Health TLDRLSS

What Does Headache Have to Do with What You Eat? Which Foods Trigger Migraines? What to Eat to Prevent Headaches? Supplementing Magnesium, Vitamin B2, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids Helps Prevent Headaches! Taking Too Much Pain Relievers Can Actually Make It Worse!

Sun, 24 May 2026 17:45:00 +0800

When a headache strikes, is your first move to look for pain relievers?

In fact, in the fight against tension headaches, migraines, and cluster headaches, the food we eat every day also plays a crucial role.

Which Foods Trigger Migraines?

A lot of times, headaches are what we “eat” ourselves into.

For migraine sufferers, certain foods are like invisible switches; eating them can trigger a painful attack within a few hours.

Common trigger foods:

Trigger Type	Foods	Possible Mechanism
Tyramine-rich	Aged cheese, fermented foods, pickled items	Tyramine promotes vasodilation, stimulating nerves
Nitrate-rich	Sausages, bacon, ham, and other processed meats	Nitrates cause dilation of blood vessels in the brain
Caffeine (Excess)	Large amounts of coffee, energy drinks	Excessive caffeine leads to rebound headaches
Alcohol	Red wine (contains histamine and tyramine), beer	Promotes vasodilation and dehydration
Artificial Additives	MSG, artificial sweeteners (aspartame)	May overstimulate nerves
Chocolate	Dark chocolate, products with high cocoa content	Contains tyramine and phenylethylamine

Not every migraine sufferer is sensitive to the same foods; everyone’s trigger list is different

Some people can eat cheese with no problems at all, while others start feeling a dull ache just from smelling MSG.

So, instead of memorizing a “do-not-eat list,” it is better to identify your own actual triggers by keeping a food diary.

What Can You Eat to Help Prevent Headaches?

Since there are trigger foods, are there “good foods” that can help prevent headaches?

Nutrient	Food Sources	How It Helps Headaches
Magnesium	Dark green vegetables, nuts, whole grains, bananas	Stabilizes nerve transmission and reduces vasospasm
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)	Milk, eggs, mushrooms, almonds	Improves brain energy metabolism, reducing migraine frequency
Omega-3 Fatty Acids	Salmon, mackerel, flaxseeds, walnuts	Anti-inflammatory, reducing neuropathic pain
Water	Plain water, sugar-free tea	Prevents dehydration headaches
Coenzyme Q10	Mackerel, broccoli, spinach	Improves mitochondrial function, stabilizing brain energy supply

Staying hydrated is the most easily overlooked preventive measure; mild dehydration is enough to trigger a headache.

Many people get busy and don’t drink water all day, and by the afternoon, a dull ache sets in. Developing the habit of drinking water regularly is the simplest and most effective way to prevent headaches.

Why Is Magnesium Particularly Important for Migraines?

Studies have found that many migraine sufferers have low magnesium levels in their bodies. Magnesium can:

Stabilize the excitability of nerve cells, preventing excessive discharge
Help muscles relax, reducing the occurrence of tension headaches
Reduce the cortical spreading depression phenomenon that triggers migraines

Getting enough magnesium (recommended 300-400 mg daily for adults) from your diet helps significantly reduce the frequency of migraine attacks.

Proper Medication Use for Three Types of Headaches

When dietary adjustments are not enough and a headache strikes, proper medical treatment is still necessary.

Headache Type	Acute Treatment Medication	When to Use
Tension Headache	`Acetaminophen` or `Ibuprofen` (OTC pain relievers)	Take as early as possible when the headache begins
Migraine	`Triptans`	The earlier you take it after pulsating pain appears, the better the effect
Cluster Headache	Oxygen therapy or fast-acting triptans (nasal spray/injection)	Use immediately during an attack; oral medication is usually too slow

The most important principle for pain relievers: take them early

Many people tolerate the pain until they can’t bear it anymore before taking medication, but pain relievers actually work best when taken within the first 30 minutes of a headache’s onset.

Once the pain has fully developed, the same dosage often fails to suppress it.

What Is Preventive Medication?

If migraines occur more than 4 times a month, or severely affect your quality of life, a physician may recommend using preventive medication.

Preventive medications must be taken regularly every day, not just when you feel pain
It usually takes 2-3 months of use to see significant results
The goal is to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks, not to eliminate headaches entirely

Taking Too Many Pain Relievers Can Actually Make It Worse?

“Medication Overuse Headache” is a new type of headache caused by using pain relievers too frequently, trapping you in a vicious cycle of more pain and more pills.

Diagnostic criteria:

Medication Type	Definition of Overuse
General Pain Relievers (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen)	Used more than 15 days a month
Triptans	Used more than 10 days a month
Combination Pain Relievers (containing caffeine or opioids)	Used more than 10 days a month

Once caught in this cycle, the only solution is to gradually reduce medication under a doctor’s guidance.

Headaches may temporarily worsen in the early stages of withdrawal, but once you get through it, the frequency of headaches usually drops significantly.

Principles of Proper Medication Use

Do not wait until the pain is unbearable to take pain relievers, but also do not take them at the first sign of slight discomfort
Limit the use of pain relievers to no more than 2-3 days a week
If you find yourself taking them more and more frequently, you should discuss preventive treatment with a doctor as early as possible
Do not increase the dose on your own; if a standard dose is ineffective, it means you need to switch medications, not increase the dosage

Build Your Headache Defense Line Starting from Diet

We have more weapons against headaches than we think.

Dimension	Action Suggestions
Record Diet	Keep a food diary to identify your own trigger foods
Supplement Nutrition	Consume more foods rich in magnesium, vitamin B2, and Omega-3
Stay Hydrated	Drink water regularly every day; do not wait until you are thirsty
Correct Medication	Take pain relievers early, but avoid overuse
Seek Help	Discuss the possibility of preventive treatment with a doctor if headaches occur frequently

Don’t let headaches control your dining table. Starting from your next meal, build your defense line through what you eat.

Reference

How to Relieve Headaches? How to Handle Tension, Migraine, and Cluster Headaches? How to Prevent Recurring Migraines in Daily Life? Keeping a Headache Diary Really Works!

Sun, 24 May 2026 15:40:00 +0800

Do you feel like the entire world is spinning every time a headache strikes? Did taking pain relievers seem to have no effect?

In fact, different types of headaches require different coping methods. The three most common headaches— tension headaches , migraines , and cluster headaches —have completely different relief and prevention strategies. Using the wrong method not only fails but might also make things worse.

