In recent years, there has been a push for mainstream health care professionals to develop a greater knowledge and understanding of Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in order to better meet patient needs. However, the perceived notion that mainstream health practitioners are eligible to advise upon, and to practice a range of complementary and alternative therapies based on minimal training or education is not entirely correct. To address this notion of open-practice requires a closer look at the assumptions behind why orthodox practitioners may use or advise on CAM, in order to challenge this taken-for-granted belief.