Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness doesn't really have to do with the change in altitude but
with the change in oxygen levels. The higher you go, the less oxygen there is.
At 8,000 feet the atmosphere contains half the oxygen of the air at sea level.
If you ascend slowly, a few thousand feet a day, your body will probably adjust
to decreased oxygen with few ill effects. But rapid ascents-as in vigorous
mountain climbing-leave your body deprived of oxygen availability, and the
result is altitude sickness.
A key component of altitude sickness is dehydration. At high elevations,
fluid moves out of the blood and into body tissues. As the blood thickens,
dehydration interferes with efficient distribution of nutrients and oxygen and
impedes the elimination of toxic wastes. The result is the
headache, fatigue and
malaise of altitude sickness, as well as extreme thirst.
One thing you can do to minimize or avoid altitude sickness is to drink
plenty of nonalcoholic fluids before you start your ascent and continue taking
in liquids as you climb. Plain water or juice works well. Herb teas are
also helpful.
Supplements and herbs
Here are some herbs that can help prevent altitude sickness.
- Clove (Syzygium aromaticum). Clove oil is rich in eugenol, a compound
that is a potent blood thinner (anti-aggregant). Other high-eugenol herbs include allspice, bayrum leaf,
galangal,
carrot
seed, shrubby basil,
cinnamon,
bay leaf and
marjoram.
In a pot of boiling water, steep cloves, allspice, bay leaf,
celery seed, cinnamon and marjoram as
available and to taste. Mix in, as available, any or all of these
mints: basil, mountain dittany,
savory and
thyme.
- Garlic (Allium sativum). Garlic
contains at least nine compounds that help
thin the blood. Its anti-aggregant effect is
valued as a heart attack preventive, but it also
helps soroche sufferers. Other plants that have anti-aggregant activity
include tomatoes, dill and
fennel with seven blood thinning compounds;
onions, hot peppers and
soybeans with six; and celery, carrots and
parsley, each with five.
- Horsebalm (Monarda, various species). Many mints contain
thymol,
menthol or menthone, all compounds that have anti-aggregant
actives. Horsebalm wins as the herb with the most. Here are several more herbs, in
descending order of potency, that contain these helpful ingredients: thyme, nude
mountain mint, wild bergamot, winter savory, mountain dittany, lemon, mint, basil
and California bay.
- Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum).
People in the mountains of Asia use this
mushroom the way Peruvians use coca leaf. According to scientific reports, reishi
significantly reduced altitude sickness symptoms in Chinese workers who climbed
to over 15,000 feet over three days in Tibet. The theory is that reishi increases the
body's oxygen consumption.
- Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). This
herb increases blood flow throughout the body, especially to the brain. In
animal studies, rats fed a ginkgo extract show definite increases in cerebral
blood flow and tolerance to low-oxygen effects. You
can try 60 to 240 milligrams of standardized extract a day, but don't go any higher
than that. In large amounts, ginkgo may cause diarrhea, irritability and restlessness.
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