Many HIV-Positive Patients Use CAM Therapies

Many HIV-Positive Patients Use CAM Therapies

TOLEDO, Ohio--The majority of people who are HIV-positive are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies along with antiretroviral therapies, according to a new study reported in the March AIDS Patient Care and STDS (15, 3:159-67, 2001). After a survey was given to 191 HIV-positive outpatients, it was found that 67 percent had used CAM at some point to control their HIV status, while 40 percent still used CAM. These alternative therapies included dietary supplements (37 percent), herbal medications (26 percent) and megavitamins (24 percent) as well as exercise, counseling and prayer. Of those who had used or are using CAM, 70 percent said that they felt it had improved their quality of life. Surprisingly, even after last year's reports that some herbs may negate the effects of HIV drugs, less than half of CAM users report their alternative therapies to their doctors.

This study, which was led by Joan Duggan from the Medical College of Ohio, can be found at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov after conducting a keyword search onPubMed.