‘Next time, I will be prepared’: Shenaz Treasurywala shares tips, remedies to manage altitude sickness in Ladakh

Back from her high-altitude trip to Ladakh and Leh, Shenaz Treasurywala recently opened up about the tough time she experienced owing to altitude sickness and how she learned about acclimatisation at 3,500 metres above sea level.
“Ladakh was a difficult one for me. I wasn’t prepared for it — thin oxygen levels that make you gasp for air, nausea, headaches! Now I know what to expect – next time, I will be prepared,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
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Further, the former VJ-turned-content creator shared some tips that helped her deal with high-altitude sickness.

 
“My heart is pumping too fast. It’s confused as usual. My oxygen levels are too low,” she had said in a video previously, also mentioning about experiencing chest pain and breathlessness.

While mild symptoms include breathlessness, nosebleeds, and headache, one can even show signs like severe headaches, coughing, nausea, disorientation, and loss of coordination if health deteriorates, according to experts.

“In order to let oxygen inside the body, the breathing rate has to increase, and the extra ventilation increases the oxygen content in the blood, but there is not much at the sea level. So therefore, the body has to adjust in order to get at higher altitudes and lower pressure to get adequate oxygen,” explained Dr Sulaiman Ladhani, consulting chest physician, MD Chest and Tuberculosis, Masina Hospital, Mumbai.
According to her, here are some tips and remedies that can come handy.
Camphor
Helps you breathe easily. Dr (Mr) Kiran Rukadikar, bariatric physician and obesity consultant, and founder of DietQueen App, said that camphor is also used as an aerosol, typically for steam inhalation, to inhibit coughing and relieve upper airway congestion due to common cold.
Ginger
Helps relieve nausea. According to Dr Rukadikar, raw ginger is 79 per cent water, 18 per cent carbohydrates, two per cent protein, and one per cent fat. “In 100 grams, raw ginger supplies 333 kilojoules (80 kilocalories) of food energy and contains moderate amounts of vitamin B6 and dietary minerals like magnesium and manganese. It is otherwise low in micronutrient content,” he said.
Shenaz Treasurywala shares the remedies that helped her in Ladakh (Source: Shenaz Treasurywala/Instagram)
Butter
Provides energy (calories) and keeps the skin and lips mourised.
Water
Keep sipping water to stay hydrated.
Oxygen
Stay in a hotel that provides you with an oxygen cylinder, advised Shenaz.
Oximeter
Keep oximeter with you to monitor oxygen levels, she said. Notably, a pulse oximeter helps to check the oxygen saturation levels. Oxygen levels should be 93 per cent or more.

Garlic
Helps in blood circulation, improves immunity, and cleanses the blood. “Garlic contains several nutrients in rich amounts, including vitamins B6 and C, and the dietary minerals manganese and phosphorus. Garlic is also a moderate source of certain B vitamins, including thiamin and pantothenic acid, as well as the dietary minerals calcium, iron, and zinc,” Dr Rukadikar said.
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