Coconut Oil

Sawadee Khrap

My latest discovery – cooking with coconut oil – 2 weeks ago I started cooking everything , eggs, stir-fried dishes, black bean with pork, pork chops, etc. using coconut oil instead of my normal olive oil.   What a difference so far, my acid-reflux problem that has plagued me for several years has all but disappeared.  The food tastes great, so even if this is just a passing fad there is no reason to change back.  I never liked palm or corn oils, which is so commonly used here, and I have read many articles that olive oil should not be heated but only used on things like salads – cold.

I’m never the first one to try anything, I’d rather wait and see if good results from others are there before I venture in.  And although for years I have been using only coconut oil for my massages, cooking with it was not considered – I really thought the taste would be too much.  It’s not  – the food is delicious.   I had switched to olive from the normal corn or palm cooking oils when I started having my BP problems – blocked arteries.

I have read several articles that in the past coconut oil was the preferred oil for cooking – but in the wisdom of the food industry they shot it down for polyunsaturated vegetable oils claiming they were better for the fight against heart disease.  Coconut was way too expensive to compete against these cheap oils and lost out.  Actually the populous lost out – coconut, with its anti-inflammatory properties and healthy saturated fats is far better – heart disease from sugars and polyunsaturated oils is far more common. .  Butter is better than margarine.

So there, if your not using coconut oil and still using the common artery-choking cooking oils – stop and try coconut.

Ciao

Singaporean Food–Chiang Mai

Sawadee Khrap

Had to get my Samsung phone fixed yesterday and while waiting there I went for a quick snack at the local Shiok About Food restaurant almost next door.  hard to find – check their map but make sure to Check it out.

shiokAboutFood  I had their “beehoon soto with Yellow noodles habis” – very tasty.  

But talking to Gabriel, the owner, I found out about his Goat Shanks, peranakan style. Stewed in beer and herbs and spices with sautéed curried potatoes, grilled broccoli and cauliflower and stewed carrots.   Goat shanks are supposed to be leaner and more healthy than lamb – hope they tasted as good.

I will check with him when its available and go down for a meal – 500 baht I think and post my comments.    Here is the photo – – And their  Facebook Page IMG-20160720-WA0002   Looks delicious.

 

Ciao

Speaking of Turmeric

Sawadee Khrap

Thanks Kevin for this info – I haven’t tried it yet but I will try it later and see what I think – love to have some of the readers try it and leave their comments too.turmeric Latti          Turmeric Latte

I have definitely noticed that the Turmeric and Black Peppercorns  I take in the mornings is helping reduce the inflammation in my back and coupled with ice packs and minimal exercise,  most of the soreness, stiffness and pain has diminished.  

Ciao

Turmeric – Does it have value ?

Sawadee Khrap

Over the last few days I have had a very strong and painful flair-up of my herniated disk that got me early retirement.  Pinching the Sciatic nerve, causing pain down both legs and growing ED problems.   Actually I think I caused the flair-up by improper setting while watching TV and not doing my exercises to strengthen the back muscles. Getting lazy and paying for it.

Usually I would apply ice cold packs to the area and take some Naproxen to reduce the inflammation.   But, with my present medicine after the stents – I can’t take Naproxen as a anti-inflammatory. so I tried Turmeric as an alternative.  I have now increased my intake of Turmeric ,until the back problem is gone, to twice a day – 1000 mg with Black Peppercorns (used to increase the absorption of the Turmeric) with great success.   Turmeric is a powerful anti-inflammatory and may be even better than Naproxen, at least it is compatible with my other meds.       WOW it works.

After one day – most of the pain and soreness is gone.  I am wearing a elastic belt to offer more support but the healing effects are really noticeable.  Indeed Turmeric is doing the job. Of course I have to do better about exercise and watching that I don’t compound the problem any more. But when I do have a flair up – Turmeric appears to be the best anti-inflammatory medicine to take and hopefully a daily dosage of 1000mg will prevent any recurrence in the future.

