MeaMaximaCulpa

FWIW I still use a TM-30 from 2017 at Jomtien Immigration, and it is always accepted without comment. I live at the same address and I am on a retirement extension. I have been abroad many times over the years, and also travelled locally and stayed in several hotels here. Never a problem. But as always, YMMW...

From what I can understand, it is more the individual doctor and less the hospital you should look for. That being said, it is probably a higher density of excellent doctors at Bumrungrad than at some of the cheaper hospitals. But since a knee replacement is of critical importance, go for the best you can afford. Imagine the potential pain and misery for years to come if you compromise to save some money.

Never?

Nobody on here can diagnose your memory issues, but I believe as a general rule, a low carb/keto diet will be helpful for brain health and memory/dementia issues. Many now call Alzheimer's for diabetes type 3, claiming it is (among other possible causes) a metabolic disease. Insulin resistance in the brain causes poor uptake of glucose to fuel the brain, but on a keto diet ketones are produced from fat to take over glucose's role in the body and brain (well ±30% of the brain must have glucose, but the rest thrives on ketones). Ketones do not require insulin, so one can bypass the insulin resistance. You can also bypass insulin if you do some intense workouts, look it up (non-insulin dependent uptake of glucose). As for diet specifics others have given you some (mostly) good ideas already. But general rule is Fat 75%, protein 20% and carbs 5%. Then you can adjust to taste. Just be aware that there is a phenomenon called "physiological insulin resistance" or glucose sparing state, as opposed to pathological insulin resistance. The former is not dangerous, but it usually happens on a very low carb diet, where you rely on the liver to make the small amount of glucose the body never can do without (parts of the brain, optic nerve, red blood cells plus some more areas). So the cells are made temporarily insulin resistant to give the vital parts the glucose they need. Eating some carbs for a day or two will quickly turn off this mechanism, so it may be a good idea to cycle in some carbs now and then. How will you know you have succeeded? Two ways: 1) Get a ketone meter, similar to a glucose meter. This may be difficult to buy in Thailand, also via the internet (e.g. Amazon will not ship it here), so you will have to have a friend ship it to you or trans-ship it via a third party (FDA approval rules I believe). I have one (Keto-Mojo) and it works very well. Together with a glucose meter (I use Accdu-Chek Guide, very good) one can track accurately the progression to keto nirvana, also nice to have if you do some prolonged fasts (3-4 days) every now and then. 2) You will just know! After a "fat-adaptation phase" of 2-4 weeks you will not be hungry much, cravings go away, energy returns, brain fog lifts and mood is much better than on a carb heavy diet. Weight loss should also be quite easy. The adaptation phase may be hard, and there you will need some self control. Many give up just before they arrive in fat-burning mode, so stick with it!

Perhaps talk with your dentist if ceramic inlays may be a better option for big fillings?

I had my amalgam fillings removed around 30 years ago, and replaced with polymer fillings and in some cases ceramic inlays (for bigger areas on the chewing surfaces). My dentist back then in South Africa (RIP (the country, not the dentist)) did a very good job of preparation for safe removal both for him and me. In addition to things already mentioned in this thread, to avoid any drilling residue entering the throat and swallowed he put a rubber "coffer dam" tightly around the tooth and covering everything else. I didn't have any specific symptoms of mercury poisoning, but did this as a precautionary measure, since it is usually old, partly broken or eroded fillings that can eventually leach out mercury. I also didn't have any adverse effects of the removal, nor did I feel any better for that matter. My blood mercury is stable and low now and back then. Some will say "let sleeping dogs lie", since the risk of extraction vs the benefits may be hard to calculate. The mercury in amalgam is usually very tightly bonded, and unlikely to cause any harm (except to the dentist who used to work in this environment all day, every day). I can see that side of things, same as with a root canal treatment. I would prefer extraction and implant before a root canal, but if you already have a root canal that has been done by a good dentist and is not causing problems, it may be better to let it stay. But there is a risk that anaerobic bacteria can build up, and eventually leach out and get into your bloodstream. And these bacteria can be very dangerous to the heart especially. But again, the very process of drilling into this "can of worms" may help to spread the bacteria. Like a biopsy for cancer detection. Very useful, but may in some cases help to spread the cancer. So doomed if you do, doomed if you don't...

