Alternative medicines - including naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicines, chiropractic medicine, herbal remedies, and osteopathy - need to be better regulated in order to account for the risks they sometimes carry. That's according to a new report from the CD Howe Institute, which says regulation is lacking compared to the tightly-regulated rules we see around medicine. Law Professor Michael Trebilcock, who co-authored the institute's study into the area, says because alternative medicines are often promoted as substitutes for biomedicine, the degree of risk involved must be taken into account when they are regulated. In addition to tighter, risk-based regulation, the report also calls for the creation of an alternative medicine advisory council to give advice to governments, and ensuring accountability and liability for fraud, negligence, and false advertising. Trebilcock joins John now to discuss the issues with alternative medicine.