Thailand Land of Smiles» Thailand health

Why Dentistry in Thailand is the better option

Talen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:53:23 +0000

I have been missing Thailand more than usual the past few days but not for the obvious reasons of sun, sand and a particular lady. No, the reminders this time came in the form of a massive tooth ache and a trip to my local dentist.

Dentist offices in Thailand are like food carts and 7/11’s, they are literally everywhere and you can usually find at least two dentists per block if you’re in the right area. My favorite dentist in Thailand resides in Pattaya on Soi Buakhao and she makes a normally hated experience for me into one that is highly pleasurable. The fact that she’s a great dentist is just the icing on the cake when you take into consideration she’s beautiful, she’ll sing to you while she works and the big plus, she’s very reasonable even for Thai prices.

The reality is that you can have dental work done in Thailand for a quarter of the price that you’ll pay in the West. A point that was driven home for me yesterday when my American dentist told me that I would need a root canal at a cost of $800. After I picked my jaw up off the floor I made the comment that the price was a bit much, the answer I got in return was you won’tget a better price anywhere else.

The interesting part came when I mentioned that I could actually get a much better price in Thailand. My American dentist, who happens to be from India, exclaimed that getting dental work done in third world countries was dangerous because they use substandard equipment and materials. I had to chuckle at that before I let her in on the fact that Thailand has emerging nation status as well as the fact that the dentists there use the same state of the art equipment and materials.

Obviously there really isn’t an arguement to be had as I am in America, not Thailand at the moment, but it’s troubling to me when I keep hearing how well we have it in America compared to other places in the world when the reality is that we don’t have it so well, that’s just a lie we keep telling ourselves. With the health care debate raging in Washington I want to believe that change is possible but I’ve become jaded and I know greed will win out in the end.

You don’t need to look any further for reasons why medical tourism is on the rise and why Thailand is getting their fair share of medical trade. We are the new immigrants of the 21st century, not looking for freedom or shelter from persecution, just looking for decent medical attention at reasonable rates.

If nothing more I’m grateful for the percocet I’m on at the moment, while it deadens the pain it also eases the anger I’m feeling at the country that is letting me down more and more each day.

Travel Insurance, Don’t Leave Home Without It!

Talen — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:38:56 +0000

Whether you are going to Thailand for a few weeks or China to walk the Great Wall for the next year, make sure you don’t forget that the most important part of any trip is you. I wrote an article two years ago on Travel Insurance that was important but few people saw it because I was so new to blogging. Read it because it is just as relevant now as it was two years ago.

You are looking at spending thousands of dollars on airline tickets, hotels, new clothes and maybe even some new luggage but you aren’t thinking about the one thing that may save your life and hundreds of thousands of dollars…Travel Insurance. I know what you are thinking, “I’ll be fine, it’s only a few weeks”, what if you aren’t? A hospital stay in a foreign country is stressful enough, trying to figure out how to pay for it when you are injured isn’t going to be fun.

Most travel insurance for a two week trip can be had for as little as $30-$100 and covers everything from emergency medical to flights home. If you go about it the right way you can cover every possible problem of an upcoming trip. Usually most travel insurance companies have modules that you can add in for each type of insurance. You can start off with a basic emergency medical insurance and add in trip cancellation insurance, luggage insurance, flight insurance and just about anything else you can think of.

In countries such as Thailand it’s easy to think that any ailment will be pretty cheap so you could cover any medical expenses out of your pocket, it may be easy to think but you would be dead wrong…and dead could be the operative word here. While minor injuries in Thailand can be taken care of at a clinic for a tiny amount of money the major emergencies will set you back. Yes, they will still cost less than if you were in America but you could be looking at a few hundred thousand baht before all is said and done. At the very least this could be vacation ending.

One mistake a lot of travelers make is in thinking that their medical insurance that they have at home will cover them abroad, it won’t. 100% of all medical carriers will not cover you outside of your home country. Some may offer a travel rider that will cost you more but otherwise you are on your own to cover yourself. And still most people don’t.

I know, you’ll never be that person that gets hurt on vacation. Make sure to send out a press release to wherever it is you are going so everyone else there at the time gets with the program too. You may very well play it safe and not plan on doing anything adventurous but how do you plan for that other tourist who’s plans have changed to include you accidentally? It may not be what you do but what gets done to you that lands you in the hospital.

