mstevens

Just now, ChaiyaTH said:

Nonsense. One month done.

I know two agents for whom one month per year was the norm. It may or may not be representative of the wider industry. Each was foreign-owned. Here is one: https://amazingproperties.org/  A quick search for the other and I cannot find a website for.

Several years ago, an agent I once knew received one month's rent as their commission.  I understand that this was a fairly common commission. I also understand that this was one month per year. So if, for example, an agent finds a condo for someone to rent and that person rents it for five years, the agent gets paid a commission each year of the equivalent of one month's rent.

I find YouTube Premium well worth the very small monthly subs.

8 hours ago, oxo1947 said:

Have you seen River, Mutt---its one of the better crime series I watched---came out in 2016.....but they have just re-released it again, 8 on IMDB.....its really good.

 

 

Looked at the trailer and it looks good. Searching for it now but can't find it anywhere. EDITED - ok, just found it!

6 hours ago, FruitPudding said:

Thinking of getting a full check up done.

 

Where do you think is the best value for money place to go?

 

Does the Red Cross offer these check up programs?

I am not aware of the Red Cross offering comprehensive blood test packages. They do offer STD / HIV testing.

Why not go to one of the many labs and get a bunch of blood tests done? There are some incredible package deals with all of the main blood tests for less than 1,500 baht. The tests have a range and any tests which come back outside of range are marked. If you any are outside of range, you could take the blood test results to a hospital / specialist to look over for their thoughts and possible treatment plans.

On 12/21/2023 at 2:16 AM, Danderman123 said:

You don't get it.

 

Where this is going, no tax return, no visa renewal.

This is what they do with work permits so it certainly would not be a surprise to see them do it with retirement visas too.

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Is it working? i had a blood test last week, all results very good, my high carb low fat diet works very well, plus i enjoy fruit and veg, eat a lot, great to eat when you want and carbs make you feel good

Good to hear your diet has produced good results. I have the complete opposite diet (high fat, medium protein, relatively low carbs) and my nubmers are also very good. It just goes to show that different diets can work well for different people!

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

 

 

I don't trust most doctors to help me deal with those blood test results in the best way. 

 

The topic is statins. They are probably being way over-prescribed. 

 

I need to educate myself more about blood tests. I haven't gotten around to it.

 

 

I used to be like you and was reluctant to get blood tests. And like you, it was largely due to concerns about the medical industry and the way so many doctors throw pills at a problem to address the symptoms without identifying and addressing the route cause. I figured why should I get blood tests done if it is simply going to result in me taking pills when I am doing ok without those pills!

But what I found was that when I started getting blood tests done, it sort of became addictive as I adjusted my diet and lifestyle to improve my numbers. Taking zinc, for example, caused by PSA to drop from mid-range normal to low-range normal (which is better). Eating a medium protein, high fat diet and reducing carbs to less than 100 grams / day caused my cholesterol numbers to go from very good to superb with very, very high HDL and very, very low triglycerides (which is exactly what you want). My LDL is quite high but as a lean mass hyper responder, that is of zero concern.

I went from getting no blood tests done for a very long time to getting a range of blood tests done regularly and, like I say, it's enjoyable to see the results of lifestyle changes. And the great thing about Thailand is that you can get blood tests done very easily and very affordably!

On 10/28/2023 at 5:18 AM, timendres said:

I have the M1 MacBook Pro. Best computer I have ever owned.

The screen is fantastic, and the keyboard is finally "back" to awesome.

I have been waiting for the M3 (if 3nm) to upgrade.

The only improvement I would like to see is a slightly smaller trackpad.

I am with you - 16-inch M1 Macbook Pro owner here and it's the perfect machine! My feeling is that for existing M1 or M2 MacBook Pros, the new machines, while nice, aren't sufficiently different / better from what we already have to justify an upgrade. I used my 2014 i7 Macbook Pro for 7 years before I upgraded to my current machine. I don't know if I will wait quite that long to upgrade, but am guessing by the time M6 MacBook Pros comes around, i might be ready to upgrade. Apple nailed it with the M-series MacBook Pros and whether you have an M1, M2 or M3, you have a sweet machine!

14 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Indeed no doctor will prescribe this for a non-diabetic and absurd for one to want one.

 

I think we can assume OP's wife is diabetic.

 

CGM is little used in Thailand and other than a few private hospitals I do nto know where one can get it.

 

 

Constant Glucose Monitors are a great tool for those who wish to see how they react to different types of foods, irrespective of whether they're diabetic or not. There are different types of carbs and sugars. Some people may react badly to fructose (commonly found in fruit and honey amongst other things), for example, with their blood sugar surging while others can eat the same thing and don't react quite the same. If you are really keen to understand how the different foods you eat affect your blood sugar and thus your body overall, and have the money to buy one, CGMs can be a very useful tool indeed to see what you react to.

12 hours ago, BigStar said:

 

Dinnertime!

 

 

Going on 75, great numbers, no meds needed.

