Any tips on how to not get sick in Thailand

[Nyezhov]

15 minutes ago, pr9spk said:

Pla ra  ปลาร้า, fermented fish is utterly disgusting and smells like concentrated cats urine. In Isaan everyone loves it.

 

I would call it rotten fish.

They have something similar in Alaska called stinkyheads. Salmon heads buried and allowed to ferment. Dangerous.

 

Or that disgusting Iceland fermented shark?

 

But then again, I bet Thai people gag over Limburger cheese.....

[SteveK]

I BBQ'ed a steak medium rare, they couldn't even bear to look at it in Isaan. They thought I was crazy to eat it "mai sup".

 

Yet some of the stuff they eat really is insane. Any food which stinks of cats piss from 50m can't be good for you. There's a reason the brain has reactions to certain smells, it's to keep you from going near it, and especially from eating it. Chemicals like skatole, cadaverine and putrescine come to mind.

 

These chemicals are intended to produce a reaction in the brain which prevents you from eating dead bodies, rotting flesh and shit. 

Edited August 26, 2018 by pr9spk

[faraday]

33 minutes ago, faraday said:

Fermented fish.

See post # 123 @ stud858

[tropo]

2 minutes ago, pr9spk said:

I BBQ'ed a steak medium rare, they couldn't even bear to look at it in Isaan. They thought I was crazy to eat it "mai sup".

 

Yet some of the stuff they eat really is insane. Any food which stinks of cats piss from 50m can't be good for you. There's a reason the brain has reactions to certain smells, it's to keep you from going near it, and especially from eating it. Chemicals like skatole, cadaverine and putrescine come to mind.

 

These chemicals are intended to produce a reaction in the brain which prevents you from eating dead bodies, rotting flesh and shit. 

That may be so, but human brains can be rewired.

[Pilotman]

On 8/25/2018 at 9:14 AM, Bogbrush said:

Prior to electric cooling of beer on its way from the cask to the tap, beer was naturally cooled by being stored in a cellar and the cellar man rotated the stock etc. The slops in a barrel - known as ullage - were generally the product of the first and last pumpings from a barrel, caused normally by sediment, and was tossed away (the brewery allowed a certain percentage of loss per barrel). With modern hermetically sealed barrels this need/practice has pretty much fallen away although a standard 30 litre barrel only has a shelf life of around three weeks (I think) and maybe that’s where a ‘slop problem’ can still arise.

you need to get out more  and not to the bar 

[Sheryl]

Off topic posts have been removed

[Bonobojt]

Day 3 in Bangkok and I’m not sick yet, just living off lime juice in water each morning, ginger tea and terminal 21 food court, and papaya and pineapple at the fruit vendor  

[SteveK]

If you worry about getting sick al;l the time, you're not going to enjoy yourself. Just go with the flow and eat what you want, you're very unlikely to get sick to be honest. Just remember, alcohol is a strong antibacterial so make sure you get lots of it down your throat.

Edited August 28, 2018 by pr9spk

[Bonobojt]

11 hours ago, pr9spk said:

If you worry about getting sick al;l the time, you're not going to enjoy yourself. Just go with the flow and eat what you want, you're very unlikely to get sick to be honest. Just remember, alcohol is a strong antibacterial so make sure you get lots of it down your throat.

Yes ok,. You mean any alcohol or the strong stuff like vodka and whiskey? 

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, Bonobojt said:

Yes ok,. You mean any alcohol or the strong stuff like vodka and whiskey? 

well DONT be slugging no denatured or isopropyl. I suggest a shot of Thai whiskey before bed.

[SteveK]

I think 9 big Leos should do the trick. Always worked for me.

[Bonobojt]

12 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

well DONT be slugging no denatured or isopropyl. I suggest a shot of Thai whiskey before bed.

is this scientifically proven ? Healthy? I mean why bother with antibiotics if alcohol does the job ...

[Nyezhov]

2 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

is this scientifically proven ? Healthy? I mean why bother with antibiotics if alcohol does the job ...

Scientifically proven? Pour some whiskey on a cut. Feel the burn? Killing germs!

 

Thats why in the movies you alwys see them putting whiskey on wounds.

 

I hear drinking your own pee is good too.

