----- Have you ever researched what strains of bacteria are most often found on "ripe" meat, and what role they play in the balance of our (human) intestinal flora? (Just curious. Having Crohn's, I have a tough time getting the good bugs to take up residence in my guts once again, but I have low stomach acid that doesn't do a good job of keeping out the bad bugs that often accompany the good bugs on raw stuff.) no, and have no interest to find out . for me there is no such thing as good bug or bad bug. There is a food web of microorganisms that are interdependant and All are important to create an healthy ecosystem .. to give you an analogy with the idea of pests in farming . one bug is eating your crop so it is a "bad " bug , if you find a second bug that eat the "bad" bug ,this second become a "good" bug . and if this second is eaten by a third the 3rd is a "bad" bug , and on and on along the food chain ,now if frog come by and eat the good bugs as well as the bad ,it is good or bad ? what about the bird who eat the good bugs but also fertilise the plant you are trying to protect by defecating on its root? etc....... do you get the picture? the food chain at the microscopic level is even more complex ( because more species) than at the macroscopic level .It is more truthfull to call it a food web and may be a 3 dimensional structure will be even more representative . health is certainly at the opposite of this tendancy to discriminate , to sort out things .in fact health have the same root than whole (hal). by wanting to eradicate the germs i am afraid that we are going to have to eradicate ourselves in the process. All forms of life and non life are INTERDEPENDANT. good luck in healing your inner ecosystem. jean-claude