fullwhenempty

...although a mature male experiencing the transition from uncircumsized to post-circumcized state will notice that he both needs and can tolerate slightly stronger touch than used to be the case.

Agree with this. I had mine removed aged 15, not for religious reasons but because the skin started to close at the tip. Quite alarming at the time. Yes, I feel there was a loss of sensitivity even more so, after a period on anti-depressants, more than 20 years ago. Their effect on my libido appears to be permanent, which colours my view of both the pharmaceutical industry and my Doctor, who never pointed out the risk.

At times, it requires more work to achieve a climax, especially after alcohol. Some might be happy about that. To me, circumcision seems more hygienic.

As a parent, with 3 boys, the question of circumcision never arose, because it is THEIR body and not yet a possession of the State (although I wonder). Looking at some parents, whether to circumcise, or not, is lost in the bigger question of whether they should be allowed to have children at all.

I add a half teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda (Baking Soda) and add a splash of freshly squeezed sugar cane juice, to my ACV drink, then drink it hot. It makes it infinitely easier to drink.

Another traditional remedy is KAEMPFERIA PARVIFLORA ('Krachai Dam'). The only fly you need to mess with is the one sewn into your shorts.

Thai TV are advertising a natural tonic they guarantee restores a man's vigor. It is called Tang Seam Jeng and has 8 Chinese herbs, one of which is Ginseng. It's a bit pricey unless you buy 3 bottles at a time (buy 1, get one free). Took about 10 days and the old man is fully recovered. Rascal is standing to attention every time I wake up in the night for a pee. Quite amazing I have to say.

There is a concern in Thailand that steroids are added to some of these remedies, so beware of contaminated products. The above is 100% natural (or so the manufacturers claim).

What does a "Chemical imbalance of the brain" actually mean? Is there a test for it?

It is important to actually do something and start to take control, rather than do nothing and remain a 'victim'. If you need support, there are people out there who can help. If you are living a toxifying lifestyle, go on a 7 day detox and use that as a springboard to break existing patterns and transform your lifestyle. A group setting suits some but not others. Some people prefer privacy or personalized programs. pm me if you want a recommendation.

Claims to lift depression have been made for large doses of Niacin (B3). Look it up.

I thought Antibiotic resistance was a major problem in western hospitals? Reads like a typical industry hatchet job.

Found the answer. It seems my skin reacted badly to a new pair of sandals. I assume the manufacturer has doused them with a harsh chemical, which my body is sensitive to. The wound has almost healed after a week on anti-histamines.

Reminds me of a Thai g/f, who had a similar experience with a cheap new bra. It took months for her scars to heal.

I wonder how many other people are reacting to harsh chemicals in footwear and clothing?

Care to share why you want to use it? Coffee enemas are claimed to help with detoxification of the liver and can form part of a more comprehensive healing program. 'Mae West' claimed to have maintained her youth and vitality with a daily morning enema. She added baking soda and sea salt to hers. You can buy 'enema kits' in Tesco. Best to use organic coffee, if you can find it.

Yes. It's Artemisia Annua. You can buy the dry herb from Chinese pharmacies. Ask for 青蒿; qīnghāo ('ching how')

Stasis Dermatitis ? Or a version of that ? http://www.skinsight...sDermatitis.htm

I do spend many hours each day sat at my desk, and have done for more than 10 years. Poor circulation could certainly be a culprit.

Do a search on Dyshidrosis because that's what it sounds like, not serious but can be unsightly and sometimes painful

I've never heard this name before. As you say, it does sound like it. They have no idea what causes it and it can take months to clear.

Wonderful. Massage with my socks on.

Uh, if you think it's viral (and I'm not suggesting it is), why are you using treatments for bacterial infections? And Ketoconazole is for fungal infections. A viral infection would be better treated with acyclovir.

I treated for bacterial infection and fungal, initially, in order to exclude them as possibilities.