Three Headaches, Three Different Coping Strategies

We can adopt different coping strategies for different types of headaches:

Headache Type	Relief Method	Best Timing
Tension Headache	Apply hot compress to neck and shoulders to relax muscles, do stretching exercises, or drink a cup of warm water	When feeling a tight band around the head or neck stiffness
Migraine	Rest in a dark, quiet room, apply cold compress to forehead, or consume a moderate amount of caffeine	Unilateral throbbing pain, accompanied by nausea and light sensitivity
Cluster Headache	Seek medical help immediately; doctors may use pure oxygen therapy or prescribe fast-acting medications	Severe pain around one eye, accompanied by tearing

Relief methods for tension headaches and migraines are almost opposites

Tension headaches are suited for hot compresses to relax tight muscles, whereas migraines are suited for cold compresses to help blood vessels constrict. Getting them mixed up not only offers no help but might also worsen the pain.

First-Aid Tips During a Migraine Attack

When a migraine strikes, besides cold compresses and retreating to a dark room, here are a few tips:

A moderate amount of caffeine helps constrict blood vessels and can slightly ease the discomfort
Avoid bending over or lowering your head, as these postures will aggravate the throbbing sensation
If you have pain relievers on hand, take them right when the pain starts; waiting until it becomes unbearable usually results in poor efficacy

How to Prevent Migraines in Daily Life?

Beyond finding relief when the pain strikes, we can actually take the initiative in our daily lives to prevent headaches from occurring.

Migraines often have specific “triggers”, and everyone’s “landmines” are slightly different.

Common triggering factors include:

Trigger Type	Common Triggers
Lifestyle Habits	Insufficient sleep, staying up late, oversleeping, high stress
Environmental Factors	Weather changes, bright light stimulation, noisy environments
Dietary Factors	Alcohol, foods containing tyramine (cheese, chocolate), MSG
Hormones	Menstrual cycle fluctuations

If you want to avoid frequent migraine attacks, the most important step is to identify your exclusive triggers.

Keep a Headache Diary to Identify Your Personal Triggers

You might think: “How do I know what my triggers are?”

The answer is a headache diary.

Every time a headache strikes, record the following information:

Recorded Items	Examples
Onset Time	After waking up in the morning, during work in the afternoon
Pain Location & Sensation	Throbbing at the left temple, tight feeling across the entire head
Duration	2 hours, half a day
Sleep the Night Before	Slept for only 5 hours, slept for over 10 hours
Diet on the Day	Drank red wine, ate chocolate
Weather & Environment	Rainy day, muggy weather
Stress Level	Rushing a report, arguing with a colleague

After continuously recording for 2-3 months, you will gradually see patterns emerge

For example, you might find that you get a migraine every time the day after staying up late, or it strikes every time after eating cheese with red wine.

Once you know where your triggers are, you can consciously avoid them.

A Structured Routine is the Best Preventive Medicine

After identifying your triggers, the next step is to adjust your lifestyle habits.

Prevention Strategy	Concrete Actions
Regular Routine	Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends
Moderate Exercise	Regular aerobic exercise (such as walking, swimming) can stabilize the nervous system
Adequate Hydration	Mild dehydration can also trigger headaches; drink enough water every day
Stress Management	Learn relaxation techniques to prevent stress from continuously building up

“Weekend migraines” are indeed real

Some people don’t experience pain when daily stress is high, but instead, a migraine strikes as soon as the weekend begins. This occurs because the body suddenly switches from a high-stress state to a relaxed state, and the nervous system fails to adapt in time.

Therefore, maintain a similar sleep schedule on weekends; do not suddenly sleep in until noon.

When to See a Doctor for Frequent Headaches?

If headaches have severely affected your quality of life, do not just tough it out on your own.

Frequently taking pain relievers might trigger “medication overuse headaches”, trapping you in a vicious cycle of more pain and more pills.

It is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible in the following situations:

Headaches occurring more than 15 days a month
Pain relievers become less effective, requiring increased doses to control the pain
The pattern of the headache suddenly changes (e.g., from a dull ache to a sharp, intense throbbing)
Severely impacts work, social life, and daily activities

A neurologist can evaluate whether you need preventive medications to fundamentally reduce the frequency of attacks, rather than just taking pain relievers every time it hurts.

Long-Term Strategies for Living with Headaches

Although headaches are annoying, as long as we understand their patterns, we can gradually regain control of our lives.

Strategy	Key Takeaway
Understand Your Headache Type	Clarify whether it is tension, migraine, or cluster to use the right method
Keep a Headache Diary	Continuously track to find your personal triggers; everyone’s triggers are slightly different
Adjust Lifestyle Habits	Regular routine, moderate exercise, and adequate hydration
Use Medications Correctly	Do not over-rely on pain relievers; seek preventive treatment when necessary

Don’t let headaches control your life; starting to understand them is the first step to reclaiming control.

Reference

Different 'Headache Locations' Mean Different 'Headache Types'? How to Know if It's 'Tension Headache', 'Migraine', or 'Cluster Headache'? Preliminarily Determine Headache Causes from 'Where It Hurts'!

Sun, 24 May 2026 13:10:00 +0800

Is your temple throbbing, the back of your head tight, or does your whole head feel like it’s wearing a tight headband? Have you noticed that the location of your headache seems to be different every time?

In fact, you can preliminarily determine which type of headache you have simply from “where it hurts.”

Different Locations, Different Headache Types

There are many types of headaches, but the locations where they strike often follow a pattern. By dividing headaches roughly into three areas, it will be much easier for you to identify yours.

Tightness in the Whole Head or Back of the Head: Tension Headache

This is the most common type of headache, experienced by about 70% of people.

It feels as if an invisible band is wrapped around your forehead to the back of your head, squeezing your entire head tightly. The pain is described as a dull, pressing ache rather than a throbbing pain that pulses like a heartbeat.

Feature	Description
Location	The entire head, especially the back of the head and both temples
Sensation	A pressing sensation like being tightly wrapped in a bandage
Intensity	Mild to moderate, usually does not affect daily activities
Common Triggers	High stress, lack of sleep, staring at screens for too long, tight neck and shoulder muscles

Tension headache, while not extremely severe, is so common that its cumulative impact on quality of life should not be underestimated.

Throbbing Pain on One or Both Sides: Migraine

The name migraine is slightly misleading because it doesn’t necessarily only hurt on one side.

A typical migraine features a throbbing pain that pulses like a heartbeat, and it often comes along with a group of accompanying symptoms.