Some hospitals may not have what is needed to help you or save your life, the right travel insurance will cover air lifts to other hospitals and or countries if needed and they may even include flying in a family member so you don’t have to go it alone.

I’m not here hawking any specific travel insurance, there are many good carriers out there and I suggest you do your own research to find the travel insurance that fits you and your vacation best. I’m just here to nag you into getting travel insurance because it really is the most important part of your trip, not your Ipod.

I’m bringing this up again now because I realized I’ve been at the clinic or hospital every visit to Thailand. From acute tonsillitis and severe dehydration to cutting my foot open. I planned for none of it but it still happened. In the past month my girl has been bitten by a snake and in a motorcycle accident, both required hospital stays. Fortunately she is fine but it just goes to show you it doesn’t matter who you are or what you are doing , accidents will happen.

And like the old saying ” if you fail to plan then you plan to fail”. Don’t plan to fail, get travel insurance before you go on any trip. You may never use it but that one time you need it you’ll be glad you have it.

Traditional Thai Foot Massage

Talen — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:59:47 +0000

One thing not to miss when in Thailand is getting a traditional Thai massage from a full blown oil massage to just a foot massage your body will love you for it. You literally can’t swing a dead cat anywhere in Thailand without hitting a Massage shop, some offering the works to those just specializing in foot massage. Even on the beach you’ll be offered head, foot, and body massages.

Before we go any further let me just mention here I’m talking about real Thai massage not the western vision of exotic naked Thai girls ravaging your body from head to toe before giving you the happy ending, that’s called a soapy massage, I might tell you about them later… No, today we are gonna talk about foot jobs!

The first thing you’ll notice before or as you enter the shop are the ladies waiting to give you a massage. Some young and pretty and some older and not so pretty. The young ones know what they are doing but the older ones have more experience and know how to hurt massage you better. Then you’ll notice the very comfortable chairs.

For roughly 200 baht ($6.00) you’ll get an hour or more of pure bliss and a little bit of pain. The first thing the masseuse will do is cover one leg up to your thigh in hot oil and rub it in then wrap it in a towel. Then she goes to work on the other leg in earnest. Starting at the foot with hot oil she very slowly works the sole of your foot using every bit of her hands from palms to knuckles then she’ll work her way up to your thigh with a very deep massage that can be borderline painful for a second or two until you realize that second of pain leaves the muscles feeling warm and loose.

After thirty minutes on the one foot and leg then it’s time wrap that leg in a towel and start on the previously wrapped leg. Forty minutes in if you aren’t already comatose you’ll at the least be close to sleep.

Now the masseuse tells you to get up and you think “all good things must come to pass” but she hasn’t asked you to get up because you are done. Oh no, now you kneel on the foot rest facing the chair and she starts in on your neck and back, kneading and working all the tight muscles from your hairline down to your butt crack cracking your back along the way.

Some of the thumb and knuckle worth they do on your muscles can be a bit uncomfortable to downright painful but it’s kinda like a short burst of pain followed by a flooding warm relaxing sensation that will leave you feeling awesome afterwords. You’ll feel the affects of a Thai foot massages days later.

If you’re heading to Thailand put it on the list of things to do you won’t regret it!

Smoking in Thailand

Talen — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:55:57 +0000

In November 2002, Thailand passed a smoke free law that banned smoking inside all air-conditioned buildings. Thailand has one of the lowest smoking rates in all of Asia with only 23% of the population being smokers and of them only 2.4% are women. As of February 2008 smoking is now banned in all air conditioned bars and nightclubs as well, although it is still allowed in outside beer bars.

If you are a smoker planning a trip to Thailand keep this in mind as there are stiff fines for non compliance. The smoker can be fined 2000 baht ($60.00) and the bar owner can be fined upwards of 20,000 baht ($600).

Also keep in mind that in Bangkok there are stiff littering fines so if you’re outside smoking make sure the butt hits a trashcan or you’ll be facing a 2000 baht ($60) fine if caught.

If you are planning on bringing your own cigarettes into the country Thailand only allows 200 cigarettes per person and anything more than that may be confiscated and you may be fined. To be honest I haven’t had my bags checked coming in but the customs police do tend to check people coming off the plane with duty free bags to make sure you haven’t brought in excess cigarettes and or alcohol. When you get in the plane put your duty free bag in your carry on and you should be fine.

