mstevens

I suffered from anxiety for a while and was recommended Ashwagandha. It's a herb which has properties which can help with anxiety. I did not have the sort of serious anxiety you mention but I have to say that Ashwagandha was really helpful when I was suffering from anxiety. It helped with a better night's sleep which came with vivid dreams and I just felt that little but more positive about life. I doubt it would help "resolve" serious anxiety issues but I imagine it would be helpful nonetheless. It's safe, cheap and easy to come by. You can Google Ashwagandha for more info. A quick search on Lazada and Shopee shows many vendors selling various Ashwagandha supplements.

What a great example of someone with little or no talent becoming famous.

I cannot comment on that article, local Thailand-produced honey or honey imported from other markets, but I do know all about New Zealand Manuka honey. I also know two of the Thai importers of New Zealand Manuka honey very well, having have assisted them in getting set up to import genuine Manuka honey from New Zealand. I mention New Zealand Manuka honey because this is a product I know well and I have worked with companies which import it. It is a premium product priced very high so if anyone was going to produce fake honey, then this would be the likely product to choose. But fake manuka honey in Thailand is not an issue. And in New Zealand, MPI (The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries) controls the export of Manuka honey very tightly. Did you know, for example, that you cannot export honey from New Zealand without a licence? You cannot send it in the post and no international courier will touch it without the extensive documentation allowing it. I just cannot see any supermarket in Thailand stocking any fake honey. The supermarket operators are VERY fussy about who they source product from and have stringent processed any supplier must go through. It's a lot of work. Pitching a product to local supermarkets and the number of meetings, the paperwork, the checking of references etc is extensive. Believe me, it's very difficult to get any product on to the shelves of a local supermarket, costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time and effort. The system is robust. You can get great genuine honey, both imported and locally produced, in Thai supermarkets. Don't sweat it!

A retailer like Foodland does not test the products it sells in a laboratory. All of that sort of testing is done well before the product makes it to supermarket shelves. If you wish to sell a foreign manufactured food product in Thailand, that product must have approval from the Thailand FDA and will be issued with a Thai FDA number. Food importers (not Foodland, but the companies which import the various foreign food products) submit a huge amount of documentation to get said Thailand FDA number. This number is unique to each product. The FDA approval process is very involved and requires product samples and a lot of documentation from the manufacturer in the country in which the product is manufactured. This all has to be checked, approved and stamped by the department of the relevant government agnecy that deals with food safety / export in the country where the product is made. This paperwork is very extensive and includes all sorts of things including lab tests and results etc. Upon receiving application for a foreign food product to be sold in Thailand, the Thai FDA scrutinises this documentation. The process involves a team sent to inspect the warehouse / premises of the importer (to make sure that the place where the product is stored is suitable etc), check all other relevant paperwork such as company formation documents etc and eventually issue an FDA number for each and every product. It is a very rigorous process. You can go to the local Thailand FDA website and enter an FDA number and it will tell you what that product is. I mention this because the #1 area in which fake products make it to the market involves the use of FDA stickers using the number for a different product. Basically, if the product is sold by a reputable vendor and has a Thailand FDA number that number matches up with the product in the FDA database, then it is unlikely to be a fake.

I am always a bit nervous when it comes to olive oil as there is so much adulteration of olive oils in Italy. As such, I try to find olive oils from Australia, New Zealand where that is not an issue. As far as honey goes, I'm not sure if it's Manuka honey you're after but if it is, the best brands are Comvita and Arataki. Arataki is the better bet as quality-wise they're considered equal but Arataki is much less expensive. Arataki brand Manuka is available on both Lazada and Shopee and I find UMF 10+ to be the sweet spot.

There are no limits per se. If you are buying foreign currency, they might only have so much, especially of it is not one of the major currencies like USD / GBP / EUR etc. If you are exchanging foreign currency in to baht, seems to be no limits.

I love this quote, brilliant! It's nuggets like this that make tuning in to this forum still worthwhile!

This <deleted> is happening all over the world. With Thai Mrs in New Zealand and thought we'd visit Australia for a quick break and change of scenery. Processing time for a tourist visa for a Thai in New Zealand to visit Australia is quoted as 8 months. We were told, "It should be processed in about half that time." No, thanks, we won't bother.

I always found locally grown avocados to be hit and miss, with a lot more misses. The imported avocados from New Zealand and Australia are good but often they have been in the supermarket too long and are already past their prime. The best luck I had with avocados was to get one from the supermarket NZ or Aus that was not yet ripe. Within a day or two it would be good.

If you're waking up every night between 2:00 and 3:00 AM with a dry mouth and it's not related to the air-conditioning, it would be worth going to see a doctor and getting checked out for the following: - Diabetes insipidus (which is not the "regular" diabetes melitus) - Cortisol levels. If they spike during the night due to blood sugar or other issues, you can wake with a jolt, and it can be very hard to get back to sleep. - Adrenal fatigue (can cause you to wake around that time and again, really struggle to get back to sleep) - Liver function issues (your liver works hard when you're asleep and any problems can cause you to wake between 1:00 and 3:00 AM) I had exactly the problem you describe of waking up at that hour and it took a year to get to the bottom of it. It was a combination of adrenal fatigue and gut issues. Of course, it might just be an issue with the air-conditioning and the humidity in the room. I hope that's what it is as that is an easy fix.

