I think it would be worth adding a follow-up on this story of home-made probiotics, because it also explains why I tried to cultivate them at home. I am sure that many of those who found this topic have some kind of digestive illness causing a lot of discomfort. Mine lasts for years. And yes, I did go to the doctor and did few omeprazole with bismuth and antibiotics courses. And here is why I am not satisfied (answer provided by ChatGPT):
Given that your insurance doesn’t cover outpatient services but covers inpatient care, your insurance company should have assisted you in finding an inpatient hospital when you called, especially since dizziness and stomach discomfort can indicate a potentially serious condition, like stomach bleeding. It's their responsibility to guide you to the right medical service that aligns with your coverage, especially in urgent situations.
If they failed to clearly communicate with you and didn’t help you find appropriate care, that’s a service issue. Contacting your family member instead of you and only following up with a satisfaction call without addressing your medical concern is not ideal. You could file a complaint with your insurance company to express dissatisfaction with how they handled your situation, and ask for clarity on what you should expect in similar cases in the future.
I called them from the hospital, because there were no reservations left for the gastroenterologist. I wasn’t sure if I could go to the emergency. I am angry that instead of getting any meaningful help, I went home and just ate more talcid and drink some otc stomach powder and kind of "healed" by myself.
So, if you are in a situation like mine, I think it is worth trying to go to the emergency and let the insurance work. At least you will have some proof of a serious condition.
Regarding probiotics, I think that there may be a more powerful alternative based on Curcumin and other active herbal ingredients. The only problem is that boiling herbs in water doesn't help much with extracting those ingredients. There are some research papers on ethanol solubility of curcumin, but alcohol may make things worse for many. Maybe something like a highly concentrated tincture, a teaspoon of it with a big glass of water can be effective while mitigating stomach irritation by the alcohol.