Can you live longer in Thailand?

[Stogie]

I read a story, very plausible to me, about some farang from a western country, who upon retirement, expatriated to Thailand. He had at the time, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and was carrying too many pounds. When he got settled in Thailand, he went on an all Thai food diet. No other changes, such as meds, or activity level.
After 6 months, his BP and cholesterol were normal and he lost much of the extra weight.
Go to Thailand, eat like a typical Thai = get healthy....

Quote from Lefty in another thread...

Here's an interesting question for people that either live her or plan to...

Can you live a longer and healthier life by simply moving to Thailand?

Of course there are a million variables to consider...

Existing health status, dietary requirements and options, ability to adapt and compromise...

Is moving to Thailand (or another country) the answer or simply moving away from where you are now?

And what about stress? (I've forgotten what that is!) Would your spiritual side benefit from the move... or would you be constantly frustrated by the inability of the world to move around you as it did in your home country?

Some people retire here hoping for a better life... some people (like me) move here to combine working and living.

But on the flip side to the opportunities and possibilities that Thailand offers there's a flip side, too.

Many people come here and leave within a few months... and worse some people find odd and interesting ways to die here.

A lot of hearts have been broken here and a lot of wallets emptied!

The title of this forum is 'Life and Living in Thailand.'

Is it all it's cracked up to be... or do you have to be cracked up to be here?

[manarak]

one thing is true, usually my appetite (for food!) becomes less if the weather is hot.
I also tend to eat more pineapple, melon and mango instead of sausage or grilled pork legs with the skin (damn this tastes good).

And regarding the stress... what I saw so far in Thailand is absolutely not stressful!
Asians make most things easy & convenient for everyone... at least when one is on holidays!
Maybe my opinion will change after a year or two.

[jimslim]

(Stogie @ Jun. 05 2009,02:44) Can you live a longer and healthier life by simply moving to Thailand?


And what about stress?

The most important thing is stress , a healthy mind is a healthy body and all that , but its true , but then again some people are stressed no matter where they live , some people are cool .

The Thai diet is certainly healthier than the UK one , but then again that wouldn't be hard .

I put my well being down to a good bowl of porridge with a spoonful of honey every morning

[f0xxee]

Ask David Carredine.

[strocube]

What struck me from the time I spent in BKK is the SMOG. All that pollution cannot be good for you no matter how healthy your diet is. I noticed a lot of the locals had these constant hacking coughs. At first I thought they may have been sick, but then I realized it was just a reaction to the filthy air they breath all the time.
I do know that when you get out of the major cities the air is a lot cleaner. Phuket had much cleaner air, as did the hill country outside of Chiang Mai.

[SamplerDoc]

You may live longer so long as you don't sleep naked or have loose cords about and live on a lower level floor

[manarak]

(f0xxee @ Jun. 05 2009,07:15) Ask David Carredine.

I already asked him a couple of days ago, but he wouldn't answer me.

So I used "advanced interrogation techniques" on him, but I didn't get my answer.

[Master Bator]

(f0xxee @ Jun. 05 2009,07:15) Ask David Carredine.

I don't think many noticed that brilliant remark of yours....

Yeah suicide in Bangkok what a way to go for Kung Fu!

[jadeite]

(strocube @ Jun. 05 2009,05:30) I do know that when you get out of the major cities the air is a lot cleaner. Phuket had much cleaner air, as did the hill country outside of Chiang Mai.

Clean air in Chiang Mai is seasonal at best. In the burning season when it gets dry they light all the forests on fire and burn everything to the ground. The air quality is horrendous for months of each year all across northern Thailand and it is self inflicted everytime. The visibility is limited, the sun is blotted out, and health hazard warnings are issued. As more and more fires are set, everyone just prays for the rains to begin, then do it all again the next year.

Think quaint village air quality is better than Bangkok? Think again. In the villages the weather is poor all year round. Some neighbors make charcoal, smoldering wood 24 hours a day choking all the neighbors in thick billowy smoke that hangs in the humid air. They also like to burn plastic trash, green leaves, and other rubbish daily adding a further dose of toxins to everyones lungs.

I have lived in Thailand many years and don't find much about it that is conducive to good health. I don't have much good to say about the water quality, the air pollution, the noise pollution, sanitation, you name it. I've yet to find anywhere in Thailand where people care about such things.

