64
Views
11
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Articles

Integrating biomedical and CAM approaches: The experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS

Pages 410-418 | Received 29 Sep 2007, Accepted 21 Apr 2008, Published online: 17 Dec 2014
 

Abstract

This paper discusses the perspectives of 18 people who were living with HIV/AIDS in Melbourne, Australia, and who were using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) alongside biomedicine. I argue that although people may perceive the holistic focus of CAM to be more desirable than the more pathogenic focus of biomedicine, a holistic approach is also associated with limitations. In this study, participants were motivated to use CAM because of the perceived limitations of biomedicine and also because of a desire to have control over how their illness was managed. However the majority of participants were not interested in the philosophical principles of CAM, rather in whether these therapies were effective and manageable. These findings suggest that although people may hold different beliefs about CAM as compared with biomedicine, an approach to healthcare that has a practical focus on both clinical outcomes and patient wellbeing may be acceptable to most people.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.