Not Again!

[Orion76]

Attention these live cultures, can be harmfull if you in very bad conditions, you should wait till you are already on the way to feel better....

Right I wouldn't take them on an upset stomach, for that I take the charcoal (carbon?) capsules... you referred to them as "animal coal" earlier in this thread

[makavelli]

Hi everyone, thanks for all their replies to this topic, I really appreciate it.

There r so many different opinions to what is good to take.

Obviously in the Summer when I visit LOS I am going to have to steer clear of vendors selling meat because I clearly have a sensitive stomach. Also make sure I always use bottled water when I brush my teeth and to wash my hands as often as possible.

However with some much different advice on what to take I am confused, some people r saying taking a yoghurt drink everyday while in LOS will do nothing for my stomach. Personally speaking I was considering taking a couple of electrlyte drinks everyday and 2 spoonfuls of Pepto Bismol everyday plus one of the Yoghurt drinks in the morning when I wake up. what do u think?

Cheers eveyone.

[Pattaya_Fox]

Hi everyone, thanks for all their replies to this topic, I really appreciate it.

There r so many different opinions to what is good to take.

Obviously in the Summer when I visit LOS I am going to have to steer clear of vendors selling meat because I clearly have a sensitive stomach. Also make sure I always use bottled water when I brush my teeth and to wash my hands as often as possible.

However with some much different advice on what to take I am confused, some people r saying taking a yoghurt drink everyday while in LOS will do nothing for my stomach. Personally speaking I was considering taking a couple of electrlyte drinks everyday and 2 spoonfuls of Pepto Bismol everyday plus one of the Yoghurt drinks in the morning when I wake up. what do u think?

Cheers eveyone.

Hi Mak....too many cold beers in the Thai Rose mate...that`ll be the problem

[Tolley]

Far from being a con, live yoghurt drinks have been shown to have several possible health effects. Further research is needed to elucidate further the mechanisms of the reported benefits and see how enhancement of the immune system translates into clinical effects.

For the bacteria in the drink to exert any health effects, they would first have to survive their journey through the gastrointestinal tract. This journey exposes them to the acidic conditions of the stomach, and then to the hydrolytic enzymes and bile salts of the small intestine.

A small number of bacteria do survive the journey (approximately 0.01-2%) and are found in the faeces. The minimum amount of live yoghurt drink (containing Bifidobacterium species) that had measurable therapeutic effects in humans was 400-500g a week, at a concentration of 1.0 x 106 CFU/g.

Several compatible and complementary theories exist as to how the ingestion of live yoghurt can have these health effects. Bacteria from the live yoghurt that survive their passage through the gastrointestinal tract have been shown to bind to epithelial cells and the luminal surface of M-cells in the wall of the gut. By attaching to epithelial cells, it is postulated that the yoghurt derived bacteria inhibit the binding of enteric pathogens to the epithelial cells. This process is referred to as "competitive exclusion."

Binding by the bacteria to gut associated lymphoid tissue(GALT) has been shown in animal models to result in enhanced production of cytokines and IgA, as well as increased mitogenic activity of Peyer's patch cells and splenocytes.

The bacterial genera cultured in live yoghurt drinks have also been shown to produce lactic acid and antimicrobial peptides referred to as bacterocins, which may inhibit the growth of enteric pathogens. This could be the explanation for the finding that increased amounts of lactobacilli in the human gut inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

The possible anticancer effects of live yoghurt drinks may be due to several mechanisms. Inhibition of bacteria that convert procarcinogens to carcinogens and enhanced activation of the host's immune system by the mechanisms described above may play a part.

There is also evidence that some live yoghurt bacteria can themselves inhibit the formation and breakdown of carcinogens. For instance, some of the bacterial genera have been shown to have nitrate reductase activity, an enzyme that breaks down nitrates into nitrites and then further into nitrogen or ammonia. Nitrites are an important intermediary in the formation of highly carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds, and so by reducing the concentration of nitrites in the bowel, these bacteria may protect in part against bowel cancer.

h90 I hope you are paying attention here.

I forgot you got a masters degree haven't you and you recommend whiskey and coffee!

[makavelli]

Hi Pattaya fox, hows things going mate?

U got any suggestions for my bad stomach?

When u next in Thailand?

I am across in July for a month, maybe we could meet up for a few beers in the Thai Rose!

[magic]

had the same story here for about once every month, painfu so much I couldn't sleep, so I eliminated all non bottled water and non safe ice, street soups, and have been ok for a couple of months now!!!! Finally!!!

Say NNNOOO!!!!! to ALL free water. It's poison. Avoid ice and you should be much better.

