A Global Perspective on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in the Era of Antiretroviral Treatment

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is a popular adjunct to conventional medicine across medical populations, and is particularly relevant in the global HIV epidemic. Use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat HIV is ubiquitous in high-resource areas and efforts to increase coverage in low-resource areas are underway. To better understand the role of CAM in HIV treatment and the implications of CAM use for ART uptake and adherence, we review international research published between 2007 and 2011. Findings confirm that CAM is commonly used as an adjunct to ART; however, in countries where ART is less accessible, many HIV-positive individuals take a pluralistic approach to health care, incorporating both traditional and, when available, conventional medicine. The reviewed studies provide no consensus on whether the use of CAM interferes with ART uptake or adherence; instead, research suggests that illness-related behaviors are driven by multiple factors and determined, at least in part, by the availability and accessibility of ART.

Beliefs and practices of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) among HIV/AIDS patients: A qualitative exploration

“…This particular aspect was further supported by a review of published literature on CAM use among HIV population, which reported popular adjunct use of CAM with ARTs. [37] These findings essentially highlight a strong need towards patient-healthcare providers' communication on the subject. Healthcare providers have to be aware of the problem and to ensure that patients are adequately informed and educated on the right use of CAM [38], since such communications are often found to be infrequent.…”

“…), and where traditional medicines are unregulated, or herbal remedies are commonly used. [13] Lastly, from a therapeutic perspective, there are standing concerns of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) between the conventional ARTs and type of CAM used [38,11,44], especially when most studies reported an adjunct use of CAM with ARTs. [31,45] This should also be a concern as the safety and risk factors of possible drug interactions are frequently ignored by PLWHA, as they are much focused on various expected benefits [42] as well as lack of knowledge on safety aspects.…”

“…On the contrary, in developed countries such practices are not as common, because ARTs are readily accessible. [10] Beside these realities, beliefs and positive attitudes towards the effectiveness of CAM [12] along with poor/negative understanding of ARTs [13,14] could also be the strong contributing factors toward widespread use of CAM modalities among PLWHA.…”

A Review of the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine and HIV: Issues for Patient Care

“…14,45,46 Thirty-five were carried out in North America, 16,64 five in Europe, [57][58][59][60][61] and two in Australia. 62,63 Three studies used national samples.…”

“…12,13 Practitioners therefore need to have up-to-date knowledge regarding CAM use. Previous reviews have often focused only on the prevalence and determinants of CAM use, often with a methodological rather than clinical focus; 14,15 this review aims to provide a broader overview of the current literature on the use of CAM for PLWHA to identify issues which may have implications for patient care.…”