mstevens

The big problem with vegan diets other than the obvious deficiencies of such a diet like B12, zinc and iron is oxalate toxicity. It can take a long time - not years, but decades - before oxalate toxicity becomes an issue. If you consume lots of spinach / rhubarb / nuts / dark chocolate and other high oxalate foods - and especially if your gut is not on top of its game - you might one day face oxalate toxicity. And if you do, it can take years to reverse.

The diner at Foodland is good for a quick bite on the run if you happen to be passing by. I wouldn't go out of my way for it. That said, the Sukhumvit soi 5 branch is awful, cramped and a bit of a freak show which is amusing the first time but grows old fast. Any other branch is better. Sukhumvit soi 16 branch much bigger / more spacious and better overall, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

The obvious answer is to consume more fluids. That said, sometimes when we're thirsty, it might not necessarily be an issue of not enough fluids, but a lack of electrolytes. Coconut water is great for replacing electrolytes and worth consuming each day. You can also get sachets of electrolytes at pharmacies to dissolve in water. They're cheap as chips.

Your diet is quite limited, but if that is what works for you, then stick with it while you figure out what is going on with your stomach. Don't stick with a limited diet forever because we need a variety of foods. Is the diet this limited because you have reactions / intolerances to various foods? If that is the case, I'd Google dysbiosis and also SIBO. You *might* have one of them. That said, you're eating bread which contains gluten and many people with stomach issues react to gluten, even if they are not Celiac. Ditto with eggs. I note another poster suggested a low FODMAP diet. I agree with them and think that could be something to try. Again, Google is your friend - there are a lot of low FODMAP lists out there. One other hint. While your diet is limited, it would certainly be worth taking a quality multivitamin.

I'll go against the grain here and suggest the complete opposite. I would actually avoid consuming much fibre at all. If the issue is dysbiosis or SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) then you will have real trouble with fibre - and in some cases it can cause nasty stomach pain. Some people find that going carnivore for a period helps. It sounds counter-intuitive to eat a meat only diet (and it's not a diet recommended long-term) but it can be helpful to anyone struggling to digest fibre.

What did they test for in the stool sample? Did you get a printout of the results? Often hospital stool tests just look for H Pylori. Did they look, for example, at the fat content (which would show whether you have trouble digesting fat and can manifest itself as loose stools and indicate a liver or, more likely, gallbladder issue). I imagine Thai hospitals don't go in to details about strains of bacteria present - but that might be needed as you might have a serious cases of dysbiosis which is manifesting itself as diarrhea. Also, where exactly is your stomach ache. The location of the ache might indicate an issue with one of the organs which supports digestion - and if there is an issue with an organ it can result in diarrhea. Upper right quadrant would be liver / gallbladder. Upper left would be pancreas etc.

The surgical removal of your gallbladder is a big deal. Surgically, it's not a difficult procedure and is one of the most common operations performed and, I believe, the most common abdominal surgery. The concern is not so much the surgery itself, or the recovery time, but the after effects of living the rest of your life without a gallbladder. A small percentage of people who have their gallbladder removed suffer life-long diarrhea. Basically, instead of the gallbladder releasing bile when you eat fats to assist with their digestion, your bile flow is "always on". Think of it as a small, but constant flow of bile. This causes upset in some people and life-long diarrhea. Estimates vary as to how many people this affects but I have read numbers ranging from 5 - 20%. It can cause "urgency" in others, including a friend of mine whose gallbladder was removed. He never knew that once his gallbladder was removed that he would forever need to be aware of where the nearest toilet is. He sometimes gets very short notice that he "has to go" i.e. get to the nearest toilet at Formula 1 speed! Have you considered trying the Chanca Piedra supplement? It's known as the "stone-breaker" and can help to break down and dissolve gallstones (and kidney stones). Google it for more information. I don't know if it's available in Thailand but Lazada and Shoppee would be worth checking out. Failing that, it can be purchased from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Chanca-Piedra-800MG-Tablet-Gallbladder/dp/B071KR997R Surgery is one option but do your research first, particularly in to the side effects of living without a gallbladder. Also, do some research in to Chanca Piedra. If it were me, I'd try that first (and if you do try it, I'd go with a high dose, like 1,600 mg). Whatever you decide, good luck!

If your primary concern is constipation, magnesium can be a big help, particularly magnesium citrate (as opposed to other forms of magnesium). Many of us are magnesium deficient and magnesium citrate can be very helpful if you're blocked up. Triphala is also very helful if you're not regular. I'm not a doctor so you should do your own research. These supplements are simply recommended to relieve constipation and not to resolve any other underlying issues which may have caused the constipation in the first place. Certainly, there is a lot of material out there online about these two supplements and I speak with experience having used both of them myself.

