will require government and society to make decisions on the cost-effectiveness of the available health care options.
A greater evidence base for CAM should facilitate wider availability of access to safe and effective complementary therapies within the National Health Service and across the UK, in order to help in preventing disease and improvinghealth.
The RCCM was co-founded in 1983 by a medical doctor Dr Richard Tonkins MD FRCP and a lay businessman, Mr Harold Wicks.
Other therapies such as massage and naturopathy have established voluntary regulation under the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) and others are moving towards this goal.