Medicine men/women

[JesseFrank]

Don't know where to post this for the best, so I will do here, but feel free to move it to the appropriate forum.

My son spent the first 4 years of his life with the grandmother in Ubon and was ill at least twice a month. Maybe normal for children, I don't know.

From the age of 4 till 81/2 he stayed with me in Pattaya, and was sick maybe twice during the whole period.

Since then, he is now 11, he stays with the mother during the week and with me during the weekends. Actually the grandmother takes care once again since the mother isn't able to take care of herself, other than financially in which she's superior, if you understand what I mean.

So during the past few months he has been ill a few times, as has been his sister. I know the grandmother likes to play medicine man. A doctor is only consulted when I get angry and take him there.

The other day he messaged me that he had a headache, so I told him to take a paracetamol and a hot cup of milk and go sleep early.

The next day I picked him up from school, and he still wasn't well, so I asked him if they had given him paracetamol.

He said they hadn't any but gave him two other medicines, which made my hair rise on my back already.

At the end it became clear that he had an aspirin and somthing else which he doesn't know how it calls, so I asked him to show it to me.

He went to the back of the house and after some time he came back and told me to follow him since it was too heavy to carry

He led me to place under the house where several 5 gallon buckets with cover were stored. When I opened them a sour stench came out of it, and I noticed that they were filled with water with a lot of vegetation inside, that was yeasting and rotting I assume.

Each bucket had a different substance inside, some green, some orange and some purple, but they all had that same sour stench coming out of it.

It was clear I had entered the medicine men's laboratory.

He told me that for the past 2 years they had to drink a small amount of it every morning.

You will understand that I became furious at that point, but I can not do anything of course.

So anyone has an idea what the brew may be, and if I should take drastic action, or that it is a harmless substance.

I assume that people who live in Issaan, particularly in Ubon, may have experience with this and can advise me .

Edited August 29, 2014 by JesseFrank

[h90]

"When I opened them a sour stench came out of it, and I noticed that they were filled with water with a lot of vegetation inside, that was yeasting and rotting I assume.

Each bucket had a different substance inside, some green, some orange and some purple, but they all had that same sour stench coming out of it."

Sure not healthy......

Water with some herbs is rotting......Different would be herbs in alcohol.

Avoid it.

[noahvail]

My SIL has a degree in traditional Thai herbal medicine. I have never seen her leave herbs soaking. She might make a tea from them, which can be refrigerated for a week or so, or just boil them down to make a poultice. She'll dry herbs to rehydrate when they're out of season. I've never seen her use alcohol. Everything she does is hygienic and sterile. Her studies have led her to adapt allopathic manufacturing methods (much like the old-fashioned compounding pharmacist) to the traditional practices. And she's the head of traditional medicine in our province. If she wants to give me a tea, though, I check with the internet for interactions with the allopathic meds I take.

The shaman in our village, though...well, let's just say he's quite the opposite. I do think he means well, and never accepts payment, but the methods reek of quackery. Just like some physicians in the West who promote their useless products on TV.

[JesseFrank]

The grandmother hasn't a degree in anything, since she's analphabetic, and that scares me but I'm sure it is something people in Issaan must be familiar with.

[rgs2001uk]

Jesus H, log off Thaivisa, get in your car and bring your kid back to civilisation.

This is the year of Our Lord 2014, not 1500 BC Khmen Era.

[JesseFrank]

Jesus H, log off Thaivisa, get in your car and bring your kid back to civilisation.

This is the year of Our Lord 2014, not 1500 BC Khmen Era.

I wish I could, but have you ever tried to explain your wife her mum is an idiot ?

[h90]

My SIL has a degree in traditional Thai herbal medicine. I have never seen her leave herbs soaking. She might make a tea from them, which can be refrigerated for a week or so, or just boil them down to make a poultice. She'll dry herbs to rehydrate when they're out of season. I've never seen her use alcohol. Everything she does is hygienic and sterile. Her studies have led her to adapt allopathic manufacturing methods (much like the old-fashioned compounding pharmacist) to the traditional practices. And she's the head of traditional medicine in our province. If she wants to give me a tea, though, I check with the internet for interactions with the allopathic meds I take.

