Altitude Sickness

🌿 Overview

At 10,000 feet elevation, the atmosphere contains only half the oxygen of sea level. Ascending too quickly prevents the body from adapting, causing altitude sickness. It ranges from mild (headache, nausea) to severe (pulmonary edema, cerebral edema). The severe form is a medical emergency requiring immediate descent.

Common signs

• Sickish feeling, heavy headache, and malaise as you ascend
• Fatigue, fainting, and extreme thirst
• Nausea and vomiting
• SEVERE (descend immediately):
• Lack of coordination or stumbling gait
• Bad headache unrelieved by pain medication
• Impaired judgment and confusion
• Shortness of breath at rest
• Coughing or gurgling sounds when breathing
• Coughing of white or pink foamy sputum (pulmonary edema)

🔎 Why it happens

Common causes and triggers — spotting yours is often the first step to relief.

• Rapid ascent to high elevation — insufficient time for body to adapt
• Reduced oxygen: at 10,000 feet, only half the oxygen of sea level
• Dehydration — very common at altitude
• Physical exertion at altitude before acclimatization

✅ What to do

Gentle, practical steps you can take at home — start at the top.

1. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER before your ascent and continue drinking as you climb — this is extremely important
2. Ascend slowly — no more than a few thousand feet per day to allow body adaptation
3. SEVERE SYMPTOMS: descend immediately — no treatment is as effective as descent
4. Ginger (capsules or teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea →) — best single herbA plant, or part of one, used for flavor, food, or gentle health support. More → for altitude-related nausea; also thins blood for better oxygen delivery
5. Peppermint teaA warm drink made by steeping herbs in hot water. How to make a tea → — soothes and calms the stomach; place a drop of oil on the tongue for quick relief
6. Garlic — contains 9 compounds that thin the blood, improving oxygen delivery at altitude
7. Clove oil (rich in eugenol) thins the blood; allspice and marjoram also contain eugenol
8. Do not eat heavy, spicy, sugary, dried, or fatty foods while at altitude
9. Take whole-grain crackers; olives help reduce nausea by decreasing salivation

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🍽️ Eating to help

Food is one of the gentlest medicines — small, steady changes help most.

Favor these

• Large amounts of water (most important single measure)
• Ginger capsules or tea
• Peppermint tea
• Garlic
• Whole-grain crackers, olives

Go easy on

• Heavy, fatty, spicy, or sugary foods
• Alcohol — impairs acclimatization
• Dried foods (dehydrating)

PREVENTION: Ascending slowly (a few thousand feet per day) is the most effective prevention. Stay well-hydrated before and during ascent.

💬 Ask Remy about Altitude Sickness