Why Most Western Get Diarrhea In Asian Country Are Reaky The Water From The Icecubes The Reason?

[Sandman77]

Hello! when i come first time to thailand in my life in the tsunami year 2004 i got diarrhea all the time,every day imodium in 3 month i loose aproxmenttly 12 kg !

but i still dont know what is the reason that western got always problem in asian country from thai food is ok now,but when i eat indian food it happen again,in a teavelbock i read the icecubes and the bacteria inside are the reason when the water is not clean,the also write in most of the fruit shakes in thailand a chemical powder mix called msg is used,anyone here have more information about this?

[SpoliaOpima]

Don't know about ice cubes being the source of most GI infections. But I doubt MSG (which is a natural extract, like salt or sugar, not a chemical) is added to fruit drinks in Thailand. Certainly I've never seen anyone add it to a fruit shake. Salt, yes, sometimes. Sugar syrup, often. MSG never. I think that would taste pretty strange.

[Soutpeel]

First of all you should not be taking immodium every day for 3 months..... .....this is very bad for you...

If you have had the trots for 3 months understandable why you lost 12kg......

If a case of the trots last more than 7 days you need to go to the hospital....its not a normal case of "food posioning" or similar...

MSG/chemicals will not cause this, nor "bad" water/ice........sure you havent picked up a case of worms ??

after many years of working in various countries, not just SEA and experienced various forms of the trots, I carry charcoal tablets and antibiotics with me, and start dosing myself with charcoal on its own, if this doesnt clear it then start the antibiotics, if this doesnt work then go the hospital ASAP

[BuckarooBanzai]

When I first started coming to Asia in the 80's I would get food poisoning and or diarrhea 3 or 4 times a year staying at 4 and 5 star hotels. Of course had some meals at restaurants and such but usually good ones. This went on for about 3 years and then dramatically dropped down to about nothing. Now living here and eating at typical Thai places etc. I maybe come down with something once in 4 or 5 years.

Your immune system builds up resistance to these local bacteria and you become acclimatised so to speak to the local food. Now my Thai wife comes down with the typical symptoms more often than I do but then I stay away from the Pattaya Pok Pok, rotten fish, and other such delicacies. If you change the source of the food you eat your body may take some time to adjust unless the food is just plain bad to begin with.

[Soutpeel]

When I first started coming to Asia in the 80's I would get food poisoning and or diarrhea 3 or 4 times a year staying at 4 and 5 star hotels. Of course had some meals at restaurants and such but usually good ones. This went on for about 3 years and then dramatically dropped down to about nothing. Now living here and eating at typical Thai places etc. I maybe come down with something once in 4 or 5 years.

Your immune system builds up resistance to these local bacteria and you become acclimatised so to speak to the local food. Now my Thai wife comes down with the typical symptoms more often than I do but then I stay away from the Pattaya Pok Pok, rotten fish, and other such delicacies. If you change the source of the food you eat your body may take some time to adjust unless the food is just plain bad to begin with.

All very true but for 3 months solid as the OP mentions ?....that is not "normal"

[Tolley]

I rarely have problems in Thailand with loose bowel movements.

The food by and large is no more unhygenic than what you might eat in the west.

Your particular case sounds more serious as others have stated.

Anything more than a week of loose stools requires urgent medical attention.

[Sheryl]

Giardia is a possibility

[dumball]

Thai are not that conversant with food hygiene , especially street vendors , you do build up a resistance over time if you continue to attack your body with their bacteria laden food(?) , far better than immodium is Loperamide oral , but you should first give the body some time to void itself of the problem , if not you can cause yourself larger problems .

A good medication that works without side effects is Mebendazole 500mg if you have parasitical worms which are quite prevalent in Asia .

[moe666]

I use the cubed ice in drinks in bars and eat everything except the rotten stuff and have been trots free for years just lucky I guess

[dumball]

'Tolley' timestamp='1305079164' post='4415649']

I rarely have problems in Thailand with loose bowel movements.

The food by and large is no more unhygenic than what you might eat in the west.

Your particular case sounds more serious as others have stated.

Anything more than a week of loose stools requires urgent medical attention.

[/quote)

It is a known fact that diarrhea is a problem in Asia , Asians are not to be considered in many instances to be hygienic , one of the side effects is that Asians do not suffer as much with colon cancer as those in the west due to their colons being purged on a regular basis , no matter how you paint it , diarrhea happens to many travelers and expats in Thailand .

[monekyface]

hygiene is a major problem here- notice how 99% of restrooms have no soap to wash your hands? google "campylobacter Thailand" for your answers

[Tolley]

'Tolley' timestamp='1305079164' post='4415649']

I rarely have problems in Thailand with loose bowel movements.

The food by and large is no more unhygenic than what you might eat in the west.

Your particular case sounds more serious as others have stated.

Anything more than a week of loose stools requires urgent medical attention.

[/quote)

It is a known fact that diarrhea is a problem in Asia , Asians are not to be considered in many instances to be hygienic , one of the side effects is that Asians do not suffer as much with colon cancer as those in the west due to their colons being purged on a regular basis , no matter how you paint it , diarrhea happens to many travelers and expats in Thailand .

That is a wacky theory.

Diarrhea as a preventative for colon cancer.

What is probably more likely is much lower intakes of dairy and red meat and higher fish consumption.

Some preventative measures you can take are to eat yougurt, or yakult and line your system with good bacteria.

[dumball]

'Tolley' timestamp='1305247445' post='4420177']'dumball' timestamp='1305161020' post='4417637']

'Tolley' timestamp='1305079164' post='4415649']

I rarely have problems in Thailand with loose bowel movements.

The food by and large is no more unhygenic than what you might eat in the west.

Your particular case sounds more serious as others have stated.

Anything more than a week of loose stools requires urgent medical attention.

It is a known fact that diarrhea is a problem in Asia , Asians are not to be considered in many instances to be hygienic , one of the side effects is that Asians do not suffer as much with colon cancer as those in the west due to their colons being purged on a regular basis , no matter how you paint it , diarrhea happens to many travelers and expats in Thailand .

That is a wacky theory.

Diarrhea as a preventative for colon cancer.

What is probably more likely is much lower intakes of dairy and red meat and higher fish consumption.

Some preventative measures you can take are to eat yougurt, or yakult and line your system with good bacteria.

It is not a ' Wacky theory' , I read this in a medical journal many years ago , I did not say it was a preventative measure for colon cancer , if you read again I said it is a side effect , not the same thing at all . Diarrhea is a common problem amongst Asians due to some of the food they consume , it is not considered unusual by them , nothing to do with lack of read meat or the amount of fish they consume , some of the cause has been connected to that ' Special ' sauce tthey add to so many things , made from rotten fish and the fact they leave cooked foods out in the air for hours , even days . they seem to think that covering this food with muslin cloth or another dish will prevent bacteria contamination , not that they know much about bacteria and the many illnesses caused by them .

Talking about preventative measures as in the west is irrelevant , most Thai would not take heed any way , they eat what they eat because " This is Thailand " .