 

Good one, that looks like a great meal. Keep eating like that and you'll get close to 100!

On 3/19/2023 at 7:45 PM, geisha said:

A passenger told me that there were signs up saying for departures to be there 4 hrs before ???? Has passport control and security become that bad ??
Thanks for any feed back. I find this ridiculous.

Just one thing to consider: Some airlines may not allow you to check in more than 3 hours before departure. A few months back I flew out on Cathay Pacific and tried to check in 3.5+ hours before departure and they told me to come back later as they only open for check in 3 hours before scheduled departure.

1 hour ago, Walker88 said:

Otto is horrible. Chewy, soggy crust. Tried it once and won't do it again. I'll stick with nearby Vesuvio, which I've been eating at for 5 years.

 

The two best real Italian-style pizza places in Bangkok and Pizza Massilia and Vesuvio.

Peppina in soi 33 area is 100 times better than Vesuvio. Never tried Pizza Massila.

The symptoms your wife is suffering from sound similar to what I suffered from for some time. Unfortunately, the medical profession was unable to help me. In the end I went to the naturopath / functional medicine route and if turned out I had SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) which is a condition which medical professionals outside the USA have limited awareness of, even gastroenterologists. It's a tricky one to resolve as there is no proven protocol - so you can't just take a medicine or two or three. I'd recommend you look into SIBO online and if the symptoms are a match for what your wife is suffering, consider looking for a functional medicine doctor. I honestly have no idea whether Thailand even has these but I am sure Sheryl would know about.

It sounds counterintuitive but one way to resolve SIBO is with a carnivore diet i.e. strictly eating animal-only products for a period and excluding all sugars and carbs. The bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine is fed by fermentable carbs and when you eliminate those from your diet entirely, there is nothing for the bacteria to consume and they die. A carnivore diet also allows your digestion system to settle down and for inflammation to resolve. This is not a long-term diet but 30 - 60 days should resolve most SIBO cases. There is a lot on YouTube about this (from real doctors).

10 hours ago, gomangosteen said:

You mean like New Zealand?

Quoting from Manukau (Auckland) City Medical Centre: Enrolled patient 18-64 $18.00; Non-resident $80.00.

 

Fail to see why a country  should subsidise medical expenses for foreigners.

This pricing you allude to is correct. It's not quite comparing apples with applies though. Be aware that the NZ national is subsidised at that clinic by the government. NZ's healthcare system is a bit odd and while New Zealanders pay to visit a General Practitioner, the fee is subsidised (by the government / through taxes) as GPs are essentially an extension of the public health system. If a New Zealander or a foreign national made an appointment directly with a specialist, they would both pay the same price as that is not subsidised by the govt.

21 hours ago, Luuk Chaai said:

Negative .....    Fibre is not needed for a proper Human Diet

                         Statins are not your friend   

                          The entire carb / grain / veggie  sugar (don't forget the poison seed oils )  are part of the Kellog's / Morman bought and paid for lie

 

                          Human's thrive on carnivorous diets  "Saturated fat's " are your real friend .. eat beef !

                          Start out with BBBB  (0" carbs ) Beef Butter Bacon Eggs for 60 days ..  then go get your bloodwork rechecked

                          Amazing.  how getting back to nature heals the body 

                           

Bullseye! Agree 100%!

At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy theorist, do the opposite of what mainstream media says. Embrace red meat. Don't shy away from fats and do add salt to taste.

On 12/18/2023 at 9:14 PM, CanadaSam said:

I am amazed at the prevalence of meat in the Thai diet, it seems that everywhere, everyone eats loads of pork, chicken, and very little veggies, IMO.

All that meat, especially if it is fatty cuts, will do them the world of good. There is a lot of research showing that meat consumption is healthy, even if the mainstream media and some activist groups try to tell us that is not. Granted, "conventional wisdom" was that fat should be avoided - and I agree that trans fat absolutely should be avoided - but fatty cuts of meat are, I believe, food from the Gods. Do your own research on this.

I try to eat fatty cuts of red meat often and enjoy ribeye 3 or 4 times / week. Fortunately, I am in a part of the world where all beef is grass-fed and prime cuts of meat are relatively inexpensive. I have increased my meat / animal-protein markedly in recent times and I really do feel better for it.

3 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

Normal people retire at 65-67 and live a quiet and happy life in Pattaya

And people who are able to retire earlier.

I'd consider adding PSA. I get mine checked every year.

Fasting insulin is also one to consider. It can pick up insulin resistance before you become pre-diabetic or full on diabetic.

16 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

Illegal to bring remains on to a plane (tho plenty do).

This is 100% wrong. It is not illegal to take ashes on a flight.

When someone is cremated, tell staff at the crematorium that you plan to take the ashes on board a flight and they will prepare a document for you stating what the ashes are. Usually this is not required to be shown to anyone but should anyone ask, you have this document to produce.

It goes without saying that you should take the ashes with you on board with your carry on luggage, lest your checked luggage get lost in transit and the ashes lost!