MeaMaximaCulpa

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 🙂.

Hello @backstreet I have experienced similar issues so I know how hard it can be, and what I find is that some simple meditation helps. Also a gratefulness routine is good, every day think about what you can be grateful for that day, instead of focussing on the problems you see (real or imagined). Proper breathing is very important, and learn how to use diaphragmatic breathing or breathing with your stomach. Look this up. The 5 minute video below with Andrew Huberman explains how to do something called the double sigh, a very useful technique to use when you need to slow down your heart rate to go to sleep. Or to reduce stress during the day as well. It really works, and quite quickly! As for medication: I would stay far away unless deep clinical issues, and focus on better eating (low carb/high fat) and whatever exercise you can manage to do within the limits of your foot injury and age. As for supplements, magnesium has been mentioned, I would add one which is GABA, a calming neurotransmitter I think it is classified as. I take it before bed (2*500 mg), and it can seem to give me better sleep (difficult to know for sure what causes what). You can buy it from iHerb.com, they ship to Thailand and is the number one website for supplements, with very good product range and an excellent customer service. Meditation and gratefulness are both good, and some personal therapy with a good psychologist might also help. But you have to find a person you "click" with, otherwise it will not work very well. I wish you good luck with finding some calm and peace, we older gents should live a quiet life, and not worry too much! 😀

Thanks a lot Sheryl, I will check this out. I am actually seeing a doctor at Rutnin at the moment, but not the one you mention. But since I will not be in Bangkok regularly after new year, I hoped to move to a local hospital. I have a thinning of the optical nerve sheet as seen on OCT scans, but with normal eye pressure, and no real, clinical symptoms of glaucoma. So my doctor asked a colleague as well, and they both could not explain fully. So I need to monitor, but for now no treatment. I will talk to my doc about getting a 2nd opinion from your recommended doc (hope no loss of face...). And to go once or twice a year there is OK, but they still insist on wearing a mask, they even tape it on your face... As for my question number two, my wife is Thai but quite westernized, and can check out the resources you highlighted. She will also be Pattaya based after new year, but once she finds a therapist she is comfortable with, they can do video meetings. So again, thanks and good to have you back, you're a great help to the community! MMC

Welcome back @Sheryl, I hope you had a nice break and are not too busy helping your big flock to answer my question! Today no "conspiracy theories", only recommendations for "real" doctors 🙂. Btw, this is not only for Sheryl, please let me know good and not so good experiences from everyone who can contribute. 1) Glaucoma specialist at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya to investigate, monitor and treat possible early glaucoma. Another hospital in "the 'hood" can also be considered if warranted. 2) A good "behavioral psychologist" at Bumrungrad Hospital, but also at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. Individual (non-hospital) practitioners can be considered if warranted. I am not looking for a psychiatrist with a big bag of SSRIs to "treat" mental illness, but someone who can help my wife deal with and process both old emotions (mainly family related) and current (to do with complex and traumatic work dynamics). Thanks for all help! MMC

Recently at Jomtien they wanted TM30 (from 2017 accepted), TM47 and PP copies.

OK, my bad

I tend to go mid week, arriving a bit after 09:00 (I hit my bank 08:30 same day for the bank letter/800K which is always accepted). By then most of the eager beavers are through the system. I have in all my time at Jomtien Immigration (at least since they moved from town) NEVER got my passport back the same day for retirement extension, regardless of time of day. As in NOT EVER. Last year it took two days even. So I am surprised to see this issue even being discussed. I guess it is the same as I have NEVER, for anything I need to do at the Land Transport Department in Pattaya been able to use my yellow book/pink card as proof of address, but have to get a certificate of residency at Immigration (who in turn uses my yellow book. Oh, the sweet, circular irony of it all). But still there are people saying they can use their yellow book, and I must be unpresentable or badly dressed or drunk who doesn't. Go figure...

@Sheryl you are of course correct in the fact that we have no studies on humans with anti-parasitic drugs. However there are some very encouraging anecdotal cases worth checking out, more with Fenbendazole than with Ivermectin. And knowing that big, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trials are very expensive and will never be funded by big pharma, when there is no potential to recover the investment. The drugs in question are out-of-patent, cheap and generic drugs, and safe for humans. Would I try these drugs if I had cancer? You bet I would, why not? Would I turn down traditional treatment? That would depend on the specific case, type of cancer, progression, probability of cure, etc. There is also now renewed interest in Otto Warburg's close to 100 year old theory of cancer as mainly a metabolic disease, where most cancers prefer sugar as fuel (apparently pancreatic cancer cells can also thrive on ketones). The damaged DNA theory has not yielded much in terms of inroads into beating cancer, and the drugs in this class are extremely expensive and not that effective. There is now some who thinks that the DNA damage is not the direct cause of cancer, but rather a result of damaged mitochondria. More research is obviously needed here, but it can seem promising. So there is more to this complex problem than we might think, and if we do not try simple, safe and cheap alternatives we will have to wait a very long time for big pharma and the established medical science to help us. And we better be rich!

