How often do you get sick here compared to back home?

[sanemax]

28 minutes ago, grollies said:

So why don't you turn it off then, same as at home?

I want to get my moneys worth

[tropo]

53 minutes ago, The Theory said:

It’s not about filtering air, it is about direct cold blow to your body. 

Buying from well known markets is different than buying food with eggs from street vendors. Some vendors even keep eggs under sunlight. 

And being exposed to sun does not mean that your body generates Vit D. 

 

Anyway

keep it the way you think is right and forget about my suggestions. 

I eat raw eggs nearly every day. Just the regular ones from the supermarket or 7Eleven. I've never got food poisoning from the ever. Yes, I could happen, I'm not denying that but it's rare and I've never experienced a problem myself. I refrigerate my eggs as soon as I get home from the shop.

[pgrahmm]

14 minutes ago, tropo said:

It's not very smart to aircon to the lowest setting. Sleeping aircon is 27C for me, so when you leave the room you're not hit too hard by the extra few degrees. I never get colds or fever from aircon, and I've been using it for 12 years. I've also never set it below 26C. The colds and flu come from outside the house. Obviously, viruses need hosts... other humans. They aren't hiding in your evaporator ready to set upon you when you switch it on.

 

[tropo]

2 hours ago, Rarebear said:

2 hours ago, Stevemercer said:

People who live in tropics more likely to die seven years earlier

People living in the tropics are likely to die more than seven years younger than those in other regions, according to the first findings of a new global research project.

From 'The Telegraph' (19/11/2012).

1.  Is it expats?

2.  Is it Thailand?

3.  Has infant mortality been factored out?

4.  If not how much weight does infant mortality carry on the 7 year figure

5.  Does the study include Central and Southern Africa where 377 in every 1,000 people who live to 15 years old dying before they reach 60.

I doubt you could get verifiable expat stats.

 

Life expectancy at birth:

 

Congo: 57.7 years

Thailand: 74.9 years

UK: 80.8 years

Philippines: 69.4 years

USA: 80.0 years

Vietnam 73.7 years

 

Yeah, they're dying from the heat in tropical countries.

 

 

 

[Rarebear]

3 minutes ago, tropo said:

I doubt you could get verifiable expat stats.

 

Life expectancy at birth:

 

Congo: 57.7 years

Thailand: 74.9 years

UK: 80.8 years

Philippines: 69.4 years

USA: 80.0 years

Vietnam 73.7 years

 

Yeah, they're dying from the heat in tropical countries.

Life expectancy in America has declined for two years in a row.  That's why I moved to Thailand.  An American baby born in 2016 can expect to live on average 78.6 years

 

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2018/01/04/life-expectancy-in-america-has-declined-for-two-years-in-a-row

Edited June 11, 2018 by Rarebear

[tropo]

7 minutes ago, Rarebear said:

Life expectancy in America has declined for two years in a row.  That's why I moved to Thailand.  An American baby born in 2016 can expect to live on average 78.6 years

 

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2018/01/04/life-expectancy-in-america-has-declined-for-two-years-in-a-row

There is more opportunity to stay healthy in the US than in Thailand. You have access to more healthy food than anywhere else on the planet. I'm envious of people living there compared to this sh**hole. Statistics are meaningless for individuals.

[grollies]

2 minutes ago, tropo said:

There is more opportunity to stay healthy in the US than in Thailand. You have access to more healthy food than anywhere else on the planet. I'm envious of people living there compared to this sh**hole. Statistics are meaningless for individuals.

OK, so you're going to get the oft-hated phrase 'so why don't you go home then'.

[tropo]

Just now, grollies said:

OK, so you're going to get the oft-hated phrase 'so why don't you go home then'.

Only one problem - It's not my home. If I was from the US, you wouldn't have needed to tell me - I would have left years ago. I may never have come in the first place. I did spend a year there and loved it. That's why I used the word "envious" as it's not an option for me.