Feature	Description
Location	Mostly starts at one temple and sometimes spreads to the entire head
Sensation	Throbbing pain, like blood vessels pulsing
Intensity	Moderate to severe, making you just want to lie down and not move
Accompanying Symptoms	Nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound
Duration	Lasts from 4 to 72 hours

Some people experience a phenomenon called an “aura” about 20 to 60 minutes before a migraine attacks, such as sudden flashes of light, zigzagging bright lines, or temporary blind spots in their field of vision.

If you have experienced this, it is almost certain to be a migraine.

Severe Pain Around the Eye Socket: Cluster Headache

Cluster headache is relatively rare, but the level of pain is so extreme that it is nicknamed the “suicide headache.” Just the name alone tells you how agonizing it is.

Feature	Description
Location	Concentrated in one eye socket or around the eye socket
Sensation	Like a red-hot iron nail piercing into the eye
Intensity	Extremely severe, making it impossible to stay still
Accompanying Symptoms	Tearing in the eye on the same side, conjunctival congestion, nasal congestion or runny nose, drooping eyelid
Duration	15 minutes to 3 hours per episode, recurring repeatedly over several weeks

Cluster headache has a peculiar pattern: it likes to strike at a fixed time, especially in the middle of the night or early morning, waking you up on time like an alarm clock.

Looking at Location Isn’t Enough? These Clues Are Also Key

Location is indeed a great starting point for identifying headache types, but it is not the only basis.

Migraines can sometimes hurt on both sides, and tension headaches occasionally concentrate on only one side. How can you distinguish them further? In addition to “where it hurts,” you should also combine these three observation dimensions.

What Does the Pain “Feel” Like?

Pain Sensation	Possible Headache Type
Dull, pressing, like being squeezed	Tension Headache
Throbbing, pulsing like a heartbeat	Migraine
Sharp piercing, like being stabbed	Cluster Headache

Are There Accompanying Symptoms?

This is often the most powerful clue to distinguish headache types.

Symptoms	Possible Headache Type
Stiff neck and shoulders, pressure on both temples	Typical combination of `tension headache`
Nausea, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound	Almost a unique signature of `migraine`
Tearing on the same side, nasal congestion, facial sweating	Pointing towards `cluster headache`

How Long Does It Last? How Often Does It Occur?

Headache Type	Single Episode Duration	Attack Frequency
Tension Headache	30 minutes to several days	Occasional or almost daily
Migraine	4 to 72 hours	Several times a month
Cluster Headache	15 minutes to 3 hours	Frequent attacks for several weeks, then disappearing for several months

Putting the four dimensions of location + sensation + accompanying symptoms + temporal pattern together is like a jigsaw puzzle; the profile of your headache will become clearer and clearer.

Next Time You Have a Headache, Observe Before You Act

When a headache strikes, don’t rush to swallow pills. Take a few seconds to feel it:

Where does it hurt? How does it hurt? Are there any other sensations?

This will not only help you find a more suitable way to relieve it,

A tension headache might be relieved by relaxing your neck and shoulders
A migraine requires resting quietly in a dark, quiet room

If you really need to see a doctor, these observation records can also provide more precise clues, helping you get rid of headache troubles sooner.

Your body is constantly talking to you through “pain.” Learning to understand its language is the very first step to taking care of yourself.

Reference

What to Do for a Severe Headache? How to Relieve Headache Pain? Pain Relievers Are Not a Cure-All; Taking Them Wrong Can Make It Worse! Don't Treat All Headaches Lightly, and Don't Scare Yourself Every Time! Watch Out for These Headache Warning Signs You Can't Ignore!

Sun, 24 May 2026 12:05:00 +0800

Everyone has experienced a headache, and that feeling as if your head is about to explode is truly unbearable.

Working all day with a stiff neck and shoulders, staring at a screen for too long with sore eyes, or even not sleeping well the night before—a headache can suddenly come knocking just like that.

When a headache strikes, what else can we do besides reaching for pain relievers? And what are the danger signals that absolutely cannot be delayed?

Practical Methods for Headache Relief

For the most common tension headaches (caused by tight neck and shoulder muscles) and fatigue-induced headaches, there are actually a few drug-free tips to relieve the pain:

Hot and Cold Compresses: Choose the Right Method Based on the Pain Type

Headache Type	Recommended Method	Reason
Tension Headache	Hot compress on neck, shoulders, and back of the head	Relaxes tight muscles and fascia
Migraine	Cold compress on forehead or temples	Reduces the throbbing sensation caused by local vasodilation

A simple way to judge: If your pain is a tightness like the whole head is being squeezed, try a hot compress; if it is throbbing on one side, a cold compress is usually more comfortable.

Stay Away from Stimuli: Give Your Brain a Quiet Environment

Headache发作时，你的大脑处在 过度敏感 的状态。

Bright lights, loud noises, and blue light from phone screens will all multiply and amplify your discomfort.

Find a quiet, dark space and close your eyes to rest for 15 to 30 minutes—this is often much more efficient than pushing through and continuing to work.

Hydrate and Get a Moderate Amount of Caffeine

Have you ever noticed that after being busy all day and forgetting to drink water, your head starts to throb in the afternoon?

Mild dehydration is an easily overlooked cause of headaches. When the body lacks water, blood flow to the brain decreases, triggering a pain alarm. Try slowly drinking 300 to 500 ml of room-temperature water and observe for 20 minutes to see if there is improvement.

A moderate amount of caffeine can also help slightly constrict blood vessels, which has a certain soothing effect in the early stages of a migraine. However, note the word “moderate”—a cup of black coffee is enough. Drinking too much will make you even more sensitive.

Acupressure and Stretching

Using your thumbs to press the Fengchi acupoint (GB20, the depressions on both sides of the hairline at the back of the head) and the Hegu acupoint (LI4, the highest point of the tiger’s mouth) for 30 seconds to 1 minute each time can help relieve tension in the head, neck, and shoulders.

Combined with gentle neck stretches, slowly tilting your head to both sides will produce even better results.

Pain Relievers Are Not a Cure-All: Taking Them Wrong Makes It Worse

Taking pain relievers is the fastest way to relieve pain, and that is fine. But did you know? The timing and frequency of taking them is the real key.

Best Timing for Taking Medication

Pain relievers are best taken as soon as you start to feel a headache coming on. Waiting until you are sweating from intense, unbearable pain to swallow a pill will usually significantly reduce its effectiveness.

This is because once the pain signals are “amplified” to a certain level in the nervous system, simple pain relievers will have a hard time pressing them back down.

“Medication Overuse Headaches” Are Very Real

If you take pain relievers for more than 10 to 15 days per month, your body may develop a paradoxical reaction where the medicine meant to stop the pain actually becomes the cause of the headache.

