Globalres

9 minutes ago, Red Forever said:

I read Lewie’s astute, erudite post and agreed with it.

 I then cracked open a beer and sat back in anticipation of reading replies from the resident MAGA posters so I could have a good chuckle at their uninformed far right rants.

Guess what: thus far they dare not post a reply. Looks like you’ve got ‘em frit Lewie. 

I agree, very well written indeed.  No matter whether or not you’re a MAGA fan or not, the observations are astute. 

I guess a lot depends on the “how”.  For example, some who vape are “chasing clouds”, I think it’s called.  They have to really blow out tons of steam (it’s not smoke) which obviously people think of as harmful smoke.  I guess with smoking of any kind as well as vaping, if you’re out in public why not be discreet about it?  OK I know vaping is not allowed, which IMHO is ridiculous, it has helped many a cigarette smoker quit cigarettes.  
yes, cannabis does have a rather distinct smell about it, so there again, some polite and thoughtful smokers of weed could perhaps sit on one side at an open bar.  I really have no issue with the smell, if the guy/woman smoking it was there first, I can sit farther away.  Why are we so offended by everything these days?  What kind of society have we become?  We tend to police everyone, but when it turns on us, we are offended.  Ease up! 

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

What would I look for on Lazada? OPEP bears no results.

I just checked on Lazada.  If you search for OPEP, tons of different devices show up!

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

What would I look for on Lazada? OPEP bears no results.

The actual device is an oscillating positive expiratory pressure device.  It was a long time since I ordered.  Try exhale devices, lung health devices. I am quite sure they must make them here in Thailand too?  Below is from Google:

An Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) device is a handheld, drug-free device used to help clear mucus from the airways. It works by providing resistance during exhalation, which creates vibrations that help loosen and mobilize mucus, making it easier to cough up. 

 

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• How it works:

  OPEP devices create a slight resistance when you breathe out, which increases pressure in your airways and creates gentle vibrations. These vibrations help loosen mucus stuck to the airway walls, making it easier to clear. 

   
• Purpose:

  OPEP devices are commonly used for individuals with conditions that cause excessive mucus production, such as cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, and COPD. They can also be helpful for individuals with recurring lung infections. 

   
• Benefits:

  OPEP therapy can help reduce the risk of respiratory infections by clearing excess mucus, which can act as a breeding ground for bacteria. It can also improve breathing by making it easier to clear mucus. 

   
• Types:

  OPEP devices come in various forms, but a common example is the Aerobika, which is a hand-held, drug-free device. 

6 minutes ago, Globalres said:

I too have lost my confidence in allopathic docs these days.  Eg, many years ago I started researching on COPD, and eventually came across NAC.  Next time for a refill of my inhalers, I asked my doc about it, and he said it was a very good idea.  Why on earth did he not suggest this himself many years earlier?  Furthermore, I started using a lung exercise device, called Airofit, used by athletes as well as people with lung issues.  I use this every day for about 15 mins.  It has increased my lung capacity, and I am able to control my breathing extremely well.  Again, I mentioned this to my doc, and he just said there are many similar devices in Thailand.  So why did he not mention this a long time ago?  The only thing he was good at was increasing the strength of my corticosteroids, which in fact, in retrospect was not necessary and in fact contributed to my bone loss.   Allopathic medicine is great for acute problems, heart attacks, stroke, broken limbs, physical injuries, but metabolic problems they tend to use petrochemical warfare to stop the symptoms.  The root cause seems to not be an issue.

i have now found a holistic doctor who uses a completely different approach and I find myself actually healing.  Yes, it takes longer time to get relief from the symptoms, but the end result is more of a cure than a bandaid.  Symptoms are really the body communicating that something is wrong,  by chopping off that communication line does not cure you.  A new symptom elsewhere will pop up instead, often called a side effect of the petrochemical drug you were given in the first place.

Best of luck to your journey of feeling better, the OPEP is certainly a good tool.  The supplements I mentioned are excellent as well.  