Edited August 29, 2018 by Nyezhov

[NCC1701A]

On 8/28/2018 at 6:46 PM, Bonobojt said:

Day 3 in Bangkok and I’m not sick yet, just living off lime juice in water each morning, ginger tea and terminal 21 food court, and papaya and pineapple at the fruit vendor  

Mr. Bonobojt, if you find FODMAP diet foods or Gluten free in Bangkok please post them here. I mean beyond the obvious places like Gourmet Market or Villa Market. Or Thai food dishes that you think are FODMAP.  

[NCC1701A]

17 hours ago, Bonobojt said:

Yes ok,. You mean any alcohol or the strong stuff like vodka and whiskey? 

Mr. Bonobojt, please don't drink any alcohol. I am sure you know it is incredibly bad for your digestive system, liver and brain especially if you are trying to follow a FODMAP diet. 

 

May I ask how old you are? 

[Bonobojt]

7 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

Mr. Bonobojt, please don't drink any alcohol. I am sure you know it is incredibly bad for your digestive system, liver and brain especially if you are trying to follow a FODMAP diet. 

 

May I ask how old you are? 

I only had one glass of red wine last night, didn’t do the strong whiskey stuff.  I’m 27.

 

I haveny been following a complete 100% Fodmap diet, as it’s not easy when you have to eat out everyday, stomach has gone a bit nauseous again so I’ll have to put more effort into the Fodmap diet now, onions seem to be in many dishes that I’ve ordered so I’ll have to ask for no onion or order something else

 

I found a bar in soi 4 that sells peppermint tea and honey and lemon tea, I’ll drink that instead of the beers

 

i will start drinking apple cider vinegar with a squeeze of lime juice in water first thing in the morning to kill any bad germs in me.

 

its definitely not easy to be Fodmap here

[Bonobojt]

A little low on energy, I think the standard Thai diet is low in B vitamins ? Maybe I need to supplement. I just read that B vitamins is important for having energy 

[ravip]

On 8/22/2018 at 8:04 AM, geriatrickid said:

Easy and low cost way to prevent most communicable  illnesses like a cold;

1. Wash hands regularly. Do it with vigor and for  30 seconds or more. Do not touch public faucets, towels  etc. after doing so.

2. Stop touching mouth and nose. Stop rubbing eyes.

3. Stand clear of the  hackers, coughers and sneezers.

4. Wai, don't shake hands.

How about breathing? The risk of inhaling some bugs?

[earlinclaifornia]

On 8/21/2019 at 7:03 PM, Mansinthe said:

 

 

Im done with street food and food courts in Thailand.. im here since may this year. I had 2 times diarrhea from street food. (As a vegetarian that doesnt drink water with ice in these shops either).

 

One time was so bad that i lost 2KG in a Day.. couldn't even keep water  in my body. After 4 days i went to a pharmacy to get antibiotics.

 

The streetfood in Thailand is delicious, cheap and mostly save but it got me every year so far 1 time.

 

Never happend before in Vietnam, Singapore or Malaysia.

 

 

 

 

I had problems with water myself. I believe that washing with water any time you may have had Thai water involved is also a way to avoid another bout

[Catoni]

Okay...  listen...    Two trips to southeast Asia.... First trip more than four months in northern Thailand.. Eating mostly street food.. and some restaurant food... 

      Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao and the surrounding mountains...  including going with a Thai friend to an isolated Lisu village for a few days where there were no tourists, no hotels or wifi...  Isolated.

Shared their food.

 

  Never got sick....    

 

    Second trip...  two months to Siem Reap, Cambodia and my driver's poverty stricken village.... and stayed with his family in their shack for a few days... sharing their food and eating village market food with the poor family... 

 

   Ate lots of street food in the city...  ate food the locals eat.... ate village food in isolated regions where you don't see westerners...

 

  Followed the two months in and around Siem Reap, Cambodia with a Giant Ibis bus trip across country and passing through Poipet and to Bangkok, Thailand to spend four days visiting temples and enjoying the food in the city before flying back to Canada.

 

Never got sick.

 

  I'm in my 60's .. and our immune system is suposed to get weaker as we age... 

 

  I never got sick...  Maybe I just had some amazing luck...that's possible...  but I give the credit to an oral vaccine called DUKORAL which I took before both trips.    

 

  You can get it in Canada and I think in the U.S.  and perhaps Europe.  (Not sure about Europe)

 

  But in Thailand... you can get Dukoral at The Thai Travel Clinic at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University,  420/6 Rajvithi Rd., Rajthewi, Bangkok, 10400, Bangkok

    

  At the Thai Travel Clinic in Bangkok, the Dukoral costs 759 Baht... or $23 U.S.    

