Table 3.

Use of TCAM (Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine) for HIV in the past six months (N = 618)

			Use duration in weeks	Cost in Rand/month	Health care provider aware of use
	n	%	M (SD) [range]	M (SD) [range]	n (%)
Total TCAM usea	317	51.3
1. Herbal therapies	183	29.6
1a. Herbal therapies	177	28.6	12.1 (9.0) [1–48]	128 (189) [0–1000]	18 (10.2)
1b. Cannabis	23	3.7	38.1 (37.5) [1–140]	37.3 (90.5) [0–400]	0
2. Religious healing	217	35.1
2a. Spiritual practices or prayer	208	33.2	18.3 (10.1) [1–48]	0	69 (39.2)
2b. Faith healing methods	78	12.4	9.7 (9.5) [1–42]	24.4 (109.0) [0–500]	9 (18.4)
3. Physical/body-mind therapy	47	7.5
3a. Exercise	29	4.6	12.6 (9.2) [1–28]	1.1 (3.3) [0–10]	8 (30.8)
3b. Massage	7	1.1	8.5 (10.9) [1–24]	10.0 (17.3) [0–30]
3c. Therapeutic touch	6	1.0	10.0 (9.6) [2–24]	0
3d. Meditation	5	0.8	24.0 [24-24]	0
4. Micronutrients (vitamins, minerals & multivitamin)	266	42.9	16.5 (9.3) [1–48]	7.2 (69.1) [0–800]	227 (85.3)
5. Over-the-counter drugs	77	12.5	5.1 (6.4) [1–21]	4.3 (13.2) [1–99]	7 (10.9)

^a The use of micronutrients (42.9%) was excluded from TCAM since mostly vitamins were provided by the health facility