BTW, before anyone laughs at “holistic” doc, let me state that this dock is an MD and has a PhD in neuroscience, is well versed and educated in Chinese Traditional Medicine as well as Ayurdevic medicine.  This doc used to work in hospitals/clinics but realised that the protocols that were expected to be adhered to - did nothing at all to cure the patients.  It only kept the patients coming back for more.  Guess from a business point of view, it was good practice.

23 hours ago, simon43 said:

(long post, but maybe useful information for other forum members).

 

No, it's not a case of looking through an online list of diseases and saying "I've got that and I've got that!". I am very sure that I have finally identified what has given me poor lung health for the past 25 years, thanks to the state of my toes!

 

Why haven't the doctors in the UK and Thailand been able to identify this condition? Because (IMHO), they have been totally useless, failing to identify very well-known symptoms of this disease, symptoms that are not hidden away from sight.

 

So what is Bronchiectasis)?  It is basically widening of the bronchial airways, such that excess amounts of mucus can build up in these, causing breathing difficulties (in some cases), and especially causing infections such as bronchitis, thanks to the build-up of bacteria in these retained mucus lumps, which would normally be coughed up from the airways.

 

I always wondered why the x-rays and lung function tests that I previously had never showed anything wrong with my lungs' abilities to exchange gases (respiration).  That's because there is nothing wrong with my alveoli function, and I don't get short of breath.  The problem lies with my lung bronchi, which collect large amounts of very sticky mucus, because these airways are wider than normal and the body's natural function is to coat the airways with sticky mucus to catch bacteria etc.

 

I had sputum tests which never found any bacteria etc. But the doctors failed to pick up my comments about excessive amounts of mucus!  "You're fine, no problem" was their comment time and time again 🙂

 

So I got together with Dr Google to research different kinds of lung illnesses, such as asthma, COPD and so on.  My symptoms excluded these illnesses, but Bronchiectasis fitted the bill exactly.  In fact, I'm reassured that it's Bronchiectasis and not COPD. COPD leads to progressive narrowing of the bronchi, and that surely can't end well.  Bronchiectasis is widening of the airways, and is not progressive if it's controlled by removing the excessive mucus.

 

The final er... 'killer' symptom of Bronchiectasis was 'clubbed toes'.  My friendly online doctor flashed up images of normal toes and clubbed toes that Bronchiectasis patients typically have.  WTF!  My toes are like that and I thought everyone had toes like that........ (I don't go around staring at ugly feet and I assumed that my ugly toes were just normal).

 

The causes of Bronchiectasis could be down to asthma, lung infections etc.  In my case, I recall getting very sick after working in a damp, underground, unheated office that had been empty for many years.  My UK doctors could find no cause for my ill-health and I assumed that it might be down to aspergillosis fungal spores in the room.  But lung x-rays never found any lung shadows etc and my lung function remained relatively normal, apart from regular bronchitis, pneumonia and explosive coughing fits that physically drained me.

 

On the advice of my UK doctor, I moved to the hot/humid climate of Thailand, and that certainly helped, but smoky air pollution would still cause flare-ups, as happened last week when I went to visit smoky Luang Prabang.

 

A forum member suggested that I try N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine tablets to thin the mucus so that it can be coughed up, and I'm very grateful to him because this certainly helps.

Now that I'm pretty sure that I've identified the illness, I can concentrate on methods of coughing up this excess mucus, such as by using the thinning medication and 'huff' coughing. (I've been trying that and it helps).

 

I won't bother asking a 'real' doctor to confirm my diagnosis, 'cos me and Dr Google do seem to have identified the culprit 🙂

 

 

 

23 hours ago, simon43 said:

(long post, but maybe useful information for other forum members).

 

No, it's not a case of looking through an online list of diseases and saying "I've got that and I've got that!". I am very sure that I have finally identified what has given me poor lung health for the past 25 years, thanks to the state of my toes!

