The RITMA NATUROTHERAPY - Complementary Medicine Association
RITMA Naturopatherapy - Complementary Medicine Practitioners’ Association represents specialized disciplines such as: nutritherapy, Yoga, Gigong, Pilates, kinesiology and other non-conventional techniques.
The Association is open to any qualified person who works in the field of complementary medicine throughout the province of Quebec and holds a complete training in a specialized discipline.
Although there are various associations in this field in Quebec, RITMA Complementary Medicine' Association is recognized for its high standards. The association represents a community of highly qualified practitioners in this field.
The Association is governed by a code of ethics and regulations that members are required to respect. Groupe RITMA Code of Ethics
As a professional association working in the field of complementary medicine, RITMA recommends that all its members have Errors and Omissions insurance, for the respect of its members and the public.
The association is a member of the Groupe RITMA. 
World Health Organization
Strategy for traditional and complementary medicine
...TM/MC is an important and often underestimated part of health care. It exists in virtually every country in the world, and the demand for its services is growing. TM, with its proven quality, safety and effectiveness, contributes to the goal of universal access to care. Today, many countries recognize the need for a cohesive and integrative approach to health care that enables governments, professionals, and most importantly, people who use health services, to access safe, respectful, cost-effective, and efficient TM/MC. A global strategy to promote adequate integration, regulation, and oversight will be useful for countries wishing to develop an active policy for this important, and often dynamic and expanding, part of health care ....
Definition according to the WHO
Complementary medicine (CM): The term "complementary medicine" or "alternative medicine" refers to a broad range of health practices that are not part of a country's tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into its predominant health system. In some countries, they are used interchangeably with the term "traditional medicine.
National Occupational Classification
Complementary medicine is defined by Statistics Canada under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3232 and is referred to as alternative practitioners.
Definitions of TM/MC
Traditional Medicine (TM):
Traditional medicine is very old. It is the sum total of all knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences of different cultures, whether explicable or not, that are used in the preservation of health, as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, amelioration or treatment of physical or mental illness. Source: WHO
Complementary Medicine (CM):
The terms "complementary medicine" or "alternative medicine" refer to a broad set of health practices that are not part of a country's conventional tradition or medicine and are not fully integrated into its predominant health system. In some countries, they are used interchangeably with the term "traditional medicine". Source: WHO
Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TM/CM):
TM/CM merges the terms TM and CM, encompassing the products, practices and practitioners of each. Source: WHO
http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/traditional/definitions/en/ .
Allopathic or conventional medicine
The term allopathic medicine refers to medicine that is conventionally used in Western countries. This way of treating people is based on the administration of drugs. In fact, the term allopathy also includes treatments based on plants, essential oils, etc.
Allopathy therefore refers to modern conventional medicine, but also to all non-conventional medicines that work on the same principle (administration of substances that fight the effects or causes of the disease).
Nevertheless, by abuse of language, the term is reserved for conventional medicine and excludes alternative medicines.
*Caution! Do not confuse the terms traditional and conventional.
Responsibility
For TM/MC to be used appropriately, individuals must be informed of the potential benefits and risks of TM/MC use. TM/MC providers must make greater efforts to provide consumers with more information about their products, practices, and practitioners so that consumers can make informed choices. Source: WHO