| While there has been much contribution made by medical anthropology research and theory in the areas of AIDS education/prevention, there has been little in terms of theory building with regard to the cultural and psychological effects of pharmaceuticals on persons living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs). The effects of pharmaceuticals is a growing concern in the lives of PHAs. The number of new HIV-related drugs has rapidly increased over the past five years, particularly in the West. Protease inhibitors specifically have had many dramatic effects on the fives of PHAs, not all of which are positive. In this study, I explore how the perceptions of PHAs in Nova Scotia have changed since the release of protease inhibitors. I also examine how PHAs cope with the many inconsistent and temporary effects of these drugs. This study illustrates that decisions of compliance, as well as expectations and perceptions of efficacy, are not just informed by biomedicine but are culturally informed by the body that is "in-the-world". By examining the local perceptions of those who take the HIV related drugs, the reader also becomes aware of the broader political economic pressures of the pharmaceutical industry which threaten the well-being of PHAs. As protease inhibitors are released into developing countries there is great potential for harm given the misuse of Western pharmaceuticals (overmedication, self medication) the range of other health problems in addition to HIV and the lack of well-developed community-based support structures for PHAs as in the West. Thus, this thesis outlines a growing "space" needing further illumination by anthropological method and theory. |
