Winebibber’s Grapevine

Dear Hillary,
We brought home a beautiful, healthy baby from the hospital and were surprised several weeks later to find a red spot on his forehead. Our doctor told us it was a birthmark called strawberry hemangioma. Our older daughter also had one but in a much less noticeable place. The doctor said the spot would get bigger for a while but would eventually fade and disappear.
I have been floored by some of the comments people have made about that birthmark. For example: "Oh, did he bump his head?" And less polite remarks, such as, "That thing on his head is getting bigger", or "I hope that’s just lipstick" and my personal favorite, "It’s not the kind that turns cancerous, is it?" What should I do?
No Answers Left

Dear No Answers,
Here is some information on strawberry hemangiomas. Obviously, a great many people need to be educated. Hemangiomas usually appear shortly after birth and have a red, raised, bumpy texture. They may be smaller than a dime or as large as a coaster. They consist of immature vascular materials that have broken away from the circulatory system. These "birthmarks" are quite common. One out of every 10 babies has one somewhere on his or her body.
These birthmarks will grow for a while, but then they will begin to fade. Generally, about 50% will disappear completely by the time the child is 5 years of age and 90% percent by age 9. Treatment is usually not recommended, except in extreme cases. Those around the eyes, mouth or diaper area, however, may need treatment with steroids or laser. Still, it is always good to check all such birthmarks carefully and follow your pediatrician’s advice.

Dear Hillary,
I need help with a highly controversial problem. My husband and I took a firm stand on this issue with our first daughter two years ago, and now we are facing the same dilemma with our second daughter, who is now 18. They tell us we are "old-fashioned" and say that we should trust them.
I am writing about co-ed sleepovers on weekends. Our daughter attends an international high school in Bangkok. The "in" thing is to check into a motel or hotel and rent rooms for two nights - for non-chaperoned co-ed sleepovers. We are shocked that other parents see nothing wrong with this and even lend their condos and cottages to their teenagers. This occurs not only for the senior prom but for the junior prom as well. The kids’ reasoning is that it all hinges on the issue of trust.
My husband and I totally disagree. We feel it is unwise to condone or support this behavior because it places teenagers in a precarious situation that could lead to trouble. Are we right or wrong?
Concerned

Dear concerned,
Sleepovers can, without a doubt, tempt inappropriate behavior. Responsible and trustworthy teenagers, however, can manage it. I suggest that you discuss your concerns with your daughter and the parents of your daughter’s friends. While I say it’s better to be a bit too strict than a bit too permissive, be aware that by age 16, her "standards" are set and she will decide on her own how far she wants to go.

  Modern Medicine: Sinusitis

Presented by Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital

by Dr. Iain Corness

"I’ve got bad sinus" - how many times do you hear that from people? Lots! But what really is the "Bad Sinus"?

Sinusitis is simply infection of the nasal sinuses, those strange "air" spaces in our skulls which connect with the back of the nose. Now don’t ask me why we have these sinus caverns - they seem pretty superfluous to me, but then, I wasn’t consulted during the design stage for the human body!

The infecting organism which has got into our sinuses may be viral, bacterial or even fungal. The symptoms for all three are very similar and often you get one bug co-habiting with another to give a "super" infection. The infection may also be "acute" (just happened) or "chronic" (present for a long time). The latter condition was sometimes referred to as "catarrh" by your parents.

A small complicating factor is the differentiation from another condition called "Rhinitis". This is an allergic response or "hay fever" which is often referred to as "Perennial Rhinitis", since the sufferer gets it around the same time every year. The allergy response is normally due to germinating grasses or pollens.

The symptoms of "sinus" include pain, nasal blockage and nasal discharge. The discharge from the nose with allergic Rhinitis should be "clear", but from Sinusitis it will generally be coloured (yellow/green with occasional blood flecks).

The diagnosis is generally done from the description of the symptoms and the history of the ailment, however, sometimes it is necessary to perform an X-Ray or even CT Scan to see the extent of the infection.

The good news is that sinusitis responds well to treatment, so there is absolutely no need to suffer for months! Just see your GP and be cured!

  Family Money: The Double Standard

By Leslie Wright

In the press recently there have been various commentaries and letters to the editor regarding the two-tiered pricing system that prevails in Thailand.

The rationale usually given for this phenomenon is that we foreigners do not pay taxes, so it is only proper that we should pay more than Thai citizens to visit establishments of interest maintained from the public purse.

This argument is of course fatuous, inasmuch as those of us who are living and working legally in Thailand do have to pay income tax to the local authorities, otherwise we would be unable to renew our Work Permits.

Discounts for Tax Payers
Comparing the average amount of tax paid by a legally-working expatriate with the average amount paid by Thai employees, the expatriate pays more tax each month than most Thai employees have to pay in a year.

