I was brought up believing in inoculations, antibiotics, and even iodine.
While doing the Hippie Trail back in the 70's, I stupidly sold off a pint of my blood in Kabul, Afghanistan and a week later I was hiking in the Himalayas for a couple of weeks and ended up with a case of anaemia which could have cost me my life. I did get back to Kathmandu and found an Ayurvedic doctor who properly diagnosed me and gave me some vile tasting medicine. In a few days, I returned to New Delhi where I solicited the help of an Allopathic/Homoeopathic practitioner who recommended drinking beer and joining a yoga ashram.
Because this lady was an Homoeopath, I bought a book about the subject - Homoeopathy is popular in India. I read about the founder, a German named Samuel Hahnemann. What I remember is he believed a couple of things: i.e. a cure works because it emulates the symptoms of an illness (he intentionally overdosed on quinine and discovered he had the same symptoms of Malaria - eureka!!!), and that less is more (potency is amassed by trituration, e.g. take one part of the chemical and add it to ten parts water and repeat the procedure two more times). I have grossly oversimplified this by leaving out succussing, etc.
I thought he was off his rocker until I met Homoeopaths much later in my life. Their genuine sincerity and faith is palpable. When my 14 year old cat was dying of kidney failure, I acquiesced to the recommendation of an Homoeopathic vet who gave her 3 months of grace before she succumbed.
Now, I routinely take doses of Arnica 30c for minor shocks or bruising - if it's severe, I'll take 200c. One may take 30c of Aconite within 24 hours of flu or cold symptoms to "nip it in the bud". Calendula 30c aids the healing of minor wounds. I recently took a consultation and it was a wonderful experience. We spent 2 hours talking about all the little things regarding me down to whether or not I have an affinity to salt, sweets, chillies, spices, hot, cold - it was also similar to a clinical psychological consultation. I didn't mind a bit.
Homoeopathy is supposed to address both the emotional as well as physical aspects of what is affecting us in order to give us a complete cure - not suppress the illness back into ourselves only to rear itself later. The theory is not yet considered a science; but, as an Allopathic General Practitioner said to me "I have no problem with alternative medicine if it works. And, if one of my patients has an ailment such as eczema for which I can only provide symptomatic relief; I will recommend a good Homoeopath".