I have also eliminated the Bestatin – as I believe that it was causing increased pain in my hips – I’ll let you know if this is correct – but I don’t think I really need it and all I can read is how bad it is and how over used this drug is.   We’ll see.      So now my morning meds are:

  • 160 mg Valsartan 
  • 5 mg Madiplot
  • 5 mg  Folic Acid
  • 75 mg  Plavix
  • 83 mg Aspirin
  • 10 mg  Cialis
  • 1000 mg Turmeric (Curcuma Longa Linn)
  • 5  raw whole Black Peppercorns

I will see the Cardiologist next week for a full check up and blood test and will post the results – but I seem to be having steady BP at 115/58 average and reduced pain in my hips.

Ciao

It’s almost Official now

Sawadee Khrap

DSC_1275Well it’s done now – we are engaged. Team wanted the smaller diamond for the engagement but  I plan to have his wedding ring match mine with the larger diamond.   No plans yet for a actual wedding  – no gay marriages here in Thailand – just hoping they pass the Civil Partnership Law soon so we can make it official..

Just got a new smart TV and enjoying many movies together at home and getting our mutual calendar setup.  So many things to do – especially to plan1466559192341 the future, trips, things we need and want.  And here is a shot of his first load of bread made at home. If life together goes and taste as good as the bread came out then we DSC_1283-01.jpegshould have a great future.

Ciao

MaeSai Trip–Jaiand

Sawadee Khrap

Sorry for the late posting but 2 weeks ago I took a quick trip to Maesai to visit my friend – Jaiand.  We had met in Pattaya and he was at home helping his mother.  Jaiand showed me this great cozy guesthouse in Maesai – Patcharaporn resort located in town on Pa Meuad  soi just off Hwy 1.20160519_15013520160519_150130  500 Baht a night including breakfast for 2 –  what a great deal and a wonderful place to stay – Don’t  miss it if you visit Maesai for your VISA run.  And we had wonderful dinner at HueanHimDoi rstaurant    just off Hwy 1 at the Hwy 123 junction.   Great food – Thai style – and this spread cost only 800 Baht.20160518_18091020160518_182221     We visited  Wat Phara That Doi Wao overlooking the bridge to Myanmar (Burma) and the border city Tachileik.IMG_4540IMG_4543IMG_4570-Pano   What a view from here.   The next day we headed for Doi MaeSalong – now the tea capital of Thailand – but it used to be the poppy and opium growing area  for the Maesai’s Golden Triangle opium dens.IMG_4627-PanoIMG_4642IMG_4657-Pano    From here, we made it to Wat ThaTon (Phra Aram Luang)  on Hwy 107 going to Fang but started to have a bad vibrations in the car.  Something was really going wrong so we headed back for the 2 hr. drive back to Maesai.  The car was really getting bad – felt like either failing motor mounts or the drive shaft universals were acting up – so I cut my visit short and limped slowly back to Chiang Mai – made it and did have to have new universals  installed – so the car was again in the shop for 3 days – but I also had new front shocks put in so now I should be worry free for quite a while.  Wish I would have had more time to visit with Jaiand but after my  upcoming operation – which was rescheduled  for June 11th – I should have time to visit him again.  I promise more photos next time.

Ciao

Watch what you eat !

Sawadee Khrap

What a eye-opener – for the last 2 weeks my blood pressure soared to the 190-200 level.   Went to the doctor and made several attempts to get it down – but to no avail – Damn – looks like a operation is in my future.   He did question whether I was watching my salt intake – I was limiting my diet to eating only fish with stirred fried kale and salads.  ???  healthy I thought.   But he put me on a sodium reduction diuretic and an additional blood pressure pill and finally some relief.    But I really had to take a look at what I was eating:   

  1. My healthy fish – it’s coated and fried in a sesame batter – actually contains a high percentage of salt in the batter
  2. Stirred-fried kale – this was fried in oyster sauce – again lots of salt.
  3. Greek salads – I was buying them at a restaurant and in checking I find they were using a commercial seasoning with MSG – again lots of salt. 

