NOTICE*
California state law allows any person to provide nutritional advice or give advice concerning proper nutrition–which is the giving of advice as to the role of food and food ingredients, including dietary supplements. This state law does NOT confer authority to practice medicine or to undertake the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, or cure of any disease, pain, deformity, injury, or physical or mental condition and specifically does not authorize any person other than one who is a licensed health practitioner to state that any product might cure any disease, disorder, or condition.
*As required by the California Code, Business and Professions Code – BPC § 2068
California state law allows any person to provide nutritional advice or give advice concerning proper nutrition–which is the giving of advice as to the role of food and food ingredients, including dietary supplements. This state law does NOT confer authority to practice medicine or to undertake the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, or cure of any disease, pain, deformity, injury, or physical or mental condition and specifically does not authorize any person other than one who is a licensed health practitioner to state that any product might cure any disease, disorder, or condition.
*As required by the California Code, Business and Professions Code – BPC § 2068
What it means for patients and clients:
California Senate Bill SB-577, which was signed by the governor in September 2002, has profound implications for the practice of alternative forms of health care in California. AB-577 enables alternative and complementary health care practitioners to provide and advertise services legally.
What does Senate Bill SB-577 mean to you, as a patient and client?
SB-577 gives you access to alternative and complementary healthcare practitioners. You must be given information about the nature of the treatment and the practitioner’s qualifications. Feel free to ask a practitioner any question you might have about your treatment. You can also request that your licensed and unlicensed healthcare providers communicate with each other and work collaboratively to meet your healthcare needs.
Here are the things that unlicensed alternative practitioners are not allowed to do:
- Perform surgery
- Use x-ray radiation
- Prescribe prescription drugs
- Set fractures
- Treat wounds with electro-therapy
- Put you at risk of great bodily harm, serious physical or mental illness or death
- Imply in any way that they are a licensed physician
In addition, an unlicensed alternative practitioner must provide a statement, written in plain languages that states:
- They are not a licensed physician and that their services are not licensed by the state.
- A brief and clear description of the kind of services they provide.
- A description of their education, training, and experience.
- Ask you to sign an acknowledgment that you received the above written statement and provide you with a copy of it, as well as keep it for three years.
