Alternative/complementary therapies used by persons with HIV disease

The authors examined the kind of alternative and complementary therapies used by persons with HIV disease. A convenience sample of 145 persons with HIV disease who were receiving health care in either New York City (n = 72) or Boston (n = 73) completed the Alternative Therapies Check List. This instrument consists of 55 alternative or complementary therapies; respondents were asked to identify whether they knew the therapy and how often they used it. Frequencies were computed, demonstrating that all of the identified alternative or complementary therapies were used by at least one person with HIV disease. The different therapies were ranked according to their mean or average use. Findings showed that vitamins were the most commonly used and trigger was the least commonly used alternative/complementary therapy.