This being so, there would seem to be a sound argument for giving those foreigners holding legitimate Tax I.D. Cards a discount for visiting historic sites, rather than imposing a surcharge!

This of course is not going to happen, and it would be naïve to imagine it will.

Many expatriates bemoan their situation and complain about the grasping attitude of the local populace.

Most of these same people, however, chose to live here for one reason or another, and made this choice because of some positive aspect of Thailand or the Thai people (or in many cases, some negative aspect of living where they did before.)

To imagine they can impose their own mores of behaviour or sense of "fair play" on another culture - often with little interest in learning about that culture or the way of life or upbringing which produced the local way of thinking - is also naïve, if not downright arrogant.

We all have choices, and make these either consciously or unconsciously every day.

Having made the fairly major decision of choosing to live here - for whatever reasons - it is going to be far easier to enjoy the many benefits and positive aspects of this country and accept the negative ones (from our cultural perspective and thinking) if one tries to understand what may have led to the double standard we encounter every day, rather than continually carp about it.

This last is an exercise in futility, and only increases the frustration, and perhaps shortens your life.

Above & below
An interesting study by a German psychologist who had lived here for many years points out that in all Thai relationships there is an inferior-superior relationship. Hence Thais do not make friendships in the same sense that most Westerners do; there is inherently some element of dependency in all one-on-one relationships.

Upon meeting a new acquaintance, Thais quickly establish with a few simple questions which of the two is inherently the superior, and which is the inferior.

Alternatively, if introduced by a third mutual acquaintance, the inferior is always introduced to the superior. (So your expatriate wife should be introduced to the local Big Man with the words, "Mary, this is Mr. Somchai," rather than, "Mr. Somchai, this is my wife Mary." Then both parties are pleased.)

Thais are taught from an early age to learn and recognise these fine shades of distinction to the point that it becomes second nature.

Multiple levels of class distinction may be anathema to many Westerners, and we may like to pretend that everyone is equal - even though we know deep down that everyone is not.

It goes against our upbringing in this enlightened modern age to practise any form of class consciousness, and rail against those who do.

Nevertheless, Westerners can tell a great deal about someone’s relative social standing by that person’s accent, speech patterns and behaviour. No comment may be made, but the information is filed away nonetheless.

Thais, on the other hand, are perhaps more pragmatic and practical about such matters.

This has, perhaps, enabled the less well-placed to survive better in a society which does not have a protective social security system to provide for those less fortunately placed than others.

The more senior or socially better-placed person is expected to provide for those less well-placed, and so patronage has become an important part of the Thai culture.

Similarly with most Thai-farang relationships.

We are perceived as being inherently better off financially, simply because we can afford to come here.

Between Thais, it is expected that the more well-off person contributes more than the less well-off person. So in a Thai-farang situation, the less well-off person (which by local perceptions is usually the Thai) is simply acknowledging your superior position by ordering the most expensive items on the menu, or expecting you to pick up the bill every time you go out together. You are, by local cultural standards, being given face.

In fact, you would lose face by expecting to split the bill - unless of course you’re out with a socially-prominent Thai, to whom face has to be given by allowing him to pick up the bill.

Business relationships
Many relationships between Thais are built on what most Westerners would regard as a commercial base.

Similarly most Thai-farang relationships seem fundamentally to be more or less commercial transactions. In many cases financial security (for the shorter or longer term) is being gained in exchange for services of one form or another. Often, money (which you can earn more of) is exchanged for time spent with you, and youth can never be recouped. Who, therefore, is giving the more valuable commodity to the other?

(Before critics of this last paragraph shoot off vehement letters of protest to me or the Editor of the Pattaya Mail, please have a word on the subject with a contented long-term resident - as opposed to one of the discontented whingers.)

In a culture where sanuk (enjoyment) is so important to every activity, and you have expended the time, effort and expense (even if it’s only a busfare) to visit some place of interest which unfortunately happens to practise the two-tiered pricing system, it seems incomprehensibly ridiculous to most Thais that you would then make such a fuss about shelling out a paltry additional twenty or thirty Baht to go into the place you’ve already come some distance to see.

I understand completely the point usually made in this regard: "It’s a matter of principle!"

But if you think about it, this principle of fairness is neither held nor practised universally; the double standard is simply more blatantly obvious here.

If you are adamant in trying to get in for the lower price (on principle, of course, not because you’re a cheapskate), you might succeed in this endeavour by getting your Thai companion to show your Tax I.D. card and explain that you live and work here and pay tax (although being forced to go through this exercise will cause much psychological pain and embarrassment to your Thai companion.)

