hermespan

For two decades I used various soporifics (sleep inducers), narcotics, anxiety-reducers, hypnotics, many kinds - both prescription and non-prescription. Much easier to purchase in India and Cambodia than in Thailand. However, due to grogginess in morning, side-effects and tolerance issue I cannot recommend them. Exercise (although not right before bed) and kava root powder proved much more effective in my experience. See my kava post. A doctor in Mai Sae recommended Sangthip (Thai rum?) which just turned me into a drunk insomniac for the night. Certain varieties of a herb popular in British Columbia (best organic and homegrown) can induce sleep after initial 'up' but I find the effect too strong for purposes of sleep, plus Thailand seems to now have a zero tolerance policy to nature's herbs. And DON'T use Paxil if you want to have a love life. I suppose it depends on what is the cause of your insomnia. But for anxiety I highly discourage others from using chemical pills. They all have down sides. Kava (piper meythisticum?), taken at a maintenance dose rather than for recreational purposes - I find this the perfect solution for me.

"I think the OP was willing to pay."

Precisely

Short story: Can we foreign expats/toursist use the general hospitals as an alternative to private hospitals?

long story: I have enjoyed the high standard (or at least higher priced) hospitals such as Bumrungrad, Samitivej, BKK-Pattaya etc. I have no complaint about them. I just am on a much stricter budget lately and don't need Mercedes when a Volkswagen will do. The consensus on this forum is that more important than tests is the interpretation of them. Perhaps get tests done at a provincial hospital then have results interpreted (at least as a second opinion if anything unusual shows up) by a specialist at an upper-end hospital?

details: I am considering getting in-depth tests done because the public health care system in my country considers them a 'waste of resources' unless definite risk are obvious. However, as a middle age man whose grandfather died of cancer of the guts I would like to have a colonoscopy for the first time in my adult life, and get an MRI of the head to rule out various organic causes of tinnitus. I don't mind slower wait times and a longer wait to get results. I am willing to pay more than locals if such is policy (I hear rates are up to 1/5th private hospitals). I don't require a perfectly English-speaking MD. And I needn't get care in BKK. I quite like CNX and have other reasons to go anyway. Eight years ago I received superior service at Chiang Mai's Maharaj Hospital clinic (not precisely a medical matter) than a three times the price private hospital in BKK. The only factor that might make me think twice about getting medical care at say the general hospital in Hua Hin or Nan is if they don't, at any price, provide hard copy of results (i.e. CD of scans).

Has anyone tried this strategy of using public hospitals alone or in combination with private care? I don't wish to abuse the tax-supported system, but I try for maxuimum value. Perhpas there is a forum that gets into details on this, for example, recommended specialist X as of 1/1/09 for southern thailand is hospital ABC, but for speciality Y it is worth going to northern thailand and seeing Dr. so-and-so. Of course, everybody in one place would be great, and totally unrealistic! I guess that university hospitals have different specialties. The second part of this post is rather a daunting task, and deserves a website of its own (medical tourism). My concern is more the immediate specific one in part one.

Not anymore. It used to be available at many pharmacies but the Thai gov't made it a controlled substance a few years back.

Does this eman that bringing in amounts for personal use is a crime and one risks seizure or worse? I once had a train inspector enroute to CNX ask if my spiruline was heroin!

How about mail order from Australia/Singapore? Any experiences of problems with Thai customs?

kava cured my insomnia. I won't be without it.