Scenario	Risk
Taking pain relievers more than 15 days a month	Highly likely to trigger medication overuse headaches
Taking them 10 to 14 days a month	Already in the warning zone
Taking them less than 10 days a month	Normal range of use

This condition is medically known as Medication Overuse Headache (MOH), which can turn occasional headaches into a daily painful struggle.

If you find yourself becoming increasingly reliant on pain relievers, please talk to a doctor about alternative solutions.

Understand Which Category Your Headache Belongs to First

Most headaches people experience do not have a clear “medical cause” and are medically classified as primary headaches.

Classification	Definition	Common Types
Primary Headache	The headache itself is the disease, not caused by other conditions	Tension headache, Migraine, Cluster headache
Secondary Headache	The headache is a “symptom” of another disease	Headaches caused by brain hemorrhage, meningitis, or brain tumor

Primary headaches account for more than 90% of all headaches. Although uncomfortable, they are usually not life-threatening.

So why do we need to specifically mention secondary headaches? Because although they are rare, they can be alarms sounded by serious conditions like brain hemorrhages, infections, or tumors.

And the difference between the two sometimes cannot be determined just by how much it hurts; what you need to pay attention to are other symptoms accompanying the headache.

ER Immediately

If your headache matches any of the following, please drop everything and seek immediate medical attention:

“Thunderclap Headache”: Pain That Explodes Suddenly

Reaching the most severe headache level of your life within seconds to a minute, as if something exploded in your head. This condition, known as a Thunderclap Headache, may indicate a subarachnoid hemorrhage or a ruptured brain aneurysm—every minute is a race against time.

Headache Accompanied by “Neurological Symptoms”

If your headache is accompanied by any of the following conditions, it means something serious might be happening in your brain:

Sudden weakness or numbness in your hands or feet
Slurred speech or inability to speak
Blurred consciousness, drowsiness, or difficulty waking up
Sudden vision deterioration or double vision
Unsteady gait or inability to stand

Headache Accompanied by Signs of Infection

Fever + Headache + Stiff neck—the simultaneous appearance of these three is a classic manifestation of meningitis and requires emergency treatment.

Special Considerations for Age and Medical History

Condition	Description
Experiencing a severe headache for the first time after the age of 50	Need to rule out possibilities like temporal arteritis or tumors
Cancer patients developing a new pattern of headaches	Need to rule out brain metastasis
Ongoing, worsening headache after a head injury	Could be a subdural hemorrhage

These situations are not things you can just “wait and see.”

It is better to go to the ER and find out it was a false alarm than to miss the golden window of treatment.

Don’t Treat All Headaches Lightly, and Don’t Scare Yourself Every Time

The most practical attitude toward headaches is:

Learn self-soothing methods while knowing when to call for help.

Most of the time, a glass of water, a quiet rest, or medication taken at the right time is all it takes to get you back to your normal rhythm.

But if your headache is a sudden explosive pain, carries neurological symptoms, or is combined with fever and a stiff neck, then don’t tough it out—let professional medical staff make the call.

Relax when it’s time to relax, and seek medical attention decisively when needed. Take good care of your head so it can continue to work well for you.

Reference

Is Your "Migraine" Actually a Migraine? Migraine is a Disease Name, Not Just "Headache on One Side"! The Most Common Everyday Headache is Tension Headache!

Sun, 24 May 2026 12:00:00 +0800

Have you ever experienced this: you went to the doctor and said you had a "migraine," only for the doctor to finish the consultation and say, "This isn’t a migraine"?

What exactly is a real migraine? And why is it different from what we imagine?

The Name "Migraine" is Actually Quite Misleading

Many people tell doctors in clinics, "I have a migraine—my head hurts on the right (or left) side."

Sounds reasonable, right? Since ‘Migraine’ in Chinese literally means ‘one-sided headache,’ shouldn’t it be a one-sided headache?

The probability of a migraine being on one side is only about 60%—at best, just a bit more than half.

Migraine pain can occur on both sides, at the back of the head, or even constantly change locations.

Some people clearly feel pain right in the middle but are diagnosed with migraines, making them think, "Did the doctor make a mistake?" This is truly a huge misunderstanding.

Migraine is a "Disease Name," Not a "Symptom Description"

The Taiwan Headache Society used a great analogy: just as the "White House" does not refer to just any white palace, but specifically to the office of the President of the United States;

Migraine is a formal diagnostic name for a specific disease, and it has no necessary connection to having a headache on only one side.

Migraine is a neurological disease that has a clear set of diagnostic criteria established by the International Headache Society.

Unilateral headache is just one of the possible features, not the sole basis for judgment.

So, What Does a Real Migraine Actually Look Like?

Since we cannot judge solely by "which side hurts," how can you know if you have a migraine?

According to the diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3), a migraine must meet the following conditions:

Condition	Description
Attacks	At least 5 attacks fulfilling the following characteristics
Duration	Lasting 4 to 72 hours (when untreated or unsuccessfully treated)
Pain Characteristics (at least 2)	Unilateral location, pulsating quality, moderate or severe pain intensity, aggravation by or causing avoidance of routine physical activity
Associated Symptoms (at least 1)	Nausea and/or vomiting, photophobia (sensitivity to light) and phonophobia (sensitivity to sound)

Common Experiences During a Migraine Attack

During a migraine attack, you might experience:

Symptom	Description
Pulsating Throbbing Pain	Pulsating, throbbing pain like a heartbeat, throbbing one beat at a time with your pulse
Nausea and Vomiting	Even actual vomiting in severe cases
Photophobia and Phonophobia	Normal light and sound will make you even more uncomfortable
Pain Aggravated by Activity	Walking or climbing stairs makes the headache worse, making you want to just lie quietly in a dark room

Furthermore, this pain can last from several hours to several days once it starts, severely affecting daily routines and work.

Some People Also Experience "Aura"

About 10% to 20% of migraine sufferers experience neurological warning signals before the headache starts:

Flashing spots of light or wavy shadows in the field of vision
Feeling numbness or weakness on one side of the body
Sudden slurred speech or difficulty speaking

These aura symptoms usually develop over 20 to 30 minutes, followed closely by the onset of the headache.

If It’s Not a Migraine, What is My Usual Headache?

After hearing the description of migraine, you might think: "So what’s going on when I get a headache from stress or poor sleep?"

The vast majority of headaches we encounter in daily life are tension headaches (also known as tension-type headaches).

Various studies show that 30% to 78% of the general population will experience at least one tension headache in their lifetime.