[Bang Bang]

19 minutes ago, tropo said:

Only one problem - It's not my home. If I was from the US, you wouldn't have needed to tell me - I would have left years ago. I may never have come in the first place. I did spend a year there and loved it. That's why I used the word "envious" as it's not an option for me.

Take it from me you have no clue. I wasn't born in the US either but went to study there, graduated, worked for several years and became a citizen. Now, I am an expat living in Thailand.

 

What I always say is that the second best decision in my life was to go to the US. The best was to get the hell out of there.

 

Or, to paraphrase the delightfully racist Churchill who said, every one should go to Calcutta in India at least once so that it's not necessary to ever go there again. My version: everyone should go to the US once, work there butts off and make a pile of money so it's not necessary to ever go there again. Which is exactly what I did.

 

What a hellhole. The US I mean. The threat of violence everywhere, unhappy people, left vs. right civil war and any job which pays well being stressful with the sword of being laid off if you slip up even a bit always hanging over your head.

 

Trust me, we have it great in Thailand. The streets are safe, people are generally nice and being fenced off from local politics (admittedly troublesome) we have little aggravation coming that way.

 

And, with a little in the bank, you can rent a nice place, eat well and travel endlessly.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Bang Bang

[grollies]

18 minutes ago, tropo said:

Only one problem - It's not my home. If I was from the US, you wouldn't have needed to tell me - I would have left years ago. I may never have come in the first place. I did spend a year there and loved it. That's why I used the word "envious" as it's not an option for me.

So if home is somewhere like Chad I can appreciate why you remain in Thailand. Just stop bitching about how bad it is here.

[tropo]

24 minutes ago, Bang Bang said:

 And, with a little in the bank, you can rent a nice place, eat well and travel endlessly.

 

After 12 years in Thailand, I have a fairly good clue about what I can get for my money. My lifestyle here is not cheap, but I don't eat off street carts or live in a little box. I do know about life in the US, and although there's certainly a lot of trouble there, finding a quiet place to live is not difficult either. The choices and opportunities are endless.

[rickudon]

8 years in Isaan and a couple of holidays before. Travel by plane has led to a few sore throats. I get about 2 bad colds per year, about the same as when i was in the UK. Used to suffer from low level catarrh most of the time in UK, not in Thailand. Stomach problems - no more than anywhere else, except for very mild diarrhea which never lasts more than one sitting - usually because i have eaten something while working in the garden or fish ponds. Eat food from many sources, including market salads.  Ice, drinks, no problems. I don't drink water unless no alternative (but little alcohol). If air conditioning set at 26 centigrade or higher, no problems. Never needed antibiotics (and i get mosquito/other insect bites every day). I think if you over medicate, you get sick.

 

Life expectancy - it is only lowered by the terrible accident rates and alcoholism. If you make it to 65 life expectancy is only one year less than in the UK. 

[tropo]

29 minutes ago, grollies said:

So if home is somewhere like Chad I can appreciate why you remain in Thailand. Just stop bitching about how bad it is here.

You're the one doing the bitchin dude. I just mentioned one word and now you're all upset (it was expected someone would bite, and you obliged  ?). Go back and read my post and take note of "comfortable enough". Is that not clear enough?  

Edited June 11, 2018 by tropo

[Rarebear]

36 minutes ago, tropo said:

There is more opportunity to stay healthy in the US than in Thailand. You have access to more healthy food than anywhere else on the planet. I'm envious of people living there compared to this sh**hole. Statistics are meaningless for individuals.

I get VA health care in the USA and that is scary in the States.  Here in Thailand I get great health care and VA pays the bills. 