Acyclovir reduces the duration of outbreaks. An extra day or two didn't really matter to me, so I was happy to let it run its course.

I may give it a go if no other suggestions are forthcoming. A trip to a dermatologist is another obvious option but a cost I don't need to incur if they can't really help.

I have a skin problem that is both new and puzzling to me. 10 days ago the top of both my feet blistered, then formed a scab and it now dries, then weeps, then dries, then weeps. Seems to become active (and itchy) in the evening. I figured it was perhaps part of the herpes family. Viral, not bacterial. I've read herpes tends to clear up after 5 days or so. But this shows no sign of clearing up.

What has been tried? Painting it with Iodine solution, no effect. Soaking in hydrogen peroxide, no effect. Aloe Vera gel and eating raw garlic, likewise. The pharmacy have given me a cream called Ketoconazole but I'm reluctant to try it after reading the possible side effects.

Any medical gurus know what it could be?

I use it regularly and have no idea whether the quality is good or not. Liver seems to be holding up ok. Let us know what you find out.

Fluoride is present in toothpaste, rinses, water, food, medicines, showering, bathing, and even the air that we breathe. You take in far more through your skin than through drinking water.

I'm afraid you are not putting forward any evidence in support of homeopathy.

You are not posting any evidence against. Merely a link to a complaint, which has yet to be heard.

It seems you are you are misquoting and fabricating too.

"Seems' is a bit weak. Either I am or I'm not. You like 'evidence'. Where is it?

As with all people without an argument, they tend to attack the messenger rather than the message.

it is the courts not "quack watch" who are taking the action.

ALL people? I doubt that very much. I didn't say 'Quackwatch' were taking action in this case. Stop 'fabricating'.

Why are you fussed about homeopathy? Of all the issues to take a stance on, Homeopathy has to be one of the least harmful. The Indian government fully support Homeopathy. I've seen lengthy queues to see the best practitioners. Homeopathy is remarkably cheap in India. It helps millions and obviously meets a need otherwise it would wither on the vine.

If there has been illegality then, by all means, take action but if not, here's a novel idea. If it does no harm, leave it alone and allow people health freedom. The market will decide whether it survives or not. If you are going to take some kind of ethical position and want Homeopathy shut down, then take a good look at the orthodox system and ask why much of it hasn't been shut down long ago for the harm it causes? What kind of 'medicine' is so toxic it causes your hair to fall out? It's medieval.

Homeopathy is a soft target and I would question the motives of those who attack it. Panhandling lawyers, on prospecting trips, aren't the best guide.

There are far greater ills in this world to focus on.

Here's yet another unsupportable claim by homeopaths being challenged in court.

http://www.casewatch...complaint.shtml

Be careful of anything you read from Stephen Barratt, he of 'Quackwatch' fame. He's an industry 'attack dog' whose sole purpose seems to be to dissuade you from trying anything except orthodox treatments and he does this by using several deceits.

1. He lumps obviously suspect treatments, with methods which are useful. To lead you to 'toss the baby out with the bathwater'.

2. He relies on negative publicity while dismissing anything positive.

3. He uses misleading statements, such as.. 'there has been no scientific proof'. What he doesn't say is that proof isn't possible due to testing requirements that don't fit the natural/alternative model. Nor does he inform you that absence of 'scientific' proof is often down to the fact that the industry won't conduct expensive trials on non-patentable products.

Much of psychiatry has no 'scientific' evidence. Where is the test for 'chemical imbalances' in the brain?

4. For some methods he fails to provide any evidence that they don't work. He falls back on nonsense such as... "A lot of things don't need to be tested [because] they simply don't make any sense." So much for scientific rigor.

5. His zeal for persecuting alternatives is not matched by any effort at all to expose the failings within conventional medicine, which he declares is 'beyond his scope'. Of course it is.

I read he's lost every court case he's attended.