The shaman in our village, though...well, let's just say he's quite the opposite. I do think he means well, and never accepts payment, but the methods reek of quackery. Just like some physicians in the West who promote their useless products on TV.

yes that way it makes perfect sense.......

[rgs2001uk]

Jesus H, log off Thaivisa, get in your car and bring your kid back to civilisation.

This is the year of Our Lord 2014, not 1500 BC Khmen Era.

I wish I could, but have you ever tried to explain your wife her mum is an idiot ?

Nice one, LOL, have you ever tried explaining to your MIL that her daughter is an idiot?

I have said on here many times, if anything happens to my mrs, either I will move in with the MIL, or the MIL can move in with me.

PS, the MIL is actually a better cook.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Topic moved to the HEALTH forum.

Mac

[Sheryl]

As others have said, this is not any legitimate Thai herbal treatment.

It is also quite likely the reason your son is so often sick, especially if the illnesses in question are GI in nature.

it is NOT normal for a child of any age to be sick twice a month and the concoction you describe is almost certainly harmful.

For your child's sake I urge you to take steps to change the care arrangements. You are not going to be able to alter MIL's behavior so need to change his living arrangements. His health depends on it.

BTW the fact that he messaged you re the HA sounds to me like a cry for help. There may be more amiss with his care than the quackery. Get that child out of there, whatever it takes, is my advice.

[JesseFrank]

Unfortunately I'm not registered as his legal father, so there isn't much I can do to get him away there, unless someone has a suggestion .

[Sheryl]

Consult a lawyer specializing in family law to get your paternal rights. You may find some info in the family and children forum as other TV members have been through this.

[h90]

As others have said, this is not any legitimate Thai herbal treatment.

It is also quite likely the reason your son is so often sick, especially if the illnesses in question are GI in nature.

it is NOT normal for a child of any age to be sick twice a month and the concoction you describe is almost certainly harmful.

For your child's sake I urge you to take steps to change the care arrangements. You are not going to be able to alter MIL's behavior so need to change his living arrangements. His health depends on it.

BTW the fact that he messaged you re the HA sounds to me like a cry for help. There may be more amiss with his care than the quackery. Get that child out of there, whatever it takes, is my advice.

I don't know how stubborn the involved person are. But if he just refuse to take the "medicine"?

Some 11 year old can be very stubborn and some grandmas weak....but could be also the other way around.

[Sheryl]

I would not put an 11 year old in this position and it sounds like he is already in a difficult situation.

See http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/381917-how-to-gain-parental-rights-as-a-father/

It will of course be best to go about things without antagonizing the Mother & MIL if possible. I would not bother trying to change MIL's behavior nor getting the boy's mother to defy her mother -- not going to happen. But you do not have to say that you want to move him out of there because you think the MIL is unfit. Say something else...the boy is getting older now, needs more contact with his father blah blah blah.

[JesseFrank]

As others have said, this is not any legitimate Thai herbal treatment.

It is also quite likely the reason your son is so often sick, especially if the illnesses in question are GI in nature.

it is NOT normal for a child of any age to be sick twice a month and the concoction you describe is almost certainly harmful.

For your child's sake I urge you to take steps to change the care arrangements. You are not going to be able to alter MIL's behavior so need to change his living arrangements. His health depends on it.

BTW the fact that he messaged you re the HA sounds to me like a cry for help. There may be more amiss with his care than the quackery. Get that child out of there, whatever it takes, is my advice.

I don't know how stubborn the involved person are. But if he just refuse to take the "medicine"?

Some 11 year old can be very stubborn and some grandmas weak....but could be also the other way around.

He has told me that in the future he will refuse to take the "medicine" but I don't think he's strong enough to go against his grandmothers demands.

[JesseFrank]

Consult a lawyer specializing in family law to get your paternal rights. You may find some info in the family and children forum as other TV members have been through this.

I know about this procedure, but it means that if I go that way I probably will be able to get him out of there in a year or two if I'm lucky, while I will not see him anymore during the weekends or after school until that date.

[Sheryl]

Sorry, don't know what else to advise except I suggest you open a thread in the Family & children forum as others who have been through this may be able to suggest something.

Is it sure no possibility of getting the mother to agree to his living with you?