 

University of York..... could be contributing to between 1,700 and 22,000 deaths. Cover-up culture” as research found mistakes by doctors, nurses and pharmacists amount to 237 million drug errors every year.  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/23/nhs-drug-errors-may-causing-22000-deaths-every-year/

 

International evidence suggests one in 10 hospital patients suffers harm as a result of errors in their care.  Gee that's a lot.   https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/doctors-basic-errors-are-killing-1000-patients-a-month-7939674.html

 

In order to answer the OP question one needs to know how healthy you are at home.  Home health care is scary.  Free but scary. 

 

Is it worse in Thailand?  My doctors here have attempted to kill me 3 times.  But the thing is I'm aware of it and check everything they do.  This is a problem when I not conscious though.  Then my wife takes over which is a problem cause she has doctor god thing.

 

Last week I had had enough when we visited the third different doctor at the expensive hospital.  I exploded.  Does no one hear have a clue?  The woman has allergies you nut cases.  Test her for allergic reactions and stop this trying to guess what's wrong. 

 

I hauled her out of the hospital and to the allergy clinic where we got things sorted.  Test find out whats wrong and treat.  Sounds simple but we still have this doctor god thing.  Use the technology boys and diagnose the illness instead of trying to save time and push pills and make the pharmaceutical beautiful saleslady happy.  (ever seen the pharmacy sales people who run around the expensive hospitals like they own the place?"

 

Half or more of my illnesses in Thailand are caused by prescription medication I take.  I have to argue about it every three months with my doctor.   Maybe necessary maybe not.  Too bad Dr House is not real and we all can't have have him. 

 

 

 

 

[tropo]

1 hour ago, pgrahmm said:

 

I was talking about the common cold and flu viruses. You don't pick them up from your air conditioner at home but from crowded places.

 

 

[tropo]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

I want to get my moneys worth

Most hotels use a key lock for electricity. Do you jam something in there? Personally, I don't like wasting electricity even if I'm not paying for it.  

[amdy2206]

I rarely got sick either in the UK and now in Thailand, or Laos where I now live, I find little difference.  I am not particulary careful but do avoid seafood. I regularly drink beer but always with ice to keep my hydration up. Sometimes I think is is luck - some peoples' constitutions adapt differently than others. There may be not a lot you can do about it, but as many others commented -'keep drinking lots of water'.

[pgrahmm]

26 minutes ago, tropo said:

I was talking about the common cold and flu viruses. You don't pick them up from your air conditioner at home but from crowded places.

 

 

Got mine from a hotel in Silicon Valley....

 

Dr's said both my lungs were worse than the worst 1 lung they'd ever seen before....

Apparently I also have really big lung capacity based on what they reported....

Don't know whether that helped or not but I was a novelty in the hospital when they did the lung tests they brought people in (including Dr's) to observe...

 

Fortunately, I'm strong as it was the 2nd go around = first time was regular pneumonia....

[Rarebear]

31 minutes ago, amdy2206 said:

I rarely got sick either in the UK and now in Thailand, or Laos where I now live, I find little difference.  I am not particulary careful but do avoid seafood. I regularly drink beer but always with ice to keep my hydration up. Sometimes I think is is luck - some peoples' constitutions adapt differently than others. There may be not a lot you can do about it, but as many others commented -'keep drinking lots of water'.

I don't like water - no flavor.  I drink pandan steeped water.  Bring the water to a boil in a kettle and put the pandan into a coffee filter and let it steep overnight.  Great in the morning.  Do the same with any kind of herbs Thailand has a million of them.

[tutsiwarrior]

I get less sick at home in Thailand than anywhere else and I travel a lot for work...has to do a lot with preparing my own food in my kitchen where I can control everything, cleanliness, ingredients, etc...I get an occasional kweiteo or some chicken satay from a market stall and never any problem...

 

the shit happens when one of the kids brings something home from the playground at school...then the whole house gets sick...

 

infectious, snot nosed little buggers...but ye can't help givin' them a cuddle...

 

 

Edited June 11, 2018 by tutsiwarrior

[tropo]

3 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

Got mine from a hotel in Silicon Valley....