Having see him interviewed and had several email exchanges with him, I would be very careful to verify any claims he makes. I found him a decidedly deceitful man. But do your own research.

plumeria

Thanks for your contributions. I sympathize with your bad experiences. I have had similar experiences which have made me rather cynical about trusting any Doctor. Even the sincere ones aren't without risk because they are often not allowed to deviate from standard treatments, or fear the professional consequences of doing so. Cancer springs to mind.

My mother died in hospital after 2 years of toxic drugs and mutilating surgeries. Even though we asked, they said there was no alternative. We learned afterwards, there was. Her illness didn't kill her. The drugs did. My wife lost a child through a 'D&C'. Given, despite her protestations, that she knew she was pregnant. The 'experts' said she wasn't. A grandmother who died of hospital-borne infection who begged us not to send her to the hospital because she knew she wouldn't come out again. She didn't. A sister on lifetime pig hormones, enriching the industry but doing nothing to address the underlying cause. A boss who died during chemo. They told him that he had to start the treatment the very next day after diagnosis, giving him no time to organize his thinking or get used to the shock. Then there was the cousin on fluoride-based, zombie-causing psychiatric drugs for years, who was suicidal when he tried to come off them, and who says they damaged him, even after 10 years of stopping. I have many similar stories from friends, whose relatives have suffered harm and death under the care of modern medicine. Drugs ease one problem, only to cause two others.

In Thailand, it's naive to expect the best treatment in a hospital that is private, for-profit. You are going to be recommended for unnecessary expensive surgery and come out with a shopping trolley full of unnecessary, over-priced drugs. No need to argue this. I've also been here long enough to see it's the norm.

Last time I was in a private hospital here McDonald's was in the foyer and I was given Pepsi with my meals. I was astonished. If the operation doesn't polish you off the food will. These people are now seriously peddling the idea that nutrition doesn't matter, except where it allows them to rustle up more business due to deficiency diseases! What on earth are they teaching them in medical school?

I have a Doctor friend who has tried to work with the Thai health providers to introduce a new testing procedure. It doesn't matter who he talks to, the question is always the same.. "How much money will it make?"

Until money is removed from decision-making and Doctors drive the same cars as the rest of us, the best approach is to adjust your lifestyle so you never have to enter a hospital at all.

Of all the illadvised applications of this substance, inhaling it must be rated as the most dangerous of all. Please DON't try this!! It is a very strong oxidising agent and WILL damage the delicate lining of the lung. Worst case scenario would be an acute, and very serious, chemical pneumonitis. Used over a longer term, it is likely to cause lung fibrosis with irreversible and potentially very severe complications. The damage to the sensitive endothelial lining of the lung by the oxidative process will heal with fibrosis; you can not replace the normal lining!!

PLEASE DON'T attempt this!!

Your warning shows your genuine concern but do you have actual evidence that anyone has injured their lungs in the way you suggest? I agree there is a risk but I have never heard or read of anyone suffering injury. 'likely to' does not mean 'will do'. If you inhale the recommended dose of less than 0.5% in a spray mist, the chances of you harming yourself are small. The quantity of liquid used is miniscule. I'm not advocating anyone inhale HP but I know that if they do any research they will come across those who do, which is why I mentioned it.

The idea that 'hippy dippy/New Age' people are blindly drenching their lungs with 'rocket fuel' and dying in torment, lungs forever damaged, is irrational. It is little different to taking Ibuprofen or any number of pharmacological preparations, many of which are far more hazardous to health, in excess. As you will know, adverse drug reactions kill thousands of people around the world every year. That's just the prescribed dose. Where are the alarms and 'worst-case scenarios' for these? I rarely see them.

There was a post on here recently about 'Lamisil', used for eczema. Lamisil is a 'highly toxic' mix of Ammonia, Chlorine and propylene, ingredients I might expect to find in Drain Cleaner. This is not something with the potential to cause harm. It is actually doing harm, with 'many reported side effects'. At a low 1% solution it's 'worst-case scenario' is death. Liver damage and failure are serious reported effects. So where is the dire warning? Or are these warnings reserved only for the 'competition'?

http://en.wikipedia....ne#Side_effects

As far as I am aware, there is no scientific/medical basis for any health benefits from drinking HP

Depends whose 'science' you are reading.