Migraine vs. Tension Headache

These two types of headaches are often confused, but the differences are quite distinct:

Comparison	Migraine	Tension Headache
Pain Sensation	Pulsating throbbing pain (throbbing like a heartbeat)	Tightness, pressure (like a band squeezing the head)
Pain Location	Unilateral or bilateral, may shift	Usually both sides of the head, forehead, or back of the head
Severity	Moderate to severe	Mild to moderate
Duration	4 to 72 hours	30 minutes to several days
Nausea/Vomiting	Common	Rare
Sensitivity to Light/Sound	Common	Rare
Physical Activity	Aggravated by physical activity	Usually unaffected or slightly relieved by activity

Tension headaches are mostly related to stress, fatigue, poor posture, or muscle tension. Resting a bit and relaxing your neck and shoulders usually helps.

In comparison, migraines present much stronger pain, come with more symptoms, and have a greater impact on life.

Why Do We Need to Distinguish Between Headache Types?

You might think: "I’ll just take painkillers for a headache anyway, why bother telling them apart?"

This line of thinking is actually quite dangerous.

The Treatments Are Completely Different

Headache Type	Common Treatments
Tension Headache	General pain relievers (like Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen), muscle relaxants, lifestyle adjustments
Migraine	May require specific Triptans, and severe cases might need CGRP inhibitors or preventive treatment

Migraine has its own exclusive treatments and strategies, which are vastly different from how general headaches are managed.

If you treat a migraine as a common headache, the results will likely be poor, and it will keep recurring.

Overusing Painkillers Makes It Worse

Overusing pain relievers long-term can actually trigger "medication overuse headaches", making headaches more frequent and harder to treat.

Among chronic migraine sufferers, many unknowingly develop a dependency on painkillers, falling into a vicious cycle of "the more they hurt, the more they take, and the more they take, the more they hurt."

Long-term Risks of Ignoring Migraines

If you suffer from migraines and continue to ignore them without proper management:

Migraine can progress from occasional attacks to chronic migraine (headaches occurring 15 or more days per month for more than 3 months)
Long-term migraine sufferers face a higher risk of depression and anxiety
Migraine is also one of the top three causes of workplace productivity loss worldwide

Don’t Let the Name "Migraine" Fool You Anymore

Next time you get a headache, why not take a few seconds to observe:

Is it a dull tightness, or is it throbbing along with your heartbeat? Do you feel nauseous? Is the light exceptionally glaring?

These tiny details can help you understand your headache better and provide the doctor with more precise clues when you seek medical care.

If your headaches are frequent enough to affect your life, please don’t just endure it with painkillers. Consult a specialist in neurology for a proper diagnosis. Identifying the exact type of headache is the only way to treat it effectively and free yourself from its grip.

Reference

Why Does Eating Too Salty Lead to Stroke? How Sodium Destroys Blood Vessels Step by Step? Do Smoking and Staying Up Late Also Damage Vessels? What Oil to Protect Vessels? When Eating Out, Remember 'Drink Less Soup, Dip Less Sauce, Drink More Water'! Use Good Oil, Eat More Deep-Sea Fish, Daily Fruits & Veggies, More Whole Grains Less Refined to Protect Vessels and Avoid Stroke!

Sat, 23 May 2026 21:50:00 +0800

A bowl of seemingly harmless rich ramen soup might be the invisible killer pushing you step by step toward a stroke crisis.

Many people think stroke is a disease that only happens when you get old, but blood vessel health is accumulated through what we eat and our lifestyle habits every day.

Why Does Eating Too Salty Lead to Stroke?

We often say eating too salty is bad, but how exactly do we go from “eating salty” to having a “stroke”?

Sodium does not directly block brain blood vessels, but rather stretches them to the point of breaking.

The Three Steps of How Sodium Destroys Blood Vessels

Step	What Happens in the Body	Simple Explanation
Step 1	A large amount of `sodium` enters the blood, drawing water from surrounding tissues into vessels	Just like feeling extremely thirsty after eating salty crackers, your blood vessels are also drinking water crazily
Step 2	The volume of water in vessels surges, and the pressure on vessel walls spikes instantly	The original 5-liter pipe is filled with 6 or 7 liters, so the pressure naturally goes off the charts
Step 3	Chronic high pressure damages vessel walls, builds up plaque, and makes them hard and brittle	Finally, the vessels either get completely blocked (ischemic stroke) or burst (hemorrhagic stroke)

Two Fatal Outcomes of High-Pressure Blood Vessels

Type	What Happens
Ischemic Stroke	Plaque (fatty deposits) on vessel walls is torn off by high-pressure blood flow, and the debris travels to narrower brain vessels, completely blocking them
Hemorrhagic Stroke	Brain vessels become hard and brittle under long-term high pressure. One day when blood pressure spikes again (due to anger, straining to defecate, or sudden weather changes), the brittle vessel bursts directly

What Are the Invisible High-Sodium Traps for Dining Out?

Many people say: “I don’t usually feel that the food I eat is salty?”

But many foods that do not taste salty are actually “invisible sodium kings”:

Food Type	Why is the Sodium Content High
Processed Flour Products	Noodles, toast, and bread have large amounts of `salt` added during production to increase chewiness
Hot Pot and Soups	Shacha sauce, bean paste, as well as seemingly light meatball soup and broth, have `sodium` contents that are scarily high
Sauces and Pickles	Thick soy sauce, ketchup, pickled vegetables, and candied fruits are all disaster zones of `high sodium`

It is recommended that adults do not exceed 2,400 mg of sodium per day (equivalent to about 6 grams of table salt).

When eating out, remember: “Drink less soup, dip less sauce, and drink more water to flush out sodium.”

Beyond Diet, What Lifestyle Habits Are Also Damaging Blood Vessels?

Eating too salty is only one of the reasons. Modern lifestyles often inflict multiple blows on our blood vessels.

The Invisible Accomplices of Blood Vessels

Lifestyle Habit	How It Damages Blood Vessels
Smoking	Nicotine directly destroys blood vessel lining, making them lose elasticity and contract violently. Smokers’ stroke risk is 2-4 times that of non-smokers
Staying Up Late & Stress	Stress hormones keep blood vessels constantly tense, keeping blood pressure high over time
Lack of Exercise	Sedentary behavior slows metabolism, causing fat accumulation that triggers chronic inflammation and accelerates arterial hardening
Excessive Alcohol	Binge drinking causes blood pressure to fluctuate wildly, increasing the risk of hemorrhagic stroke

If you don’t quit smoking, eating all the vessel-protecting foods in the world is in vain.

What Oil Should You Eat to Protect Blood Vessels?