Wow, no wonder.  What I thought was healthy was definitely not and I paid the price.   Blood Pressure over the top. So for the last couple of days I’ve stopped these meals and now eat only specially prepared fried rice with vegetables and chicken and my oatmeal for breakfast.  Success.

Must have gotten up 6 times to pee at night –  but about 3AM this morning I felt the pressure start dropping – 150/70 this morning, coming down. Hopefully back to normal soon.  Got’ta drink lots of water, diuretics really dehydrate you – and that can cause symptoms like high BP – tinnitus, headaches, and light-headedness.  But soon I should be back on my regular regiment of Meds –  BUT in the future, closer control of my food intake.   Operation averted, at least for now.

Ciao

Chiang Rai trip

Sawadee Khrap

Feeling restless and just getting the car back working – had to replace the rear axel, bad bearing race  –  so I headed for a short trip to Chiang Rai.  Left about 7:30 and arrived in Chiang Rai at 10:00 AM – checked in the WangCome Hotel.   I had “Grinder” running and by that time I had received  5 messages from local guys and made arrangement for “Lan” to meet me and be my guide for the day.  First we headed for Wat Huay Plakang  9 Tier Temple at Mae Yao, just Northwest from Chiang RaiIMG_4335IMG_4339.     You can see more of the temple area in the slideshow below.  It also has a very large live-in school area for local students – really nice.    From there we IMG_4397-Panoheaded South along Hwy 1211 to Singha Park at Mae Kon.  Hugh park with roaming manicured hills, numerous lakes, flowers, and commercial green tea fields and of course the Singha product pavilion. A great place to have IMG_4408an afternoon picnic  –   they also put on many concerts here.    From here, traveling further south to Khun Kon Forest Park Area and the Mae Kon river.IMG_4427  Although only a stream now it still was a great place to go.  All along the river were small dams providing play areas and people enjoying the afternoon.  although very close , we didn’t go to Khun Kon Waterfall at Tat Mok – purported to be the highest waterfall in Thailand – I wasn’t feeling that great from some new meds I have been given for my BP, so we headed back to the Hotel.  Later that evening I had a great Greek salad dinner at Da Vinci’s restaurant.  When you go there by sure and say hello to “Maek” your very cute waiter.  IMG_4431I did manage to get a fairly good sleep but still decide to head back to Chiang Mai  the next morning and see how the BP was holding up.   About halfway back to Chiang Mai, along Hwy 118 is   Cabbages and Condoms at Wiang Pa Pao.   I didn’t stop for food but I bet it’s just as good as in the main facility in Pattaya – one of the best restaurants there – and like Pattaya IMG_4438everything is devoted to Rural Development.  Next time on the way up , I’ll be sure and make this my coffee break stop.


Ciao

Chiang Mai Grand Canyon

Sawadee Khrap

Finally got some of the images done from our trip to so called Chiang Mai’s Grand Canyon.   It’s a old gravel and dirt pit which has filled with water Grand Canyon Mapand the owners have open it to tourist.   Quite a distance from the Old City – it’s in the lower left corner of the map.  A little further down the road is Phu Finn – outdoor restaurant – very good food and a spectacular view.  Also check out this earlier post  “After the Love”

IMG_2819-PanoIMG_2789IMG_2826IMG_2833

featuring local Shan boys –  if you get a chance take a drive down – I’m sure you will enjoy the visit and make sure to check out Phu Finn .

Ciao

Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar–Who’d guessed

Sawadee Khrap

applecidervinegardrink (2)_1How to explain this – over 6 years ago I started having problems with acid reflex – at that time the doctors had me take the purple pill – Nexium – at first it was ok and worked,  but after some time that shit really raised hell with my system – had to quit – so I started eating antiacid pills and have been ever since to control the heartburn.

