TallGuyJohninBKK

Basically, based on ingredients, looks a lot like a local version of Mentholatum or Vicks VapoRub....

I don't know how they'd deal with hypertension issues....which are a bit sticky... In my case, it was a standard medical condition. From memory, the questionnaire I had to fill out and complete for them asked various questions, some about things in the past year, and others about things going back three years, I believe. As far as premiums are concerned, I've been a PC policy holder for many years... And in all that time, I think I've only seen two years where they had general rate increases for everyone... Whereas for most Thai medical insurers, annual cost-of-living premium hikes are a common thing. The only other rate increases I've had from PC are the standard 5 year age band increases, which are disclosed well in advance as they have standard charts showing how their premiums change as you progress into each different age band.

There's also a legitimate, popular APK for Android and Fire TV devices called "Smart Tube" which is a free, no ads, fully featured YouTube player, including the ability to sign into your account and access your playlists, saved videos, etc. It works so well on my smart TVs that I ended up uninstalling the regular YT app. But note, this one ONLY works on smart TV devices and NOT on mobile devices. https://github.com/yuliskov/SmartTubeNext "SmartTube is an advanced player for Android TVs and TV boxes, free & open source. You can play content from different public sources. ✅ Features: no ads ‧ SponsorBlock ‧ adjustable playback speed ‧ 8k support ‧ 60fps ‧ HDR ‧ read live chat ‧ customizable buttons ‧ no Google Services ‧ helpful international community ❌ Disadvantages: no support for phones and tablets, no comments stability, voice search and casting support might be worse than in the official apps, depending on your device" The two available download links for a stable and beta version are quite a ways down on the page listed as... "latest beta download latest stable download"

FWIW, I'll also add, I think this is one of those kinds of situations where you may benefit from working with/thru an experienced, knowledgeable Thai insurance broker who has a good working relationship with Pacific Cross or whatever insurer you're using... My sense is, it can be very helpful to have a knowledgeable advocate on your side if you run into some issues or disputes with the insurer, including someone who's fluent in Thai which most of us aren't... and not just someone who only takes a cut of your policy premium each year.

There was another thread here a while back discussing Pacific Cross, and there were some claims there that PC would retroactively add policy exclusions for existing policy holders... I got a hold of Pacific Cross's main customer service manager in Bangkok, she reviewed the posted comments, and then I shared her written response in that thread. She said the only circumstance that PC would retroactively add exclusions to existing policy holders is if they (PC) later find that the policy holder had some pre-existing condition that wasn't disclosed at the time of applying for the PC policy... Which I believe would be a pretty standard thing even in the Thai insurance industry. People can make all kinds of claims here on the forum, but it's obviously a one-sided telling of the story... And it wouldn't surprise me too much to find that such stories may have more going on in the background than what's admitted. FWIW, in my case, I had one clearly disclosed policy exclusion that was attached to my PC policy when it was originally written, and that was no surprise, considering I had some considerable prior claims experience on that issue... Fast forward some years, and I no longer was having any issues with that medical situation. No treatment, no doctor's visit, no medications, etc etc... So, with my agent's consultation, I applied this past year to have that exclusion removed from my policy, and within about two weeks, got the answer back from Pacific Cross that they had removed that exclusion from my policy.

AFAIK, with Pacific Cross, the discount for no claims experience grows progressively, so much off for 1 year, a bit more off the 2nd year, and a bit more off for 3 years and beyond. I believe their no claims discount overall tops out at a 20% max premium reduction. And then beyond that, the policy holder each year has options to select what their annual deductible will be (or none at all if so desired), Those also carry substantial premium discounts apart from the no claims one, depending on if you choose annual deductibles of 40K, 100K, etc. Put the two categories of discounts together, and you easily can reduce your policy premium off their regular rates by close to 50%... But of course, the no claims part only continues as long as you have no claims!

