Points to remember about complementary therapies

Complementary therapies will not solve your health or life problems, so be realistic in your expectations of what they can deliver. For example, question whether your chosen therapy will help control your symptoms or side-effects, or simply make them easier to live with.

Complementary treatments don’t have the same methods of rigorous regulation and control as conventional medicine. For this reason, treat with suspicion the claims made about the effectiveness of any therapy you are considering.

Just like conventional medicine, complementary therapies can have side-effects or can even be dangerous. What’s more, herbal remedies can interact with anti-HIV drugs. For example, the herbal treatment for depression, St John’s wort, can reduce levels of protease inhibitors and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) in the blood. Large doses of vitamin C can lower blood concentrations of the protease inhibitor indinavir (Crixivan), and large doses of garlic supplements have been shown to reduce the level of the protease inhibitor saquinavir (Invirase) and NNRTIs. Just because a treatment is 'natural' doesn’t mean that it’s automatically safe or risk-free.