Hate to say it, Barry, but in the real world prices are going up by a similar 30%. Inflation is running rampant all over the globe. In my part of the world many locally grown food items are up by 30% over the past year. Not imported food items but locally grown. It's not just Thailand.

Usually they're a bunch of overly officious sods at check-in at Auckland Airport. Maybe the pandemic has chilled them a bit.

I know this thread is very old but my question is the same as the OP. In the subsequent years that have passed, has Rifaxamin been approved for use in Thailand? As the OP said, it's the best antibiotic for SIBO (and various other intestinal infections).

If you have any fungal issues, consider using this supplement: Thorne Research, Formula SF722. I had ongoing issues with fungal problems - nail fungus, ringworm and various issues associated with Candida overgrowth from gut issues to white tongue. This supplement worked wonders. Google it and read the reviews. You can order it online from iHerb. It's available on Lazada although it's pricier than if ordering from iHerb in the States. Just remember that many fungal issues are not just in one area so while you might treat say ringworm, as I did, with Cannesten cream, it might be that you unknowingly have yeast / fungal issues elsewhere. That's why something like this supplement or an anti-fungal like Fluconazole might be a better solution that a skin cream.

Many GP practices in New Zealand offer lower fees to pensioners / gold card holders. Not all, but many.

Rice brain oil has its advantages for sure with zero cholesterol and you can cook at high heat and it won't break down. Just be aware that it is very high in Omega6s....so best not to consume too much of it. Avocado oil is the sweet spot for taste and also not breaking down at high heat. A shame it is so expensive. I use rice brain oil sparingly (only use it when I deep fry which is not often), avocado oil and extra virgin olive oil. Frying Thai style dishs in avocado oil works well, in my opinion. There is a slightly funky flavour with avocado oil which is odd at first but I rather like it - and knowing the health benefits of avocado oil / lack of downsides of many other oils makes it worth it to me.

Just curious, why does it take so long for orders from iHerb to get to Thailand? I have made a number of iHerb orders from New Zealand and they're delivered in 4 - 6 days. The dispatch centre is in California. Also, never any duty or taxes to pay here and the last order was for 10 items totalling over $300. Do you have to pay tax or duty when you receive an order in Thailand?

Made the mistake of buying a fake pair of Levis at Pratunam some years ago. Complete waste of money and nothing like a genuine pair.

I have found that you need to be careful when the word "will" is used by Thais when talking about things they will do as part of a deal / transaction. Always insist that the things they say they will do are done before you commit / pay. Too often things are said to appease a potential customer when there is no genuine intention to see through on what was promised.

Was this told to you by an employee of Bangkok Bank or is this a new policy which can be verified with some official documents / on their website etc? It does seem rather an extreme policy, hence I wonder how you know about it?

Do some research online on "Berberine". Might be for her, might not.....but no harm in doing a bit of research about it. It has many benefits. If you're using oregano oil then berberine might be one to consider too. Good luck! Also, just thinking outside the box here, has she been tested for "SIBO"?

Many New Zealanders leave the country to go on their "OE" - overseas experience, where they work for a few years before returning home. It's almost like a rite of passage for many New Zealanders. Being a small country with just 5 million people means a smallish economy and being so isolated means relatively high costs for imported items and a higher cost of living. This can drive some people away. While many New Zealanders do seek employment abroad, a good percentage return home. Most New Zealanders are proud of their country and few consider their homeland a hole.

Ardern has lied about so many things and her popualrity has plummeted in New Zealand while the ignorant international media which lauded her seems to have rightfully turned their back on her after seeing her true colours these past two years. One of my favourite quotes (meaning lies) of hers is when she was asked why the world was vaccinating but New Zealand was not and did not have any vaccines in the country and was not expecting vaccines for many months and she said, "It's not when you start the race, it's when you finish", implying that while New Zealand started vaccinating late, but would come out of the pandemic before other countries. History shows us that New Zealand is still struggling while many others are well past the peak and coming out the other side. New Zealand is typically slow and behind the rest of the world and as a Kiwi I am not proud to say that.

I agree with what you say. I would like to add another factor. Quite simply, Thais have more money today. Many Thais love to socialise by eating out together. This can mean ordering lots of food, trying new types of cuisine, buffet restaurants etc. All this eating out might be fun, but it's not good for keeping trim!

I found real estate agents in Bangkok to be hopeless, with one exception. Most just seemed to one want to insert themselves in to a deal to make a commission while really adding very little. A couple I dealt with told so many fibs and gave the impression they'd do almost anything for money. There's much I like about Bangkok but one area where my homeland is 100 times better is real estate agents who have to be professional otherwise they will lose their licence and then won't be able to work! Don't forget that realty isn't a profession in Thailand and it's not like real estate agents have to pass exams and be part of a professional organisation.