|
Post by parfive on Feb 22, 2018 15:12:28 GMT -5
Those people who live year round above 4,000 metres — Tibetans and Andeans — have over time evolved to deal with altitude. Though they are not immune to altitude sickness, they are very much happier higher up and crucially can do more work than an acclimatized non-native can.
Tibetans have been living on the Tibetan Plateau, which varies between 3,500 and 5,000 metres, for over 30,000 years. Andean tribes are considered to have been altitude dwellers for perhaps 11,000 years. These two groups have taken different evolutionary paths. Andeans have bigger lungs, more haemoglobin and more erythropoietin than sea-level dwellers. This means more air is processed to extract more oxygen. Tibetans don’t have big lungs or more haemoglobin — actually, they have a little less than people living at sea level. What they do have is more nitric oxide. They breathe faster than others at altitude, but his doesn’t result in vasoconstriction because of the high nitric oxide levels in their blood (up to 200 times higher than in the general population). Nitric oxide is a vasodilator, used as a supplement by body builders through the precursor argenine found in such foods as spinach, sesame seeds, crab and shrimp. But Tibetans have it naturally. One can read accounts online of people using nitric oxide supplements to ease altitude sickness — anecdotally, it seems to work.
The evolution of these traits probably involves a well-known aspect of living at altitude: fertility rates are lower and people don’t have so many children. Those with a slight advantage – and Tibetans have two genes associated with lower haemoglobin — will tend to proliferate. Over time. It took fifty years after Spaniards moved to the Andes for the first child of Spanish-born parents to be conceived and survive childbirth. Even among natives of Tibet, fertility is lower than elsewhere. There is a reason why high mountain areas aren’t overpopulated. This may explain the prevalence of polyandry in Tibet and other enclaves at altitude — it improves the chances of conceiving if a woman has three husbands instead of one. In a highly fertile population, a woman with many husbands would be exhausted by childbirth: in the mountains, she may need several lovers just to get pregnant.
So not only does going higher expose us to dangers, it also reduces the number of offspring we can produce — strong Darwinian reasons to stay in the valleys. And, mostly we have.
White Mountain - A Cultural Adventure Through the Himalayas By Robert Twigger
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Feb 22, 2018 15:16:28 GMT -5
I concur...moslty
i was conceived at rock bottom and i have friends in low places
|
|
NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,630
|
Post by NRG on Feb 23, 2018 20:39:45 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by melhill1659 on Feb 23, 2018 21:18:48 GMT -5
Oh My Heavens!!! Why am I just seeing this??? How are you? I would call you right now but I know you hearing me over the phone is difficult and coming down with something and care barely hear either! You Better Take Care of Yourself I WILL BE THERE IN JUNE!!!
|
|
|
Post by 1dave on Feb 27, 2018 15:19:31 GMT -5
Last week the heart attack was caused by excess fluid build up. Sunday Feb 25 there was blockage of the intermediale Ramus coronary artery for my second heart attack. They went in through my left wrist and put a stent in it and I am fine and back home again. I was intrigued with the "band-aid" they placed over the artery while drawing the wire out. It has a bubble that they pumped full of air to keep the blood in as they withdrew the wire, then used a syringe to withdraw a little air every hour, checking to see that no blood spurted out. Late in the day they were able to remove it in the evening and replace it with a regular covering. I'm not tp put a strain on the wrist for at least a week.
|
|
|
Post by MsAli on Feb 27, 2018 15:24:42 GMT -5
Last week the heart attack was caused by excess fluid build up. Sunday Feb 25 there was blockage of the intermediale Ramus coronary artery for my second heart attack. They went in through my left wrist and put a stent in it and I am fine and back home again. I was intrigued with the "band-aid" they placed over the artery while drawing the wire out. It has a bubble that they pumped full of air to keep the blood in as they withdrew the wire, then used a syringe to withdraw a little air every hour, checking to see that no blood spurted out. Late in the day they were able to remove it in the evening and replace it with a regular covering. I'm not tp put a strain on the wrist for at least a week. A 2nd Heart attack? Ok no more!!!
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Feb 27, 2018 16:03:47 GMT -5
Uugghhhhh Dave ! Those arterial blood draws are torturous
Your going through a tough time, pal And you are tough !
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Feb 27, 2018 16:18:59 GMT -5
Dave, whatever it is you have been doing to give you 2 heart attacks- QUIT! No heroics from you. I hope those are the last and that you are feelings better now.
|
|
|
Post by 1dave on Feb 27, 2018 19:12:52 GMT -5
Uugghhhhh Dave ! Those arterial blood draws are torturous Your going through a tough time, pal And you are tough ! Thanks for noticing i am tough - but you mis-spelled it. It is DUMB.
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Feb 27, 2018 20:09:39 GMT -5
hhhhhmmmmmm….. try not to be so hard on yourself that is-- if I’m reading ya right
besides you have no corner on dumb geez I’m the end result of lots of dum dum…mostly
Take the best care ya can ! Ed
|
|
Win
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2017
Posts: 336
|
Post by Win on Feb 28, 2018 12:44:07 GMT -5
You've just got to keep testing the Southern Utah medical community. Glad they can keep fixing you up. Wishing you the best, heal quick!
|
|