 

Dr's said both my lungs were worse than the worst 1 lung they'd ever seen before....

Apparently I also have really big lung capacity based on what they reported....

Don't know whether that helped or not but I was a novelty in the hospital when they did the lung tests they brought people in (including Dr's) to observe...

 

Fortunately, I'm strong as it was the 2nd go around = first time was regular pneumonia....

Yes, that's a good point. Easy to pick up bugs from previous guests in hotels.

[sirineou]

15 hours ago, KiChakayan said:

Yeak f...ing Thailand, it gave me old age. 

Caught prostate cancer here too.

Nothing wrong with old age, I hope to die of old age

But seriously , sorry to hear about the Prostate thing hope you are feeling  better., 

[jenny2017]

 

If you're working at a school, you get all sorts of viruses from the students who go to school when they should stay at home. Your headache could be not enough water intake or dehydration.

 

The nutrition is also very important and dangerous at the same time. There are certain noodle soup places where I know that I’d have Montezuma’s revenge, so I avoid them.

 

Eating enough vitamins and minerals is very important.

If you live a stressless life and have a good nutrition, you don’t get sick more often than you do back home.

 

[smotherb]

18 hours ago, sanemax said:

I never use aircon at home ,but when I stay in hotel and they have aircon in the room , I always switch it on and set the temperature to the lowest point (17 degrees) and leave it on all night long  and I wake up the next morning with a heavy cold and fever

Gee, maybe you are not used to it and maybe the hotel doesn't do the proper maintenance.

 

Why do you use it in a hotel when you never use it at home?

[MyFriend You]

On 6/10/2018 at 11:19 PM, sirineou said:

 When I was younger back home, I use to never get sick, 61 years old now , and in Thailand, and I seem to get sick more, what's worse is I get body aches and the litle general don't want to go to war sometimes.

Freaking Thailand!!! Grrrrrr

I used to get sick a few times a year, have had Malaria four times in my life (confirmed) but 18 months ago, I went to an endocrinologist in Bumrungrad, she put me on a Testosterone replacement program, I get one shot every six weeks, I haven't had so much as a sniffle since, sleep better, for shorter periods, belly fat reduced, and the little general often wakes me up in the AM.  I am 68............?

 

[The manic]

Illness is often dedicated to lack of fitness. Cardio, respiratory,  exercise, personal hygiene,  peer group standards. In Thailand there is a cult of fitness and health...witness all the free fitness areas and the plethora of gyms.  Specifically I get sicker I'm the U.K. and get worse medical treatment..and here in Thailand I am fitter, a condition related to immunity and health issues,  due to the ease and cheapness and normalisation of fitness and health.  Once such factor is the focus on health, fitness, sport and gyms etc.

[The manic]

On 6/11/2018 at 10:36 PM, pgrahmm said:

Got mine from a hotel in Silicon Valley....

 

Dr's said both my lungs were worse than the worst 1 lung they'd ever seen before....

Apparently I also have really big lung capacity based on what they reported....

Don't know whether that helped or not but I was a novelty in the hospital when they did the lung tests they brought people in (including Dr's) to observe...

 

Fortunately, I'm strong as it was the 2nd go around = first time was regular pneumonia....

Shared buildings AC spreads respiratory illmess

[punchandjudy]

Thank you everyone for the very informative replies to my Original post!

[Slickrick]

Once in a while, an upset stomach and a cold once a year, that's it.

[Golden Triangle]

Currently suffering from a rather nasty Chest/Respiratory/Bronchial infection, unfortunately due to my current location way down South there are no Dr's, Clinics or Hospitals within a reasonable distance, we are moving further South in the morning so will seek medical attention when we are on the road and in a built up area, at the moment I'm having trouble walking from the bathroom to the bedroom and then I need to sit for 5 minutes to get my wind back. I got some BisolvonEX from a chemist about 20 km away this morning but that seems about as much good as a chocolate teapot. ?