You can buy most major brand names of cigarettes in Thailand but they are usually made in the region and of lesser quality than you are used to.

You also want to check with the hotel or hotels you will be staying in as certain hotels don’t allow smoking on the premises.

All in all the Thai’s have been very diligent on keeping smoking down in their own people and now they are helping their people more by banning smoking in the air conditioned bars and clubs where they work. Anyone that has been in the bars and clubs before the ban can tell you the smoke was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

And of course there are the public advertising campaigns showing smoking in a bad light as well as the mandated pictures on the cigarette packs, pictured above, in hopes to help the Thai’s that do smoke and the foreingers visiting think about their own health as well as others.

Getting Tattooed in Thailand

Talen — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:41:08 +0000

I had many plans my first trip to Thailand and one of them was to get a tattoo. Unfortunately plans and Thailand often go awry and I ran out of time. My second trip I had so much going on I completely forgot about getting a tattoo. My last trip my brother was along for the ride and he was absolutely getting ink done here and it finally came to pass that I got a tattoo.

In my trips I’ve been in quite a few tattoo shops in Bangkok and Pattaya and I can tell you for a fact it is very safe to get a tattoo in Thailand. Some of the shops aren’t any bigger than a small room and some are very large but they all put the customers health and safety first. New needles are always used and opened in front of the customer, they all have working autoclaves, and work areas are sterilized constantly. The shops I’ve been in all used American inks as well. When asked why the answer was “it’s the best”. So, don’t listen to anyone telling you old needles are used or the shops aren’t safe. If you should be in a shop anywhere in the world and they won’t open the new needle in front of you or it doesn’t seem clean…walk.

There are many tattoo shops in Thailand, in Pattaya alone there must be 500, some as small as a telephone booth. Not only are there many shops but equally as many talented artists doing the work. I did a lot of research before I got work done and originally narrowed it down to 3 shops but finally settled on 13 Crowns on walking street in Pattaya. My brother got his work done first, a very colorful dragon, and I was impressed with their work and everyone in the shop was great. I settled on a dragon myself but all black with a red eye.

If you plan on getting ink done while in Thailand do some research of the shops in the areas you’ll be and I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the end results. If you’re in Pattaya head to walking street and look for a bicycle chopper outside a small narrow shop with a sign that says 13 Crowns…you won’t be dissapointed.

My brother ended up getting a second dragon and my girl got a small back tat too…you can see them in the Gallery section or you can click here Getting Ink Done.

Health insurance in Thailand

Talen — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 01:26:04 +0000

I’ve been checking into many things concerning a possible move to Thailand and the most important would be health insurance. The majority of American companies will not cover you overseas and if they will the premium is high, so I started with the 2 biggest Thai Health insurance companies and here’s what I found.

BUPA- Their platinum plan that covers up to 2 million baht per disability for hospitalizations and Out Patient Benefits up to 50,000 baht total per year. The premium for this coverage is 50,202 baht in the age band of 41 to 45 years of age. If you want coverage for hospitalization only, the premium is much lower at 28,111 baht per year. There are different rates for hospitalization coverage per disability of 1 million and 5 million baht respectively.

Exclusions :
- Coverage is worldwide, but in the United States BUPA will only cover medical expenses, which are the result of an accident
- Annual Check up (one visit per year) covered up to 700 baht
- Emergency Medical Assistance fully covered
- Overall maximum coverage of 2 million baht applies (per disability)
- Pre-existing conditions are NOT covered
- Not covered (this is not a complete list) : Birth control, treatment for infertility, hormone replacement therapy, congenital abnormalities, mental illness and stress related conditions, dental treatment, sexually transmitted diseases, alcoholism, drug abuse, transplant surgery, renal dialysis, treatment for injuries resulting from dangerous sports. Interestingly not more than 200,000 baht will be paid for injuries occurred while driving a motorcycle (or being a passenger). Bacterial infections after an accident are not covered.

IAG -Now known as NZI ( I think). Their Comprehensive insurance package in the age band of 40 to 44 years. Premium is 59,589 baht per year. With increasing age, rates go up . For example between the age of 60 and 64 you would pay 135,897 baht per year.
This package has a standard co-pay per medical condition applicable to out-patient claims of 1,800 baht.

