如果預防高山症.....

高山症，或稱高山病，英文：Altitude sickness, acute mountain sickness (AMS) 是人體在高海拔狀態是急性病理變化表現。它通常出現在海拔2,500公尺以上（約8000英呎）。高山症可以發展成肺水腫(HAPE, high altitude pulmonary oedema) 和腦水腫(HACE, high altitude cerebral oedema), 嚴重時可致死。

海拔適應(Altitude acclimatisation)
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Altitude acclimatisation is the process of adjusting to decreasing oxygen levels at higher elevations, in order to avoid altitude sickness. Once above approximately 3,000 metres (10,000 feet), most climbers and high altitude trekkers follow the "golden rule" - climb high, sleep low. For high altitude climbers, a typical acclimatisation regime might be to stay a few days at a base camp, climb up to a higher camp (slowly), then return to base camp. A subsequent climb to the higher camp would then include an overnight stay. This process is then repeated a few times, each time extending the time spent at higher altitudes to let the body "get used" to the oxygen level there, a process that involves the production of additional red blood cells. Once the climber has acclimatised to a given altitude, the process is repeated with camps placed at progressively higher elevations. The general rule of thumb is to not ascend more than 300 metres (1,000 feet) per day to sleep. That is, one can climb from 3,000 (10,000 feet) to 4,500 metres (15,000 feet) in one day, but one should then descend back to 3,300 metres (11,000 feet) to sleep. This process cannot safely be rushed, and this explains why climbers need to spend days (or even weeks at times) acclimatising before attempting to climb a high peak. Simulated altitude equipment that produce hypoxic (reduced oxygen) air can be used to acclimate to altitude, reducing the total time required on the mountain itself.


治療
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Acetazolamide may help some people in speeding up the acclimatisation process and can treat mild cases of altitude sickness. For centuries, indigenous cultures of the Altiplano, such as the Aymaras, have used coca leaves to treat mild altitude sickness. Drinking plenty of water will also help in acclimatisation to replace the fluids lost through heavier breathing in the thin, dry air found at altitude, although consuming excessive quantities ("over-hydration") has no benefits.

Patients can sometimes control mild altitude sickness by consciously taking ten to twelve large, rapid breaths every five minutes. If overdone, this can remove too much carbon dioxide and cause tingling in the extremities of the body. Other treatments include injectable steroids to reduce pulmonary edema, and inflatable pressure vessels to relieve and evacuate severe mountain-sick persons.

The only real cure once symptoms appear is for the sufferer to move to a lower altitude as quickly as possible. For serious cases of AMS, a Gamow bag can be used to reduce the effective altitude by as much as 1,500 meters (5,000 feet). A Gamow bag is a portable plastic pressure bag inflated with a foot pump.

In Peru hotels on the shore of Lake Titicaca at 3,812 m (12,507 feet) offer oxygenated bedrooms at a premium charge. The same is true at the Monasterio hotel in Cuzco at the lower elevation of 3,500 m (11,500 feet)[4]. The folk remedy for altitude sickness in Peru and Bolivia is a tea made from the coca plant.