mstevens

I don't wish to be alarmist but your eGFR at 47 appears to be low. I was always of the understanding it should be like 90 or higher. That said, it is not marked as H or L so perhaps I have this wrong?

I'm not a doctor, but am reasonably well read on cholesterol and diet. It sounds like you're carrying some extra weight. Do what you can to lose some weight. The best way to do this is through diet. Exercise is helpful, but diet is a much more effective way to lose weight. If you're willing to try a ketogenic diet (high fat, very low carb / max 20 grams of carbs per day), I imagine the weight will fall off you and your cholesterol profile will improve markedly with HDL increasing and Triglycerides decreasing. Your A1C will also improve. A ketogenic diet essentially means half your plate is meat / animal products like eggs, and the other half is non-starchy vegetables. This approach would see you lose weight, your cholesterol profile improve - and you would not need to use drugs. To be clear, this is not the approach which conventional doctors use although there is a growing number of doctors who recommend exactly this approach in preference to the prescribing of statins.

They're blokes, mate.

The house is an uber expensive property with rent mooted at 1 million baht / month. He drives a brand-new, high spec Audi - a very expensive car in Thailand. And he was a security guard previously. Correct me of I am wrong, but that's a low-income job. Do you not think there are more questions here than answers?

I'm curious about the guy's background. He obviously has a lot of money. How did he make it? Was it through legitimate means? His behaviour makes me wonder about that. When someone makes a lot of legitimately money in business, generally if you Google their name you will get some background on the businesses they have owned / run / been involved in. Not in every case, of course - but in most. But Google this guy and what do you find? An elephant sanctuary. I can't imagine that's a road to riches. Far from it, in fact. The question of how he made his money is relevant because this man's behaviour is not what you'd expect of someone who is leading the lifestyle of a wildly successful guy. Those who have done well for themselves, who live in uber expensive, beach-front houses on a tropical island and who drive brand-new German vehicles generally don't behave like this man. So how did he make his money? I'd love to know more about his background. It seems to me there are some big questions to be answered.

Impossible to say from these comments whether you're smart or not, although spelling "received" and "alcohol" wrong doesn't suggest you're great at spelling which could be a tiny indicator for someone who is smart / intelligent. Your attitude does shine through, however. Let's just say that you don't come across as humble or modest.

I very much agree with this. I reckon he'll be scurrying to offer a significant amount of compensation to the doctor he assaulted, a donation to the ambulance service he gave the bird to and a big, big wai on national TV....and if he is lucky, he might not get botted out.

New Zealand was very disappointing. On paper this is a reasonable NZ side - not as good as Australia but far from terrible - but they always seem to crumble when they come up against the Aussies as if there's a problem mentally going up against Australia. NZ will get done in the second test too, no doubt.

This new system is supposed to come in to effect on March 19, 15 days from now. When can we expect embassies in USA / Europe / Other Places to announce it? This week? Next week? You'd hope they would announce it soon so people were aware and could apply using the current system and prices.

I have tried a few different types of Melatonin for sleep - different brands and different dosages. This one works well for me, and is cheap. I like it because it helps you to fall asleep AND stay asleep. And the latter was my problem. I would often wake up a few hours after falling asleep and struggle to get back to sleep. This has really helped with that. https://www.lifeextension.com/vitamins-supplements/item01786/melatonin-6-hour-timed-release

This is only partially true. The RDI of magnesium for a male is over 400 mg. A banana has around 30 mg. 100 grams of durian has around 30 mg of durian (so you'd have to eat 1.3 kg of durian to reach the RDI of magnesium). The amount of magnesium in broccoli and guava is even lower. For sure, it's great to get minerals and vitamins from food and a balanced diet is definitely the way to go. However, if you're deficient or simply wish to load up on magnesium to help relax and potentially help with sleep, then supplementing may be the way to go.

Of course it’s not a New Zealand only thing. There is absolutely no reason why it would be. It was simply that the Thai embassy in New Zealand announced it first. New fees are coming soon to an embassy and consulate near you!

And you can guarantee that visa fees will increase by a similar amount as has been flagged in New Zealand. This will be worldwide. Guaranteed.

Magnesium can help to make you feel relaxed. It's also a useful supplement to take as many of us are deficient in it. From all that I have read, the impression I get is that magnesium is often a part of sleep supplement formulas - but often just one of several other ingredients. Whether magnesium alone is enough to help you sleep, I am not sure. But certainly, 200 mg of Magnesium Glycinate should not hurt! How is your liver health? TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) says waking up at 1 AM - 3 AM can be a sign of a congested / overworked liver. Of course, this might have nothing to do with why you're waking at that time, but it's something to consider.

