Are you what you eat?
One of the great things about moving overseas is having more options.
Like many expats, I want to live life to its fullest. We don’t just want to be un-sick, but we want to have incredible health. We want to live longer and be more active. We want to have the best life we can.
Back in the US, many of those options are only available to the wealthy.
However, when you move to a new country, you may find that you suddenly have many more options available to you.
Lower cost medical tests overseas
If you’d like to know how healthy you are, you may want to have some in-depth medical tests performed. A friend of mine had an “executive physical” in the States. His deductible for it was over $1000. In some countries, you can have a similar series of tests for less than $300.
Once you have this information, you can focus on the exact areas where you can improve your health. You’ll also be able to afford more frequent follow-up tests, to see if what you’re doing is improving your health.
Lower cost medication overseas
And let’s not forget any medication you want to take.
If your doctor doesn’t prescribe it for you, then you probably can’t even buy it in the States. Most doctors don’t want to write a prescription for anything that might be risky, or is only being used to make your life better than average. They don’t want to risk the potential lawsuits that might happen.
The other day, I wanted to pick up some medication. Not to fix any disease or problem, but to help me get to my optimal health.
So I found the chemical name for it (the brand name may be useless, when visiting a pharmacy in a different country). I went to the pharmacy, asked if it required a prescription (it didn’t), and bought a box – for 60 cents per pill. It took around 15 minutes and 18 dollars.
Compare that with the States. I would have needed to go to an appointment with my doctor. If he gave me a prescription, which he probably wouldn’t have done, it most likely wouldn’t have been covered by my insurance – since it wasn’t fixing any immediate illness or injury. So I would have paid full price, out of my pocket, for the medication. I’ve heard this medication costs around $5 per pill in the US. The whole process would have taken a few days, cost significantly more money, and probably would have been unsuccessful.
Healthier foods overseas, at affordable prices
The same thing happens with some foods.
If you want to eat unpasteurized eggs or milk, good luck finding them in the US. In fact, the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) has even raided Amish farms, because they were selling unpasteurized “raw” milk.
Let’s say you prefer to eat grass-fed beef, with its healthier ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fats. In many countries you won’t need to pay a premium for it, all the beef is grass-fed.
You may be more likely to find healthier foods at affordable prices, in your new country. But always be sure to check on the food you get. With different laws and regulations, you may also find the local farmers use chemicals you really don’t want on, or in, the food you eat.
You get to decide what goes in your body
Now, just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you should.
If you’re taking medication without a doctor’s supervision, then you are fully responsible for what happens – for better or worse. I suggest getting regular check-ups, to make sure you don’t have any hidden side effects.
But if you’re willing to take responsibility for your own health and life, moving overseas may be the best way for you to be able to do that.
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