Blood vessels are most afraid of saturated fat (fatty meat, butter, palm oil) and trans fat (fried chicken, pastries). They increase bad cholesterol in the blood, accelerating plaque buildup on vessel walls.

Dietary Strategies to Protect Blood Vessels

Strategy	How to Do It	Benefits to Blood Vessels
Switch to Good Oil	Use olive oil, camellia oil, or canola oil for cooking	Rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, acting like sweepers to reduce bad cholesterol
Eat Deep-Sea Fish	2 times a week of mackerel, saury, or salmon	`Omega-3` (EPA/DHA) is a natural vessel anti-inflammatory agent, reducing blood clot formation
Daily Fruits & Veggies	Spinach, water spinach, bananas, guavas	`Potassium` helps excrete excess `sodium`, acting as a natural pressure reducer
More Whole Grains	Replace some white rice with oats, brown rice, or sweet potatoes	Soluble fiber binds cholesterol in the gut and flushes it out of the body

How Does Omega-3 in Deep-Sea Fish Protect Blood Vessels?

Omega-3 protects blood vessels on multiple levels:

Effect	Explanation
Anti-inflammatory	Reduces chronic inflammatory responses in blood vessel walls
Lower Triglycerides	Makes blood less “greasy”
Inhibit Platelet Aggregation	Prevents blood clot formation from the source

If you rarely eat deep-sea fish, supplementing with high-purity fish oil is a good alternative.

It is recommended to choose products with higher EPA concentration for better blood vessel protection.

How Does Exercise Protect Blood Vessels?

The benefits of exercise on blood vessels go beyond just “burning calories.”

During exercise, blood vessels secrete a substance called nitric oxide (NO).

Nitric oxide is a natural relaxant for blood vessels, helping them expand, lower blood pressure, and restore elasticity.

You don’t need to work out to exhaustion. Brisk walking for 30 minutes daily—to the point where your heart rate increases, you sweat slightly, and you can talk but cannot sing—is absolutely perfect.

The Vessel-Protecting Effects of Exercise

Effect	Explanation
Release Nitric Oxide	Helps vessels expand and relax, restoring elasticity
Lower Blood Pressure	Regular exercise helps steadily lower resting blood pressure
Improve Blood Lipids	Raises good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL)
Control Weight	Reduces visceral fat, lowering chronic inflammation

Why Are Winter and Temperature Differences the Arch-Enemies of Blood Vessels?

In addition to daily maintenance, changes in the external environment are also vessel killers.

Many people have mild arterial hardening but feel fine daily, yet suffer a sudden stroke when the temperature drops abruptly.

A temperature difference that is too large causes blood vessels to contract violently in an instant, making it a high-risk moment for acute stroke.

Protective Practices for Different Seasons

Scenario	What to Do	Why It Matters
Waking Up in Winter	Move your hands and feet under the blanket first, and put on a coat before getting out of bed	Prevents sudden cold air on skin from causing rapid contraction of vessels
Showering in Winter	Warm up your hands and feet with water first; do not splash water directly on your head at the start	Prevents hot water from hitting the chest directly, causing a violent reaction in vessels
A/C in Summer	Do not rush directly into a cold A/C room when sweating profusely	Wild swings between hot and cold are unbearable for blood vessels
Defecation	Eat more high-fiber foods; do not strain or hold your breath excessively on the toilet	Straining and holding breath can cause blood pressure to spike past the danger limit instantly

Is Taking Prescribed Medication More Important Than Supplements?

Yes, taking medication on time is always more important than supplements.

Patients with the “three highs” often have a misconception:

They feel “I have no symptoms, and my blood pressure is normal now,” so they stop taking medication on their own.

But blood pressure is normal because it is controlled by medication. Stopping medication at will causes blood pressure to spike like a roller coaster, which makes a stroke more likely to occur.

Practice	Importance
Take Prescribed Meds on Time	Stable control of the three highs is the first line of defense against stroke
Measure Blood Pressure Regularly	Aim to keep it below 130/80 mmHg
Regular Health Checkups	For those over 40, add a carotid ultrasound to detect vascular crises early

Protecting blood vessels and staying away from stroke does not require magic potions.

Drinking one less sip of salty soup, walking a few more steps, and going to bed early is the best investment for your body.

Reference

Why Do Blood Vessels Prefer Low Sodium and High Potassium? Does Low Sodium Cause Heat Stroke, and Does Excess Sodium Suffocate Blood Vessels? Can Drinking Only Plain Water Cause 'Water Intoxication'? Besides Sodium and Potassium, What Other Electrolytes Does the Body Need? How to Safely Replenish After Sweating? Learn to Protect Blood Vessels in Daily Life to Stay Away from Stroke and Cardiovascular Diseases!

Sat, 23 May 2026 17:40:00 +0800

We often hear doctors earnestly advise: “Keep it low sodium and high potassium; it’s best for your cardiovascular health!”

But have you ever wondered why drinking only plain water after sweating heavily in summer can instead trigger headaches, cramps, or even fainting?

This is actually a strong warning signal from the body for “low sodium.”

Blood vessels prefer low sodium, but the body absolutely cannot do without sodium.

This seemingly contradictory relationship is the most interesting and important lesson in electrolyte balance.

Why Do Blood Vessels Prefer a Low-Sodium, High-Potassium Environment?

Let’s first look at why the medical community has always emphasized “low sodium and high potassium is good for cardiovascular health.”

Too Much Sodium: Blood Vessels Are Suffocated by High Pressure

Sodium keeps water inside blood vessels. When you eat too salty, a large amount of sodium enters the bloodstream, and the body will forcibly draw water from cells and tissues into blood vessels.

The volume of water inside the vessels increases suddenly, and pressure naturally spikes.

Over time, blood vessels become like a high-pressure hose turned up to the maximum, with the walls constantly hit by rushes of water, eventually hardening and losing elasticity.

The Role of Potassium: The Relaxant for Blood Vessels

Potassium is the natural opponent of sodium. It helps the body excrete excess sodium and relaxes the smooth muscle of blood vessel walls, reducing the pressure they bear.

Ion	Effect on Blood Vessels
Sodium	Retains water in vessels; vessels become pressurized and tense
Potassium	Helps vessels drain and relax, reducing pressure

For cardiovascular care, low sodium and high potassium is indeed the golden rule.

Since Sodium Raises Blood Pressure, Is It the Less, the Better?

Sodium is an essential item for maintaining nerve transmission and muscle contraction.

Our brain needs to send signals, our heart needs to beat, and our muscles need to contract—all of which require sodium ions to shuttle in and out of cells to generate electrical signals.