While I understand concerns may be genuinely felt, you destroy your own position by resorting to insults. The fact is, 'modern' medicine does not have an answer to the many chronic and degenerative disorders that exist today. It has failed spectacularly. As a result people feel compelled to investigate alternatives. Instead of the profession showing a little humility and saying, 'look, we are sorry, we tried our best but just don't understand enough about the human body. Let's all work together and come up with a solution." We get arrogance and insults. Those fantastic minds, expensive educations and eminent qualifications can't cope with grandma and her spoonful of Apple Cider Vinegar. It just won't do.

And herein lies the problem.

'People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."

You can huff and puff all you like but you have lost your credibility. Insults and mockery will not restore it.

:jap:

If you experiment with it please mark any container CLEARLY so that no-one drinks it or spills it by accident. 35% will BURN your skin. Anyone reading this should also not jump in and start drinking it at 3% and then wonder why their throat is raw. This is rash.

This will happen if you drink bleach/ rocket fuel.....

But not if you drink very diluted HP and use a little common sense. It is alarming that some people need to be told to stop doing something that is clearly harming them. I expect similar comments from those who will quite happily mock people who experiment with this, even while munching away on disease-causing, de-natured, 'Junk' and industrialized food.

Verily, before thou point to the splinter in your neighbour's eye, thou must first remove the plank from your own.

I purchased a 30 ltr drum from this company.

http://www.solvayasiapacific.com/services/contactus/0,,67841-2-0,00.htm

Make sure you specify FOOD GRADE. I had to go to the factory office to collect. Unfortunately, it's too complicated to direct you. Get a Thai speaker to call the company and get directions.

I use it diluted down to 3% or less, for teeth cleaning, vegetable washing, counter cleaning, shoe spraying, spraying on eczema, ear cleaning, to remove warts @35%. I don't use it on my teeth every day. Only for a maximum of 30 days. For ears, it's once every 6 months. If that.

I've experimented with 3% HP foot soaks, for 30 minutes, to try and cure arthritic joints. There was a 'tingling' in the joints so, clearly, something was happening. I believe this was due to 'oxidation'. The ends of toes also became sore but this cleared in a couple of days.

I've inhaled a mist of 2% HP and added drops to water and drank it. I found it a bit harsh so I stopped. Weaker dilutions may be okay but I have moved on and haven't had time to revisit it.

If you experiment with it please mark any container CLEARLY so that no-one drinks it or spills it by accident. 35% will BURN your skin. Anyone reading this should also not jump in and start drinking it at 3% and then wonder why their throat is raw. This is rash.

IMO don't experiment with this internally without having as clear an understanding as possible as to the risks.

Reminder: Health forum rule

"aggressive attempts to persuade other members to either adapt or abandon alternative vs. modern forms of treatment will not be permitted. Experience has shown that this invariably leads to arguments and flame fests that serve no useful purpose."

" alternative vs. modern forms of treatment" - this is a particularly inaccurate statement - As I suggested in the title - "Research" before taking the plunge - many "alternative" medicines - chiropractic and homeopathy for example are actually newer than mainstream medicine which has it's roots dating back 500 years.

To suggest that these medicines are "old" and have been about for centuries is seldom true - they are usually based on false science or the mass production of a plant that may or may not have been used in "traditional" medicine, but the main thing is it is easy to produce and avoids national medical regulatory laws.

The evidence about all medicines is available to all - the term "alternative" is euphemistic.

Basically anyone purporting to have a treatment has that treatment analyzed in clinical trials - these are not tied to any particular type of medicine - they are only concerned with proving the efficacy of a treatment or product.

