Pre-Acclimatization

Thousands of people each year ascend to altitude, whether it be for a mountaineering expedition or just a leisurely ski vacation. Individuals spend a great deal of time and money on such trips. Mountaineers must spend weeks at base camp acclimatizing to the harsh hypobaric and hypoxic conditions they will face in their trek to the summit. Even with this investment of time, and regardless of one’s physical condition, the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or other factors preventing a successful ascent or ruining a vacation is always present.

A person’s reaction to high altitude is heavily dependent on genetics. Certain people are predisposed to acquiring AMS more severely than others. However, studies show that 80% of people ascending to altitudes of 13000ft/4000m or higher will suffer the debilitating symptoms of AMS (headache, nausea, insomnia) to some extent. This risk cannot be completely eliminated, but it can be predicted, controlled and significantly reduced in a cost effective and timely manner.

By sleeping at progressively higher levels of normobaric hypoxia and exercising in hypoxia at home before leaving for an expedition, mountaineers can pre-acclimatize and prepare themselves for exposure to extreme altitudes. Similarly, tourists and vacationers that live at sea level can insure an enjoyable vacation by pre-acclimatizing in their home with a simple IHT program starting 4 weeks beforehand. Through the stimulation of EPO production and other physiological effects previously listed, users can expect the following benefits as a result of such a pre-acclimatization program:

     • Reduced symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness
     • Money saved by minimizing time spent acclimatizing on site
     • Increased probability of a successful summit attempt
     • Improved power and endurance
     • Diminished fatigue
     • Decreased recovery time after aerobic and anaerobic efforts

Research

Varying susceptibilities to AMS as a result of genetics can be interpreted from arterial oxygen saturation during short term exposure to hypoxia.

Prediction of the susceptibility to acute mountain sickness by Sa02 values during short-term exposure to hypoxia Burtscher, Faulhaber and Flatz

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This study shows that altitude induced increase in EPO is a “dose” dependent response that tends to vary dramatically from person to person. Part of Figure 1 shown to the right displays this increase in EPO as a percentage of normal production.

Determinants of EPO release in response to short term hypobaric hypoxia. Ri-Li and Witkowski et al. 2001

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Hypoxic pre-conditioning provides protection from acute and otherwise lethal hypoxia (Everest is close to lethal at pO2=30mmHg) by preserving vital organs and reducing the formation and/or severity of pulmonary and cerebral edema.

Whole-body hypoxic preconditioning protects mice against acute hypoxia by improving lung function. Shelley, Miller, Gozal and Wang. 2003

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This is a valuable and fascinating abstract about Everest and the nearly lethal levels of oxygen at its summit.

Human Limits for Hypoxia: The physiological challenge of climbing Mt. Everest. John B West. 2000

THE STATEMENTS CONTAINED HERIN HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FDA AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT OR CURE ANY DISEASE OR AILMENT