Nephat

. . . is from Thailand and has lived in Belgium for five years, I think. He is about the same age as me, but seems younger. He is in our Flemish class and attends every time. He never misses. He's very attentive and eager to learn.

He lives in an apartment in downtown Hasselt, right over the stores, and teaches yoga in his spare time. He speaks very good English, has a cell phone, but never watches TV.

He told us he works for a doctor in Hasselt giving massage therapy. Interesting, the doctor decided some years ago that he didn't like practicing medicine in the traditional way. Doctor visit, prescribe meds, possible hospital admission, etc. This doctor went to Thailand to learn massage therapy from Nephat and asked Nephat to return here with him. So he did.

Now you may be familiar with the difference between an M.D. and a D.O., but in case you aren't . . . it's basically the same rigorous training to become both kinds of doctor. The main difference is in their philosophy on how to practice medicine.

When an M.D. begins to specialize like say in Obstetrics or Cardiology, a D.O. leans toward no specialization and will likely become a General Practitioner since he/she believes more in preventive care and sees every disease or condition as affecting the whole body rather than just one part of the body. They are full-fledged doctors, have completed the same amount of training as an M.D., can prescribe meds, etc.

So, I have no idea what kind of doctor Nephat works for, but he is certainly not traditional.

Nephat says their approach to ailments is through diet and massage. He says the doctor will prescribe a regimen of fasting, drinking only liquids for one day or several, and massage therapy. Never prescribes any medication.

He says he fasts one day per week, drinks tea (not just green), and uses only natural oils on his skin. He says when he has a cold or a headache, he drinks warm water. He figured we think he's crazy and I don't know if I would be willing to turn my health over to this doctor or to Nephat, but I appreciate this approach. No doubt we could all fast every now and then. And I have to admit, his skin is pretty nice.