Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients
Alternative Medicine Conference Calendar
Who are we?New articlesFeatured topicsArticles onlineSubscriptionsContact us!
Check out recent tables of contents
From the Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients
April 2003
Letter to the Editor
Ginkgo for Prevention of High Altitude Illness
Brother Bernard Seif, SMC, EdD, NMD
Our April 2003 cover
Order back issues
Advertise with TLDP!
Order this issue!
Search our site

Editor:
It was a pleasure to read Tim Batchelder's excellent article called "High Altitude Adaptation, Coca Use and Health in the Andes" in the January 2003 edition of the Townsend Letter. Readers who are planning to travel to a high altitude might find the related information and clinical experience I recently gained by planning for and spending three weeks in Tibet and nearby areas, helpful to them.

A well-designed study on the effectiveness of 120 mg Ginkgo biloba twice daily at least five days prior to ascent as prophylaxis for Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) prompted me to encourage our group of fourteen pilgrims to do this and not one of us developed significant AMS. I also took Rhodiola (Hong Jing Tian) along for treatment. The Rhodiola flower flourishes at high altitudes and helps to relive AMS symptoms. A few of us who developed a headache from time to time found that a dose or two of Rhodiola relieved it.

We picked up another group of fourteen travelers from Belgium with our bus and dropped them off at their hotel. Every one of them had the nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe headaches associated with AMS — and none of them had any idea about prevention or treatment. We were happy to share with them our experience and medicine.

Readers can go to www.high-altitude-medicine.com for additional information.
(2/20/04, Webmistress note: A password is required to access this site.)

Brother Bernard Seif, SMC, EdD, NMD
Salesian Monastery
HC 1, Box 455, Frantz Road
Brodheadsville, Penn. 18322 USA
Phone/Fax 570-992-3448
monk@epix.net

References
1. Maakestad, K., Leadbetter, G., Olson, S., & Hackett, P. Ginkgo biloba reduces incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness. (Abstract) Proceedings, Wilderness Medical Society Summer Conference, Park City, Utah, August 9-12, 2000.

 

 


Visit our pre-2001 archives

Search our pre-2001 archives for further information. Older issues of the printed magazine are also indexed for your convenience.
1983-2001 indices ; 1999-Jan. 2003 indices
Once you find the magazines you'd like to order, please use our convenient form, e-mail subscriptions@townsendletter.com, or call 360.385.6021 (PST).

© 1983-2003 Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients
All rights reserved.
Web site by Sandy Hershelman Designs
February 20, 2004