 

Why haven't the doctors in the UK and Thailand been able to identify this condition? Because (IMHO), they have been totally useless, failing to identify very well-known symptoms of this disease, symptoms that are not hidden away from sight.

 

So what is Bronchiectasis)?  It is basically widening of the bronchial airways, such that excess amounts of mucus can build up in these, causing breathing difficulties (in some cases), and especially causing infections such as bronchitis, thanks to the build-up of bacteria in these retained mucus lumps, which would normally be coughed up from the airways.

 

I always wondered why the x-rays and lung function tests that I previously had never showed anything wrong with my lungs' abilities to exchange gases (respiration).  That's because there is nothing wrong with my alveoli function, and I don't get short of breath.  The problem lies with my lung bronchi, which collect large amounts of very sticky mucus, because these airways are wider than normal and the body's natural function is to coat the airways with sticky mucus to catch bacteria etc.

 

I had sputum tests which never found any bacteria etc. But the doctors failed to pick up my comments about excessive amounts of mucus!  "You're fine, no problem" was their comment time and time again 🙂

 

So I got together with Dr Google to research different kinds of lung illnesses, such as asthma, COPD and so on.  My symptoms excluded these illnesses, but Bronchiectasis fitted the bill exactly.  In fact, I'm reassured that it's Bronchiectasis and not COPD. COPD leads to progressive narrowing of the bronchi, and that surely can't end well.  Bronchiectasis is widening of the airways, and is not progressive if it's controlled by removing the excessive mucus.

 

The final er... 'killer' symptom of Bronchiectasis was 'clubbed toes'.  My friendly online doctor flashed up images of normal toes and clubbed toes that Bronchiectasis patients typically have.  WTF!  My toes are like that and I thought everyone had toes like that........ (I don't go around staring at ugly feet and I assumed that my ugly toes were just normal).

 

The causes of Bronchiectasis could be down to asthma, lung infections etc.  In my case, I recall getting very sick after working in a damp, underground, unheated office that had been empty for many years.  My UK doctors could find no cause for my ill-health and I assumed that it might be down to aspergillosis fungal spores in the room.  But lung x-rays never found any lung shadows etc and my lung function remained relatively normal, apart from regular bronchitis, pneumonia and explosive coughing fits that physically drained me.

 

On the advice of my UK doctor, I moved to the hot/humid climate of Thailand, and that certainly helped, but smoky air pollution would still cause flare-ups, as happened last week when I went to visit smoky Luang Prabang.

 

A forum member suggested that I try N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine tablets to thin the mucus so that it can be coughed up, and I'm very grateful to him because this certainly helps.

Now that I'm pretty sure that I've identified the illness, I can concentrate on methods of coughing up this excess mucus, such as by using the thinning medication and 'huff' coughing. (I've been trying that and it helps).

 

I won't bother asking a 'real' doctor to confirm my diagnosis, 'cos me and Dr Google do seem to have identified the culprit 🙂

 

 

 

I have COPD, diagnosed 20 yrs back and can confirm that NAC is excellent in loosening up mucus.  You can also add Mullein leaf and Boswellia 5-LOX inhibitor.  They work synergistically  you can find them all at iHerb.  An additional thing that I use for getting rid of stuck phlegm is an OPEP device.  This has saved me long time.  You were talking about controlled coughing, this device forces you to cough.  It looks like a pipe, and inside the head part is a metal ball.  You exhale into this pipe which causes the metal ball to oscillate.  This in turn apparently vibrates into your airways which forces you to cough.  I do 10 exhales every morning.  Since you get rid of a lot of excess phlegm that way, you are less prone to bacteria growing in the mucus in your lungs.  I’m surprised pulmonologists do not actually suggest this to patients with this problem.  I did ask my pulmonologist why, his reply was “not all people with lung issues are able to exhale into it properly”.  Yes, insane - right?

