Andrea L. Mulkins*, Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco, Dave Boyack and Marja J. Verhoef The Living Well Lab: a community-based HIV/AIDS research initiative Abstract Background: Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is becoming a pillar in the rehabilitative efforts for many living with HIV/AIDS. A community-based research program called the Living Well Lab (LWL) was established in 2007, operating out of Friends For Life (FFL), a non-profit wellness center in Vancouver, Canada offering free CAM therapies to people living with HIV/AIDS. Therapies range from naturopathy to yoga. The LWL partnered with academic and community organizations to evaluate CAM use and changes in health and quality of life outcomes of FFL’s HIV þ members. Methods: A longitudinal, combined methods approach assessed the health- and quality-of-life-related outcomes and experiences of CAM users. Participants completed outcome packages (5 time points) over 18 months, which focused on changes in physical and emotional states, satisfaction with services and social support. Interviews were conducted at baseline, 9- and 18-month time points. Quantitative analyses were descriptive while content analysis and thematic coding were used in the qualitative analysis. Results: Two hundred and seven members enrolled in the LWL. Quantitative data demonstrated improvement in mental and physical wellbeing, social support and patient satisfaction specifically: SF-12, Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale and three visual analog scales (stress, pain and energy). Participants felt several factors contributed to these changes such as managing anxiety, accepting their illness, learning to relax, an increased capacity for self-care and social support. Conclusions: CAM use may be associated with changes to physical, social and mental wellbeing. Issues throughout the study provided important lessons for future research. Keywords: community-based research, complementary/ alternative therapies, HIV/AIDS DOI 10.1515/jcim-2013-0057 Received October 31, 2013; accepted April 10, 2014; previously published online May 20, 2014 Introduction Increasingly HIV/AIDS has been reframed from an acute to a chronic disease [1, 2]. As a chronic disease, the emphasis is on improving wellbeing, quality of life (QOL) and rehabilitation rather than finding a cure for HIV/AIDS. This means that in addition to conventional treatment modalities, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) plays an important role in HIV/AIDS treatment and care [3, 4]. CAM is defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) [5] as “a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices and products, that are not currently part of conventional medicine”, that include systems such as homeopathic medicine, naturo- pathic medicine or traditional Chinese medicine; prac- tices such as mind–body practices, massage and energy therapies that involve the use of energy fields and pro- ducts such as herbs, foods and vitamins. Beneficial impacts of CAM on the health and wellness of people living with HIV/AIDS (PWAs) include: enhanced immune response, reduction in symptoms and side effects from conventional therapies, less emo- tional stress, increased sense of control and improved QOL [6–11]. As CAM has become more accepted, a stron- ger emphasis is being placed on the integration of CAM with conventional medical approaches to better address the mental, emotional and physical aspects of the healing process [12, 13]. In spite of the growing popularity and acceptance of CAM, little evidence of the impact of community-based CAM programs on overall health and wellbeing of PWAs currently exists. This prompted a number of academic and community AIDS services organizations to form a partnership to assess through a participatory commu- nity-based process whether CAM use among PWAs were associated with a change in symptoms, health and QOL. *Corresponding author: Andrea L. Mulkins, Departments of Community Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, E-mail: amulkins@telus.net Francisco Ibáñez-Carrasco, Ontario HIV Treatment Network, Toronto, ON, Canada Dave Boyack, Vancouver, BC, Canada Marja J. Verhoef, Departments of Community Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada J Complement Integr Med. 2014; 11(3): 213–222 Brought to you by | University of Connecticut Authenticated Download Date | 5/30/15 2:07 AM