5 ms·
> The second method is more troubling. At altitudes above 3,000 metres, mild symptoms of altitude sickness are common. Blood oxygen saturation can drop, hands a
by sonink 6mo ago
> The second method is more troubling. At altitudes above 3,000 metres, mild symptoms of altitude sickness are common. Blood oxygen saturation can drop, hands and feet tingle, headaches develop. In most cases, rest, hydration or a gradual descent is all that is needed. ...investigators found that Diamox (Acetazolamide) tablets, used to prevent altitude sickness, were administered alongside excessive water intake to induce the very symptoms that would justify a rescue call.
This doesnt sound accurate. I have trekked the Himalayas for over a decade - the risks of AMS are very real. Two people I have trekked with have died due to AMS on separate himalayan treks - both had trekked multiple times before, and were well aware of the risks. Both the fatalities were around 12000-14000 feet - much below the Everest Base Camp trek. When AMS hits, you need to descend - as fast as possible, with whatever means you have at your disposal. Otherwise you have unknowingly entered a Russian Roulette.
And Diamox is used as a preventative course for AMS - alongside excessive water intake - this is standard guidelines in all high altitude himalayan treks.
- ghaff 6mo agoNamche (damn autocorrect) Bazaar which everyone in the Everest region passes through is a bit over 11K feet. 12-15K feet just isn’t that high in the scheme of things. Many peaks in the western US are in that range or more. Yes, minor headaches are pretty normal when acclimatizing. But anything more, you need to go down.
- shadow28 6mo ago> 12-15K feet just isn’t that high in the scheme of things. Many peaks in the western US are in that range or more. The highest peak in the contiguous United States is Mt. Whitney at ~14.5k feet
- kjkjadksj 6mo agoI went from sea level to 11k feet in the same day many times before. I would say the altitude effect is there but not as much as you might expect. A little quicker to be out of breath a little longer to recover it. Not sure what it is like at higher elevations or greater daily altitude delta.
- prasadjoglekar 6mo agoVery much dependent on age, rest and general conditioning. I went from sea level to 14K at Pikes peak in 1 day and it was quite uncomfortable. I managed, but folks who lived in Denver with lower physical fitness levels than me, did better.
- linsomniac 6mo agoAgreed, we live at ~5K and went up to Pikes Peak; my wife and I had no problems (beyond minor headache), but my son's lips were turning blue and he was feeling pretty bad. Other amusing things from that trip: we went up there the 3rd of July, and it snowed. We charged the car in Colorado Springs before we left, got up to the peak with 36% battery remaining. My wife worried we wouldn't be able to make it back. Got back to CS with ~70% battery left.
- FartinMowler 6mo agoLol, on my trip up Pikes Peak I was blissfully unaware that altitude sickness could be a thing. So I can't recall if I felt any different. I do recall the carburetor on my motorcycle was acting a little strange, however.
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]
- quickthrowman 6mo agoI went from ~500 ft above sea level (Palm Springs) up to 8,500 feet above sea level (San Jacinto Peak) in less than an hour via the aeria tram a couple months ago and it was very noticeable, my walking speed fell by a third and I was breathing a lot harder than I usually do.
- ahepp 6mo agoSan Jacinto is 10,834 ft, for what it's worth.
- 6mo ago
- tristor 6mo agoI think you mean continental United States, as Alaska and Hawaii are excluded, where-as Alaska is contiguous with the United States, but requires crossing through parts of Canada to reach by land. That said, yes Whitney is the highest in the continental US, and McKinley in Alaska is the highest in the US (and contiguous US) and is also the tallest in the world from base to peak and the third most prominent peak in the world.
- shadow28 6mo agoIt's exactly the other way around actually, continental US would include Alaska since it's still on the North American continent whereas contiguous US excludes both Hawaii and Alaska. Contiguous US refers to the lower 48 states.
- coldtea 6mo agoContinental "could" include Alaska (it's even in the official U.S. Board on Geographic Names definition), but in practice when "continental US" are casually mentioned, it's rarely implied as included. Most use it as interchangeable with contiguous.
- cwmoore 6mo agoContiguous states is the correct term. “Continental” would be in Europe.
- Toutouxc 6mo agoWait, you guys don’t live on a continent?
