Dear Rachel and Valerie, Thank you very much for verifying my suspicions. Valerie's findings gave my reasoning a new interesting twist. You are right about probiotics (they call them ferments over there) and eubiotics (which are referred to as bacteriophages). It's hard to find equivalents for English terminology especially when in the US as a LLL leader I never come across such bizarre practices. Russians are notorious for bombarding you with heavy med terminology, that most of the time sounds intelligent, but if you start digging into it, usually, it is nothing but nonsense. Surprisingly, most of the articles on Medline on dysbacteriosis originate in the former USSR. I will try to find where the term comes from. I suspect it is just a general term for various GIT diseases. In the West diagnosis is more specific, eneterocolitis, botulism, food poisoning (bacteria that caused it may be mentioned), etc. However all this can't be applied to BF babies, just because their stools look not like those of an AF baby or an adult. I was very puzzled that so many babies are started on probiotics from birth and what they are given (Bifidum and Lacto bacteria) is usually found in intestinal flora of BF babies anyway. A lot of times probiotics are given to BF babies to help them recover from a course of antibiotics. Again, I think, doctors are trying to apply treatment methods that are suitable for other groups of people, but BF babies. I had one occasion when a completely healthy baby with nice yellow stools was tested and no bifidum bacteria was found in babies gut. I find it very hard to believe. Of course, the baby was prescribed probiotics to treat the problem, when the problem didn't exist. I can go on and on forever. This is something that was disturbing me for two years. I am glad I finally confirmed my suspicions. Natalie Wilson. NC, USA *********************************************** The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html