However I bought my OPEP device on Lazada, probably 5-6 yrs ago for a few hundred THB, imported from China.  Also bought a fancy one from Australia for US$100:-, thought it may be better.  Indeed, it looked very elegant indeed, did the exact same job and lasted me 6 months before the fancy coloured plastic bits started chipping off 😂.  
As you mentioned, it’s important to get rid of the stagnant mucus so infections don’t get hold.  Hope this info is of interest.  
 

2 hours ago, Antiparovian said:

Alprazolam (Xanax) 6mg is a huge dose and highly addictive. Wicked withdrawal symptoms also if try to stop.

Tell me about it.  I used Zolpidem (Ambien) for about 6 weeks, because I was on some medication that made it impossible for me to sleep.  Well, the rebound insomnia was worse than the original insomnia.  Took me almost 3 months to wean off even only 5mg a night pills.  Never again.  

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

When I first saw the headlines I though it would be nude women, in that case there should be nothing to worry about. But what normal person is going to be interested in nude men?

Women?

1 hour ago, NoshowJones said:

When I first saw the headlines I though it would be nude women, in that case there should be nothing to worry about. But what normal person is going to be interested in nude men?

3 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

But does she make house calls?

No, she runs a research center and does not have your common type of clinic.  No white coats around.  You can go there by appointment only, so you can’t drop in.  It’s a very serene place to be.

43 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

Wish I had that type where I'm staying here. Just a government hospital and a few doctors who do the same things. This is another reason I wish I ws still back in Texas, as the number of holistic healers there is enormous. Found out a lot about how the gut and brain interacts, which isn't something you would normally think of. Stress also affects your gut, no matter how good you eat. 

 

Funny thing, when I went back to Texas last November to visit and hunt, my stomach was perfect the whole month I was there, which leads me to believe the stomach is healing and something here is the problem. I know the water can be bad, along with chicken I eat a lot, which is left out all day in trays at Lotus. I thought for a long time that coffee  might be the problem, as I know it can affect the gut, but when I was in Texas, I drank more coffee and tea every day, and had no trouble at all. Many things affect the gut, and everyone has stomach trouble at times, because even though we think we're eating perfectly, we can be allergic to things we've eaten all our lives, and water can be a problem, along with local foods.  The day I returned here is when the problems started again.

I know that in Texas there are tons of holistic docs.  Many of them I see on webinars and docuseries etc.  Yes, indeed, I’m lucky to have found this holistic center with a highly educated PHD neuroscientist, also MD and TCM and Ayurvedic practitioner, so definitely not a “quack” as many would like to call this type of healer.  She is also sought out as a speaker at many universities both in Europe and the US. 

39 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

I always hated taking medicines. More than a year ago, I got H Pylori, likely from the water here but you can also get it from kissing another. Found this out after having my first endoscopy and colonoscopy done, where they saw inflammation in my stomach. I had been having gastritis for over a year, so wanted to find out why. Once you have it and it's causing gastritis you need to eradicate it or it can lead to ulcers and cancer. They prescribed the usual 2 antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor antacid. The treatment messes up your gut microbiome so I've been doing all I can to get it back to normal. H Pylori affects up to 70% of the world's population but only about 20% have trouble.

I hear you.  I have taken too many courses of antibiotics, so after the third recent time of a very “loose” stomach, found a holistic doc here.  Slowly with acupuncture, nutrient therapy, pro/prebiotic treatment and now visceral manipulation are things slowly turning around.  
I know if I had gone to the usual hospital a new antibiotic treatment would have been suggested.  But that’s what’s been the cause of the problem.  Gut dysbiosis (spelling?), is not a child’s play.  Am looking forward to getting all in order.  These things take time, that’s why allopathic medicine is so popular, gets rid of symptoms in a couple of days - only for the same problem to  one back and even worse.  The gut and the lungs seem to have a connection, because I find my lungs stronger from this treatment too.  
it is an incredible feeling when you find a true “healer”, you can actually feel the benefits in your whole body, not only the temporary lack of unpleasant symptoms.  Patience, understanding and the willingness to listen to your body is key!

