There certainly is a major divide between natural and pharma, and perhaps it's by design. (Or maybe not? Just a natural evolution of humankinds divided thinking? Is this just diversity in thinking or a divide purposely caused by people? Interesting topic)

I don't know. I go with the theory of habit and with what attitude one was raised and influenced during childhood. For instance, my mom was a typical self treater. She used homemade medicine and treatments known through the generations, when she got sick and so do I. The rest is taking time and resting until I feel better. Occasionally I tried orthodox medicines but I cannot say whether they worked better or not, for I was never in a life threatening situation.

To live and let live for me is the best concept anyway, you are right.

Policing ones own mind is something which I think, happens, only without being aware of it. It becomes difficult when there is awareness and one has the impression that it would be dangerous to speak out loud what one thinks inwardly. It's also a difference, if I say something in an intimate setting or doing it openly on mass media. There, one may be taken by the word, but how much is ones word worth, if it is ripped out of a context or it remains unclear whether what one published is not a contradiction towards something one said earlier?

A doctor patient setting is a relationship in my view. The relationship and how one feels towards each other is already something influencing the healing process. A human is not a single thing but embedded within the social experiences he has/perceives and the mindset he maintains. It's also a matter of trust in both directions. No superiors involved. I think, it's neither the patient/doc alone, nor the medicine alone, nor the circumstances alone but a mixture of everything, multi reasons for a person, being sick or well.

The problem of this way of thinking for the orthodoxy is that you cannot pin a single causality towards a patients sickness, but obviously that's what people like to do and hear. They want clarity about their condition and established meds and docs deliver this desire. ... I know for sure that chemicals work, that they make me feel better and that one certainly gets reliable results when you measure blood and stuff but that does not say something about the state of being on a mental basis. What is meanwhile commonly known, is, that meds treat the symptoms but not necessarrily are healing.

That is something I find disturbing and I critique it.

... that answer got long :)