Top 10 spots for medical adventure

1. http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20100909-lonely-planets-top-10-
spots-for-medical-adventure
Top 10 spots for medical
adventure
Want it modified, enhanced, drilled out, implanted or just plain
alleviated? Would you rather channel most of your hard-earned cash
into a holiday? Find an excuse to embark on an exotic adventure
with a medicinal tweak from these ten destinations.
1. India
Although the very visible poverty and social ills might scare some
off, getting your eyes fixed in this country just might make sense.
Eye surgery is just one of the advanced treatments offered in India,
where top doctors commandeer the latest technologies and speak
faultless English. Aravind's Eye Hospitals (www.aravind.org),
headquartered in Madurai but with locations around India, hasa
remarkable program originally designed to minimise unnecessary
blindness; in addition to foreigners, it has helped more than 2.4
million Indians to see in the past 30 years. They treat everything
from glaucoma to cataracts and even perform eye replacements.
Patients relax in private suites costing $20 per day.
2. Bangkok, Thailand
Back in 1984, British pop singer Murray Head noted that "one night
in Bangkok makes a hard man humble". Oh, but Bangkok makes a
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2. http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20100909-lonely-planets-top-10-
spots-for-medical-adventure
hard man so much more than that. Welcome to Thailand, the sex-
change capital of the world. Whether you want to re-emerge from
the operating room as he or she, Bangkok's specialist surgeons can
perform the task of "gender reassignment" with a few deft scalpel
slices. If your medical concerns spring from something other than
gender confusion, Thailand is also famous for heart surgery, eye
surgery and more. State-of-the-art Bumrungrad International
Hospital (www.bumrungrad.com) is a major destination for overseas
patients.
3. Beijing, China
Somehow, experiencing acupuncture in its home setting just feels
right - especially when you get the balms, oils and smelly unguents
of traditional Chinese medicine. In fact, since 1975 Beijing has been
home to the International Acupuncture Training Centre, a university
for foreign doctors who want to have a stab at it. There are many
treatment centres around the city. And, along with this ancient
Chinese wisdom, the People's Republic is pioneering stem cell
treatments, offering patients with the gravest conditions a chance to
try new treatments banned (usually for political reasons) by their
home governments. If you want to be the prick-ee rather than the
prick-er, book yourself a treatment at Dongzhimen Hospital
(www.dzmhospital.com/en).
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3. http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20100909-lonely-planets-top-10-
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4. Colombia
North Americans and others head to Colombia for complex
treatments performed by crack doctors at bargain rates. Cities such
as Bogotá, Colombia's capital, offer a wide variety of medical
treatments and operations. Specialities in Colombia include joint
surgeries, and getting a hip replaced or "resurfaced" costs one-fifth
of the cost of US hospitals, while the prosthetics used are of high
international quality. Many Colombian doctors are foreign trained as
well. Colombia is also often visited for procedures that range from
dentistry and cosmetic surgery to open-heart surgery. December to
March is Bogotá's dry season; the city is perched 2,600m above sea
level, so be sure to allow a couple of days to acclimatise when you
arrive.
5. Nuuk, Greenland
If you happen to be in Greenland and, say, a polar bear bites your
arm off, do not just leave it there! Dronning Ingrids Hospital, in the
southwestern capital of Nuuk , is the main hospital on this frigid
maritime landmass, and is specially distinguished for performing
special operations requiring very low temperatures (such as
reattaching severed limbs). Built in 1954, the Dronning Ingrids does
not need air-conditioning, and the heating system prevents any
contaminated airflow. You will quickly feel good as new when
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recovering on this sparsely populated island stuck unpromisingly
between Canada and Iceland. The air is clean and, er, invigorating,
and the seafood is excellent. Charter a boat with an English-speaking
skipper - see the city from a different angle before sailing over the
deserted horizon.
6. Tehran, Iran
How does Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad keep up such a
fierce stare? We are not implying anything, but plastic surgery in
Tehran is indeed big business these days. Nose jobs are seen as
especially important, interestingly enough. For Muslim women in
the Islamic Republic, a nose is often one of the few body parts to be
visible; however, Iranian men too think that improvising off a classic
Persian nose can make them somehow more seductive. Iranian
plastic surgeons do lifts, chin implants, tummy tucks and almost
everything else tha is done in the West, but for less. Make sure you
check the latest visa situation (www.iranianvisa.com).
7. Cuba
If you arrive on a Communist-run island and have your passport and
money confiscated by the authorities, one might say it just comes
with the territory - or, you might actually be at Cuba's addiction
rehabilitation clinics, where it is often standard procedure.
Frequented by ordinary folks and famous figures too (Argentine
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soccer star Diego Maradona was one such client), Cuba's rehab
villas are renowned for their professional service and effectiveness -
along with a price around half of that in the US. Rehab here mixes
balmy island living with no-nonsense regimes for keeping you
stone-cold sober in seclusion, with the assistance of trained
psychologists, doctors, sociologists and - of course - Caribbean
breezes from the beach. If you want to follow in Maradona's
footsteps you can book a stint of private rehab through an operator
such as Grupo Cubanacan.
8. Skopje, Macedonia
For a decade, UN and NATO employees in the Balkans, as well as
expats, have hit the Macedonian capital for affordable, high-quality
dental work. Macedonian dentists are generally well trained, and
many speak English. Some even have webcams, so you can get the
added excitement of watching your mouth being drilled too.
Everything from check-ups and fillings to implant work and
cosmetic dentistry is available, and at prices significantly less than in
Western Europe or North America. Skopje's conveniently situated en
route for travellers passing through Southeastern Europe, and offers
a mix of history and nightlife. Flash your new smile in one of
Skopje's numerous cafes, where the in-crowd love to be seen.
9. Israel
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6. http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20100909-lonely-planets-top-10-
spots-for-medical-adventure
Some of the world's best medical treatment is found in Israel, and
the country's state-of-the-art facilities have made it the destination of
choice for many medical tourists. Although it is generally not a
bargain, the services are wide and the skill level very high.
Everything from IVF fertilisation to advanced cancer therapy is done
here. Plus, the salt and unique nutrients in Israel's Dead Sea make
this a much-visited place for those with various skin problems, as
well as rheumatologic and lung conditions - and floating effortlessly
on this super-saline body of water, amazingly situated below sea
level, is a therapeutic experience in itself. For the ultimate
therapeutic treatment, slap on some Dead Sea gunk, available at
many of the area's hotels, and give yourself an invigorating mud
pack.
10. Malaysia
Mix procedures with pleasures in Malaysia, another leading
destination for medical travellers. Places like the beach resort town
of Penang, on the country's northwestern coast, are popular for
breast-enhancement surgery, and package-tour companies even offer
such trips. It is good that a recuperative beach vacation is included,
since doctors warn that long plane journeys after surgery can cause
thrombosis. The dynamic capital, Kuala Lumpur, home to the
Petronas Towers - some 451.9m high - is where more complex
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procedures (such as brain surgery for epilepsy) are performed. Some
medical procedures at the Petronas Towers might help with epilepsy,
but they will do nothing for vertigo sufferers who choose to access
the 41st-floor skybridge.
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