Treatments that simply don't work and have failed to show otherwise in clinical trials then try to avoid the obvious by claiming "alternative" stays - this is simply a new name for quackery.

It does however allow unscrupulous people to continue to make money out of others' distress.

Often short-term relief or remission from another source is misinterpreted by the sufferer as evidence that his/her "alternative" treatment has worked - sadly not the case.

"Alternative" medicine does not exist - there is only medicine - by whatever method - the acid test is can it be shown to work - if not it should be exposed as the charlatanry it is.

People are being conned out of their money and worse still health by those who propose that alternative medicines "work" despite the scientific evidence against them.

You have had it pointed you to you that most studies are flawed. You have had it pointed out to you that it's impossible to test many 'alternative' approaches, due to the fact that there are too many variables. You've been given examples from members who have had positive experiences, yet you can't stop your yapping. You've been asked to stop attacking 'alternative' medicine on several occasions yet you blatantly ignore this.

You are entitled to your opinion but it's highly insulting for you to dismiss the rational choices of millions and put it down to ignorance and superstition. Who do you think you are?

Half the planet cannot afford 'modern medicine' because it's too expensive. They get by in the same way they have been doing for thousands of years. Using healers who have perfected their craft over centuries and using methods which are endorsed by the WHO. It's pretty obvious that the only thing you know about them is the propaganda you have been fed.

The problem isn't others' ignorance.

It's yours.

FBN:

Thanks, cant be the booze as I have cut that out for months, recently cut back on the sugar as well. Maybe a trip to the doc to check about Diabetes is order - vision changes, lethargy (although i work out regularly), some weight loss (could be the no beer / sweets etc + exercise).

It may not apply to you but here's my experience..

In the UK my hands and feet were always cold. I thought it was normal. Eventually, joint pain caused me to trot off to an Ayurvedic Clinic in India where I received 44 consecutive days of Ayurvedic massage with liberal applications of Sesame Oil. After that my circulation was perfect and my toes like toast. Now you don't have to go trotting off to India but you could try a series of massages here with the more qualified masseurs. Get them to concentrate on your lower limbs. They tend to anyway. If you add hydrotherapy in the form of 'contrast bathing', to your program (hot and cold foot baths) and add 'Neem' (good for circulation), you might find that your circulation improves. The massage alone may be sufficient. It was for me.

With medicine there is only one camp - the "does it work" camp.

Quite agree. That's why millions are seeking alternatives.

How do you define 'work'? If you want your condition managed, then pills 'work'. If you seek a cure, then they don't.

any medicine or treatment needs to be proven - the ways to do this are not political or based on anything but pure logic

Nonsense. It's impossible to test many treatments. As to your 'proof', even the Orthodox Doctors have little confidence..

'Why Most Published Research Findings Are False'

http://www.plosmedic...al.pmed.0020124

time and again treaments such as homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic have been tested and shown to show no efficacy other than placebo.

Then don't use them.

Have you researched the evidence from within those industries or only from an industry that has a history of crushing or rubbishing all competition? Or have you just been reading 'Quackwatch'? The fact is, some of these methods are supported by national governments and even if, at a minimum, they only work via 'Placebo', they still work. Which should be okay with you since you said 'there is only one camp - the "does it work" camp'.

Several members have reported positive results for Acupuncture. Including a friend of mine who was cured of Bell's Palsy. I also know people who have been helped by Chiro. Are you seriously suggesting it was 'all in the mind'?

I can accept what you say, to a certain extent, but in a different context. There are thousands of practitioners who are making a living taking one narrow aspect of a total healing system... like Traditional Chinese medicine, or Ayurveda... and becoming proficient in it. They have limited success, simply because it's not the whole system. But this is no different than going to your Doctor, receiving your shiney pill, then expecting it to help you, even though you carry on eating junk food and flopping on the couch. You don't just need the pill. You need the other lifestyle changes, too.

When it comes to the burden of proof, you appear to have a complete lack of understanding of how natural systems of healing work.

