Day 1 at Chiang Mai University

Today we spent our first day at Chiang Mai University. We will spend the rest of the week there visiting many of their various hospitals. However, today, we listened to several lectures in order to gain a better understanding of the healthcare system in Thailand as well as the role pharmacists play. One of the topics that I found very interesting is Thai traditional medicine. I really enjoyed learning about this topic because it is something that pharmacists in Thailand must understand as many patients use traditional medicine. Dr. Panee taught us that the concept of traditional Thai medicine focuses on the 4 elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. When these four elements are in equilibrium the person is said to be healthy, however, when an imbalance occurs, the person will become ill. People can balance the four elements by eating certain foods, meditating, treating with herbal medicine, and receiving massages. I am looking forward to the rest of our week at Chiang Mai University!