mstevens

On 9/30/2022 at 8:49 PM, scubascuba3 said:

Wouldn't be sugar, i eat loads of it and I'm super relaxed. Trying to find a solution can cause anxiety where you're constantly looking for the answer, in a loop

It could be sugar as not everything affects everyone the same. Sugar might have zero effect on you but on someone else it might have a terrible effect. Whenever someone has an undiagnosed medical condition, reducing sugar and cleaning up one's diet isn't a bad starting point.

16 hours ago, endointhailand said:

May I ask how you sorted your gut issues?

My gut issues are massively improved, but not completely resolved. The issue I had is that I am not in the USA which is where you can get tested for many things and get appropriate treatment. Pretty much everywhere else it becomes a bit of a lottery.

I strongly suspect I had SIBO and I almost definitely had SIFO. I very likely had a leaky gut as well as motility issues.

I cleaned up my diet, although it was pretty clean to begin with, implemented intermittent fasting and went low-carb - but not full-blown keto. I eliminated snacks entirely, reduced sugar intake including fresh fruit and cut out coffee, although I still do have a little caffeine from dark chocolate and one cup daily of green tea. I take digestive enzymes with each of lunch and dinner. All of this helped.

To heal leaky gut, I take 5 grams of L Glutamine powder twice per day. I have bone broth most evenings, after dinner. I also take zinc l carnosine. Healing leaky gut is essential.

Due to malabsorption issues I take a good multivitamin and a bioactive B complex formula. I also take fish oil and supplementary vitamin D. There are a few other supplements I take including choline, milk thistle, turmeric and one or two others not necessarily every day. Some of these are for liver support because if you have gut issues, you can also have liver issues.

I also make FRESH ginger tea and have at least two cups per day. This is a game-changer and I cannot stress enough to anyone with gut issues to get on the ginger tea regimen. It's enormously helpful for so many gut issues! And in Thailand, fresh ginger is cheap as chips!

I have reached a point where my stools are well-formed and I am regular, 3 times most days. I most likely have SIBO and the hard part is not so much treating it, but determining the root cause. It's pointless treating SIBO until you know the root cause, lest you treat it, resolve it, but it comes back because the root cause has never been addressed. The most likely root cause(s) in my case are low stomach acid (easily addressed with lemons or apple cider vinegar), stress (under control), sluggish gallbladder meaning inadequate bile (being addressed with choline) or possible mould toxicity. I have a mould inspector coming to check the house in the next couple of days. (Mould exposure can become mould toxicity and is a big contributor to long-stabnding, difficult-to-treat gut issues.) Once I am sure of the root cause of SIBO, I will deal with that and then target the SIBO with antimicrobials, starting with oil of oregano and berberine.

It's been a long road but I have made massive progress.

I hope this is helpful. Any questions at all, feel free to ask!

This is not a recommendation for an endocrinologist but rather a suggestion for something else to consider.

I had issues last year where my electrolytes were out of sync and I was eventually referred to an endocrinologist and tested for diabetes insipidis (which tends to come about from issues with the pituatary gland), but tested negative. The endocrinologist knew something wasn't right but couldn't determine what it was. In the end, the issue was my gut which was so messed up that it in turn was causing problems with hormones.

So my message here is to ask yourself how your gut health is. Of course, you should still see an endocrinologist, but if you have no luck there and / or you have gut issues, you might want to get those sorted.

This really interested podcast just popped up today about nutrient deficiencies and multivitamins. It's a long listen but super interesting if health is important to you. And the bottom line from these two doctors? Multivitamins are highly recommended for all of us.

https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-doctors-farmacy-with-mark-hyman-m-d/id1382804627?i=1000579375364

19 hours ago, gomangosteen said:

^ dairy products - what's country of origin; recently back from a stay in New Zealand where the price of cheese / dairy products seems to be a national indicator of inflation most often quotes in news as impact on familiy expenditure ... huge price increases there, and NZ's Fonterra is the world's largest dairy producer.

 

Lotus's Go Fresh has NZ's Mainland Tasty Cheddar 250g for 209 baht (NZ$9.50) buy the same item in NZ 187 baht (NZ$8.49). Freight and mark-ups no doubt, but the prices have definitely risen.

 

Three years ago - Tesco Lotus often had Mainland cheese selling at equal and sometimes even lower prices than in NZ. 

Yes, the 250 gram block size is a ripoff here in New Zealand. But the 1 kg Mainland tasty is not so bad. $16.99 for 1 kg is fine. 250 grams currently $5.99, or around 130 baht. Pang!

Hair loss can be a result of thyroid issues so that might be worth checking, especially if there are other symptoms  consistent with thyroid issues present.