I have also heard about this. Another anti-parasitic drug called Fenbendazole is also reported to have anti-cancer effects. Very interesting, since mainstream medicine seems to have been stuck on another track for quite a while.

There are some that would claim that a healthy diet is high fat, but not omega 6 seed oils. Animal fats are the real deal, and restrict the carbs instead, especially grains and processed sugars. Protein depending on requirements.

Hi guys, A brief update to those who helped with specific information I can use. The immediate "crisis" is over, and my old pool shop is back on track with regular cleaning. But for the intermediate and longer term I still need more help, since the problem is potentially much bigger than cleaning and say change a filter or pump. But just so you know I do appreciate the help you've given me so far: @MrJ I did stop by JN pool shop on Sukhumvit with my wife the other week, and we got a very good impression, especially with the lady we chatted to. The shop itself looked well stocked, clean and tidy, to me a good sign. Jack was not there, but I will call him later and see if he wants to come by to have a look and a more in-depth discussion on things he can help with. @Bagwain Sorry I still haven't gotten back to you, but I will when I get some more time to spare (late this year or early next year is my guess). As I mention about Jack above, if you like you too can come round for a coffee and a talk. I need to look at several options, and we also need people to help with all other house maintenance tasks into the new year and going forward. Brgds MMC

I see some people post laughing smileys under my post suggesting nattokinase. What gives? Was it actually funny, or do you have a problem with it? If so, you may be right, but for the love of god, please man up, grow a pair and explain why. In another post in a different thread, I posted something about not being allowed to use the yellow book as proof of address at the land transport department in Pattaya. One poster with I think it was over 100K posts (sic) offered his comment that my appearance was not up to standard. WTF? Was that useful or funny? What does he know about my appearance? He spends all day everyday making BS comments. Oh man! So please, comment, but have something to say, don't be a keyboard warrior loser!

For blood pressure reduction and plack removal I keep hearing about nattokinase, an enzyme made from natto (some fermented soy dish). Do some research yourself, but it may be worth trying. You can get it on iherb.com

Yes correct, it should be pink or rainbow coloured 😁. Joke aside, that's exactly how I feel. I tend to think: How do everyone else deal with this situation, but most probably they have similar experiences as I do. One way to deal with it is extreme patience, lower my standards and have a more mai pen rai attitude. Now how to do that...?

Of course, and it is not always easy to know until afterwards. Sometimes we are just lucky, and sometimes not.

I had this happen some 4-5 months ago, but a software update fixed it. YMMV.

That sounds a bit depressive and wrong to boot. One has to be careful, but never to trust seems like a sad situation. I am still 100% good after 20 years, and so are many others. But if one insist on picking up a life partner in a bar, then buyer beware.

Thank you, I shall check it out.

I use a dual SIM option for Norway and Thailand, now with both being eSIM (embedded SIM). When I used eSIM for AIS and a physical SIM for Norway I had both active, and because I was new to this I wasn't careful about what SIM was used when calling, I kind of assumed that making a local call would use the local SIM. So while thinking I was using the Norwegian SIM I actually used the AIS SIM in Norway. BIG mistake, since I quiickly run up a bill for more than THB 5,000 and AIS just shut down my SIM without contacting or informing me. I did pay as soon as I found out, but even AIS in Bangkok couldn't manage to turn it back on and restore service, so I couldn't receive OTPs for bills paying. Very awkward indeed. Now when I use both as eSIM it will only allow me to have one active at the time, which is a better solution.

Thanks, but I was looking for more repair-like stuff, also to diagnose a potential leak inside the house (not pool related). It seems the Pattaya area including the dark side suffers a constant lack of qualified people. The really good ones are super busy and never have time for you, and the rest is usually useless. Sigh...

I posted this in the swimming pool forum, but got no answers, so I try in the Pattaya forum: I am looking for a good and reliable contractor to service our pool and house water supply system (cleaning, pumps, valves, filters, chlorinator, ++). Reasonable (hey, even basic!) English capabilities and solid knowledge of pools and water systems is a must. I tried to talk to a guy called Marcus (forgot the shop name, it is on Siam Country Club soi) to no awail, and the Wichaiyong shop isn't really cutting it either... Does anyone know someone out here east of Pattaya (can be in Pattaya city as well)?

I am looking for a good and reliable contractor to service our pool and house water supply system (cleaning, pumps, valves, filters, chlorinator, ++). Reasonable (hey, even basic!) English capabilities and solid knowledge of pools and water systems is a must. I tried to talk to a guy called Marcus (forgot the shop name, it is on Siam Country Club soi) to no awail, and the Wichaiyong shop isn't really cutting it either... Does anyone know someone out here east of Pattaya (can be in Pattaya city as well)?

I agree with your last sentence, although I would probably give in just a bit before the catheter...