1) No one has ever explained to me the point where an "antibiotic" (bad for "bad" bacteria) is a "probiotic" (good for "good" bacteria). Its a "glass half full or half empty" kind of comparison.
2) It seems there is an overall lack of knowledge on how both work, exactly, and rather bogus marketing sets in (big medical loves the antibiotic, but overused and dangers soft-peddled?).
3) I'm from a dairy family and we drank raw milk (from our own cow) for a few years. Neither side of the "pasteurized vs raw" can exactly explain the workings. My own belief is that lactobacillus and other lesser known bacteria surviving in raw milk create a great "climate" for the positive bacteria, since the "genetic probiotics" (essentially antibody tuning that comes from Mom, from her acquired survival) are only in "first milk" (that from the first few days). In any case, calves left on their Mom for several months are hecka healthy , but annoying to the Mom (I've witnessed many times). What's happening is calf needs to live own life, start acquiring its own unique defenses (which may not exactly be Mom's)
4) It seems the "right gut flora" is highly individualized, in other words different for different people. Some predestined to be thin or fat (kinda like genetics), may be evolutionary things at work.
5) In conclusion, some bacteria always bad (salmonella, e coli, etc) but preponderance of "good" bacteria generally keep them at bay (Mom's milk an example, but diminishing returns?). Fermented sauerkraut, raw milk (w high quality control) helpful but how much so? In what amounts? No one really knows.
6) Like I always said w our free range hens, "sunlight and fresh air are good, but that won't keep some of the really bad boys away (ie Marek's and Newcastles disease in poultry). Some really bad-ass bacteria don't care how much kefir or kimchi you've had?
7) Much variety among "antibiotics", most don't lay waste to entire gut flora (it depends), if they did they might kill the patient. I suppose they "tip the balance" so that good bacteria can prevail. Once again, no one is quite sure how this works, or when a probiotic is an antibiotic, or vice-versa!
