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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Bei-Hung Chang¹, Ulrike Boehmer¹, Yue Zhao¹, and Elizabeth A. Sommers, MPH, LicAc². (1) Health Services, Boston University School of Public Health, 150 S. Huntington Ave. (152H), Building 9, Boston, MA 02130, 857-364-2260, bhchang@bu.edu, (2) Research Dept., Pathways to Wellness, 142 Berkeley St. - 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02116

Objective: To examine the combined effects of acupuncture and the RR on improving the quality of life (QoL) of HIV/AIDS patients.

Methods: We conducted a two-arm double-blind randomized controlled trial in an acupuncture clinic in Boston. Of 160 patients who were approached, 15 refused, and 145 were screened (July 2003 to September 2004). Among the 145 screened patients, 119 (mean age 46 years, 85% male) agreed to participate and were randomized into intervention (N=58) and control (N=61) groups. While receiving acupuncture treatment, the intervention group wore earphones to listen to tapes with instructions to elicit the RR as well as soft music that was routinely played in the clinic; the control group listened only to soft music. Three multi-dimensional QoL scales were measured at baseline, 4-week, 8-week, and 12-week follow-ups.

Results: Forty-eight of the intervention group and 52 of the control group had at least one follow-up outcome measure for analysis (intention to treat). Results from fitting the longitudinal data into a mixed effects model indicated that both groups showed trends of improvement over time in the QoL measures. Statistically significant improvement, however, was evident mainly in the intervention group, particularly in the dimensions of emotional (p=.00007), function global well-being (p=.02), mental (p=.006), and peace/spiritual (p=.018) QoL. In the control group the only significant improvement was observed in the emotional dimension of QoL (p=.007).

Conclusions: We demonstrated in this trial that the relaxation response had added effects above and beyond acupuncture in improving QoL of HIV/AIDS patients.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Articulate about how to evaluate the enhanced effect of the relaxation response
• 2. List the multiple dimensions of quality of life used to evaluate the enhanced effect of the relaxation response
• 3. Describe the enhanced effect of the Relaxation Response on quality of life in HIV/AIDS patients treated with acupuncture.

Keywords: Alternative Medicine/Therapies, HIV/AIDS

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation