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Feeling healthier in Thailand

3665 Views 24 Replies 9 Participants Last post by  Acid_Crow, 
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Hi,

I just come back from one month holiday in Thailand. I am in good health and in good shape but I have noticed improvements in the small ailments that I have. My small muscle pain (no known causes) completely vanished as well as my small back pain. I felt full of energy all the time. I am 50 years old but I really felt like 30 years old while I was there. Now that I am back to Canada, I have found my old self again:( I cannot wait to go back to Thailand.

Have you notice health improvement when you moved to Thailand? Is it the weather or could it be the Thai and oil massage that I had almost every day.

Thanks,

Bulgakov
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Acid_Crow
I've talked to some older expats in my area, that say they feel much better in LoS than they do back home. One man said he has problems breathing when he visits his family in Sweden. Because of the cold, dry air, he says.

For me, I'm not sure. I have a 'stressed' heart, it beats faster than it should for short periods of time every now and then. It's not dangerous, but very uncomfortable. Anyways, when in Thailand, I get these episodes much more often than otherwise. I guess it's because of the heat.

Other than that, I do feel better while in LoS. The weather, the smiling people, the massages and mostly the fact that I am on holiday gives me a big mental boost. And when I'm happy, I will ofcourse also feel healthy. :D
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Acid crow,I think you mention an important issue.
Most people,when talking about Thailand,are either on holiday or retired.
In normal situations an healthy and relaxed way of life.
If,besides that,you don't spend your whole day in a bar,then you have a recipe for a good and healthy life.
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Yes definitely agree - I'm not so sure that the tropical climate is beneficial to health, especially if you're living in a polluted area like Bangkok, or even Chiang Mai these days. But relaxing, leaving the stresses and strains behind, made me feel just great during my first stay. It wasn't so much a holiday because there wasn't the rush of a short visit - it was for the best part of a year. So plenty of time to unwind, a comfortable budget, massages every day, good company, no deadlines, good food... bliss :)
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Acid_Crow said:
I've talked to some older expats in my area, that say they feel much better in LoS than they do back home. One man said he has problems breathing when he visits his family in Sweden. Because of the cold, dry air, he says.

For me, I'm not sure. I have a 'stressed' heart, it beats faster than it should for short periods of time every now and then. It's not dangerous, but very uncomfortable. Anyways, when in Thailand, I get these episodes much more often than otherwise. I guess it's because of the heat.

Other than that, I do feel better while in LoS. The weather, the smiling people, the massages and mostly the fact that I am on holiday gives me a big mental boost. And when I'm happy, I will ofcourse also feel healthy. :D
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This is a good point about the difference between relaxing in Thailand and working there. I found Thailand to be impossible to work in because most of the time as nice as they are, they are dealing with technology about which they have no concept of how it works, the hazards or how to make it work. Even the simplest of things seemed to be hard work, like each Friday I had to remind my driver to fill up the truck with fuel because I used it at the weekend and we got fuel on an account. He could never remember and I wanted to throttle him, but instead we just did the ‘oh aren't we silly ‘stupid giggle’ and he forgot again next week. That's why for me Thailand is only for when I am in between contracts (somewhere else) and holidays - and then I do feel better of course.:(:)
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A large part of my reasons for coming back here to Rayong are health related. Around the day I got back to Australia from Thailand in late 2006, I copped a bite from a mosquito that came with a dose of Ross River Virus; I've been sick as a dog for three years, and most days, barely able to stand up after around 11am in the morning.

Exhausting as it has been since packing my suitcase and cleaning the old apartment in Au, and then getting on the midnight flight and all the rigmarole of settling in back here over these past two weeks, I'm managing to stay a lot more active throughout the mornings and some afternoons, and still getting showered and out for dinner at sunset, while the past three years back in Australia, this would have caused much greater symptoms in the way of headaches and fevers courtesy of Ross River Virus.

Another one was when I came back in 2006. I had a rather nasty battle with a Toyota in 2005 here in Thailand, and ended up back in Australia for six months to recover from head/abdominal injuries, and whiplash.

I made it to the plane at the end of April 2006, still with annoying whiplash that prevented me from turning my head very far, or raising/lowering the same. After three days walking around in the traffic on the streets of Nonthaburi, The whiplash was gone. Is it the tropical climate or a case of mind over matter? Maybe this time it's a little more like 'heart over matter' for I have missed this wonderful place greatly over the past three years. Whatever the cure, it does seem to work, although it's possibly to do with the necessity of being so active, if not some miraculous geographical wonder.
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Sean Moran said:
A large part of my reasons for coming back here to Rayong are health related. Around the day I got back to Australia from Thailand in late 2006, I copped a bite from a mosquito that came with a dose of Ross River Virus; I've been sick as a dog for three years, and most days, barely able to stand up after around 11am in the morning.

