Some said I was silly....

[marko kok prong]

It is a widely held theory that the increase in allergies amongst children in the western world is blamed on lack of exposure to germs/dirt when they are young,example allergy to peanuts,this is almost unknown in places such as Africa,and think about Thailand,how many kids here do you see with asthma inhalers,so i agree with the op,of course one would not go drinking water out of a Klong but the theory he proposes i beleive is sound.

[JSixpack]

As for the old lady and the cat bite, sure, she was probably one of these weak systems over indulging in any little pill she can find for a little sniffle or cough here or there.

1. Hardly an old lady, nowhere implied in my post; "fit" implies a younger lady in fact. Goes to the gym regularly

2. Strong immune system, never gets sick

3. Hates pills, even paracetamol for a headache, and generally refuses to take any.

The fact you'd manufacture such nonsense blows the little credibility you once had and puts you into the category of, basically, the alternative health nuts w/ an agenda--that is, just a time waster.

Nobody cares if you do things your way, even less to hear your little self-congratulations with meaningless anecdotal evidence.

Do continue strengthening that immune system by ignoring infections--by all means.

[Showbags]

^ ooooh....hidden agenda theorist alert.

I was wrong, should have read your post again, not little old lady, but she obviously had a pussy alergy, not pussy friendly at least....these things happen, and for these things that do not get better then seek medical assistance.

Obviously a few people care....just not you....we do not care that you do not care, so there.

[Chonburiram]

What the sun does not heal, covers the earth...

[Sheryl]

I read the article and it is a bit worrying,when i first lived here i had 3 infected mosquito bites on my foot,the whole ankle swelled up,and they were leaking pus,luckily antibiotics cleared it up,if they had not i don't know what would have happened,think back to wars ect before antibiotics most of the wounded died from infection not the actual wounds them selves,the other thing is they really have no new types to replace them.

A prime example sir. Antihistamines would more than likely have had the desired effect without the need for antibiotics.

Not if these bites were infected, and from the description ("leaking pus") they were.

Over-use of antibiotics is certainly a problem, and patient demand, pharmacist practices and doctor practices all contribute.

But failing to use antibiotics when needed also has very bad consequences, especially at an individual level.

The issue is not whether or not antibiotics should be taken but (1) knowing when they are indicated and (2) if taken, completing the full course (a big, big problem in Thailand - for some reason both pharmacies and some doctors are fond of sub-therapeutic courses of treatment).

A lay person cannot always tell whether or not a bacterial infection is present. When in doubt, better to see a doctor than to risk leaving it untreated -- you literally could lose a limb or die. Preferrably see a doctor with high level qualifications and willing to talk frankly and clearly with you so you can ensure against being prescribed an antibiotic just to "make the patient happy" as is often done. Specifically ask how sure the doctor is that it is bacterial and whether antibiotics are really necessary. Many Thai doctors assume the patient will be "offended" if not given an antibiotic so you may need to make clear this is not the case. If they are not used to farang patients, this may come as quite a surprise to them.

But if a doctor indicates s/he really believes antibiotics are necessary, do not just disregard that opinion. Either follow the advice (for a full course) or get another opinion from another doctor.