Altitude Sickness
At higher altitudes, the amount of available oxygen is less. This drop in oxygen affects the muscles, heart, lungs and nervous system. Making an altitude transition too quickly increases the likelihood, severity and duration of symptoms you may experience.
No one can predict your chances of getting altitude sickness and being in good physical shape doesn't lower your risk.
If you're at heights of 2,400 metres or above and are unaccustomed to these altitudes, exercise - or even a moderate stroll - can produce symptoms of alltitude sickness.
WARNING SIGNS TO TAKE SERIOUSLY
The following symptoms may indicate altitude-induced accumulation of fluid in the brain (cerebral oedema) or lungs (pulmonary oedema). Both are very serious, even life-threatening, conditions.
If you or a companion shows any of the following symptoms, get immediate medical assistance and arrange to descend immediately.
- Lack of coordination or stumbling gait
- Bad headache unrelieved by painkillers
- Severe nausea and vomiting
- Impaired judgement, confusion
- Shorthess of breath at rest
- Coughing or gurgling sounds when breathing
- Coughing of white or pink foamy sputum
Symptoms of altitude sickness may feel similar to those of flu or a mild hangover. You may have a headache, insomnia, weakness, poor appetite, nausea and an all-over ill feeling. When you exert yourself, you might be short of breath. If you have a headache - the most common altitude sickness complaint - it'll be throbbing, focused at the front of your head. It'll be worse in the morning and on lying down, and exercise will aggravate it.
Altitude sickness often prevents sleep, despite an almost overwhelming fatigue. The hands, feet and tissues around the eyes sometimes swell. In severe cases, nausea and vomiting may occur.
For most people, symptoms subside within 1 to 5 days as their bodies begin to adjust. And, although it's unpleasant, altitude sickness usually isn't serious.
Your best way to avoid altitude sickness is to ascend gradually. If you have the time, give your body a chance to adjust by resting for a day at an intermediate elevation (1,500 to 2,100 metres) before continuing to loftier destinations. If symptoms such as headache, nausea, dizziness or impaired mental processes occur, don't ascend farther until they disappear.
* Drink lots of water. You lose more fluids at drier, higher altitudes, especially when exercising. While maintaining your fluid intake doesn't prevent altitude sickness, it does help you avoid headache caused by dehydration alone.
*Avoid alcohol. It increases urination, aggravating dehydration. Also, high alcohol consumption depresses your breathing rate, further lowering blood oxygen.
*Don't take sleeping pills. Like alcohol, they can slow your breathing. Instead, try a bedtime bath - or at least a foot bath, if you're camping - for a safer sleep aid than pills. Adding about 10 drops of lavender essential oil to the water can help unwind your muscles and your mind.
A few herbs have been researched for preventing or treating altitude sickness. Most herbalists recommend starting to take them one to three days before departure.
DRUG TREATMENT
Pain relievers
Aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, paracetamol.
Function: ease the
headaches that come with altitude sickness (only aspirin has been studied
for its ability to prevent such headaches).
Aspirin side effects: mild
nausea or vomiting, heartburn, indigestion, stomach irritation.
Ibuprofen
and naproxen side effects: continuous use may irritate stomach lining;
long-term high-dose use may damage the liver and kidneys.
Paracetamol
side effects: long-term use or higher dosages may damage the liver and
kidneys.
Other Drugs
Acetazolamide (Diamox).
Function: prevents altitude sickness when
used in advance of climbing, or treats altitude sickness that has already
occurred.
Side effects: increased urination, drowsiness, tingling
and numbness of fingers and lips, gastrointestinal upset, blurred vision,
flat taste when drinking carbonated drinks.
Dexamethasone (Decradon).
Function: treats serious cases of altitude
sickness.
Side effects: acre, nausea, vomiting, headache, insomnia,
euphoria, dizziness, increased appetite.
HERBAL REMEDIES
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
This herb improves the
brain's circulation and its ability to tolerate low oxygen levels, inhibits
brain swelling due to trauma or toxins and inactivates damaging substances
called free radicals. Ginkgo's effectiveness in preventing altitude sickness
has been borne out by research in humans.
In one study researchers gave 44 people headed for a Himalayan expedition either 80 milligrams of ginkgo extract or a placebo (fake pill) twice a day for several days before they began the expedition. None of the climbers taking ginkgo experienced headache, nausea or a feeling of sickness. The group that took ginkgo had fewer respiratory symptoms and fewer problems keeping their hands and feet warm after being exposed to the cold.
Typical dosage: 3 capsules containing at least 40 to 50 milligrams of standardised extract per day.
Caution: allergic reactions are rare but possible. Some people may experience gastrointestinal upset or headaches. Experts have some concerns about combining routine use of aspirin or blood thinners with ginkgo.
Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum)
This time-honoured
Chinese remedy seems to improve blood oxygenation. According to Dr James
A. Duke, renowned herbalist and author of The Green Pharmacy and Dr.
Duke's Essential Herbs, a
study of Chinese people who climbed above 4,500 metres over three
days in Tibet found that reishi greatly reduced altitude sickness.
Typical dosage:up to five 420-milligram capsules per day; or 2 teaspoons of tincture three times per day; or up to three 1,000-milligram tablets up to three times per day. One study suggests that travellers to high-altitude destinations take reishi throughout their journey and for several days after.
Ginseng (Panax ginseng)
Shown to improve respiratory function and blood oxygenation, ginseng may
help people with asthma or bronchitis tolerate altitude. It may also help
prevent symptoms of altitude sickness.
Typical dosage: up to four 500- to 600-milligram capsules per day; or 100 milligrams of standardised products once or twice per day. Take for as long as symptoms persist.
Caution: don't take Panax ginseng if you have high blood pressure or are pregnant; do not combine with caffeine, MAOinhibiting antidepressants or blood thinners such as warfarin. Many practitioners recommend taking a one-week break after three weeks of use.
Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)
Studies in China have shown that this herb helps to prevent altitude sickness.
Siberian ginseng is also a well-known tonic herb, one that improves general
health when taken long-term. If you visit the mountains regularly, you can
take it for six to eight weeks, followed by a one- to two-week break. If
you want it to prevent altitude sickness for a particular trip, some research
suggests that you need to begin taking it one to two days before ascending.
Typical dosage: up to nine 400- to 500-milligram capsules per day; or up to 20 drops of tincture up to three times per day.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
This spice is a proven
nausea remedy. It can come in handy for the nausea associated with altitude
sickness or provoked by driving on winding mountain roads. Take it in whatever
form seems most appetising: as a tea, tincture, capsules, raw or crystallised.
Be aware that many commercial ginger ales use flavouring, not real ginger.
Typical dosage: up to eight 500- to 600-milligram capsules per day; or 1/4 to 1 teaspoon of the ground root per day; or 10 to 20 drops of tincture in water per day, as needed.
Caution: don't take ginger if you have gallbladder disease.