Read somewhere that he lives with his Mum and Dad as he can't afford to rent his own place. What a life!

How long has it been since the visa extension fee of 1,900 baht increased? It is many years, right? If that went up 600%, that would take it up to over 10,000 baht. I think there will be a lot of very unhappy people if that happens. With that said, that visa extension fee is handled by a different government depart to visa fees at embassies and consulates.....but you would expect that at some point that 1,900 baht visa extension fee is going to go up too.

Check around March 15 or 16 and you'll probably see an update then.

So what is the reason for this increase in New Zealand, and seemingly not elsewhere? There are a few possibilities: 1. The price increases are indeed worldwide and the embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun in publishing the new prices. Consulates and embassies elsewhere will follow with announcements in the days before March 19. I strongly believe this is the case. Let's not forget that there have been changes to visa policy in the past that has been announced just a few days before the change came in. 2. The new prices reflect the rates Thais have to pay for a visa to visit that country. If that were the case, expect adjustments elsewhere around the world and visa fees to be different, depending on where you apply / what your nationality is. 3. New Zealand is a test case to see what sort of change there is to visitor numbers if visa fees are hiked significantly, with this used as part of the decision-making process to determine how much to increase fees by elsewhere. New Zealand has been used as a test market for some products released by major Japanese manufacturers such as Panasonic, so you could say there is precedent for this, even if it seems unlikely. My money is firmly on number 1. The Thai embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun and published the new visa prices early. I maintain that come March 19, wherever you are in the world you'll be paying the equivalent rate for a visa in your local currency.

That was abolished 24 years ago, after New Zealand changed the rules on Thais who until that point could visit New Zealand visa free for 90 days. When NZ changed the rules on Thai passport holders, Thailand did the same to NZ passport holders.

For me, a big part of the appeal of Thailand was that it was a very cheap place to visit and when I moved there, a very cheap place to live. And by that I mean a Western standard lifestyle. Nowadays, it just doesn't feel to me like the bargain it was. Sure, compare it with some places and it's still cheap but it's nothing like it once was. When things were so cheap, I was able to overlook some stuff that I wasn't really comfortable with. Now that it's a pricier place, I find it harder to overlook some stuff. As Thailand becomes pricier, I think it changes the mix of foreigners who choose to live there, to some extent at least. Probably visitor numbers will just go up and up. But because it's not the bargain it once was, it becomes a less attractive place for someone like me to live.

I think it's simply a case that the Thai embassy in New Zealand jumped the gun and posted the new fees before it was officially announced. With forum moderator George coming out and saying the MFA will be announcing new WORLDWIDE visa fees on Tuesday, you can take these new fee rates as Gospel.

I would expect that the price to extend a visa in country of 1,900 baht will jump by a similar amount. Before it was 500 baht, it was 1,900 baht - so it increased by almost four x. Could that happen again? Could it become 7,500 baht or thereabouts to extend a visa?! Oh, this is going to hurt a lot of people!

Thai embassies and consulates around the world standardise the price of visas. So if a visa costs NZD 50, it will be around USD 30 in the USA, UK 25 etc which is about the same price as NZD 50. There will be slight differences due to fluctuating exchange rates but they work out to be roughly the same price. This is nothing to do with New Zealand being an expensive country. Assuming these visa fee increases as posted at the Thai Embassy in New Zealand are for real, you can expect similar price increases in all Thai embassies and consulates around the world from the same date, March 19. These price increases are very steep!

When Omeprazole first came on the market it came with warnings NOT to use it long-term. I seem to recall the recommended time of use was 6 - 12 weeks, maximum. Omeprazole reduces stomach acid. The problem with that is that stomach acid is an important part of your digestive process and a lack of stomach acid affects digestion. This can mean undigested food which can result in bacterial overgrowth, malabsorption and other GI issues which can cause a cascade of increasingly serious symptoms. I know acid reflux is not nice, but perhaps it might be worth hunting for a doctor who can identify the root cause of the acid reflux and treat that - and not just treat the symptoms which is what Omeprazole does.

In this case, Campbell is but the interviewer. As for Campbell being an opportunist, you do know that the money he makes from his channel goes to medical facilities in Africa to help people in rural areas. He has done countless videos from the clinics he supports in Africa. Campbell is not someone living high on the hog. If you disagree with the people Campbell has interviewed then so be it. That's your right. But no need to tell fibs about him.