Also, hair loss can be a consequence of fungal overgrowth in the gut. While topical treatments i.e. creams / lotions / potions applied to the scalp will help, if the treatment is effective but the problem returns, that MAY be indicative of a fungal issue elsewhere in the body such as SIFO (small intestine fungal overgrowth). There are various treatments for this, both pharmaceutical and naturopathic - such as oil of oregano capsules.

On 9/15/2022 at 3:28 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Possibly Thaksin coming back and/or another Shinawatra in charge.

Then I would almost bet history would repeat itself - in many ways, all bad.

Thaksin was great for the economy. Everyone was making money. I had friends in investment banking in Thailand at the time who said it was the best period for a long time. And the poorer folks sure liked him because he set up schemes that helped them to make money. I no longer live in Thailand but I was there before, through and after the Thaksin period and economically there were good times.

On 9/15/2022 at 12:37 AM, 2009 said:

Can I infer that you mean the other tests would cover that (i.e. the liver and kidney function tests would detect problems, therefore the ultrasound is not needed)?

 

Is there any scenario where you could have something up with your liver (e.g. cancer tumor) but the liver function test comes back within normal range?

Indeed, there are many possible issues with the liver where liver enzyme levels come back as normal but in fact there is an issue. I can't remember all the different liver tests but ALT, bilirubin and one other I can't remember are the 3 typically checked in a standard liver test. If you have a fatty liver, for example, nothing might show up. As I understand it, your liver is still working, it just happens to working a whole lot harder because it's fatty. In many cases, you need an ultrasound to test for such things.

So to answer your question, yes, absolutely, there are scenarios where there could be an issue but nothing shows up in the standard test.

12 hours ago, xylophone said:

I watched "Where the Crawdads Sing" and thought it was good, if a little slow, but worth hanging in for overall.

I really enjoyed this movie, a nice surprise as I knew nothing about it before I watched it.

7 hours ago, proton said:

what stamp did immigration put in your PP? 100 years sounds a bit unlikely

100 years is the standard when blacklisting someone in Thailand.

2 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

If i had $50m id still find oz boring. Its not money, its culture. Bland. Westernisation ruins it.

The issue I have with many who claim they like Thailand because it's cheap and don't like the West because it's expensive is because they don't actually have a lot of genuine options due to their financial situation. The other issue I have is that many claim the West is boring when really their definition of boring is that they cannot find cheap prostitutes. That's a sad and seemingly growing affliction across this forum.

New Zealand has a myriad of problems, about that any of us living in New Zealand will be the first to agree. And, yeah, in some ways it's not the place it used to be. If you want excitement, certainly there are better places to be....but NZ is a pretty good place for many types of lifestyle. It all comes back to what you want from life.

17 hours ago, Sparktrader said:

79 baht large beer in beer garden in isaan

 

170 baht or $7 in Oz for small beer

 

I give u wine though its a rip of in thailand, too hot for wine though

 

Icecreams are cheaper in thailand

 

Thai 7/11 sell cheap beer by 1

Oz 7 /11 no beer

Oz bottleshops only cheap by 24, most close by 9pm

Someone once said that Thailand was a poor man's paradise, and I think they nailed it. My feeling is that trying to claim Thailand is the best place to live because some things are cheap is kind of a lousy argument. I'd rather make good money and be in a position to choose. I chose New Zealand over Thailand but at the same time I don't deny that NZ has all sorts of problems.....but to me it's still a better option than Thailand, at least at this point in time. If Jacinda is re-elected next year and the decline looks to continue for 3 more years, I may well be out of here!

10 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

I don't mean to burst your bubble, but multivitamins are a waste of money. You get the B vitamins eating protein rich foods, C from any fruit and many vegetables, minerals from all foods, and Vitamin D from the sun. E is a fat soluble vitamin, and you don't need that much, especially since you can get it from wheat germ, peanuts, nuts, some oils, sunflower seeds, nuts and greens, whichever you might eat.  The only thing women who are pregnant need is folic acid.I searched for a quick link you can read............https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/is-there-really-any-benefit-to-multivitamins

Multivitamins are more definitely not a waste of money and for many people they are necessary. Most people do NOT eat a varied diet and as such, they do not get all the vitamins they need. And the vast majority of people don't have the knowledge of what foods have which vitamins and how much they need etc. Then there are the many people with stomach / digestion issues meaning that even with a good diet, malabsorption means they don't get the full benefits of what they eat. I personally suffered from this whereby my diet was excellent but my digestion system was so messed up that I simply wasn't getting all the benefits of the vitamins of the food I was consuming. Supplementing with a good vitamin, funnily enough the very one the OP mentions, was a great help.

I remember a doctor I used to see some years ago arrogantly saying that you don't need to take vitamins. My current doctor is much more pragmatic and says that most people have vitamin deficiencies and that a GOOD-QUALITY multivitamin helps to fill in the gaps and cover those deficiencies.

