Regulatory issues surrounding natural health products An interview with Dr. Gerry Derganc Dr. Victoria Coleman is a 1994 graduate of CMCC and a BSc in Kinesiology specializing in Fitness Assessment and Exercise Counsel-ing. Working with patients over the years, it became her mission to teach people that everything you eat, breath, drink, and think affects your health. This fuelled her desire to further expand her career and continue her studies. She is an avid follower of the Institute for Functional Medicine and is currently working toward her certification in Functional Medicine. Dr. Coleman is also the president of Douglas Laboratories/Pure Encapsulations Canada. T he regulation of natural health care products in Canada has changed since the inception of the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD), a branch of Health Canada that regulates natural products. This has resulted in questions, and often, some confusion, surrounding the incorporation of nutritional products in practice for health care providers. This Q&A article with Dr. Gerry Derganc, ND, regulatory and quality assurance advi-sor with Douglas Laboratories/Pure Encapsulations Canada, is intended to dispel myths and hopefully offer some clarity to any questions regarding the use of natural health products in daily practise. Dr. Derganc graduated from the Canadian College of Naturo-pathic Medicine in 1999. Along with maintaining a private practice, he has held product development and regulatory positions within the natural health products industry and Health Canada. Victoria Coleman, DC INTERVIEW WITH DR. DERGANC V.C.: What is a natural health product (NHP)? Dr. Derganc: Generally, a natural health product can be defined as a naturally occur-ring substance used to diagnose, treat or prevent disease, or its symptoms, in humans. Examples of NHPs include vitamins, minerals, botanical extracts, amino acids, probiot-ics, essential fatty acids, and homeopathic medicines. V.C.: How are natural health products in Canada regulated ? Dr. Derganc: The Natural Health Products regulations are administered by the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) within Health Canada, and apply to the manufacturing, packaging, labeling and importation of NHPs for sale in Canada. The regulations include specific labelling and packaging requirements, as well as good www.canadianchiropractor.ca 16 • CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | APRIL 2011
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