44 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

True, keep yourself as healthy as possible, especially gut health and keep body fat down, exercise regularly, and your troubles will be fewer. Sometimes we let toxins enter our bodies and natural methods aren't strong enough to ward them off, so we need to take medicines like antibiotics, which hurt you in other ways.

I can certainly verify that antibiotics, overuse of them, are definitely harmful.  Allopathic docs love prescribing them for every minor complaint.  As you mentioned, our bodies want to be healthy, our bodies will keep us healthy if we give the body the right tools.  Homeostasis is what is needed.  Pharma pills don’t offer us the tools for a truly healthy body.  Pharma curbs the symptoms by cutting off signalling pathways between cell communication and by no means attend to the core issue.

1 hour ago, Stiddle Mump said:

I don't mind standing alone on the ginormous subject of infectious viruses.

 

I stand by my position, after spening years promoting the view that a virus is nothing to be scared of. Although nothing productive from 2000, until the onset of covid in 2019. 

 

Much of modern medicine's foundations is build upon falsehoods and simply lies. It was hi-jacked by big money about 120 years ago, and has gradually morphed into Big Pharma.

 

Modern healthcare has been taken over by Big Pharma. I'm doing my bit in seeing that people do stay well, and not get sick because of unnecessary medical interventions.

 

As for the US. One of the most advanced countries; but also one of the sickest.

 

If that doesn't sit well with you; then so be it.

 

Of course; it you are feeling un-well, go visit a medical practitioner.

I agree, modern medicine is sick maintenance, it’s not attempting to heal any disease. Modern medicine or medical intervention is great for acute emergencies, heart attacks, stroke, accidents, broken bones etc.  But the art of healing is a different story.

i personally believe that if we manage to keep our cells healthy with a strong mitochondria we are on the way to excellent health.  Not for one moment are we sick due to a lack of Pharma toxins!

Here’s a good read on vaping.  I managed to quit cigarettes (40 yrs, heavy smoker) thanks to vapes.  Lung function improved considerably.  
 

https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2022/04/is-vaping-safe.html

2 hours ago, mikeymike100 said:

You can go to any beer bar and see and smell usually someone using a 'vape'/electronic cigarette, Out in the open and nobody seemingly cares. Essentially there is evidence to suggest vaping is less dangerous than the real thing.

Compared directly, vaping exposes you to fewer and lower levels of harmful substances than smoking, making it a less damaging option for adults looking to switch. The NHS and CDC acknowledge it can help smokers quit, which is a net health win if it replaces cigarettes entirely. But if you’re not already a smoker, starting to vape isn’t “healthy”—it’s just less bad than picking up a pack of Marlboros. The best health move is avoiding both.

You can legally buy cigarettes, but not E-cigarettes?? How odd!

It is sad.  I quit smoking about 8 yrs ago and switched to vaping.  I am pretty upset about this, needless to say.  However here’s an interesting read on vaping. 
 

https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2022/04/is-vaping-safe.html
 

im pretty sure that the raid on e-cigs in Thailand is for the protection of the tobacco industry.  Naming this raid “saving the public from harm” is ridiculous.  In Europe and I believe in the US it is well established that vapes are less harmful than cigarettes.  It seems Thailand lacks the infrastructure to regulate the liquid and the result is banning it totally.  They should instead make sure that the liquid imported is from reputable companies.

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

I have absolutely no problem with children and youths say under 20 being banned from vaping as it is with cigarettes. Adults, however, should be free to do so. Reality is kids will still get their hands on vapes (if available) as they do cigs. Now that vape shops have been closed down and no one I know can get vapes online (despite what BP says) I'll guarantee cigarette sales have spiked considerably. 

Guess that was the intention, 

Hoping this link works. 
 

https://www.ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ashtray-blog/2022/04/is-vaping-safe.html