| Alternative and Complimentary Therapies |
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WHAT ARE ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES? A health treatment that does not fit into standard western medical practice is called "alternative" or "complementary". This includes many different therapies:
Alternative therapies can have dangerous side effects. The words "natural" or "non-drug" do not guarantee safety. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not approve dietary supplements or monitor their safety or contents. Some herbs can lower blood levels of ARVs. Consumers need to be careful when using alternative therapies. The FDA recently proposed new rules that would reduce the risk of contamination of dietary supplements and would require that their labels clearly indicate their identity, purity, quality, strength and composition. It is difficult to find good information on alternative therapies. Get as much information as you can before using them. Try to find out:
Sometimes this information is truly not available. However, if it seems like people don't want to answer your questions, be extra careful. You might be dealing with a health fraud. See Fact Sheet 206, How To Spot HIV/AIDS Fraud, for more information. WHY AREN'T THERE MORE STUDIES OF ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES? Alternative therapies aren't always designed to treat a particular illness: Some alternative therapies treat the whole person, not an illness. They might restore harmony, balance, or normal energy flow. Acupuncturists, for example, use the pulse to see if your body's energy is out of balance. Acupuncture for people with HIV is based on their individual energy pattern, not on their HIV. Therapies like this might help people with HIV, but they are not designed to treat HIV. Few alternative therapies are standardized: Few alternative therapies are standardized. Different brands of herbs can have different amounts of the active ingredient, although more standardized products are being made. Chiropractic, acupuncture, and other therapies are not standard. They are adjusted for each patient. Research is very difficult when treatments are not standardized. Basic Safety Studies Haven't Been Done: The FDA wants to know that a therapy is safe before they test how well it works. Even if a treatment has been used for many years with no reports of health problems, the FDA requires a scientific study to show that it is safe. There are no careful safety studies for many alternative therapies. StudyStudies are expensive: Scientific research is very expensive. The makers of alternative therapies often cannot afford to pay for scientific studies. The government prefers to pay for studies of western medical drugs because they appear to be more effective. Patents allow manufacturers to make large profits that help pay for research. However, most alternative therapies cannot be patented. WORKING WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER Tell your health care provider as much as possible about how you want to deal with your HIV infection. Tell your health care provider about all the therapies you use. This is very important if you have any kind of bad reaction to a medicine that you are taking. There could be some alternative therapies that you should not use together with your ARVs. For example, some herbs lower the levels of ARVs. Most people with HIV use some kind of alternative or complementary therapy. Some alternative therapies can be dangerous. Others are safe to use. Some have been carefully studied and can improve your health. |