Nationwide Longitudinal Outcomes Study of HIV/AIDS Alternative Therapies
Leanna J. Standish, PhD, ND, MS, LAc; Carlo Calabrese, ND, MPH; Cherie Reeves, MS
Bastyr University AIDS Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
Objective: The Bastyr University AIDS Research Center was
established in October 1994 by the National Institute of Health's (NIH)
Office of Alternative Medicine. The mission of the Center is 1) to
describe forms and patterns of use of alternative medical (AM) therapies
for the treatment of HIV+ patients, either prescribed by practitioners
or self-administered; and 2) to screen and evaluate therapies for the
treatment of HIV/AIDS from five AM program areas (nutrition, traditional
and ethnomedicine, energetic therapies, pharmacological and biological
therapies, and bioelectronomagnetic medicine).
Methods: The Center has established a network of collaborating
AM clinics, begun recruitment of 1500 HIV+ men and women who are using
AM to participate in the study, and has created a centralized database
which allows us to compare clinical, laboratory, and quality of life
outcomes among a variety of alternative therapies. Outcomes information
is being collected on people using 170+ alternative therapies. Primary
outcomes measures include progression rate, survival, change in CD4,
weight, and quality of life over 2 years. We are collecting evidence on
whether health outcomes differ in people use both conventional
(anti-retrovirals and antibiotic prophylaxis) and AM vs. those who only
use conventional or only AM. The rate of AIDS-related opportunistic
infections and neoplasms in people using specific AM will be compared to
the incidence in those who only use conventional medical treatment.
Results: Recruitment began in October 1995. We have enrolled
60 clinical recruitment sites into our practitioner network. These sites
are located throughout the US. Treatments offered by the 60 clinics fall
within at least of the five AM program area. Each clinic is treating an
average of 100 HIV+ patients. To date, 105 HIV+ individuals have
enrolled (87% men, 13% women).
Conclusion: Both alternative medical practitioners and HIV+
men and women using alternative therapies are collaborating with the
Center in order to evaluate health outcomes associated with a diversity
of alternative therapies. An epidemiological, outcomes method for
assessing alternative medicine in HIV/AIDS is appropriate and
feasible.