Exhausting as it has been since packing my suitcase and cleaning the old apartment in Au, and then getting on the midnight flight and all the rigmarole of settling in back here over these past two weeks, I'm managing to stay a lot more active throughout the mornings and some afternoons, and still getting showered and out for dinner at sunset, while the past three years back in Australia, this would have caused much greater symptoms in the way of headaches and fevers courtesy of Ross River Virus.

Another one was when I came back in 2006. I had a rather nasty battle with a Toyota in 2005 here in Thailand, and ended up back in Australia for six months to recover from head/abdominal injuries, and whiplash.

I made it to the plane at the end of April 2006, still with annoying whiplash that prevented me from turning my head very far, or raising/lowering the same. After three days walking around in the traffic on the streets of Nonthaburi, The whiplash was gone. Is it the tropical climate or a case of mind over matter? Maybe this time it's a little more like 'heart over matter' for I have missed this wonderful place greatly over the past three years. Whatever the cure, it does seem to work, although it's possibly to do with the necessity of being so active, if not some miraculous geographical wonder.
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Dude that was an unlucky situation, good on you for beating the odds. I do find Thailand relaxing and maybe if you are sick that helps. I do know that I almost enjoy being sick in Thailand because I get so pampered by my wife and her sisters and friends there is zero motivation or rush to recover.
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happy bunny said:
This is a good point about the difference between relaxing in Thailand and working there. I found Thailand to be impossible to work in because...
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As someone who has lived and worked in Thailand since 1998 (with 2 short leaves), I find that I always have felt much better while in Thailand. I've just returned to the U.S. this September and find myself feeling tired and far more 'aged' here. Honestly, my diet here has something to do with that, but there seems to be more that I cannot put my finger on.

True, there were many times while working in Thailand where frustrations goggled the mind, but I found them minor once getting the swing of things.
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Acid_Crow said:
I've talked to some older expats in my area, that say they feel much better in LoS than they do back home. One man said he has problems breathing when he visits his family in Sweden. Because of the cold, dry air, he says.

For me, I'm not sure. I have a 'stressed' heart, it beats faster than it should for short periods of time every now and then. It's not dangerous, but very uncomfortable. Anyways, when in Thailand, I get these episodes much more often than otherwise. I guess it's because of the heat.

Other than that, I do feel better while in LoS. The weather, the smiling people, the massages and mostly the fact that I am on holiday gives me a big mental boost. And when I'm happy, I will ofcourse also feel healthy. :D
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Acid_Crow,

You might want to visit a cardiologist about your arythmia. It may not be serious BUT it could be very serious. There are treatments for this condition and now is the time to be inquisitive.

Essentially arythmia is caused by electrical impulse irregularities to the heart. It could speed the heart up or slow it down - or even stop it. Get a checkup soon or else we might not have you around to kick! ;)

Serendipity2
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Serendipity2 said:
Acid_Crow,

You might want to visit a cardiologist about your arythmia. It may not be serious BUT it could be very serious. There are treatments for this condition and now is the time to be inquisitive.

Essentially arythmia is caused by electrical impulse irregularities to the heart. It could speed the heart up or slow it down - or even stop it. Get a checkup soon or else we might not have you around to kick! ;)

Serendipity2
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Had it checked a couple of months ago. Doctor basically just said; "Come back if it gets worse". And it hasn't. So I havn't.

Thanks for caring though :)
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Acid_Crow said:
Had it checked a couple of months ago. Doctor basically just said; "Come back if it gets worse". And it hasn't. So I havn't.

Thanks for caring though :)
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Acid_Crow,

Glad to hear that but I think I would seek a second opinion given you only have one heart.

I would seriously consider, were it me [it was a few years back] an angiogram where they place a dye in the bloodstream and view the course of the dye through the heart. If there is a blockage it can be handled by angioplasy where they open the restricted area and place a stent into the space. In the mean time, if you're not allergic I would advise taking aspirin [real aspirin] daily. It keeps the blood slightly thinner than 'normal'. The reason is that, in terms of length, most blood flows through capillaries which allow one blood cell at a time. Many are in the brain [possibility of a stroke] and around the heart [heart attack] so it's cheap insurance. Not for those under 16 years of age however.

