Prevalence, patterns, and perceived value of complementary and alternative medicine among HIV patients: a descriptive study

Abstract

BackgroundUse of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widespread among different patient populations despite the availability of evidence-based conventional medicine and lack of supporting evidence for the claims of most CAM types. This study explored the prevalence, patterns, and perceived value of CAM among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients.MethodsThis quantitative descriptive study was conducted between November 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015 among a cross-sectional, convenience sample of attendees of the HIV clinic of a public tertiary health care institution. Face-to-face interviews using a 34-item questionnaire were conducted. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression analysis.ResultsCAM was used by 113 (32.8%) of a total of 343 HIV patients, but <1% informed their health care providers of CAM usage. Medicinal herbs were the most common type of CAM used (n = 110, 97.3%) followed by spiritual therapy (n = 56, 49.6%), including faith healing/prayer and meditation. The most used medicinal herbs were Aloe vera (n = 54, 49.1%), ginger (n = 33, 30.0%), and garlic (n = 23, 20.9%). The most used vitamins were complex B vitamins (n = 70, 61.9%), followed by vitamin A (n = 58, 51.3%), vitamin E (n = 51, 45.1%), and vitamin D (n = 42, 37.1%). Most CAM users continued using conventional medicine in addition to CAM and were willing to use CAM without supervision and without informing their health care provider. Patients were generally satisfied with CAM therapy (n = 91, 80.5%). The main reasons for CAM use were the desire to take control of their treatment (8.8%) or just trying anything that could help (18.8%). Main influences were the mass media (32.7%) and non-hospital health personnel (19.5%). Predictors of CAM use were being 30–50 years, married and having a secondary school education.ConclusionAbout one-third of HIV patients used CAM, but virtually none informed their healthcare provider. Medicinal herbs were the most common type of CAM, followed by spiritual therapy and vitamins. A patient’s decision to use CAM was influenced for the most part by the mass media and non- hospital health care personnel.

Potential factors that influence usage of complementary and alternative medicine worldwide: a systematic review

“…A lack of trust in CM as the reason for using CAM was reported in three publications from Asia, two from the Middle East and one from Europe [ 61 , 94 , 113 – 116 ]. Additionally, condition-specific populations decided to use CAM to avoid invasive care or aggressive treatment [ 80 , 111 ]; or they were disappointed with or had negative experience of conventional care and/or the staff providing it [ 41 , 80 , 86 , 97 , 103 , 105 , 117 – 119 ]. CAM users in both Asian and Western populations preferred to visit CAM practitioners because they provided fuller explanations and more time when compared with conventional health professionals [ 34 , 66 , 86 ].…”

Yes to Recreational Drugs and Complementary Medicines But No to Life-Saving Medications: Beliefs Underpinning Treatment Decisions Among PLHIV

“…CM are also known as 'traditional' or 'alternative' medicines and include substances such as vitamins, minerals, herbal remedies, aromatic oils and homeopathic products [49]. The use of CM among PLHIV is common [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65]. In a recent survey of Australians living with HIV (n=1211), 53% of respondents reported they had used one or more CM in the 12 months prior to the study, 50% in the previous week [52].…”

“…However, this study did not specifically seek views of HIV positive individuals. Studies that have explored CM use among PLHIV have mainly focused on providing prevalence data [51][52][53][54][55][56][57]61,65], while those that have sought to understand the beliefs underpinning use have been conducted overseas in countries that may differ from Australia in areas such as access and cultural norms [62,65]. Of the limited number of studies that sought to understand motivation for CM use among PLHIV in Australia, the majority involved small participant numbers [53,58,64].…”

Inhibition of UGT2B7 Enzyme Activity in Human and Rat Liver Microsomes by Herbal Constituents

“…Herbal medicines have been used to treat various ailments and diseases since millennia. Nowadays, herbal medicines are taken as complementary and/or alternative medicines (CAMs) by people around the world, especially by the patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Furthermore, a study indicates that CAM therapies are mostly taken as complementary medicines along with conventional medicines rather than as alternatives medicines [ 13 ].…”