Guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 I was thinking yesterday why falangs get diarehea and Thais who eat the same food do not. What came to my mind was some incidents that occured when I was a boy. As kids, we were always healthy. Every once in a while some other kids from the village or city would come to visit our farm and they would always come down with diarehea. We suspected the problem was with the milk. We drinked fresh, unpasturized milk. I assume our immune system had developed to such a degree that whole milk had no effect upon us whereas those never exposed to it did. My question is, are some falang's immune system more inline with Thai immune systems? This may account why some falangs get diarehea whereas others do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 I grew up for a big percentage of my life here so maybe I am not a good example, But I think my wife is getting the runs more often than I do! Maybe they are not telling you when they get the runs. The illness that I see often in new comers to the City (people who stay about a week or more) is colds/flu like symptons. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 In books you will find this answer: Food is full of bacteria. In different parts of the world the kind of bacteria and its concentration is different. You are used to the bacteria in the food of your home-country. When you go to e.g. Thailand new bacteria enters your system giving you short-lasting diarrhea. There are some more serieus diarrhea-causing diseases however caused by bacteria (and virusses and parasites) that cause illness in every person, falang and Thai alike. If the diarrhea persists or if there is blood in the stools you can be sure to have catched one of those more virulent bacteria no Thai is immune to as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 i would say that in general our immune system is a lot stronger than the one of average thais as we have been brought up in very clean environments. once we got used to all the bacteria here we seem to have the ability to fight off things much easier. i have far less diarria problems than my missus. also when travelling to places like india i generally have no problems anymore, while the missus has constantly some diarria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Hi Fly, I would think that it has a lot to do with exposure. Thai's are for the most part, not a well traveled people, and many have not had much exposure to the outside world. We farang (like everybody else) build up antibodies over time, to combat what is out there, through the generations. Hawaii is a good example. Something like 50% of the Hawaiian people were wiped out within a few years of the white missionary's, who had come to 'save' them. They simply had no antibodies in their blood, to fight off what was introduced to them. In Mexico, it's "Montazuma's revenge". Farangs go there, and simply have no defenses (existing antibodies) to fight off the invading parasites that exist there. What is there, is alien to their bodies, and their bodies fight back as best they can, resulting in a weakened condition, and a sick body, trying to fight back. Just a theory (I'm no doctor). I am curious to know how Thai girl's fare going to another country. Do most get sick more than the average native resident there? I would think they might, at least in the beginning. Might make an interesting thread here in 'Health'. HT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Nope, wife fairly well traveled, doesn't get sick in other countries, I think they would have a better imune system to some things, us to others. Would depend on what is in the enviroment That said, I think Bangkok is just awefull poolution right now. I am on the 23rd floor, yellow haze every day now! JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiledCowboy Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Jimmie Blonde said:That said, I think Bangkok is just awefull poolution right now. I am on the 23rd floor, yellow haze every day now! JB Lay off the Heinekins before breakfast JB and the haze will disappear! :: :beer: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaad Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 Hi, I believe it has everything to do with what's been said earlier here that in general the body needs time to habituate itself to 'new' food and its bacteria. This still differs from person to person. I for example had diarhhoea problems on my first two visits (twice 3 months) to Thailand. No problems since my 3rd. visit. I do have the occasional Schumacher Syndrom though My brother-in-law (Thai) on the other hand has never left the country and miraculously suffers from diarhhoea every week!! He even told me that he had it for 3 consecutive years...but that's an exception I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 <<Lay off the Heinekins before breakfast JB and the haze will disappear!>> Someone else toldme I Will I be ablte to spill better too Zaad - I think what ails your brother in law is not that uncommon. DarLeks family similar. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 12, 2004 Report Share Posted March 12, 2004 >>>I think they would have a better imune system to some things, us to others.<<< depends. i would say that most thais/asians have had since childhood on serious attacks on their immune systems without proper medication. also a not healthy enough diet weakened their systems. that's why i see people here (including the missus) getting sick much faster than me and most other farang who have spent enough years here to get adapted. anyhow, i would be interested what the medical professionals on the board here have to say on that issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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