The Scientific model of 'proof' is generally dependent on one drug and one symptom, which can be modelled in a lab. Results are often biased and exaggerated (the difference between 'Relative' and 'Absolute' benefit). Traditional systems cannot be tested 'scientifically' because the one symptom-one drug model DOES NOT APPLY.

If I take a herbal remedy that has 20 or 30 herbs, all of which have multiple effects, how do I know which herb created which effect? If you then augment those herbs with stress management, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, massage, proper nutrition, Reiki, exercise, belief in a higher power and so on PLUS factor in the unique nature of the patient and the high chance of misdiagnosis, how on earth can you test what worked scientifically? It's impossible. There are far too many variables. You can monitor blood sugar, cholesterol, pain and other measures, which practitioners do.

Traditional systems HAVE been tested over thousands of years. It's called 'Trial and Error'. The same Trial and Error that Psychiatry uses. Have you ever seen a test for a lack of Serotonin? How about a test for the chemical imbalance in the brain? Ever seen one? No. So what does that say for scientific proof?

No two natural Doctors have the same methods and no two patients are alike. You simply cannot test this. Advocates and zealots of the Western model, use this to deceive. They can trot out the charge that 'there is no proof' and this is true. What they don't say is that proof is impossible. They then shut off any escape by saying 'Anecdotal evidence is not proof'. Thus, Natural medicine is placed in an impossible position.

This is clearly unfair and I think most of the public are tired of such negative tactics.

BTW: Seems like most "ailments" on the internet today have the same symptoms. And, whata shocker, all the websites about them just happen to sell something to cure it. Usually a handy pill or powder that does not require one to change diet or modify lifestyle.

Agree with this but isn't that our fault for seeking 'magic bullets'?

Misleading Marketing is a fact of life, whether mainstream or alternative. It's called the 'Free market' and part of the capitalist system. I would be wary of a system that regulates everything.

Curious to see Modern medicine being called 'Traditional'.

I certainly research 'Alternative' therapies but tend to seek recommendations from others first, when it comes to action. I also think they need to be approached with realistic expectations. If the reasons why you got sick in the first place don't change, then how can anyone really help? If you have a herb in one hand and a cigarette, or Big Mac, in the other, you are undermining yourself from the start. The restaurant analogy also applies to Orthodox vs Alternative. If I walk into a Chinese restaurant, I'm not going to see Mexican Tortillas on the menu. Likewise, if I walk into my Doctors office, I'm not going to see Reiki or any other alternative option. It's simply not on the menu.

The Spa industry has many bogus treatments IMO. They are fashionable, expensive and pleasant. However, if you have a chronic or degenerative disorder, they are unlikely to help you. These are profit-driven businesses. Success with alternatives really depends on what condition you are trying to resolve. Taking one narrow aspect of a total healing system, like Acupuncture, from within Traditional Chinese Medicine and expecting it to heal you completely is unrealistic. Acupuncture may help for some conditions but for many it takes far deeper work.

Take herbs, for instance. The herbalist believes in his craft. He knows every herb, every action and can whip up a tincture for every ailment. He gives something to the patient, who may or may not respond but due to other factors, like poor lifestyle, he's not cured. So he trots off for a colonic. This makes him feel good for a week but he relapses and a few weeks later it's Head massage. The session is nice and he feels good for a day or two but his ailments are stubbornly refusing to heal. He's read urine therapy is magic and starts guzzling his morning output. He spends the next 15 years bouncing from therapy to therapy. A massage here, a supplement there. a weekend retreat and so on. His vocabulary is constantly expanding and there is nothing this person doesn't know about Alternative medicine. Except, he or she is still sick and possibly getting sicker. I've met people like this. I'm one of them. What he fails to understand is he needs not any one technique but ALL of them. At the same time, in large doses and for a sustained period. Addressing body, soul, mind, emotions and the 'energetic body'. It's no good exercising more if your problem is emotional. And it's no good meditating if the issue lies within your body. This is why I'm a fan of holistic methods. They cover all bases.

