Document 1080
 DOCN  M94A1080
 TI    Press coverage of alternative therapies for AIDS: an uphill battle for
       credibility.
 DT    9412
 AU    Baez-Villasenor J; Muniz M; Trevino A; Nunez S; Slive S; Montiel A; del
       Rio C; CONASIDA (National AIDS Council), Mexico D.F., Mexico.
 SO    Int Conf AIDS. 1994 Aug 7-12;10(2):213 (abstract no. PB0867). Unique
       Identifier : AIDSLINE ICA10/94371495
 AB    OBJECTIVE: Conventional therapies such as AZT are not always available,
       affordable or appealling to patients in Mexico. Because it is the lay
       press that publishes most information about alternative therapies we
       conducted a follow-up of newspaper coverage about AIDS, analyzing notes
       about alternative therapies. METHODS: Newspaper follow-up conducted
       between January 1991 and December 1993 on the ten most important
       newspapers in Mexico. Those dealing with alternative therapies were
       divided by categories. RESULTS: A total of 9,564 articles about AIDS
       were published during the study period, of these, 212 (2.2%) were about
       alternative therapies. These articles dealt with several products
       including Tlacote water (126), herbal extracts (55), animal products
       (8), electricity and magnetism (6), minerals (3) and acupuncture (2).
       DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Although only 2.2% of the AIDS information
       in newspaper in the last three years promote alternative therapies or
       magical cures, repetitive mentions on any of them (126 notes about
       Tlacote water or 55 about Herbal extracts) are able to modify public
       opinion and increase patient's expectations so as to lead PWA's to
       relinquish traditional treatment in favor of such known alternative
       therapies. Many of them even prey on patient hopes and make them waste
       not only money but valuable treatment time.
 DE    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*THERAPY  *Alternative Medicine
       Human  Mexico  *Newspapers  MEETING ABSTRACT

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).