About 4 years ago, around the same time as the BP problems appeared I  started getting “tinnitus” and my ears would create excessive ear wax and get plugged up – every year getting worse – itchy and felt like something was growing in the ear canal – during sleeping, and I sleep on my side, my right ear would plug completely – I could swear that something like a fungus was growing and causing the problem – but the ENT doctor said there was nothing there and just keep cleaning them – all the time the tinnitus just kept getting worse.  no cure I was told- I would learn to live with it.

I’ve been on a pretty good veg-centered diet, but heavy in fruit,  for some time since moving back to Chiang Mai so I started to reward myself with cake and tea each afternoon – I really liked the “Black Forest Chocolate” cake  and hot Jasmine green tea from Black Canyon Restaurant at Kad Suan Kaew Shopping Center – so that became my afternoon treat —– !!!!   WOW was I wrong – tooooooooooo much sugar, sugar feeds the fungi and my fungi responded big time  – BP pressure shot up, tinnitus increased, ears wax plugged up, ED (erectile dysfunction) increased, and excessive dandruff started to appear.  So I needed to cut out all the sweets, reduce the fruits I’ve been eating and go back to my veg-heavy diet. 

Well about this time I also ran across an article about the health effects and benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar and it’s great ability to control blood sugar levels and anti-fungal properties – “re-establish a health inner ecosystem” –  So I thought that maybe I had a systemic fungal infection by something like candida – and that was causing my tinnitus, heartburn, dandruff and ear blockage problems.

Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar to the rescue –   for a week now I have been taking at least 1 drink in the morning of  2 tbsp of ACV, 2 tbsp honey, with 6 oz water –  they recommend this mixture 3 times a day – before each meal – but to be safe I just took one shot in the morning to see what it was going to do – NOTHING SHORT OF AMAZING – BP reduced, ears not plugging up, heartburn reduced, dandruff and tinnitus almost gone – overall feeling of relief.   So I am now going to start a 2 shot a day regime to see if that will be sufficient and will report the progress.

Try it yourself – I’m sure you’ll be amazed in a very short time.

Ciao

Origins–a movie not to miss

Sawadee Khrap

Here is a movie that you need to take the time to see – 90 minutes – make sure and watch it full screen – beautiful, informative and eye opening.  ORIGINS  -shared by www.Mercola.com

Origins

 

The film “Origins” shows how our modern lifestyle has caused us to lose our connection with the earth, resulting in so many of our global problems from environmental destruction to hunger and disease
   
The US is now producing and importing 74 billion pounds of chemicals each day that are poisoning our bodies and polluting our planet
   
If we ever hope to heal, we must address how we eat, move, and live symbiotically with the earth

Ciao

Back from Chiang Mai – doctor report

Sawadee Khrap

Just got back from Chiang Mai to see the doctor about my Blood Pressure.  He cut back my Valsartan morning dosage by half and approved the Cialis as a lowering agent too.  I do feel 100 % better at the lower dosage and don’t have the dizziness like before and no ED.  The report has my cholesterol levels within the acceptable range and they appear to be getting better – I attribute that to the oatmeal every morning and the High DHA Fish Oil I have been taking – so little adjustments to the  med. regime I was taking is working. – Just reduce the Valsartan and continue as before – Oh Ya.  I did add back the Folic acid for the kidneys.

CBI stayed at the B2 Green Santiham  while I was there  – a short 20 min walk to Sirphat Hospital and/or the local shopping centers – great location, great place to stay just off Huay Kaew Rd on the Northeast corner of the Old City.  And they just built a new restaurant right around the corner from the B2 – “Corner Bistro” – Owner Kevin Lo,  a US-Thai who used to live in New York has a GREAT menu, staff and excellent tasty food – open at 7 AM  – great for breakfast – only one in the area open that early – breakfast and a short walk for exercise – beautiful.  Dinners are great too –

citylife fairAlso went to the City Life  JJ Market Garden Fair – Met a lot of old friends there and had a great time – excellent food, booths and entertainment – Steve , reporter for CityLife Mag, snap a picture while I was getting a foot massage – and for the rest of the trip everywhere I went they knew I was in town – I just searched and I can’t find the photos but they must be there somewhere – Thanks Steve

Ciao