If the sodium concentration in the blood drops too low, the body’s “power plant” will directly shut down.

What Is Hyponatremia (Water Intoxication)?

When sweating heavily in summer, sodium is lost in large quantities with sweat.

If you only desperately gulp down pure water at this time, the sodium in the blood will be diluted to a dangerous concentration.

This is hyponatremia, commonly known as water intoxication.

What Happens to the Body with Hyponatremia?

Stage	Body Response	Cause
Mild	Headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting	Blood `sodium` concentration drops; `brain` cells begin to absorb water and swell
Moderate	Muscle cramps (heat cramps), general weakness and limpness	Insufficient nerve transmission electrical signals; muscles cannot contract normally
Severe	Confusion, convulsions, coma	Brain cells suffer severe edema, getting pressed against each other inside the hard skull

Brain cells are the first to suffer because they are locked inside the hard skull and have no room to swell.

This is why people suffering from heat stroke or heat exhaustion will experience severe headaches or even faint.

Besides Sodium and Potassium, What Other Electrolytes Does the Body Need?

The human body does not only need sodium and potassium. To keep muscles and blood vessels functioning perfectly, we need a complete electrolyte squad.

Electrolyte	Main Function	What Happens When Lacking	Good Food Sources
Sodium	Maintains blood pressure, transmits nerve signals	Dizziness, cramps, coma	Table salt, sports drinks
Potassium	Excretes excess sodium, stabilizes blood pressure	Muscle weakness, constipation, cramps	Bananas, guavas, water spinach
Magnesium	Relaxes nerves and muscles, improves sleep	Prone to cramps, anxiety, insomnia	Nuts, dark green vegetables, dark chocolate
Calcium	Controls heart muscle contraction, strengthens bones	Palpitations, osteoporosis	Tofu, dried small fish, milk

Magnesium Ion: The Overlooked Master of Blood Vessel Relaxation

Magnesium and potassium are great partners; it is specifically responsible for relaxing blood vessel smooth muscles and soothing nerves.

People lacking magnesium are prone to vascular spasms, high blood pressure, and also insomnia and midnight leg cramps.

Nuts (cashews, almonds) and whole grains (brown rice, oats) are excellent sources of magnesium.

How on Earth to Replenish Safely After Sweating?

Now that we understand the importance of electrolytes, how should we replenish them in different scenarios?

Decide What to Replenish Based on Sweating Level

Scenario	What to Drink	Why
In air-conditioned room, no sweat	Pure water is fine, paired with high-potassium fruits and vegetables to excrete sodium	`Sodium` is not lost; replenishing pure water is enough
Light exercise, slight sweating	Mainly pure water	The amount of `sodium` lost from short-term sweating is not enough to cause danger
Heavy sweating under hot sun for over 1 hour	Sports drinks (can be diluted 1:1 with pure water), or a pinch of salt in water	`Sodium` has been lost in large amounts with sweat; drinking only pure water triggers low sodium
Severe diarrhea or vomiting	Oral rehydration solution or sports drinks	The gastrointestinal tract loses massive water and electrolytes; synchronous replenishment is needed

How to Tell You Need to Replenish Electrolytes?

Sweat hurts when running into eyes
Clothes dry with white salt stains
Starting to feel a dull headache or muscle twitching

The appearance of these signals means electrolytes have already begun to unbalance, and you can no longer drink only pure water.

What Are the Principles of Controlling Sodium and Replenishing Sodium?

Many people find controlling electrolytes complicated, but you actually just need to remember one principle:

Replenish more potassium to excrete sodium when not sweating (prevent high blood pressure), and remember to replenish sodium when sweating heavily (prevent heat stroke).

State	What You Should Do	Why
Usually (air-conditioned room, daily life)	Dip less sauce, drink less salty soup, eat more fruits and vegetables	`Sodium` is already sufficiently ingested from diet; `potassium` is needed to excrete excess `sodium`
After heavy sweating	Drink beverages containing electrolytes, or add a little bit of salt to water	`Sodium` has been lost in large amounts with sweat; drinking only pure water will instead dilute blood `sodium`
After eating a heavy-flavored big meal	Drink large amounts of water immediately, paired with high-potassium fruits	Helps blood vessels dilute the surged `sodium` and triggers the kidneys’ sodium excretion mechanism

The Most Recommended Daily Electrolyte Dietary Method

In clinical medicine, there is a set of dietary methods specifically designed to lower blood pressure and protect blood vessels, called the DASH Diet.

Its core is “high potassium, high magnesium, high calcium, and moderate sodium”:

Food Item	Main Purpose	Recommended Intake
Vegetables and Fruits	Replenish potassium and magnesium	Eat every day
Whole Grains	Replenish magnesium and fiber	As snacks
Dairy or Soy Products	Replenish calcium	Consume in moderation
Control Sodium	Avoid excessive pressure on blood vessels	Do not intentionally add salt when not sweating heavily

Blood vessels indeed prefer low sodium, but the body absolutely cannot do without sodium.

Grasping the principle of “not excessive normally, replenish wisely when sweating” to let the electrolytes in the body perform their respective duties is the smartest way of protection.

Reference

What Roles Do Sodium and Potassium Play in the Body? Why Are Eating-Out Folks Prone to Sodium Excess and Potassium Deficiency? What Problems Occur When Sodium-Potassium Is Imbalanced? Why Can't Kidney Patients Consume High-Potassium Foods at Will? Master the "Sodium-Potassium Seesaw" Balance to Stabilize Blood Pressure and Stay Away from Stroke and Cardiovascular Diseases!

Sat, 23 May 2026 13:30:00 +0800

Eating too salty makes you thirsty, and eating bananas can prevent cramps. The science behind these common life facts is actually related to the sodium and potassium in our bodies.

These two tiny minerals act like a seesaw in the body, and problems will arise whether one side is too high or too low.

Too much sodium, the blood vessels are stretched to the limit;
Too little potassium, the body doesn’t even have the ability to excrete excess sodium.

What Roles Do Sodium and Potassium Play in the Body?

To understand how to control them, let’s first look at their respective roles.

sodium is responsible for “water retention”, and potassium is responsible for “water drainage”.

Ion	Main Function	What If Too Much?	What If Too Little?
Sodium	Maintains blood pressure, transmits nerve signals	Water retention, edema, increased blood pressure	Dizziness, cramps, and in severe cases, coma (hyponatremia)
Potassium	Helps muscle contraction, excretes excess sodium	Slow heart rate, arrhythmia (hyperkalemia)	Muscle weakness, constipation, night cramps

At the cellular level, sodium and potassium oppose each other.

