mstevens

It's all 'bout the money It's all 'bout the dum dum da da dum dum........

The test generally regarded as the best for Candida is the OATS test (organic acids). I am unaware of it being offered in Thailand, unfortunately. It is a VERY comprehensive test which also shows bacterial issues, oxalate issues and even mould. It's not cheap but it is the gold standard.

We were there on Monday night a couple of weeks ago and stayed for about 3 hours. There was no time limit that I was aware of. Arrived a bit before 6:00 PM and left about 9:00 PM. It was quiet....probably no more than 30 diners night.

Had the buffet at Edge in the Hilton a couple of weeks ago. 1,399 baht net. Very good quality good.

The Andrew Moritz Liver & Gallbladder flush is popular and there are Facebook groups with TENS OF THOUSANDS of members who have used this method to successfully flush out gallstones. There are various methods and there are huge numbers of people who have had success with this to clear gallstones completely. Join the group and find out more for yourself. I think you'll find members extremely well-informed as well as very supportive. Thousands have been in the exact situation you are in now - diagnosed with a gallstone and unsure how to proceed. There are other natural remedies to break down gallstones. The most popular supplement is Chanca Piedra which is known as the "stone-breaker." It is most effective in liquid form but the capsules are good too. A popular brand is World Botanicals which is carried by iHerb. Cholecystectomy (the surgical removal of the gallbladder) is not the only treatment available to you. Western medicine advocates this procedure but many people who have had their gallbladder surgically removed suffer from issues with digestion for the rest of their life, particularly the emulsifying and digestion of fats which also can cause issues with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Just two days ago I had coffee with a friend who flew from Phnom Penh to Bangkok to have gallbladder surgery a decade ago. His digestion has never been the same since. If you do choose to get your gallbladder removed, look in to ox bile supplements to help with fat digestion. Gallstones are a medical emergency if they are blocking the ducts leading to the pancreas and in that situation, surgery is required. If that is not the case, I'd strongly suggest looking at other less invasive and less-permanent options first.

You might wish to consider a full SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) test. There is hydrogen AND there is methane and you really want to test for both. I don't know where in Thailand does such testing but Googling "SIBO test Thailand" should produce results. Also, consider looking in to Candida as the systems are very similar and there is a lot of overlap in the symptoms of IBS, SIBO and Candida. Many people have SIBO and Candida. SIBO is a sod to get rid of. Most doctors prescribe an antibiotic but that is often not enough as it comes back due to the root cause not being determined. Sluggish liver / gallbladder, low stomach acid, poor motility are just some of the possible root causes. Good luck on getting tested.

No idea what your medical issue is but is it something that a functional medical practitioner could diagnose? They are a little different to regular MDs in that they identify the root cause and treat that, rather than putting a patient on drugs for the rest of their life. Google "functional medicine practitioner" and perhaps that might be something for you to consider.

While I applaud your empathy, such a policy would have unforeseen consequences. Covering all tourists for medical events suffered in Thailand would result in many seeing this as an opportunity to forego travel insurance. I feel sorry for the fellow, I really do. Comprehensive travel insurance is a must so not just the victim of the accident, but their friends and family are not caught up in the awful events that follow.

The riverfront area in Nakhon Phanom is very pleasant. Nongkhai quite nice too, on the riverfront.

Yes, really. Regardless of the name, it is owned and run by Americans.

Owned and run by Americans.

Sounds to me like they were simply being thorough. It's the complete opposite in my part of the world where if you were to go to see the doctor with a simple bladder infection then they would take a piss sample, test it and if it was ok they would declare you fit and send you home - without having made the necessary investigation to establish the problem. Comparing your experience at Bangkok Hospital and what I have experienced with doctors at home, I'd much rather have gone to Bangkok Hospital!

Have you tried the supplement NAC? Do your own research on it, but amongst its many benefits is that it's a "biofilm buster" that breaks down mucus. I imagine it could be beneficial. You can order it online from iHerb and it's not expensive. I have used the NOW Foods brand NAC. A quick search online shows it selling for 440 baht at iHerb. At that price you've nothing to lose!

There are reasons why Thailand has long been known as a place to avoid illegal drugs. Disappointing to see the way this fellow has been treated but at the same time, Thailand is not a place to do anything with illegal drugs, irrespective of the quantity. The "price" you pay can be extremely harsh as this Kiwi has found out.

Probably says more about you than Udon...