If the issue is anxiety causing sleep issues, the best thing to do is to identify what the issues are causing the anxiety and deal with those. That is not always easy so you might like to look at some herbal supplements which can help. The most popular for anxiety is probably Ashwagandha. It's good, but I personally prefer the herb Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil. Take it about 30 minutes before you go to bed. It doesn't knock you out like sleeping pills do, but it has a very relaxing effect which results in a deep sleep. When I had sleeping issues, my problem was not in actually falling asleep but in waking up in the middle of the night. I found that taking one capsule of Holy Basil helped me sleep through the night. Google it if you think it might be for you.

His criminal record did not trigger any alarms as Thailand does not have the ability to check criminal records in New Zealand (or other countries) when someone enters Thailand. This is why there are so many foreigners with a questionable background in Thailand - there is no requirement to show a clean criminal record when entering the country or even when applying for a long-stay visa.

Be careful with fibre! Conventional wisdom is that if you have constipation then you need to eat more fibre but this is not always the best advice. A messed up gut might mean you really struggle to digest fibre and reducing fibre, especially those that ferment in the gut, might be needed until your gut has healed. I had to avoid garlic and onions for a period and even now, I can only eat relatively small amounts.

IBS is a term given by doctors when they are aware of gut related issues but not exactly what the issue is / what is causing it. As such, the treatment for a IBS can be a real crapshoot. Many people who suffer from IBS actually suffer from SIBO and / or SIFO. (Google these for more information with SIBO more common). If one does suffer from SIBO - and, as I say, it is increasingly common - the treatment can be complex. One needs to establish the root cause which can be anything from Hypochlorhydria (low stomach acid) to gallbladder issues to possibly a liver or pancreas issue. Stress is also a major contributor to IBS and SIBO. Chronic stress can cause various changes in the body such as low stomach acid production which in turn opens the gate to pathogens entering the gut and over time, voila, you have IBS or SIBO or some other equally horrible condition. A good starting point is cleaning up your diet, meaning whole foods and reducing sugar / processed foods / lots of high-carb foods. Spacing meals apart and not snacking helps. Intermittent fasting is useful. Digestive enzyones can be very helpful. And definitely consider taking probiotics - quality probiotics, not supermarket brands. I personally take 3 different types of probiotics and that, along with all of the other strategies mentioned here, settled my gut issues right down. That might be enough. If, however, you have SIBO, then you may need professional help to get rid of it. Actually killing SIBO is not hard, but failing to identify the root cause and also dealing with that means the SIBO often comes back. I hope this helps. I have been through this myself and suffered all sorts of health issues and complications due to a messed up gut. Any questions, feel free to fire away!

It's curious that a doctor would recommend the removal of your gallbladder when there is no pain and said to be no cancer. As LS24 says in the post above, there can be issues living without a gallbladder and diarrhea is one of them. Do you have any digestive issues? Do you have trouble digesting fats? Pain after eating fat on your upper right abdomen, at all? If not, I wonder why they want to take your gallbladder. There are a host of possible gallbladder (and related liver) issues. Do some research on TUDCA. It's a supplement that can help to clear sludge from the gallbladder. It would not hurt to take it. Seeking Health's specific Gallbladder Nutrients supplement is also very good, a supplement I took myself when I previously had issues digesting fats - which was related to bile production and bile flow. There are many gallbladder supplements but this one by Seeking Health is widely considered to be one of the best.

Is sublingual B12 an option? There are some B12 supplements that you place under your tongue and are absorbed directly there in your mouth. They do not need to go down through your GI system and be absorbed in your small intestine. Perhaps that might be an easier option?

Going carnivore for a few months is a popular way to clear up many gut issues. But it should only be looked at as a short-term solution. For those with SIBO (and some other gut issues), fibre is a real problem and carnivore essentially gives the guy a rest from fibre. But like I say, not really a long-term solution as it comes with up issues of its own!

In that case, you might like to take a look at Rhodiola Extract. It's another adaptogen like Ashwagandha but it also tends to boost energy, stamina and mental clarity. It is typically taken in the morning. It's worth Googling "Rhodiola Extract" and doing your own research to see if it is for you. I have not actually tried it. I do have an unopened bottle in my cupboard but have never used it as Ashwagandha and Tulsi work well for me.

Getting the blood test you mentioned and having thyroid checked is a great idea. Assuming the test comes back ok, there are some herbal supplements that can assist those suffering from anxiety and panic attacks. Ashwagandha is popular. Google it and see if it's for you. I took it for a few months a year or so back and found it to have a very soothing effect. There are other herbs that are similar such as Rhodiola, Tulsi and others. They have similar effects but can vary a little i.e. Tulsi is good to take in the evening as it can help (a little) with sleep. But for sure, if anxiety is an issue, Ashwagandha is a decent starting point.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.