Are we poisening ourselves?

[Guest]

During the last weeks, new treats have been popped up about vitamine V, pills to sleep in the plane, pills for the stomach, pills for a hangover, pills to sleep all day, pills to stay awake during the night etc,etc,etc....

I was in the understanding that the trips to LOS where healthy... Healthy, light, food, regular (or over-regular) workouts, mental enlighting etc...

Now I get the impression that the regular sanukers are a bunch of sick wrecks dragging themselves to the LOS on their last energy to do wholesale shopping in the local farmacies to survive??

For myself, I hate any chemical substance that interferes with my normal body chemistry. Maybe 2 aspirines a year when I have a hangover and MUST be clear for work, but besides that I leave my body handle it's own problems. It's like a nature-rule: If you drink too much you'll get a hangover and the body will punich me the next day. If I drink too much I have no power to excercise, so my GF will complain me and i'll drink less the next days/weeks.

Are the pill-addicts from a certain part of the world or is it a universal thing??

[Guest]

Whilst I'm not sure anyone's poisoning themselves I tend to agree with your feelings on this topic. I also never take any pills at all, full stop. I've never needed any, and unless I am prescribed some by a doctor I see no need to take any nonessential drugs.

I'd rather be jetlagged, or have a hangover, or not be able to sleep than mess with my body with all these kinds of things. From what I understand the Thais themselves are worse than us in this respect though.

[Sukhumvit]

Yeah,

Down with hypochondriacs.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

DJ1999J said:

"From what I understand the Thais themselves are worse than us in this respect though."

Let me put it this way, my wife went to the doctor last week (nothing serious in case you guys are wondering) and commented that this was a good hospital since they gave her a lot of medicine. She got a total of 5! different pills.

Thais seem to have this idea that unless the doctor gives you a bunch of pills he didn't do anything. Go in for a cold and you will probably be given 2-3 different kinds of pills and 1-2 bottles of cough syrup.

Sanuk!

PS No pills for me either, much to the chagrin of my wife at times

[Guest]

At the risk of starting a small debate I've got to say that whether or not you take chemicals is really neither here nor there.

It seems that the in the 60's when they told us DDT etc was safe and was subsequently found not to be, we as a western mind developed a "scientist speak with forked tongue" attitude.

Depending on what it is, it shouldn't matter how you ingest it. Caffeine for example, should you take it as a pill, as a can of coke, as an espresso, or as a handfull of beans? It really doen't matter. Mind you as a scientist once told me, "Too much caffeine can kill your rats!".

Obviously the above rationale does not apply to radioactive materials or lead or asbestos etc.

But the point I am trying to make is that it's not how you ingest something, but what the substance is, that is important, so whilst in Thailand there may be a propensity to take a pill, any pill, to cure something, at least you can get that in Thailand. Many Western countries will wait until you are bed ridden before they apply any serious medicine.

A friend of mine used to swear by Chinese traditional medicine, until I showed her a report that gave figures of heavy metal content (cadmium etc) of the traditional ingredients.

So don't give up on those pills, appropriate use is desireable. You only have to look at the Bloodstock industry and their practises to know that you can improve on nature.

[Guest]

when i was first coming to los, i wanted to pack as much excitement into my stay as possible- so that included pills to reset my clock, viagra to make every night count and energy pills to have a full day- didn't have time to wait for jet lag to subside- so i sympathize with those who have limited time here-

now that i live here, i'm more "jai yen" about life- but for those who never have to take medication, you don't know how lucky you are- some of us who have chronic seasonal allergies and also insomnia occasionally need treatment in order to survive-

[ June 25, 2001: Message edited by: tanha ]

[Guest]

I agree with the anti pill poppers, generally. When your body is sneezing and coughing, there's a reason for it. Your body is trying to rid itself of the infection. When you suppress this with cough suppressants and the like, you are interfering with the healing process and probably causing much more serious damage as your body finds itself unable to get rid of the germs. And antibiotics, if overused, can be quite harmful as well, I have heard, because they kill the good germs in your degestive tract as well as the bad ones.

Just my dogmatically held opinion.

[Guest]

LMAO!

"I agree with the anti pill poppers, generally"

AND:

"Still have Viagra clones from India available"

[stumpy]

I agree with Khun Sanuk about the amount of pills dispensed.

I went to hospital to see the doc and he ran through my symptoms.

'Do you a headache?' he asked

'No' I replied

However, in amongst the antibiotics, nasal decongetants, antihistamines and other pills were 2 strips of paracetemol?

[Guest]

I do not take pills under any circumstances unles prescribed by a doctor and even then I am skeptical unless I have a serious fever which need antibiotics. However, on my trip to LOS with some serious ST and LTs in order, four 100mg vitamin Vs cut into fourths will be prescribed by Dr. Mykal. I will hate myself for taking them. Being 31, and IMO of above average stamina don't really need them. BUT, I imagine on this particular trip....... I WILL!

Mykal

LOS in September!!!!