Chuwit is a very wealthy businessman, and principled. It will be his own choice and almost certainly self-financed.

Is free wi-fi widely available at the airport? We're flying in to Bangkok next week and sister in law will pick us up at the airport. She lives near the airport so we plan to call her when we are at baggage claim so she can leave home to come and collect us. Is there free wi-fi available in the arrivals hall / baggage claim area? We'd prefer not to use our phones from home as the charges to use it overseas are "pang". I have seen the long queues at the telecom stores to get a local Thai SIM card and after a long flight we'd rather wait until the next day, hence the question.

I don't know which exact inhalers you're using but when I used Ventolin inhalers in the past and with the Symbicort inhaler I currently use, the inhaler seems much more effective for the first 60 - 70% of use. After that, it's almost like whatever is in the inhaler has become degraded and you may need two puffs instead of one. The Symbicort inhaler I currently use has 120 doses and I need to use it just once a day, one puff in the morning and I am good until the next day. I have mild, well-controlled asthma. By the time the inhaler is showing around 35 or so doses left, I find it is much less effective. By the time it gets to 0 I need at least two puffs for it be to effective, even though there is clearly still some left in it. These days I don't let it get that low. When it gets to around 20 or so remaining doses I bin it and get a new one.

A lot of coffee can be "mouldy" and ultra-sensitive people can react to it. If that is the case, look for a non-mouldy coffee. Bulletproof brand coffee is probably the best-known / most widely available mould-free coffee. As a long shot, you might have SIBO or SIFO (bacterial / yeast overgrowth) which can cause histamine intolerance and that in turn can cause food sensitivities whereby your body reacts to food that you used to tolerate just fine.

Imported products in supermarkets have always been expensive in Thailand. One thing to factor in is that inflation around the world is raging and the impressions of the average consumer is that they are running way hotter than the supposedly "official" inflation rate. Here in New Zealand, salmon is up 50% in price over the past couple of years. Why? It's all local. I don't get it! Same with fresh chicken. Tomatoes have more than doubled in price. Many vegetables and fruits are up 50 - 60%. Onions have also doubled in price and then some. I could go on. When these and other products are exported, they are going to cost a whole lot more in the destination markets like Thailand so don't blame it entirely on Foodland and the like. They're paying much more for many of these imported products.

In answer to your question about a histamine-friendly probiotic, I take Seeking Health ProbiotaX. This will only help if you have a histamine-related issue or gut issues.

This is probably due to the tryptophan in the milk. It's an amino acid that helps you to sleep. For a while I took an L Tryptophan supplement (Now Foods L-Tryptophan, Double Strength 1000 mg Tablets) which was somewhat effective.

Intermittent fasting and not eating for a few hours before bed is great advice. For me, personally, I have found exercising before bed actually keeps me away although I am sure for others like yourself, it works well. My understanding is that research shows exercise in the morning is actually best for most people to help with sleep.

There are various reasons why you might be waking up at that particular time. Taking herbals or medication is one approach but ideally, you want to find out the root cause. Some people go on a regime or supplements or medication which resolves their sleep problems but the issue remains and they cannot come off the medicine. Ideally, you want to identify what us causing you to wake up at that time. Could you be diabetic? The "dawn phenomenon" causes diabetics with uncontrolled blood sugar to wake up early. The time you’re consistently waking up at might be a clue. According to Chinese medicine, 1:00 – 3:00 AM is the time the liver does a lot of its work. If your liver is overburdened (could be a liver issue or could be something else such as infection or toxins which make the liver work much harder), this can cause you to wake up between 1:00 and 3:00 AM. Another possibility is “histamine overload”. It’s kind of complicated but if you have gut issues, your body cannot break down histamines effectively. Your “histamine bucket” gets full and overflows causing histamines to be released in the middle of the night and wake you up. Less likely, but it is consistent with waking up early. I had this very same issue with waking up between 2:00 and 3:00 AM night after night. After many visits to see multiple doctors, they could not work out what was going on. To cut a very long story short, it turned out I had an issue with oxalate toxicity which was causing histamine issues, which were causing me to wake up early. Adjusting my diet and taking a histamine-friendly probiotic resolved it.

I don't want to go off on a tangent here but let me say that here in New Zealand, all the economists say the economy is doing badly while cafes and restaurants are heaving. Many are full and you can't get a table. Friends in Australia tell me it's the same over there. It's a weird situation where the economy is supposedly in trouble but hospitality is on fire.