 

You should take two doses of DUKORAL^® orally at least 1 week (up to 6 weeks) apart. Protection starts about 1 week after the second dose and lasts for about 3 months. 
Make sure that you take the 2^nd dose of vaccine at least 1 week after the 1^st dose and at least 1 week before leaving on your trip.

https://www.dukoralcanada.com/home

 

   If you've already done the initial double dose within the past five years, you only need a single dose to renew protection for a further three months from E.coli..  and two more years protection against Cholera. 

 

It gives you two years protection against Cholera.. and at least three months protection against the most common cause of Traveler's Diarrhea...  Enterotoxigenic E-coli.  

   There are other things that can cause Traveler's Diarrhea... but E.coli is the most common cause. Eliminating that cause can go a long way to making your time in a foreign country more pleasant. 

 

Thai Travel Clinic

  https://www.thaitravelclinic.com

 

Service Hours:

Monday to Friday 8.00 to 15.00 (for Walk-in client)

Monday to Friday 8.00 to 15.30 (by Appointment)

 

Extended service 
                  Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 16.00-19.00 (Walk-in and by Appointment) 

Saturday 9.00-12.00 (Walk-in and by Appointment)

 

Telephone: 02-3069100 ext 3034 or 02-3069145 (Office hour on Mon-Fri)
                 02-3069199 (Extended service on Mon, Tue, Thu 16.00-19.00 and Sat 8.00am-12.00pm)
                 FAX: 02-3069145

Edited August 22, 2019 by Catoni
Correction & Addition

[Catoni]

On 8/21/2018 at 8:58 PM, tagalong said:

I am 80 y o....I've lived here for 20 years n do not get sick..(touch wood)...?

I av been drinking pure lemon juice or lime juice from frozen pks half cup every 3 days...

 

If I get a slight touch of the sniffles / cold, I take eucalyptus oil equal to 2 eye drops of, with sugar in a teaspoon..

The sugar drowns out the eq taste..Old bush remedy from my farming days in OZ ..Been doing this from when I was 7 years old...

 

I got caught on street food 15 years ago n never touched it since..Always buy from big stores now where one can see it is clean in preparation...

From what I av seen on street food over the years would turn ones stomach...

  After spending some years in a foreign country... your body has built some immunity to the local variety of E. coli and other nasties..

  I'm in my late 60's... I eat all kinds of street food and village food and never got sick during my months in southeast Asia...  But I take Dukoral oral vaccine before getting on the plane.  And if going to be there longer than about four months...  I will get a booster dose at the Thai Travel Clinic at Mahidol University in Bangkok. 

   The worst food poisoning I ever got was in Toronto, Canada many years ago... at an outdoor market..  Macaroni salad.   .. a first world western nation.. and my home country.  Diarrhea and vomiting like crazy.. in pain.....  thought that death might be better.  

      Dukoral did not exist at the time...  

 

  Taking Dukoral properly both times.... Never got sick in more than half a year in southeast Asia altogether.. 

Edited August 22, 2019 by Catoni
Addition

[mike787]

On 8/21/2018 at 4:53 AM, Bonobojt said:

my last 2 visits I’ve ended up getting sick and going to the hospital,

Expand, diagnosed with WHAT illness?  STD, cancer, food origin, what was the diagnoses, vector, or cause/effect???  Be specific.  Then avoid or remove the cause.  Simple as that.  Good luck.  

Edited August 22, 2019 by mike787

[Catoni]

On 8/22/2018 at 12:20 AM, Pilotman said:

common sense mate. Why seven years?  What is so special about that length of time?  What about babies against adults?  My daughter moved from LOS to UK at the age of 3.  Are you telling me that it took her until age 10 before she was acclimatised?  How about moving from the UK to the US?  Does that take 7 years as well?  As I say, sounds like BS.  Oh and  Wikky says it takes about 2 weeks, if you believe that.  Makes more sense to me. 

   Hmmm... maybe you are an expert on this subject.  Your duty now is to write a report on it and get published.  The WHO and the CDC and medical universities around the world could benefit from your knowledge..   

    I was just reporting what other studies have said...  I don't know about your studies and knowledge.. 