What's REALLY the best is going to depend on the individual user, and whether any particular VPN actually accomplishes what that particular user wants to use it for, because what exactly each user wants is going to tend to vary. Lots of issues -- does a particular VPN have servers where the user wants them to be? What VPN protocols do they offer? Do they actually unlock the particular streaming services a person uses, or will you get the dreaded "VPN error" when you try to play some content? Etc etc.... It's hard to make blanket statements like the one you make above. The best VPN out there is the one that accomplishes what the user wants from it....hopefully at a fair price, good speeds with reliable servers and decent customer service. For example, I have a Proton account, and can connect to one of their servers in the U.S. But when I do, it doesn't actually work with a number of the different U.S. streaming services I use... So for me, it's a NO GO that I have, but rarely use.

Any idea what's actually in them in terms of ingredients?

It may also have been a factor that the particular hospital he was visiting for that encounter was a small one way out in the boonies....and I gather he would have been previously unknown to them.

Another thing, easy and simple, that I've found helpful is to do some sinus steaming with a few drops of eucalyptus oil... Buy a standard Conair personal steamer unit (usually around $25 USD when I shop online), and use some Bossistos or Parrot brand 53 ml bottles of local eucalyptus oil, just a couple of drops per steam. Very soothing and helpful for me. The larger cone is for full face steaming, whereas the smaller one shown above is specifically for sinus steaming. Though, I've only found the above unit in the US voltage 110V variety... Dunno if Conair makes the same things in a 220V version.

Lazada TH has a lot of sinus rinse related stuff... as in the link below: https://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=sinus+tip&_keyori=ss&from=input&spm=a2o4m.tm80027146.search.go.315fJHkdJHkdKW Your questions made me struggle to remember and find where I originally bought the current sinus irrigation tip I've long been using, which originally came with it's own syringe. But the tip itself was removable, and fits perfectly on the standard long tip Nipro 50 ml syringes easily found here. The product name of the item I bought was called "Squip Nasaline": https://www.lazada.co.th/products/nasaline-nasal-rinsing-system-60-i2518278753-s8939281663.html https://www.amazon.com/Squip-Products-Nasaline-Adult-Irrigator/dp/B001E18TNY/ Works great! And here's what Nipro called their long "catheter tip" 50 ml syringe, which goes with the Nasaline sinus tip. Nipro makes a different version of the same size syringe that is NOT a catheter tip, and has a very short tip, and I don't believe that works with the nasal tips as well. In my case, I can usually keep reusing the same syringe for a couple months, by rinsing it out thoroughly after each use.... The full unit Nasaline devices (tip and syringe) sell for about $15 USD each... So rather than continually buying new ones of those, I choose to reuse the silicone sinus tip along with new Nipro syringes that cost a few dozen baht per syringe.

There are other country-based Netflix content libraries besides the U.S. one... including one for Thailand... But the U.S. Netflix library is by far the largest one (most titles) among all of them. So if someone wants to use GetFlix for Netflix, at least know what they're signing up for.

The sinus tip I use on the standard, drugstore available Nipro 50 ml syringes here looks something like this: You can buy syringe sets specifically made for sinus rinsing. But I prefer to use the cheap and easily available Nipro standard syringes here in Thailand, and then just add on my custom sinus tip. Long ago, my sinus doc got me to try to start using a Water-pik type device with a special sinus tip... But I never like that very much, and the pressure on that kept getting water up into my inner ears... Whereas with the hand-held syringe, it's easy to control and adjust the flow and pressure you're using based on how open or clogged your sinuses are.

The baking soda also helps make the solution easier to tolerate on your sinuses...by adjusting the Ph levels, AFAIK. "Nasal saline irrigation is used to improve the health of the sinuses in patients with poor sinus function due to chronic sinus problems or patients recently undergoing surgery. ... Some people prefer to add 1 level teaspoon of baking soda (pure bicarbonate) to the solution to make it less irritating. This is optional." https://www.umc.edu/Healthcare/ENT/Patient-Handouts/Adult/Nose_Sinus/Nasal_Saline_Irrigation.html

I don't know where you are... But at least here in BKK, I think most private hospitals are going to have pseudo in stock in their pharmacies.... But as noted, you can't just walk in and ask for and buy it... It's only going be available via order (prescription) from one of their doctors that you've seen.