Ironically, Bangkok was perhaps the cleanest and quietest place I have lived in Thailand because having a comfortable, sealed, and isolated air conditioned space does wonders. Without that, you are really right in the firing line of all the thoughtless pollutions spouting everywhere.

[Master Bator]

And don't forget all those who, just after they happily retired in Thailand, get run over by a ten-wheeler truck whilst driving around on their Honda Dream.

[Lefty]

(manarak @ Jun. 04 2009,13:18)
one thing is true, usually my appetite (for food!) becomes less if the weather is hot.
I also tend to eat more pineapple, melon and mango instead of sausage or grilled pork legs with the skin (damn this tastes good).

And regarding the stress... what I saw so far in Thailand is absolutely not stressful!
Asians make most things easy & convenient for everyone... at least when one is on holidays!
Maybe my opinion will change after a year or two.

I agree with a lot of what you say here. I notice most Thais seldom get stressed over things that upset many falang when back home. Does the concept of road rage like we can see back home, exist to any great degree in Thailand? I recall one particular taxi ride up Sukhumvit a few years ago at rush hour or close to it that seemed to personify to me how many Thais deal with situations that would get to a lot of farang if they are back home. The taxi driver was just so relaxed. When the traffic moved again, he would fly up the next jam of cars at the next light. Then once there, he stopped and went into some other mode, just humming some Thai song softly to himself, totally relaxed and at peace with the world, seemingly oblivious and unconcerned with the sea of bumper to bumper cars all around us. Once the traffic cleared a little, away we'd go as fast as possible to the next light, then again he was back in the relax mode. This continued over and over until we reached our destination.

I notice in Thailand, compared to Philippines, how most plates of food in Thailand have a fair amount of raw veggies as part of the deal, usually some cabbage and cucumber, two of the healthiest veggies in the world, both high alkaline foods, good for balancing one's PH. Thais probably for the most part do not know or care what alkalinity or PH is, but they naturally know how to help support it with diet.

I would often notice in Phils, for the most part if I'd see a group of Pinay friends sitting together, snacking and talking, they would often have a bag of some processed snack food not far from what is popular here in the USA. When I notice a group of Thai girls/guys/lbs or any mixture of, sitting around and talking, their snacks would usually be some of the sliced fruit from the food carts we see everywhere in Patts. Usually watermelon, green mango, and/or Rambutan. The cheaper ones, but fruits nonetheless.

The Thai diet as we all know, can be as spicy hot as we care to make it. It is a known fact that a generally spicy diet is much healthier, than a generally bland diet, such as most of us eat back home in USA, UK, etc. Spicy hot foods help to clear the sinuses, bronchial tubes, etc. Congestion can't so easily get a grip on us when eating spicy Thai food. Once we adapt to it, we should be breathing much easier than when we are back in falang land eating mashed potatoes and gravy, corned beef, sheep guts or whatever. Countries with typically bland diets have a much higher rate of conditions that affect one's ability to breath...asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, URIs, etc. Bland and Thai foods are the antithesis of one another.

I think Buddhism is the best religion in the world in that it's tenants help the practitioners of it better cope with the day to day stresses of life. I think this helps Thais a lot. They don't seem to so readily stress out and worry about things they cannot change or control, like a good number of westerners do. I would say, thank Buddha for that.

Good diet, good religion = better overall health and less stress, generally speaking.

Granted, some people move to Thailand and end up in trouble, but those people who do so would probably find trouble anywhere they lived.

[manarak]

AMEN !

[Stogie]

(Lefty @ Jun. 09 2009,14:52) Granted, some people move to Thailand and end up in trouble, but those people who do so would probably find trouble anywhere they lived...

True. But some people fly off the deep end too and behave much better within the strict legislation and confinement of their Western home.

[mister_smith]

(f0xxee @ Jun. 05 2009,01:15) Ask David Carredine.

Well he lived till 72 not bad

[mister_smith]

(jimslim @ Jun. 05 2009,01:04) The Thai diet is certainly healthier than the UK one , but then again that wouldn't be hard .

Thats a bit of a generalisation, A healthy diet is possible where ever you live.