- cwmoore 6mo agoHI lol
- coldtea 6mo agoBoth "contiguous us" and "continental us" are correct terms for referring to sets of US states, even though they are mistakenly often used interchangeably in casual talk: "On May 14, 1959, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names issued the following definitions based partially on the reference in the Alaska Omnibus Bill, which defined the Continental United States as "the 49 States on the North American Continent and the District of Columbia..." The Board reaffirmed those definitions on May 13, 1999." https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_United_States https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_United_States "The contiguous United States, also known as the U.S. mainland, officially referred to as the conterminous United States, consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contiguous_United_States "Continental" is also a casual way to refer to European things, but that's a different overloading of the term. Continental is not confined to meaning "European", except where the context implies so (e.g. "continental philosophy", or "continental breakfast"). A leftover from the British refering to Europe as "the continent", it being the nearby continental body next to them.
- kortilla 6mo agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_highest_major_summits_of_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_highest_major_summ... Many peaks in the western US are in that range. Lots more with several exceeding if you include Alaska in “the western US”.
- IncreasePosts 6mo agoThere are 50+ peaks in Colorado higher than 14,000 ft and 1000+ higher than 12000 ft
- 698969 6mo ago*Naamche Bazaar
- chimeracoder 6mo ago> 12-15K feet just isn’t that high in the scheme of things. Many peaks in the western US are in that range or more. It's "not that high", but people frequently do get AMS at those attitudes or even lower.
- ghaff 6mo agoI can’t provide cites but I understand people have had issues flying into Denver.
- tim333 6mo agoThere's a big difference between doing a day trip to those altitudes which is normally ok, and sleeping that high which causes problems if not acclimatised.
- chimeracoder 6mo ago> There's a big difference between doing a day trip to those altitudes which is normally ok, and sleeping that high which causes problems if not acclimatised. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make. People regularly experience AMS at the heights far below what OP mentioned, whether on the day they arrive or on days 2-4, and that's not even accounting for strenuous physical activity.
- gilesvangruisen 6mo agoI've been to Nepal a few times and started feeling AMS symptoms about 1-2 hours after arriving at our lodge in Namche. Diamox kept me going great for the nxt few days on our way to Tengboche where we maxed out about 13k feet, besides the heli flight back to Lukla. Similar symptoms even at a ski resort at 9k feet in the US. It's "not that high" but plenty high to induce AMS.
- embedding-shape 6mo agoThe very next sentence from that quote sounds a lot worse and harder to explain away though: > In at least one case cited in the investigation, baking powder was mixed into food to make tourists physically unwell.
- 698969 6mo agoIn Nepal, my parents always warned me before eating at some rest stops because they said the food was doctored with baking soda to make you feel fuller, guess it was true after all and not just an urban legend heh.
- ihaveajob 6mo agoI've heard the same from South Indian friends, so I guess it's pretty widespread.
- valarauko 6mo agoI've sometimes used baking soda to accelerate softening of beans, and I imagine the effect is more appreciable at higher altitudes perhaps? Some of the usage of baking soda could be innocent enough.
- ChrisMarshallNY 6mo agoTry using it on meat. Turns it into pink slurry.
- papercrane 6mo agoYou're using too much! Its commonly used to improve meat texture, especially in Chinese cuisine. It's called "velveting".
- torhorway 6mo agoyou're thinking of corn starch
- t0mas88 6mo agoWere there other issues involved in the fatalities around 12-14k ft? Freezing etc? In aviation rules you can have passengers at 12k ft without oxygen for an unlimited amount of time. The crew needs to use oxygen if you're between 10k and 13k for more than 30 minutes. Above 13k both crew and passengers must use oxygen immediately (EASA rules, FAA is different). So they seem to consider 12k to not be dangerous to passengers.
- simplyluke 6mo agoSpeaking from experience in the mountains: 12k at rest and 12k under subsequent days of exercise produce very different responses. What might be a mild headache sitting in the back of a plane could be a pretty distinct AMS case lugging a pack up and down mountains.
- antonvs 6mo agoThe main issue is that exercise exacerbates hypoxia. You're climbing a mountain, your muscles need oxygen, but you're not getting enough. But the temperature does make it worse. Your body is trying to generate heat, which increases oxygen demand. Your blood vessels are constricting, so circulation is less efficient, limiting oxygen distribution. All together, this creates all sorts of health risks. Sitting in a comfy plane seat browsing the internet is not the same thing. Besides, even healthy adults just sitting can experience mild hypoxia effects above about 10k ft - fatigue, mild cognitive effects, headaches. But if you're just sitting, it's generally tolerable. Of course, you don't want pilots working in those conditions for any length of time.
- happosai 6mo agoThere are like a half dozen cities with 100.000+ population at over 12k feet altitude. And towns and villages a lot higher. So right, 12k is no's dangerous per se. The problems come if you haven't acclimatized.