The centre, at Melbourne’s La Trobe University, has commenced a research project into positive people’s experiences with complementary and alternative medicine and with conventional western medicine. This is not a clinical trial, but a social research project which will use interviews to understand the ways that use of complementary medicine affects attitudes to conventional medicine, and vice-versa. Participants will be interviewed for 1–2 hours at a location of their own choice.
Initially the study will be conducted in Victoria only, but if further funding can be obtained the centre hopes to make the study national. People interested in participating in this study should phone Sean Slavin on (03) 9285 5302 or email s.slavin@latrobe.edu.au. People outside Victoria can leave their contact details for future contact if the study expands nationally.
The Futures 3 survey found that 51 percent of positive men and 67 percent of positive women used complementary and alternative treatments. A significant majority of positive people (79 percent of men and 95 percent of women) believe such therapies can increase wellbeing and about half believe they can delay the onset of illness due to HIV.