[makavelli]

Thanks everyone for their replies,

Truthfully do people think drinking Yakult everyday while I am in LOS will give me some protection from the nasty stomach troubles?

After reading people advice on this topic I think I am going to :

1) Steer clear from any ice

2) Clean my teeth using bottled water

3) No eat anything from vendors - No meat products such as sausages on a stick, chicken on a stick, however is eating rice from the vendors ok??

4) Take 2-3 Electrolyte drinks per day

5) Drink 1 Yakult every morning when I wake up

6) Take 1 spoonful of Peptp Bismol every morning - What r people thoughts on this??

Any other things I should add or delete from the list above?

Thanks everyone.

[cathyy]

1) Steer clear from any ice

2) Clean my teeth using bottled water

3) No eat anything from vendors - No meat products such as sausages on a stick, chicken on a stick, however is eating rice from the vendors ok??

4) Take 2-3 Electrolyte drinks per day

5) Drink 1 Yakult every morning when I wake up

6) Take 1 spoonful of Peptp Bismol every morning - What r people thoughts on this??

I wouldn't bother with the Peptol Bismol. If you don't need it it can be quite constipating, plus turning your feces a blackish color that would hide any blood. I would recommend getting a good antibiotic like Cipro and starting to take it at the first sign of trouble. On one of my trips I was put in a social situation where I was forced by courtesy to drink some unpurified water I was given...from a well less than 10 feet deep. That's the only time I ever had a stomach upset in Thailand, and I do eat from the food stands, and use ice. I had to stay on the Cipro for about 4 days, 2 pills a day, to clear it up. I do brush my teeth with bottled water.

The yogurt would be most helpful after you have used an antibiotic to restore some of the good bacteria the antibiotic killed off with the bad ones. And I have no biotech Masters...I'm a nurse.

[makavelli]

Thanks everyone.

I have just bought some of these:

http://www.naturesbest.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=541

fingers crossed they work!!

Cheers

[makavelli]

Going to Thailand next month and my mind is starting to think about my stomach troubles I have over the last few years. Last year on my trip I stayed clear of the vendors selling food, had no ice and brushed teeth using bottled water. On the whole I did feel alittle bit better but not 100%.

During my trip the worst I felt was probably my 1st week in Thailand, my stomach was terrible. I had the runs and generally feeling un-well

Anyone got any new advice or help to get rid of these problems?

Thanks again

[bratpack]

Been here 5 years now and never had a big problem.Yes normal rus due to hot spicy food.Every place in europe i have had food poisoning or bad runs,includes Turkey,Spain,Greece,Holland and even florida.I eat at decen thai restaraunts and buy food off the street,i eat crickets,frogs and bugs and always ok.My tipple is sangsom and soda with a squeeze of lemon and ice,as i dont like beer much.Have a few ciders or john stones to remember me of england but thats it.Very little english food as i get constipated with that.

[Ave]

Been here 5 years now and never had a big problem.Yes normal rus due to hot spicy food.Every place in europe i have had food poisoning or bad runs,includes Turkey,Spain,Greece,Holland and even florida.I eat at decen thai restaraunts and buy food off the street,i eat crickets,frogs and bugs and always ok.My tipple is sangsom and soda with a squeeze of lemon and ice,as i dont like beer much.Have a few ciders or john stones to remember me of england but thats it.Very little english food as i get constipated with that.

Exactly the same experience for me although I remember that in the beginning it was really tough and I have lost lots of weight since..

My boyfriend is the one with the problem, instead. He is Thai from the south where the food can be the hottest and he is experiencing some bleeding in his faeces but no pain. The colour of the faeces is actually yellow. He doesn't want to go to the doctor but I'm planning to drag him down there for his sake.

Before doing that I would like to have somebody else's opinion on what the cause might be. Any idea?

[Lazy Sod]

Everytime I visit Thailand I am ok for the 1st week or so then I suddenly get a bad stomach and the feeling like my body is totally run down. I just feel terrible. Always needing the toilet for a number 2, no energy, sweating.

I have been here about 20 years and rarely get food poisoning anymore, but the one thing which is still guaranteed to make me feel terrible (nausea, palpitations, no energy, upset stomach, sweating) is too much sun. I don't mean sunbathing, simply walking outdoors without a hat or swimming in sunshine can make me feel awful a few hours later. And it's made worse when alcohol is added to the mix.

Wear a hat when walking in the sun, swim only early morning or late afternoon, don't sunbathe. Pretty much same as the Thai's. You may say, "but I sunbathe in the European summer no problem" (and so do I), but here it is much more intense. Everyone is different, just an idea, it may work for you.