I think some of the "alternative medicine" can have a positive emotional impact and sometimes minor positive physical ones (overall feeling better/more refreshed), but it's definitely not enough on its own

Well that's essentially the problem. Most people seek alternative medical treatment in lieu of conventional medicines and end up getting what amounts to nothing more than a glorified placebo. They spend crucial time when the disease actually can been treated swallowing pixie dust and ground up leprechaun turds instead of actual medicine and end up dying because of it. That's exactly what happened to Steve Jobs.

He's an idiot. If he's so desperate for non-commercially available treatments he could've signed up for a clinical trial that is controlled by FDA regulations. I don't understand the point of seeking alternative medication for HIV at this point in time, to be honest. The current treatments can be extremely effective at keeping the virus at bay. Didn't he claim to have undetectable levels of the virus anyways?