This ploy might succeed better if you are able to speak for yourself in Thai, or if the sign happens to specify that the lower price applies to residents (as opposed to citizens) of Thailand.

Getting into a heated discussion on the subject merely raises your blood pressure, lowers your enjoyment, and loses you face in the eyes of all local observers. It rarely succeeds in changing the entry fee.

Also, it is hardly fair to harangue the luckless ticket vendor (especially in a language which he almost certainly poorly understands); he doesn’t make the policy rules, he is simply doing his poorly-paid job in applying them.

And when he seems to be ignoring your increasing vehemence, he is not showing you indifference or arrogant superiority; on the contrary, he is embarrassed and would do almost anything to avoid confrontation. He would probably like to run away from the danger your anger represents to his well-being, but must, however, stay there to keep his job, which is vital to supporting his family.

So each time you have to pay more than your Thai companion to visit a place of interest, it may be easier on your blood pressure to smile, pay up graciously and enjoy your visit content in the knowledge that you are not being exploited, you are being given face.

If you have any comments or queries on this article, or about other topics concerning investment matters, write to Leslie Wright, c/o Family Money, Pattaya Mail, or fax him directly on (038) 232522 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Further details and back articles can be accessed on his firm’s website on www.westminsterthailand.com.

Leslie Wright is Managing Director of Westminster Portfolio Services (Thailand) Ltd., a firm of independent financial advisors providing advice to expatriate residents of the Eastern Seaboard on personal financial planning and international investments.

  Health & Nutrition Facts: ZINC: Not to be Overlooked

by Laura Zubrod,
Registered Dietitian

Zinc is a mineral we don’t often give much thought to. Yet it plays some pretty important functions in our health. Zinc is an essential nutrient needed in only small amounts by the human body. While severe zinc deficiency is rare, many people are at risk of marginal zinc deficiency.

Zinc is present in every living cell in the body. The primary role for this trace element is as a component of numerous enzymes in the body. Zinc-dependent enzymes are involved in the metabolism of proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and vitamin A. Zinc also influences the activity of many hormones and supports the body’s immune system. Zinc promotes cell reproduction, tissue growth and repair, bone formation, and wound healing. Zinc maintains your skin’s integrity, and keeps night vision, appetite, and taste perception in working order. Adequate zinc is essential for growth. Growth can increase the need for zinc. For this reason, young children, adolescents, and pregnant woman are at a greater risk of not meeting their requirements of zinc.

Many women, teenage girls and children do not consume enough zinc. A recent scientific study of young children in urban India showed that episodes of acute diarrhea were significantly less in children who received adequate zinc. Since diarrheal disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and death in children from the developing world, this is a important finding. There has also been a great deal of interest in the relationship between low zinc status and susceptibility to respiratory infection and immune dysfunction. Children with low zinc are prone to a combination of both acute diarrhea and respiratory problems.

Zinc deficiency should not be thought of as just a problem for developing countries. It is not an uncommon condition in Western countries, particularly in the elderly, surgical patients, and vegetarians. Deficiency symptoms include poor growth, delayed sexual maturity, loss of appetite, reduced taste acuity, loss of hair, delayed wound healing, impaired immune function, increased susceptibility to infection, and disorders of protein and carbohydrate absorption and metabolism.

The RDA, or recommended dietary allowance, of zinc for females is 12 mg, for males 15 mg, pregnant women require 15 mg, while breast-feeding women need 19 mg. With careful food choices, most individuals can meet their requirement for zinc without supplements. A multivitamin containing no more than 100% of the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) can help ensure you are meeting your needs of all the essential vitamins and minerals. However, zinc supplements may be necessary under special circumstances. Intake of zinc in excess of 15 mg per day is not recommended without adequate medical supervision. While not getting enough zinc can increase susceptibility to infection, so can too much. Excess zinc can also cause deficiencies of copper and iron.

Zinc is found in both animal and plant foods. However, plants foods such as beans, bran, oats, and soy and whole grain products contain substances such as phytate and fiber that inhibit the zinc from being fully absorbed. Therefore, zinc from animal foods is most easily used by your body. You may absorb 21-26% of the zinc found in beef but only 11-14% of the zinc found in whole-wheat bread. Zinc is best absorbed from animal sources such as meat, poultry, fish, shellfish and other seafood, liver, eggs, and dairy products. Oysters are one of the best source of zinc.

Although it’s at the end of the nutritional list, zinc is not to be forgotten. Zinc is one of the most versatile trace minerals, and vital for everything from A to Z.

Readers may write Laura care of the Pattaya Mail with questions or special topics they would like to see addressed.

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]

Created by Andy Gombaz, assisted by Chinnaporn Sungwanlek.