Natural health products regulations in Canada

Many complementary therapies make use of natural health products (NHPs). Natural health products include:

vitamins and minerals
herbs
homeopathic medicines
traditional medicines such as traditional Chinese medicines
probiotics (healthy bacteria)
other products like amino acids and essential fatty acids

Health Canada has rules to govern NHPs, but they do not cover NHPs bought in other countries or over the Internet. Products that are not regulated may not be safe because:

The wrong ingredient may be used in a formula or the amount of ingredient may vary from batch to batch.
They may have come in contact with harmful chemicals or other drugs.
They may not be stored, packaged or labelled properly.

Some people assume that because a health product is labelled “natural”, it is safe. NHPs, like drugs, may have side effects that can be serious. The Canadian regulations help make sure that NHPs are well prepared, safe to use, helpful and come with instructions on how they should be used.

When buying an NHP, look for either an NPN (Natural Product Number) or DIN-HM (Drug Identification Number–Homeopathic Medicine). The label should also tell you what the product is for, the right dosage, the ingredients and any known negative reactions.

Health Canada also maintains a list of licensed natural health products as well as any notices of recall or reports of negative effects.

If you choose to use NHPs:

Understand why you are using a product, how long you’ll be using it, and what the evidence is behind it.
Report negative effects, including allergic reactions to products (rashes, hives, asthma symptoms, and so on) to Canada Vigilance, Health Canada’s tracking program for negative drug reactions. Your healthcare provider can help you with this.
Tell both your doctor and your complementary health practitioner about any new symptoms or changes to your health.

NHPs and cancer treatment

There is a wide range of different products and compounds considered to be NHPs. They can all interact with conventional cancer treatments in different ways.

The use of NHPs while you’re being treated with conventional treatments is generally not recommended because of the risk for drug interactions. For this reason, many surgeons recommend that patients stop taking NHPs 2 to 3 weeks before surgery.

The effect of taking NHPs during your cancer treatment can’t always be predicted because they could:

lower the effectiveness of conventional treatment
interact with your cancer treatment, causing toxic side effects
affect test results used to track your disease

Remember to talk to your doctor and your complementary therapy practitioner to see if there is a safe way to use NHPs during conventional treatment.

Vitamin and mineral supplements

Taking a regular-strength multivitamin and mineral supplement for your age group every day is usually okay, but check with your doctor just to be sure.

Last modified on: 13 September 2011