 

   Here are my information:    "A study among expatriates in Nepal suggests that immunity may take up to seven years to develope - presumably in adults who avoid deliberate pathogen exposure. Conversely, immunity acquired by American students while living in Mexico disappeared, in one study, as quickly as eight weeks after cessation of exposure.

 References:   

    David R. Shlim, Understanding Diarrhea in Travelers. A Guide to the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of the World's Most Common Travel-Related IllnessArchived 2008-05-24 at the Wayback Machine. CIWEC Clinic Travel Medicine Center, 2004.

     Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Charles D. Ericsson, Travelers' diarrhea. In Jane N. Zucherman, Ed., Principles and Practice of Travel Medicine, John Wiley and Sons, 2001. p.153 Google books preview Archived 2017-09-08 at the Wayback Machine   

[Catoni]

On 8/23/2018 at 7:07 PM, swissie said:

What Sheryl mentioned above is in all likelyhood a good description of what is ailing the OP. Chances are slim, that OP will find cure, by returning to Thailand over and over again, seeking cure and ending up in the "wrong places", relieving his wallet but not  his mental pain.

But then, as long as OP goes by "Bonobo" (google it), it may disclose a fundamental outlook on (his) life that leaves just very little room for Emphaty, Compassion, normal human interaction. Possibly a rare form of Autism, not immediately recognizable in daily life, but constantly looking "inward", mentally and phsically.

No wonder, that any kind of "ailements" can be produced on a daily basis, symptoms ranging from Cholera to Thyphus over to Ebola.

We all know the "medical-history" of "Bonobo". He has survived every medical-challenge a human-being (born by a woman) can ever hope to survive.

What he needs is a firm Thai-Woman that is not afraid to hit him over the head with a blunt object, excaiming "YOU THINK TOO MUCH" and the dark spot on your left big toe is not a cancerous growth, you just should shower more often.

No doubt, if "Bonobo" should spend a sunless winter in Greenland, he would return to the Forum, opening a fierce discussion about skin-cancer.

And everybody will take the bait.

Cheers.

       The immunity against the local "Traveler's Diarrhea"  organisms you gain by spending years in a foreign country country is apparently quickly lost when you return to your home country.

 

   Quote:   "A study among expatriates in Nepal suggests that immunity may take up to seven years to develope - presumably in adults who avoid deliberate pathogen exposure. Conversely, immunity acquired by American students while living in Mexico disappeared, in one study, as quickly as eight weeks after cessation of exposure."

 

  Ref:   Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Charles D. Ericsson, Travelers' diarrhea. In Jane N. Zucherman, Ed., Principles and Practice of Travel Medicine, John Wiley and Sons, 2001. p.153 Google books preview Archived 2017-09-08 at the Wayback Machine

[brokenbone]

1 hour ago, Catoni said:

       The immunity against the local "Traveler's Diarrhea"  organisms you gain by spending years in a foreign country country is apparently quickly lost when you return to your home country.

 

   Quote:   "A study among expatriates in Nepal suggests that immunity may take up to seven years to develope - presumably in adults who avoid deliberate pathogen exposure. Conversely, immunity acquired by American students while living in Mexico disappeared, in one study, as quickly as eight weeks after cessation of exposure."

 

  Ref:   Luis Ostrosky-Zeichner, Charles D. Ericsson, Travelers' diarrhea. In Jane N. Zucherman, Ed., Principles and Practice of Travel Medicine, John Wiley and Sons, 2001. p.153 Google books preview Archived 2017-09-08 at the Wayback Machine

dude, its 1 year since OP asked for tips on his 2 week holiday

[sunnyboy2018]

Never drink draught beer. Wash your hands frequently.  Use your left hand for opening doors, your right hand for eating. Wash your hand every time you touch a door handle or any such public surface. Stay hydrated. Only eat from busy food stalls with queues.  Avoid American junk food. Avoid sick people. Avoid mosquitoes. 

[mommysboy]

I don't think I've ever been ill from a food stall in Thailand, but you have to use a bit of common sense.

 

I have suffered a few nasty bouts from food courts.  I think it's because the food can be lying around a good deal longer than it ought.  I also agree with another poster that water contamination can be behind a lot of problems.

[Issannative]

It's not hard if you don't grow it yourself then never eat it. anything not cooked do not eat. that's it saves you getting the <deleted>s

[Issannative]

Never never never never eat a salad

[4675636b596f75]

Don't come to Thailand! Get sick in Blighty!