Local Hygiene Observations

[johna]

At the dentist, a nurse took an X-ray of my tooth by holding the x-ray plate against the tooth with her finger, and I wondered what such exposure to x-rays would have on her. When she removed the plate I realized she was not wearing latex gloves.

At a local medical clinic I watched the receptionist take personal details from each patient, and then remove a thermometer from a drawer, take their temperature, and put the thermometer back in the drawer. She used the same thermometer with each patient.

As the local barber gave me a shave with some rusty blade he told me about 2 young guys who had recently died from AIDS, and I almost asked him how many people have you shaved with this rusty razor.

Just reflections on local things.

[geriatrickid]

The syndrome is called complacency. My friend often ate his lunch in the lab surrounded by bits and pieces of bodies. Rather disconcerting to have someone wave a celery stick in your face while someone's innards were in pickling juice in a tray on the table.

Anyway, I'll bite.

While you were being xrayed, did you have a lead smock covering your chest and groin? That should have been your first concern.

Hopefully, the thermometer was oral and not rectal.

It's nice that you were willing to sit for a barber using a common blade. I hope you have hepatitis antibodies by means of a vaccination.

Please look both ways before you cross any street in Thailand and have a groovy stay.

[lomatopo]

Yikes, maybe you could avoid these situations?

I hope they they have at least two thermometers, and keep track of which one is oral.

[Nawtier]

Why do people that enjoy rimming worry about food vendors washing their hands ?

[DP25]

Hopefully, the thermometer was oral and not rectal.

Hopefully it wasn't both

[Payboy]

Yikes, maybe you could avoid these situations?

I hope they they have at least two thermometers, and keep track of which one is oral.

If it tasted salty, it wasn't oral.

[Payboy]

Yikes, maybe you could avoid these situations?

I hope they they have at least two thermometers, and keep track of which one is oral.

If it tasted salty, it wasn't oral.

To make such an observation and advice l would suggest it's from your own experiences eh.

What can I say? I was running a fever and the nurse looked kind cute.

[Tonto21]

Why do people that enjoy rimming worry about food vendors washing their hands ?

"Rimming" also know as "a trip around the world" (so I've been told).......................... I didn't see that topic, Is it under travel?

Next qestion; can you tell Newtier if someone is a "Rimmer" by what they write or Is it a little known fact that people concerned with hygiene lean toward the joys of rimming?

Edited November 23, 2010 by Tonto21

[Berkshire]

Why do people that enjoy rimming worry about food vendors washing their hands ?

"Rimming" also know as "a trip around the world".......................... I didn't see that topic, Is it under travel? Next qestion; can you tell Newtier if someone is a "Rimmer" by what they write?

I always thought a "rimjob" was related to automobile tires and such. Oh never mind....

[Beetlejuice]

My dentist is based at a well known dental hospital in Chiang Mai.

Each time I noticed that after my treatment and having rinsed my mouth with the mouthwash, the machine fills the same cup I have used again in readiness for the next patient. This has been the same at most of the dentistry’s I have visited.

As for the needles all we can do is hope and pray that these are new.

I agree, it is rather worrying.

[mark45y]

I have gotten 300 plus haircuts in Thailand. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Rayong and a number in between. The barber has always unwrapped a new blade and placed in the razor. I watch.

[MSingh]

It's not complacency..

It's just, as with sooo many other things in this Country, down to a basic lack of education.

[anothertorres]

As the local barber gave me a shave with some rusty blade he told me about 2 young guys who had recently died from AIDS, and I almost asked him how many people have you shaved with this rusty razor.

this did not happen.

[mark45y]

As the local barber gave me a shave with some rusty blade he told me about 2 young guys who had recently died from AIDS, and I almost asked him how many people have you shaved with this rusty razor.

this did not happen.

Based on my experience I would tend to agree. However, having said that I do realize that almost no one in Thailand educated or farm girl has any idea how a cold is transmitted. Gee, honey stop kissing me! You have a cold. I don't want to get sick. I have to go to work. I don't like going to work with a cold.

[Jingthing]

Why do people that enjoy rimming worry about food vendors washing their hands ?

An off topic, but perhaps interesting question. Rimming (tossing the salad) is about pleasure (for one or both participants, depending) and there is no perfectly clean way of doing it without nixing the pleasure. For example, coincidentally, the oft suggested use of dental dams for rimming. You may as well not do it. A question more to the point might be -- why are human beings pleasure seeking primates?

These other examples are exposures to potential ills that are unnecessary. It's no more fun to receive a shave with a bloodied razor than a clean new razor. Go for the new razor every time, hopefully.

From the workers/owners point of view who are providing services which should be more hygienic, perhaps it is a source of pleasure to avoid the work/expense of being hygienic.

Whether the facts in the OP's story are totally accurate or not, there is no doubt that westerners in Thailand will encounter practices that they find unhygienic. An example I have used before is the very poor standard of dealing with the sterilizing of manicure/pedicure tools.

Edited November 24, 2010 by Jingthing

[DP25]

However, having said that I do realize that almost no one in Thailand educated or farm girl has any idea how a cold is transmitted.

That goes for almost everyone in every country

[GuestHouse]

As the local barber gave me a shave with some rusty blade he told me about 2 young guys who had recently died from AIDS, and I almost asked him how many people have you shaved with this rusty razor.

The Bullshite on TV has reached a level where I now find myself in complete agreement with Marky..... well at least on this point.

I have gotten 300 plus haircuts in Thailand. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Rayong and a number in between. The barber has always unwrapped a new blade and placed in the razor. I watch.

Methinks the OP has been infected with Paranoia.

[Jingthing]

You're focusing on minutia. Was the blade reused? It doesn't matter. Similar "sins" of bad practices are happening all around us here.

Edited November 24, 2010 by Jingthing

[phaethon]

Next qestion; can you tell Newtier if someone is a "Rimmer"...

You know it never occurred to me, until now, that there might me some significance to the name of Chris Barrie's character in Red Dwarf - Arnold Rimmer.

Edited November 24, 2010 by phaethon

[johna]

As the local barber gave me a shave with some rusty blade he told me about 2 young guys who had recently died from AIDS, and I almost asked him how many people have you shaved with this rusty razor.

this did not happen.

Yes it did happen, but for greater accuracy the razor blade was used, not rusty, mea culpa.

The dentist and medical clinic incidents are accurately related.

[Tony Clifton]

I used to watch my barber snap the old razor blade in halves, slip them into an old pepsi can and unwrap a new one, every time.

My thing was with the local buffets, all that nose picking and no one going to the washrooms to wash their hands.