Roadmap to HIV Therapies

Explore Your Beliefs About Therapy

Use your beliefs and fears about therapy as a prompt to help you get a solid grip on the facts around your therapeutic options. Challenge your beliefs and reconcile them with the facts as you make your decision.

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Explore, examine and challenge your beliefs about therapy.

Most people have concerns and fears about starting therapies, be they anti-HIV therapies or complementary herbal therapies. Learning about that therapy can sometimes lessen your concerns and help you decide whether it's right for you. Consider how it might impact your lifestyle and whether any dietary restrictions may be a problem. Learn about potential side effects and prepare for them, should they occur.

In exploring your beliefs about a therapy, you might find that you have come to a conclusion based on personal fears or rumors. Grounding yourself in knowledge, rather than fears, and challenging possibly unfounded beliefs that might be clouding your decision-making is critical. Challenging your beliefs and seeking their roots is important. Personal experience and knowledge about a given therapy is far better information to inform decision-making than fears or conjecture.

With that said, however, if you truly believe that a particular approach may be more harmful to you than its potential benefits, you might be better off considering another option. You can always revisit that decision at a later time. Don't reject what you believe about therapy when it comes to making your decision.  Your beliefs have a place in the decision-making process, and should weigh in with other considerations and a solid grasp of the facts.

Adapted from: www.projectinform.org