Exclusions :
-Overall maximum of coverage is 80 million baht
-Out-patient treatment is covered up to 340,000 baht (an excess as stated of 1,800 baht per condition)
- Dental treatment covered up to 34,000 baht (but insured person has to pay 25% of the costs incurred per claim)
- Medical check-up covered up to 10,200 baht
- Chronic medical conditions covered up to 34,000 baht per year
- Organ transplants covered up to 13,600,000 baht
- Nursing at home covered up to 170,000 baht
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation covered in full
- Emergency medical treatment outside are of cover up to 2,040,000 baht
- Exclusions (this is not a complete list):
Pre-existing medical conditions. After 2 years of continous insurance some pre-existing conditions may become eligible again
Chronic medical conditions.
Hormone replacement therapy, congenital abnormalities, kidney dialysis, injuries due to professional sports, sleep apnoea, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS)

Several things being excluded are worrisome, such as Dialysis and STD’s.

The pre-existing condition part can be a bummer for most people over 40. High blood pressure is a biggie that leads to many other problems so it seems if you have a heart attack and you had high blood pressure even if it was minor the heart attack wouldn’t be covered. Then what about kidney stones and discectomies? I’ve had both!

Neither seem to have a requirement for a pre screening physical but I’m sure if something happens it can point to another ailment that would leave you high and dry.

I guess I have a lot of looking around to do.

Travel Insurance

Talen — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 23:52:07 +0000

You’ve booked your flight, made reservations at the hotel, got someone to bring in the mail and watch the dogs, what about the travel insurance? I know what you’re thinking, “I’m only going for two weeks”, “I’ll be fine I’m in great shape”, “other people get sick on vacation, not me”, but what if you’re wrong?

Thailand is known for being a bargain for westerners. Cheap clothes, food, hotels, entertainment, even the hospitals and clinics are cheap compared to the west and with some of the best doctors in the world. Contrary to what some people may believe Thailand has excellent health care. Even though Thailand is cheaper than the west in almost every category if you wind up in the hospital for a week or two it’s still going to cost you and it will be more than you bargained for.

If you need some stitches or you pick up a bad case of pink eye then a clinic can patch you up easily and the cost will be minimal…around 700 Baht – 1200 Baht ($20-$30) and thats including all the medicine you’ll need to take for whatever length of time. But if you have seriously problems and are admitted to a hospital then the bills start to rack up. Hospital room, medicine, diagnostics, and so on. Then you could be looking at 30,000 baht and up…you do the math.

Whereas travel insurance won’t be much help for the minor ailments it will certainly be worth the cost if something major comes up. On average for a two week trip most travel insurance will cost you $20-$30 which isn’t much in the grand scheme of things. That amount will usually cover major medical, flights to your home country if it’s decided that’s the best place for you, and most even have an added bonus that if you’re hospitalized for a week or longer they will have a family member flown to you.

Travel insurance can also cover trip cancellations, lost luggage, and a change in travel plans depending on what options you choose. You may not have a great vacation if you get sick but if you have to pay for it out of pocket as well then it’s sure to be a memorable trip and not for the right reasons.

I’m writing this because I came down with acute tonsillitis on my first trip to Thailand. Luckily a few trips to the clinic got me back into shape but it could have been bad and I wouldn’t have been covered as I didn’t even think about insurance.

The flight to Thailand is a long one if you live in the states (17 hours non stop from JFK International) Which will have you nice and dehydrated if you don’t drink a lot of water. The temperature in Thailand is HOT which can and will dehydrate you further if you don’t take care. Foreign food, foreign microbes, burning the candle at both ends, endless sight seeing, and a host of other things can and will come back to haunt you if you don’t take care….and even if you do take care to prevent sickness there is always the unexpected and in Thailand that could be anything from an over amorous elephant, a motorcycle taxi running you over, and you did see my article about Thai electrical wiring right?

You may have great insurance in your home country but in most cases they won’t cover you overseas.

Find a good travel insurance and buy it for your trip no matter where you’re going or for how long!

Thailand Land of Smiles» Thailand health

Why Dentistry in Thailand is the better option

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Travel Insurance, Don’t Leave Home Without It!

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Traditional Thai Foot Massage

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Smoking in Thailand

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Getting Tattooed in Thailand

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