Re those various questions... Yes, I am using 2 cups of water per session, typically once a day in the morning when getting ready... so that's maybe 8-10 syringe fulls.... 4 or 5 on each nostril left and right. I use a standard 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup, and make my solution within that. The whole thing takes maybe 5-10 minutes. There are a couple of supply houses in BKK that sell Xylitol in bulk... The one I've been using lately allows you to order via their website and then they deliver by mail to your home. You also can order 1 kg packages for somewhat higher prices via Lazada. https://กรุงเทพเคมี.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=506&search=xylitol&description=true Saline only sinus rinsing is a standard thing for sinus sufferers... so there's going to be some benefit there in washing gunk out of your sinuses... But what the Xylitol element adds is the anti-bacterial element. I've seen some sinus docs, including my own, similarly recommend using a saline sinus rinse solution with some portion of mupirocin anti-bacterial ointment dissolved in. But I've never tried that one. And I believe that would be only for short-term use, because it's an antibiotic product. https://www.umc.edu/Healthcare/ENT/Patient-Handouts/Adult/Nose_Sinus/Bactroban_Irrigation.html Or even using the same approach with a Betadine solution, but that is an anti-viral solution instead of an antibiotic one, so it's aiming at a different target. I tried that a bit long time back, and really didn't like the taste of the solution getting into my throat. https://medhelpclinics.com/resources/advice-from-the-doctor/at-home-treatment-protocol-for-covid-19 PS - a side benefit of xylitol is that it's also supposedly good at helping prevent/limit cavities in your teeth. "Xylitol inhibits the growth of the bacteria that cause cavities. It does this because these bacteria (Streptococcus mutans) cannot utilize xylitol to grow. Over time with xylitol use, the quality of the bacteria in the mouth changes and fewer and fewer decay-causing bacteria survive on tooth surfaces." https://www.cda.org/portals/0/pdfs/fact_sheets/xylitol_english.pdf

I've been able to get pseudo from my doctor at a smaller private hospital here in BKK... Originally, many years back, they were doling them out like no more than 10 at a time... But in later years, that eased up some, and I was able to get 30 or 60 at a time.... But my doctor knew me and was well familiar with my sinus history. But again, that was only via prescription from the hospital's pharmacy... In more recent years, once I went to Xylitol rinsing, I haven't needed sinus antibiotics or pseudo at all... which I count as a good thing!

Sinus rinsing is a pretty commonly recommended and accepted thing among sinus docs... And I've never heard any issue re rinsing of the "protective flora" issue you mention above. The one thing any rinser has to be careful about is NOT to use standard tap water for the rinsing.... Because it can contain some amoebas that have led to fatalities.... But that's avoided if you're using boiled water, or other sterile solutions. A man dies of a brain-eating amoeba, possibly from rinsing his sinuses with tap water March 3, 2023 "The single-celled amoeba lives in warm fresh water and, once ingested through the nose, can cause a rare but almost-always fatal brain infection known as primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tallied 157 PAM infections in the U.S. between 1962 and 2022, with only four known survivors (a fifth, a Florida teenager, has been fighting for his life since last summer, according to an online fundraiser by his family)." https://www.npr.org/2023/03/03/1160980794/neti-pot-safety-brain-eating-amoeba Message - NEVER SINUS RINSE WITH PLAIN TAP WATER! "Instead, use distilled or sterile water, which is sold in stores, or tap water that has been boiled for 3-5 minutes and then cooled until lukewarm (it can then be stored in a clean, closed container and used within 24 hours). You could also use a special water filter — labeled "NSF 53" or "NSF 58" — designed to remove those germs."