Have bought a couple of Nature's Answer products from iHerb. No problems at all.

I found Melatonin helpful when I had sleep issues. Life Extension brand has a slow release 1.5 mg version which I found good.

With sleep problems, it is helpful if you can isolate the root cause – there are many possible causes. Taking supplements or pharmaceuticals to get to sleep is useful in the short-term but  you really don’t want to be doing it long-term, if possible.

There are many possible reasons why someone may struggle to get to sleep, or wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to get back to sleep. If you can identify the root cause and deal with that then sleep should – hopefully – not continue to be an issue.

Looking at that list, there are a few items which are widely available supplements without any major downsides if used at the appropriate dose short or medium-term.

Vitamin D, Omega 3 fatty acids and Curcumin should all be widely available. Get some time in the sun and you'll get plenty of vitamin D that way. I'd take all three of these at the recommended dosage.

Resveratrol is helpful, as is Melatonin which in addition to helping you sleep is a very powerful antioxidant. No idea how widely available they are - but cannot imagine they'd be hard to find. Just keep an eye on the dosage.

Intermittent fasting is good - consume all your food in an 8-hour window each day such as between 10 AM and 6 PM.

The first three items in the list as well as Aspirin are pharmaceuticals. I'm sure someone can given some thoughts on those....personally, I prefer supplements to pharmaceuticals wherever possible.

If you can find Quercetin, that is supposed to be very helpful for those suffering from Covid. 1000 - 2000 mg / day is well-tolerated. I take it during allergy season and it works really well.

16 minutes ago, sanuk711 said:

 

Top Gun 2 is out----everywhere.............

With hard-coded Korean subtitles i.e. that cannot be turned off.

Officially released next week without the subtitles.

Part of the problem is the Western diet (increasingly consumed by Thais). Another part of the problem is the increased consumption of processed food and all the additives. Add to that the crazy overuse of antibiotics in Thailand. All of this damages the microbiome which in turn can trigger stomach (and other health) problems.

Focus on stomach / digestion health and the microbiome are probably the next big thing in the health world. You only need to look at TV / video footage pre the early ‘90s at the body shape of everyday people and compare it with today – it’s massively changed. So many these days - even Thais - people have a belly, are pear-shaped etc. It was not always this way! That the OP knows many Thais with stomach and digestive problems doesn’t surprise me at all. I’ve been through issues of serious stomach troubles myself and one of the many things I learned is that it's widespread.

Fatty liver is a massive problem these days in developed countries where it’s estimated that 25 – 30% of adults have a fatty liver. Where once a fatty liver was caused by alcohol, now the major cause is sugar and processed foods. And when you have a fatty liver, the downstream effects are stomach and digestion issues. Not saying that is the case with the Thais the OP refers to, but it might be part of it.

Undiagnosed stomach and digestion issues is a serious growing problem in the West. I expect it will follow in Thailand and what the OP is seeing is just the beginning. Everyone knows how big a problem diabetes type 2 is today. Just watch, before long there will be similar awareness of fatty liver and subsequent to that, the related stomach and digestion issues.

4 hours ago, PFMills said:

Actually you have those the wrong way around. Sugar in fruits are no problem, too much red meat is not good for you.

Sugar in fruit is fine - but there are limits. Plenty of people these days are developing a fatty liver - and some get a fatty liver from, of all things, too much fruit consumption! The fructose in fruit is not good for your liver at all.

Saw Palmetto supplements are helpful if your BPH is not too bad. They're cheap and can be found on iHerb, Lazada, Shopee etc.

9 hours ago, BritManToo said:

This was the classic 'my girl is different', oh no she wasn't, I'm going home to mom story.

I laughed so hard when it happened, all those warning stories he published .......

He left because he was broke and ended up sleeping on his mother's sofa. What a loser.

For me, the issue was fungal so I avoided anything with much sugar in it (which can feed yeast / fungus etc.) for a few weeks and consumed the bottle of Thorne Research Undecylenic Acid, which took a bit over a couple of weeks. That was it. It worked perfectly for me but, like I say, I did not have Balantis but other fungal issues. If your Balantis is fungal, I'd bet the farm this will work for you.

11 hours ago, Sufferer1408 said:

Steven all you did was take those and you were fixed? Or did you have any other parts of the routine?

For me, the issue was fungal so I avoided anything with much sugar in it (which can feed yeast / fungus etc.) for a few weeks and consumed the bottle of Thorne Research Undecylenic Acid. That was it. It worked perfectly for me but, like I say, I did not have Balantis but other fungal issues. If your Balantis is fungal, I'd bet the farm this will work for you.

12 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

What the hell has Irritable Bowel Syndrome got to do with Balanitis?  

 

IBS and other gut issues frequently manifest themselves with skin issues / rashes etc. In these cases, treating the skin does not address the underlying cause which may well be in the gut.