In a few months I'm going to be traveling to another country where I'll have an alltitude of over 12,000 ft and I want to prevent allitude sickness. I keep reading different studies and haven't found anything that clearly says it helps AMS that's over the counter or natural.

Besides gradually moving up in alltitude, taking it easy and drinking a gallon of water a day, I'm not sure what else to do.?

I've read that asprin can help from thining your blood and that you should take it a few days before and everyday while in high alltitude, but I'm going to be taking pepto bismol as a preventative every day while I'm on this trip, due to the fact that their poor water quality and I don't want to get traveler's diahrea.

The problem I have is that I read you shouldn't take pepto bismol and aspring together, because pepto bismol already has asprin. So I'm wondering if pepto bismol alone would help with AMS?

I did read that ginkgo biloba was used on a french study to prevent AMS, but all other studies have not come to that conclusion. So I'm really not sure what else I can take or any suggestions?

I don't have any suggestions, but here's an article you may want to look over.

https://www.denvernaturopathic.com/news/altitude.html

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Thanks so much for the link
I'll be sure to increase my vitamin C and vitamin E intake

Do not take pepto bismol... it will not prevent diarrhea which is caused from microbes your system is not accustom too. Why take a medicine that will thin your blood? It needs to be thicker and it will not address the problem of diarrhea anyway.

Take MMS 4 to 6 drops a day or Grapeseed extract daily. Do stringent hand washing and the more cooked your food is the saver you will be.

To prepare for high altitude you need to do deep breathing exercises or start running to optimize your lung capacity. You will also need more iron to build more red blood cells. People who live at higher altitudes have more red blood cells. I did a study on this when I was in nursing school.

I went though this issue many years ago when I lived at 9,600 feet. I didn't get over it till I increased my protien and iron and started running... first I ran down hill then went to walking briskly up hill then to running up hill at that altitude. My HCT went up several points... by the time I was done I could just about fly, running uphill at 10,000 feet

the reason you feel ill is because you don't have eough red blood cells to carry more oxygen to compensate for the lower amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. Start increaseing your iron the day before you get to that altitude.. I recommend Nature Sunshine IX formula, although at the time I ate beets and drank dandilion tea as I didn't know about this product. I have tested this product with anemia in pregnant women and it works better than any iron supplement and quickly.

Stop the product when you feel well and only take if altitude sickness startes to come back. Most people adjust over time... but you won't have time so you need to push it. Your HCT will return to a lower level over a few weeks when you decrease your altitude

The exercise you can start now.

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thinning of the blood is for the high altitude, not prevention of diarrhea. The subject is more about the high altitudes and not diarrhea, I just mentioned that I take and always have taken pepto bismol when I visit certain third would countries for a short period of time.

My doctor years ago told me to take pepto bismol for prevention, which was before there was internet. So when I started to travel again I googled it, to make sure there were some truth and almost everywhere I read it says it prevents 65% of the time.

This article says 65% prevention as what I see over and over and that pepto bismol removes harmful bacteria from the stomach.
https://www.travmed.com/health_guide/ch6.htm

Here's another article from aafp with a reference where the 65% study came from.
https://www.aafp.org/afp/990700ap/119.html

I can tell you I have been to places that more than half of the people I go with get really bad diarrhea, while I've never had an issue. Not coming to the conclusion that pepto bismol is the reason, but going on a trip once every few years I feel safer sticking to what has been working for me so far.

If you go to risk factors on this link it covers physically fit, age...etc
https://wikitravel.org/en/Altitude_sickness

I exercise 5-6 days a week and I don't think I have a problem running or with my lungs at all, since I exercise/run often. My wife does have ashma, but after googling for awhile it appears if anything people with ashma do better with higher alltitudes, which I'm not sure completely why.

I was thinking about getting on this product before going to see if it might help prevent anything.
https://www.swansonvitamins.com/SWC007/ItemDetail

Well your lungs are probably in fine shape if you run, but still runners can be short winded at high altitudes... this is why many runners train at high altitudes, to expand lung capacity above and beyond as well as to stimulate a higher blood hematacrit.

More red blood cells is really the answer, and iron is the main mineral upon which red blood cells are formed and red blood cells carry oxyen and the more you can carry the less sick you will feel.


it is the bismuth portion of peptobismol that does the protective work. It is antimicrobial in nature. Its the asprin part that Is of concern to me and It would not be my choice... but do as you like and feel comfortable with.
I have used homoepathic preparations of bismuth on several occasions to cure diarrheas of varous sorts.