I usually don't comment in this section, but I enjoy the entertainment value. The above post was way to big to bother commenting on, but one sentence stood out to me: "... the days of imperialism are long since dead". Are they? Really? You (and I) might wish that to be true, but last time I checked, many of the left/liberals/... keep saying that they KNOW what Putin wants. And that is to re-create the Soviet Union and invade Europe (exactly HOW they know this is a bit unclear to me, and likewise how Putin would go about doing this isn't obvious with his limited resources and economy). And China, well we can observe that they are on all continents, busy investing/buying up ports, land and building big things with thick strings attached. But they also flex some military muscles, so far mainly in the South China Sea, but also elsewhere. Feel free to disagree, I don't really care. I just had to point it out, that's all.

2nd hand black Lotus Turbo Esprit, bought at Hendon Way Motors in London way back. I don't have a pic handy, but the one below looks the same. 2.2 liter turbo, double overhead cams, double Delorto carburetors, it felt like sitting in a go-cart with poor to no visibility other that straight ahead. <deleted>ty build quality, but fun to drive and it turned some heads. It had KUW 777 in the reg. number and was registered first time 25 December. The dealer said it was a prince from Kuwait that bought it as a Christmas pressie to his g/f or wife. I dunno if that is true or not, but it is a good story nevertheless. James Bond used a white version in a 007 movie in the Italian alps, and had a trendy ski-rack fitted. So James and I are buddies 🙂.

OK, I am not answering your direct question, but you can get blood tests done also at clinics. I use N-Health in Pattaya, they have decent prices and there is no charge for seeing a doctor. So if you know how to interpret the results, it is a good deal.

I agree that Greek yogurt is the best, since it is usually full of good fats as well. Beware low fat yogurt, since they will replace the fat with sugar to keep the taste and mouth-feel. For plenty of good protein eat organic/free-range eggs, fatty fish and grassfed beef.

I will attempt to answer your first question. Water is water no matter what form it has, so yes fruit (or e.g. coffee or beer) will add to your water intake. Now the downside is that fruits are very sweet, and each gram of sugar will require around four grams of water to "process" in your body. This water is not part of your hydration as such, as it gets stored. This is also true for beer which contains a lot of sugar (carbs). Coffee and beer also have the effect of being diuretics, so therefore drinking coffee and beer will dehydrate you, requiring you to drink even more water. Finally hydration has to do with salt as well ("water follows salt"), so if you drink too much pure water without enough salt (and electrolytes), the body cannot hold on to the water. But that doesn't mean it's a good idea to drink seawater, because that is another can of worms altogether!

OK, I have to bite one final time: Many lived much longer, but sure, falls, wild animals and infections culled quite a few. So way too simplistic for my liking. No thanks, more of the same (bad studies) doesn't make bad science good. And you keep talking about processed meats, which I agree are not good for you. My point was red, unprocessed meat (perhaps I was not clear enough earlier). Please let's leave it at that, I respect your right to have whatever opinion you like.

My last word on this here, since the OP didn't ask for this discussion, and we're highjacking his thread. The study you quote is as I guessed an observational study, based on questionnaires. This type of study is very unreliable and can at best indicate correlation and not causation. For that you need a randomized double blind placebo controlled study. A correlation can be used to form a hypothesis and can indicate where to do further study, but not to draw causative conclusions. If you seriously want to learn about this more in depth, you must put aside your preconceived opinions and look much deeper, otherwise you just will suffer from confirmation bias. Look for Peter Attia, Chris Kresser, Mark Hyman, Mark Sisson and many others to learn more. Eat what you like, full on vegan for all I care, but be aware that humans have eaten red meat (but not processed meat) for hundreds of thousands of years and thrived on that. Why should it suddenly be dangerous? Answer that question and you will get closer to a real answer. Good luck!

I know this issue is controversial, but I think if you do some research with an open mind you will find that the studies that point to red meat as colorectal cancer risk are mostly observational. And often not well enough corrected for confounding variables. It tends to be the sum total of what red meat eaters eat, drink, smoke and do w.r.t. lifestyle that can increase the cancer risk, not the red meat itself.

I would be careful with multivitamin/mineral tablets, since several of the ingredients may be harmful if you get too much, unless you specifically are deficient. Examples from the list you provided are: A, E, B6, calcium, potentially also selenium. Edit: I would also mention iron, don't take unless deficient. Better to eat some red meat 🙂.