[Drysnyaty]

I know all these jungle stories are a lot more exotic, but I'd like to add a middle-class perspective from the city. I teach at a private school, and I've been sick myself several times and of course I see sick kids all the time. in this setting, people are very reliant on modern medicine. if I have a minor headache, everyone is offering a painkiller. if I go to a doctor, I end up with four or five different kind of medicines, one invariably a strong antobiotic, which is not so routinely given all the time back in Europe. if children are sick, even if they have a fever, parents send them to school accompanied with their medicine, often antibiotics. (in Europe, sick children are not allowed to go to school until they recover, so that they do not infect others.) the whole attitude suggests to me that medicines are looked upon as miracle drugs that substitute for a good rest, in fact making the recovery process itself redundant. when I was really sick and could hardly even walk without help, the doctor himself wanted to send me back to work the very next day - and it is not a single case, Thai colleagues complain about the same attitude all the time.
btw, a wide range of medicines is available at pharmacies without prescription (even the pill, or my asthma medicine that only a specialist can prescibe at home), the staff speak good English, and can give you advice. so, lots of people go to the pharmacy and do not visit a doctor, as the doctor costs money, too.
btw, there are small Chinese herb pharmacies, too, I've seen a couple of people at school eating that stuff (all with pungent smells) for stomachache or headache. there are quite a few shops in Chiang Mai's Chinatown, you even feel the strong smell just riding by.
Thai massage is everywhere in Chiang Mai, and many people, especially the middle-aged and the elderly, regularly go for a massage. the therapists often learnt their skills not at schools, but at home from parents and grandparents (but most do have their certificates hanging on the wall too), and they often set up business next to temples, in small halls. (the first ever Thai massage school was founded at Bangkok's Wat Pho temple and it still operates there.) massage is widely used for headaches, back problems, injured ligaments, painful periods, etc. they often use tiger balm to alleviate pains. I guess massage is present everywhere in small villages, too, not the schoo-taught versions, but techniques passed down the generations.
hope this helps.