With a health-creating diet, juicing, exercise, sunshine, pure water, breathing, stress reduction, the belief in a higher power, hydrotherapy, herbs, cleansing, massage, flooding the body with nutrients. Don't you think your chances of recovering your health are far greater, than with an hour of Thai massage and a Tai Chi Class? Of course they are.

I regard alternative practitioners very positively. They've always been decent people and some are excellent at what they do.

If Homeopathy only works by placebo, what's wrong with that? Orthodox Medicine uses the Placebo effect. Homeopathy is fully supported by the Indian Government and exceedingly cheap for the people. They clearly believe in it. I've seen lengthy queues in India to see the best homeopaths.

My experience with an American Chiro (not in Thailand) was mixed. Whacked in the back by blocks of wood on a specially designed bed, my vertebra were certainly separated. Fair enough. The alarm sounded when the practitioner kept talking about 'subluxation' and recommended I return monthly. What is this, if not an effort to generate a revenue stream with no real justification? I never went back.

My session with an Osteopath was much better. He sorted a back problem. Only suggested I come back once to check the first session worked.

A Thai lady friend recovered from Bell's Palsy on one side of her face, after seeing an Acupuncturist. So I don't believe it has no merit.

You can research alternatives but what research do you do for Modern medicine? It's hidden behind a fog of jargon and impenetrable pseudo-Science.

A positive Candida diagnosis can be very difficult to obtain and I'm not sure any labs in Chiang Mai are equipped to test for it (but I may be wrong there). I used a German laboratory who sent me a swab and sample kit that I sent back to them and results were with me in a couple of weeks. Turns out that I had aspergillus niger in the gut and not candida, but symptoms were almost identical and as they're both fungi, treatment is the same.

I took the following every day based on their purported anti-fungal properties:

Garlic (be careful because it's high in sulphur and may upset your stomach)

Turmeric

Extra virgin coconut oil by the teaspoon (available at Rimping, Aden Shop and others)

Apple Cider Vingear (Rimping, Aden etc)

Neem powder (available from the Indian stall at Warorot Market

Houttuynia Cordata a.k.a. Yaa Plu Kao (available in capsules from the shop at the Vegetarian Society on Mahidol Road and also from Aden I think and maybe from Suan Pak)

Asiatic Pennywort (you can buy the raw herb from markets)

Pysillum Husk (GNC have it)

I wouldn't trust colloidal silver because it's very overpriced here and as there's little in the way of quality control in Thailand, you have absolutely no way of guaranteeing its potency or PPM.

Additionally I followed a rigid diet alkaline-based diet (fungi thrive in an acidic environment) with no fruit, very few carbohydrates (and then only complex ones) and lots and lots of vegetables. I don't eat meat or dairy anyway but since these both promote acidity in the body, they are best kept to small quantities. Nuts (except peanuts) are okay but avoid buying them by the kilo from markets where they've been sat and had chance to develop mold.

Hope all that helps.

Fascinating post. Can you say what made you send off for a test? You didn't actually say if it worked or how long it took. I think with such a strict regime you've cured every ailment you've had.

You also seem to have decided on a kitchen-sink approach. i.e. thrown everything at it. Was this your own idea?

Pennywort is used a lot by the massage ladies. It's also known as 'Bua Bok'. They sell the leaves and bottled juice, sweetened, in local markets. Thais also eat alongside their meals.

Yaa Plu Kao is not in my Thai Herbal. I read now it's used in TCM and is a gardeners nightmare. So, I'll resist planting it.

Neem is easy to find by the road. Grab some leaves dry them out, put them in your coffee grinder and bob's your uncle. Likewise Turmeric Root. I know someone who used Neem to replace their Warfarin. The Thai Doctor, to my surprise, approved. But you DO need work with your Doctor. Since Warfarin is rat poison I know which option I would go for.