It wasn't doctors or the drug manufacturers who basically took pseudoephedrine off the market back in the early 2000s... It was governments and law enforcement because they found, correctly, that it was being used as a supply material by meth makers. That part I can understand.... But the bad part is, at least originally, the best they could come up with as a replacement was phenylephrine, which was ALWAYS useless for me and many other sinus sufferers.... Yet for years it has remained the default non-prescription sinus treatment ingredient for OTC medications, providing little to no help for many sinus sufferers but racking up a whole lot of money in sales. Hopefully this will help lead to a return to better access to pseudoephedrine, including to the newer formulations that supposedly cannot be easily used for meth.

I think... what you're meaning is that recent studies have found that the REPLACEMENT drug that the authorities came up with to replace pseudoephedrine, when it was heavily restricted because of the meth epidemic, is and was never really effective as a sinus medication.... Pseudoephed was always very effective for me as a sinus medicine. But its supposed replacement, phenylephrine, was absolutely useless! And now lately the medical authorities have finally admitted just that: Popular OTC medicines for colds and allergies don’t work, FDA panel says Updated 6:37 PM EDT, Thu September 14, 2023 "(CNN) — Phenylephrine, a popular ingredient in many over-the-counter allergy and cold medicines, is ineffective in tablet form, an independent advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration agreed Tuesday. Phenylephrine is the main ingredient used in products like Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion, Sudafed PE and Vicks Sinex. The ingredient is considered safe to use; that was not up for debate. But many doctors have questioned phenylephrine’s effectiveness for years." https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/12/health/phenylephrine-tablets-ineffective-fda-panel-says/index.html 16-0 vote by the FDA's advisory committee against phenylephrine... And the sad part is, doctors and drug stores have been telling sinus sufferers for years to use this medication as a primary non-antibiotic medication, when they pretty well knew, because patients were loudly telling them, that it was essentially worthless. To the tune of $1.8 BILLION per year just in the U.S. "These products generated nearly $1.8 billion in sales last year alone, according to data from the FDA that was presented to the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee on Monday during the committee’s two-day meeting."

In the U.S. in recent years, after they made pseudoephedrine very hard to get over the counter because of the meth epidemic, things finally eased up some when the drug companies finally came up with a version that supposedly cannot be repurposed into meth. So the last couple times I was in the U.S., it was easy to obtain from the regular drug stores without a prescription just by providing your ID. I wish that same formulation would become available in Thailand, and thus enable the medication to be returned to regular OTC drug store access as it used to be. But so far, haven't seen any indication of that occurring here.

When mixed in with a sterile saline solution, it inhibits bacterial growth.... including bacterial infections in your sinuses.... My former sinus doc in the U.S. recommended it when I was having repeat sinus infections that eventually stopped being treated well with antibiotics... And to my surprise, it actually has worked very well... I haven't taken or needed any sinus antibiotics for years. Once or twice a day sinus rinse with the warmed xylitol solution. I use a Nipro 50 ml syringe with a special sinus tip on the end. I use about 2 cups of sterile (boiled and cooled) water warmed in the microwave, combined with about 8 teaspoons of xylitol dissolved and mixed in, along with about a teaspoon of non-iodine salt to provide the saline component.

Until the U.S. or U.K. bank contacts the person informing them that, based on their online banking usage with foreign IPs, they appear to be living in a foreign country and as a result, the bank is going to be closing their account. Or, the bank suddenly locks the person out of online banking access, after seeing multiple foreign IP log-ons and they presume that someone nefarious is trying to hack into the account.

The other problem you run into with DNS workarounds is while they MAY work for the streaming services a person might want to use, they're not going to work at all, AFAIK, for the other NON streaming things a person might still need a VPN for, such as home country online banking access and similar stuff... So at least in my experience, you end up needing some kind of VPN regardless.

That's a standard marketing deal in the VPN industry... Offer discounted plans to get new first-time subscribers in... and then when the initial plan ends, they auto renew people to their higher priced standard plans. I do the same thing as you mention... 1. ALWAYS turn off/disable "auto-renew" where it's allowed to do so (some don't allow it!). 2. And, I tend to keep TWO different accounts for each service I use with different email IDs. So just before one plan expires, I'll then subscribe to a discounted package to the same VPN with the other lapsed email. Then repeat next time with the other email, etc etc.