mstevens

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.

Your wife invited the Russian over when you were out and he logged in to your TV amongst other things he put his log in to!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

A banana has 300 - 400 mg of potassium. RDI (recommended daily intake) of potassium is 4700 mg. I think he can have a fair few more bananas before he has to worry!

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!

Blood tests for magnesium levels aren't helpful. If your blood shows low magnesium, it's seriously low. You need to test magnesium in the cells which is a much more expensive test and not widely offered.

Good work, Thai Police! People like this guy are nothing but trouble. They are merchants of misery. Extradite him to Australia and ban him from ever returning to Thailand again!

Yep, running super slow here too. George said to be patient and it would speed up but that has not been my experience at all. When it came back online it was slow and it's still slow now, no change whatsoever.

Can you please tell me where I can find episodes 3 - 6 as I cannot see them anywhere.

Funny that. Larry hasn't had a drink in 30 years.

5.3 is good. Nothing to worry about at all!

I'd say if your diet has not reversed diabetes (assuming type 2) after 30 years, then it's hardly a great diet! A ketogenic, carnivore or even merely a reduced cab diet will reverse diabetes type 2.