Benefits of the Burma Trip

Sawadee Khrap

Back almost a week from my trip to Burma and I am realizing some beneficial side effects.

  1. The extremely bumpy roads on the trip – the constant rocking back and forth, which I thought would hurt my lower back – in fact actually helped it – like getting a great massage – when I got back i had little or no lower back pain and it did not start coming back until several days later.   So I am trying to make sure I do not sit for long periods of time and always do some movement and stretching.
  2. Before I went on the trip I was experiencing constant joint pain  especially in my knees. But on the trip, because almost all the dishes served for lunch and dinner were spicy, I opted only for rice and mixed vegetables – which was mostly cauliflower.    When I got back I noticed almost all joint pain was gone.    At home I was eating a lot of potatoes, tomato, egg plant and bell peppers – NIGHTSHADES – and some researching of the Internet showed studies that indicated nightshades can product allergic reactions in many people similar to arthritis. – which is apparently my case – after the trip I had no joint pain but after coming back and going on my normal diet  – the aching joints came back.  Now I will stop eating nightshades and see if the joint pain goes away again.     I had thought it was from mostly old age.
  3. And thirdly, since I began taking a daily dose of Cialis for prostate, blood pressure and ED control, I have had relativity strong edema in my feet, very noticeable and commented on by several of my friends.   So,  since I didn’t imagine that this trip would produce any amorous situations, I stopped taking the Cialis.  Sure enough almost all the swelling in my feet subsided.  For obvious purposes I don’t want to eliminate the Cialis from my daily meds now that I’m back – unless I can find a substitute that is – a natural method if possible.  I am still working on that, but for the near future I will just put up with the slight edema so I can gain all the other benefits. LoL.  At least now I am sure what’s causing my edema.

The trip also has re-ignited my travel interest and so I am planning a future trip to Laung Prabang, Laos – hopefully next month, maybe for Songkran.   They celebrate it there and I understand it is a wonderful experience, similar but not the same as Thailand.   I am now checking Planet Romeo for possibility of contacting new friends in Luang Prabang, who could serve as my guide and companion for a visit there.  Having someone who is familiar with the area would be quite a blessing.

One can only speculate what benefits another trip might reveal.

Ciao