Peru Prep list

The Inca capital of Cusco is 11,150 feet above sea level. That’s more than two miles high. Rapid ascent to such a height causes oxygen saturation of hemoglobin in the body to plunge — something most people will feel within moments of stepping off the plane from Lima.  Breathing and heart rate increase immediately for most people, and you’ll feel your heart beating faster. What’s happening is that there are fewer oxygen molecules per lung-full of air. In other words, a smaller percentage of hemoglobin is saturated with brain-nourishing oxygen. For most people, quicker breathing and the thumping in their chest is the worst of it, as their bodies adapt and the concentration of red blood cells increase. But for an unlucky few, that feeling of breathlessness soon spirals into a prolonged bout of pounding headache, nausea and vertigo. Acute mountain sickness, altitude sickness or “soroche” are the common names for this condition. Pisac (the retreat town) is at 9,700 feet, about 1,450 feet lower than Cusco so the altitude will decrease significantly when we get to the retreat center.  But…there are things you can and should do that can help abate, or altogether prevent, this from happening to you. 

DO:

• Do: Consult with your physician before your trip to Peru about whether you should come prepared with a prescription of acetazolamide (Diamox). Taking prophylactic doses of 125 mg twice daily, starting a full day before you travel to high altitude, will help you to metabolize the thinner air. Acetazolamide is also available over the counter in Peru for less than US$3 for 10 pills. (Be sure to choose one of Peru’s major chain pharmacies — Inkafarma, Pharmax, Boticas Arcangel, etc. — and not a Ma and Pop drug store, where adulterated or fake pharmaceuticals are often sold.)It is important to note that acetazolamide has some minor side effects, such as making your fingers, toes and cheeks tingle, and it makes carbonated drinks taste bitter and metallic. Also, acetazolamide is definitely not for everyone, including those allergic to sulfa drugs — another reason to first consult your doctor.
• Do: Consider Sorojchi High Altitude Pill, a Bolivian-made, over-the-counter remedy, containing 325 mg of aspirin, 160 mg of acetaminosalol (Salophen) and 15 mg of caffeine. For many people, a Sorojchi Pill every eight hours, particularly in combination with 400 mg of ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Nuprin), can help ward off the worst symptoms of altitude sickness.
• Do: Take it very slow and easy. Over exertion can trigger altitude sickness.
• Do: Drink copious amounts of bottled water or herbal tea.
• Do: Help yourself to Mate de Coca known as Infusión de Coca, a traditional brew made from coca leaves, a mild stimulant, to help with hydration. It is offered free in the lobby of nearly every hotel in Cusco.
• Do: Seek an oxygen tank, available in most hotels and even sold over the counter, to relieve extreme symptoms.
• Do: Travel to lower altitude if you’re suffering acute altitude sickness. The full-proof cure-all for soroche is rapid descent. The Sacred Valley, just a little more than an hour from Cusco, is more than 2000 meters lower than the city, and can provide some quick relief.

DON’T

• Don’t: Drink Mate de Coca if you are subject to drug testing at work. It can result in a false-positive urine drug screen for cocaine.
• Don’t: Eat heavy meals, which will tax your metabolism, or drink alcohol, which can dehydrate your system. Wait a day or two. The pollo a la brasa and pisco sours will still be there once you’ve acclimatized