Another preventative assist is to drink a glass of red [not white or 'blush'] wine daily OR a glass of red grape juice. Either will do the same thing. There is a chemical in the pigment of the skin of the red grape that keeps the blood platelets from sticking to one another. Imagine two blood cells riding piggyback, trying to get through a capillary. Not good. Good luck and I hope you do get a second opinion. I'd find THE BEST heart doc in town and go see him. This is not the time to get the cheap doc. :)

Serendipity2
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Acid_Crow
Serendipity2 said:
Acid_Crow,

Glad to hear that but I think I would seek a second opinion given you only have one heart.

I would seriously consider, were it me [it was a few years back] an angiogram where they place a dye in the bloodstream and view the course of the dye through the heart. If there is a blockage it can be handled by angioplasy where they open the restricted area and place a stent into the space. In the mean time, if you're not allergic I would advise taking aspirin [real aspirin] daily. It keeps the blood slightly thinner than 'normal'. The reason is that, in terms of length, most blood flows through capillaries which allow one blood cell at a time. Many are in the brain [possibility of a stroke] and around the heart [heart attack] so it's cheap insurance. Not for those under 16 years of age however.

Another preventative assist is to drink a glass of red [not white or 'blush'] wine daily OR a glass of red grape juice. Either will do the same thing. There is a chemical in the pigment of the skin of the red grape that keeps the blood platelets from sticking to one another. Imagine two blood cells riding piggyback, trying to get through a capillary. Not good. Good luck and I hope you do get a second opinion. I'd find THE BEST heart doc in town and go see him. This is not the time to get the cheap doc. :)

Serendipity2
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Again, thanks for the care. I will definetly get a big check-up, with all kinds of heart tests and whatnots, sometime in the future. But for now, I'll just do what I always do; Ignore it and hope it goes away! :)

The aspirin thing I've wanted to try for a while. I can get aspirin at the local pharmacy, right? They seem to have everything else anyways.

Im not a big wine-drinker, but i will make sure to drink more beer, as I'm convinced it has the same effect! :p
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Acid_Crow said:
Again, thanks for the care. I will definetly get a big check-up, with all kinds of heart tests and whatnots, sometime in the future. But for now, I'll just do what I always do; Ignore it and hope it goes away! :)

The aspirin thing I've wanted to try for a while. I can get aspirin at the local pharmacy, right? They seem to have everything else anyways.

Im not a big wine-drinker, but i will make sure to drink more beer, as I'm convinced it has the same effect! :p
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The doctors changed their minds about asprin now they say do not take it regulary because it causes internal bleeding. The thing about doctors is if you ignore their advice eventually they decide they were wrong and it turned out you were doing the right thing all along.:(
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Acid_Crow said:
Again, thanks for the care. I will definetly get a big check-up, with all kinds of heart tests and whatnots, sometime in the future. But for now, I'll just do what I always do; Ignore it and hope it goes away! :)

The aspirin thing I've wanted to try for a while. I can get aspirin at the local pharmacy, right? They seem to have everything else anyways.

Im not a big wine-drinker, but i will make sure to drink more beer, as I'm convinced it has the same effect! :p
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Acid_Crow,

If you can afford it, I would recommend getting a stress test done. They put you on a treadmill and increase the speed of the infernal contraption as they gradually increase the incline of the treadmill and run you like a dog until you run out of gas and collapse. Seriously! During that time you've all sorts of wiring on you to record your heart beat. From the printout of the test a well trained cardiologist can tell if you've had a heart attack [yes, you can, and not know it] or are in imminent danger of having one. We've got to keep you alive - who else are we going to kick around? ;)

As for aspirin - you want plain [and cheap] aspirin. You can get Bayer brand but not necessary. What IS necessary is that it's aspirin not some of the other medication. Aspirin is acetylsalicylic acid and has been around for over 100 years. Docs don't like to prescribe it because IT IS cheap AND effective. They would much rather sell you a prescription drug costing 100x the price of aspirin. All you need is 1/4 or 1/2 of a 325 mg tablet a day. You should be able to buy a bottle of at least 250 tablets for under $3-$4.

You may have trouble getting red grape juice [like Welch's concord grape juice] or red wine in Thailand but if you can that's what you should try for. There is something in the pigment of red grapes that keeps the blood platelets from sticking together. And you only need a small amount daily - even 1/3 of a glass or so should do the trick. If you can't get the red grape juice or red wine a beer is better than nothing BUT one beer is better than two or more which can actually hurt your health. Interestingly, one drink per day is even better than no drinks per day. That little bit of alcohol is beneficial but not more than that or it becomes "unbeneficial". My medical bill is being forwarded under separate cover. ;)

Old Doc Serendipity2
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happy bunny said:
The doctors changed their minds about asprin now they say do not take it regulary because it causes internal bleeding. The thing about doctors is if you ignore their advice eventually they decide they were wrong and it turned out you were doing the right thing all along.:(
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happy bunny,

There are a very few people who shouldn't take aspirin AND all under the age of 16 years of age [Reye's syndrome] but overwhelmingly most do benefit from aspirin. Interestingly, women have more strokes and heart attacks than men, but their symptoms are different. Again, the medical community is about making money. LOTS of money and they don't make any money from aspirin due to it being cheap yet effective.

