The integration of traditional and modern medicine has emerged as a global health priority, aimed at enhancing healthcare accessibility, cultural relevance, and therapeutic efficacy. This review systematically examines the worldwide efforts to integrate traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) with modern biomedical systems through an analysis of policy developments, regulatory frameworks, and clinical implementation models across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Based on a comprehensive review of literature and policy documents from 2000 to 2025, this essay highlights the progress, challenges, and future directions of integrative healthcare.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced a new partnership with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) to conduct an ambitious international horizon scan focused on the future of stem cell science and its ethical implications. The initiative will help signal and inform updates to the ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation and guide the Society’s broader public policy agenda.

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has issued a landmark Position Paper identifying critical global barriers to osteoporosis care and calling for urgent change to improve access to effective fracture prevention strategies. Endorsed by more than 85 national and global organizations in the field, the paper identifies a number of key obstacles, including limited availability of bone density (DXA) scanning, outdated treatment criteria that rely solely on bone mineral density (BMD), and confusion surrounding diagnostic versus intervention thresholds. It urges a paradigm shift in how bone health in older age, including osteoporosis, is managed worldwide.