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ACRIA Update
Summer 1999 - Vol. 8 No. 3
Complementary Medicine and HIV: A New Age
Contents
Complementary Medicine and HIV: A New Age
Times were when believers in conventional Western medicine and acolytes of the kind of medicine
variously called "traditional," "natural," or otherwise "alternative," snarled at each other from
opposite sides of a vast ravine when it came to the treatment of HIV and AIDS. Those on one
side sneered at the idea that such "New Age" snake oil could keep HIV-positive people healthy or
slow the progress of AIDS. Those on the other side eschewed the often harsh toxicities of the
largely ineffective first monotherapies created by Western medicine and took the "natural"
route - figuring that, at very least, it would make daily life easier.
Enter protease inhibitors, which, used along with older drugs, have scored Western medicine's first
big points against HIV/AIDS. Unconventional therapies have gained renewed popularity in the
HIV/AIDS community as vital contributors to side effect management and quality of life for
PWLAs. Thus the term complementary medicine is now widely used to describe the role these
treatments play in working with, not instead of, a patient's standard drug regimen.
Presented neither as an endorsement nor a denouncement of complementary medicine, but as a
service to the many people in the PWLA community who have asked us to cover the subject, this
issue of ACRIA Update is both an exploration of and a practical user's companion to the current
state of complementary therapies. Guest-edited by Pamela Miles, an independent clinician,
educator, writer and researcher in the field of complementary medicine, it starts off with her
concise, comprehensive overview of the array of complementary therapies now available-including
information on how many of them can be accessed. Then Robert Schmehr, manager of
complementary therapy at the HIV/AIDS Center of St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital, looks at
HIV-oriented complementary therapy "in action" at sites around the country.
We also include an article that explores the relationship between complementary medicine and
western medical research-and specifically, why it's so hard for the Western medical establishment
to get what it most wants when it comes to complementary medicine and HIV-cold, hard facts
about its efficacy. We also include a "short list" of natural remedies for many (often HIV-related)
maladies, and a resource page to direct you to more products and services, many free to those
living with HIV/AIDS.
No matter what the reader thinks about the value of complementary medicines, a majority of those
who subscribe to these treatments firmly believe that they contribute to an increased sense of
well-being. We hope you enjoy the issue...and have a happy and healthful summer.
Editor's Notes
- All material in ACRIA Update is presented for educational and informational purposes
only, and is not intended as medical advice. All decisions regarding one's personal
treatment and therapy choices should be made in consultation with a physician.
- CRIA Update refers to all drugs by both their commercial and scientific names upon their
first reference in an article. Thereafter in the article, they will be identified with the name
by which we feel they are most commonly known, either commercial or scientific.
In Memoriam
David Seidner (1957-1999)
It is with great sadness that we report the death of longtime ACRIA board member David Seidner,
who lost his 15-year struggle against AIDS on Sunday, June 6th. In his all-too-brief 42 years, David
made a major impact on fashion photography with signature portraits that merged photography with
painting. However, it is his strong and ardent advocacy for increased AIDS research that will be
most missed by everyone at ACRIA. Although David's death is a sobering reminder that AIDS is still
claiming the lives of loved ones, his firm belief that careful science would one day bring an end to
this epidemic will continue to guide ACRIA's efforts.
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