There is a ton of information on the Internet about the pro's and con's of using aspiring but most is very positive. It's like a bee sting. Most of us will have no lasting effects from a bee sting but a tiny few will die from anaphylactic shock. If in doubt, take a small portion for awhile and see if there are any side effects. There shouldn't be but it IS possible. Anything can kill you if you take too much.

Even water can kill you if you drink too much of it - you die from a condition called hyponatremia. It's referred to as water intoxication and a person dies from washing out all of the electrolyte in the blood. Without that electrolyte our nervous system and the heart can't function properly. While rare it does occur every year. One can even die drinking an ice cold beverage after extremely hard work where the body temperature has elevated. Salt - can't live without it but the two minerals that make up salt are each a deadly poison if taken separately.
In the end, if one thing don't get you the other will, but we can [hopefully] delay that which is inevitable - and have a good time doing it! :)

Serendipity2
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Serendipity2 said:
happy bunny,

There are a very few people who shouldn't take aspirin AND all under the age of 16 years of age [Reye's syndrome] but overwhelmingly most do benefit from aspirin. Interestingly, women have more strokes and heart attacks than men, but their symptoms are different. Again, the medical community is about making money. LOTS of money and they don't make any money from aspirin due to it being cheap yet effective.

There is a ton of information on the Internet about the pro's and con's of using aspiring but most is very positive. It's like a bee sting. Most of us will have no lasting effects from a bee sting but a tiny few will die from anaphylactic shock. If in doubt, take a small portion for awhile and see if there are any side effects. There shouldn't be but it IS possible. Anything can kill you if you take too much.

Even water can kill you if you drink too much of it - you die from a condition called hyponatremia. It's referred to as water intoxication and a person dies from washing out all of the electrolyte in the blood. Without that electrolyte our nervous system and the heart can't function properly. While rare it does occur every year. One can even die drinking an ice cold beverage after extremely hard work where the body temperature has elevated. Salt - can't live without it but the two minerals that make up salt are each a deadly poison if taken separately.
In the end, if one thing don't get you the other will, but we can [hopefully] delay that which is inevitable - and have a good time doing it! :)

Serendipity2
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Absolutely have a good time doing it, that's my moto.
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Acid_Crow
Serendipity2 said:
... but we can [hopefully] delay that which is inevitable - and have a good time doing it! :)
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Too bad delaying the inevitable isn't as fun as speeding it up! :eyebrows:
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Acid_Crow said:
Too bad delaying the inevitable isn't as fun as speeding it up! :eyebrows:
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Acid_Crow,

I'm not so sure! The longer I can prolong the inevitable the more wine, women and song I can recklessly indulge in. I guess it's a choice between having a BLAST as you head to the Great Beyond or feathering your props a bit and making the adventure last a LOT longer. Once it's no longer fun, however, it's time to exit, stage left! Or right!! :)

Serendipity2
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Acid_Crow
A wise man once said;

Serendipity2 said:
The longer I can prolong the inevitable the more wine, women and song I can recklessly indulge in.

Serendipity2
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hehe, this is what I'll be telling my kids one day :D



Though, I don't agree.. as my tatoo says; "Live forever, or die young"
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Acid_Crow said:
A wise man once said;



hehe, this is what I'll be telling my kids one day :D



Though, I don't agree.. as my tatoo says; "Live forever, or die young"
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Acid_Crow,

I think the first option is near impossible although I'm going to give it a hell of a try. But I've not yet met one human that escaped this world alive so chances are slim. [I AM willing to be the first, however] As for dying young, I'm afraid I've way too many miles on me for that. It COULD have been an option years ago and Lord knows I gave the Grim Reaper many a shot at me between SCUBA diving in the South China Sea with banded sea snakes, too many years of skydiving and WAY too many nights navigating home after too many drinks under my belt.

Another motto could be, "Live fast, love hard, die young and leave a beautiful memory" but again, I failed that as well. Didn't have the filthy lucre to live fast, women were WAY too smart for me to love enough of them hard, I'm a bit too long in the tooth to die young and who really cares about leaving a beautiful memory. ;)
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