There is a mechanism called the sodium-potassium pump on the cell membrane. When you supplement enough potassium, the body will actively exchange the sodium in the blood vessels out, excreting it with urine, and blood pressure will naturally drop.

Why Is the Sodium-Potassium Seesaw in Modern People Imbalanced?

The problem lies in the dietary habits of modern people, which tilt this seesaw severely.

The eating-out population easily consumes excess sodium, but insufficient potassium-rich fruits and vegetables.

Hidden High-Sodium Traps in Eating Out

Food Type	Why is `sodium` content high?
Hot Pot Soup Bases and Sauces	Shacha sauce, chili paste, and soy paste are the hardest-hit areas of `sodium`
Processed Flour Products	Noodles, toast, and bread have a lot of `salt` added during making to increase chewiness
Instant Noodles and Ready-to-Eat Foods	The `sodium` content in the seasoning packets often exceeds the recommended daily intake
Pickled Foods	Pickled mustard greens, preserved fruits, and fermented bean curd are all high-sodium foods

Many people say “I don’t usually feel salty when eating,” but these foods are actually “non-salty high-sodium foods.”

Your tongue is deceived, but your blood vessels bear the real pressure.

What Signals Does the Body Send When Sodium-Potassium Is Imbalanced?

State	Body’s Reaction
Too much sodium, too little potassium	Prone to edema (puffy eyelids in the morning, tight shoes in the afternoon), frequent fatigue, and elevated blood pressure
Too little potassium	Calf cramps in the middle of the night, general muscle weakness, and constipation

How to Adjust the Seesaw Back to Balance?

Adjusting the sodium-potassium balance doesn’t require weighing food with an electronic scale, just master the principles of “reducing sodium and supplementing potassium”.

Reducing Sodium: Controlling the Mouth to Relieve Blood Vessel Pressure

Practice	How to Execute
Half the Sauce	When eating dumplings or hot pot, dip lightly with chopsticks instead of pouring the whole dish
Only a Few Sips of Soup	Drink only 2-3 sips of ramen or hot pot soup to taste, and leave the rest in the bowl
Check Nutrition Labels	Look at the sodium content when buying convenience foods, aiming for no more than 800 mg per meal

Supplementing Potassium: Let Fruits and Veggies Help You Excrete Excess Sodium

Taiwan has many easily available high-potassium ingredients, no need to buy expensive imports:

Category	Recommended Ingredients
Vegetables (Every Meal)	Water spinach, sweet potato leaves, spinach, amaranth, bamboo shoots, enoki mushrooms
Fruits (As Snacks)	Guava (first choice for high potassium and low sugar), banana, kiwi, cherry tomatoes, papaya
Roots Replacing White Rice	Sweet potato, potato, taro. High potassium, high fiber, low GI
Natural Drinks	Sugar-free red bean water (drink only water without eating beans), black coffee, sugar-free soy milk

The core of the DASH Diet is high potassium, low sodium, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

How to Keep Potassium Ions in Food?

Potassium has a characteristic: highly soluble in water.

This means the way you cook vegetables will directly affect how much potassium you consume:

Your Goal	Suitable Target	Cooking Method	Reason
To consume more potassium	General population, hypertension patients	Stir-fry, or cook the vegetable broth into soup and drink it together	`Potassium` dissolves in water, so drinking soup helps ingest the potassium
To reduce potassium intake	Kidney patients	Cut vegetables into small pieces, blanch in boiling water for 3-5 mins, and discard the water completely	Can remove more than 50% of the potassium from vegetables

Why Can’t Kidney Patients Consume High-Potassium Foods at Will?

A high-potassium diet is good for general people and hypertension patients, but it is not suitable for everyone.

People with impaired kidney function may find eating too much high-potassium food to be fatal.

Why Should Kidney Patients Be Extra Careful?

Healthy kidneys are extremely powerful; even if you eat too much potassium, it will be completely excreted in the urine within a few hours.

But when kidney function declines to a certain level, the kidneys’ ability to excrete potassium is greatly reduced.

If such patients blindly eat high-potassium foods, potassium ions will surge in the blood, leading to hyperkalemia.

Hyperkalemia will directly interfere with the electrical conduction of the heart, leading to arrhythmia, and in severe cases, the heart will suddenly stop beating.

Dietary Precautions for Kidney Patients

Precautions	Reason
Do Not Use Low-Sodium Salt	Commercial low-sodium salt replaces `sodium chloride` with `potassium chloride`, which is like taking poison for kidney patients
Do Not Drink Vegetable or Hot Pot Soup	These concentrated broths are “high-potassium water” with extremely high `potassium` content
Do Not Drink Freshly Squeezed Juice	Juice concentrates the `potassium` of fruits into a cup, putting a heavy burden on kidneys
Blanch Veggies Before Stir-frying	Blanch in boiling water first to remove most of the `potassium` before cooking and eating
Do Not Eat Starfruit	Starfruit contains a neurotoxin that kidney patients absolutely cannot eat

How Can a Day’s Sodium-Potassium Balance Be Arranged?

No need to measure with a scale daily, just implement a few simple replacements in life:

Meal	How to Eat for Eating-Out Folks	How to Do for Home-Cooking Folks	Vascular Care Mindset
Breakfast	Sandwich + sugar-free soy milk	Oatmeal + fresh milk + sliced banana	Both soy milk and banana supplement potassium
Lunch	Buffet: white rice + one fish dish + two plates of green vegetables	Brown rice + stir-fried sweet potato leaves + pan-fried fish	Vegetables supplement potassium, fish supplements `Omega-3`
Afternoon Tea	Buy a guava from a convenience store	Homemade sugar-free red bean water	Natural potassium supplement to combat afternoon fatigue
Dinner	Dry noodles (less sauce) + bamboo shoot soup	Baked sweet potato + stir-fried loofah with mushrooms + salt-grilled Pacific saury	Melons and mushrooms are high-potassium, low-calorie ingredients

身体的健康，往往藏在这些微小的平衡里。

少沾一点酱油、多夹两口青菜，就是在帮身体的钠钾翘翘板找到最完美的平衡點。

Reference

How Do Blood Vessels Slowly Deteriorate? What Are the Warning Signs of Arteriosclerosis? Why Is There No Feeling Even When a Vessel Is 50% Blocked? Why Are Strokes Especially Common in Winter? High Blood Pressure, High Blood Lipids, and High Blood Sugar Are All Enemies of Blood Vessels! Protect Your Blood Vessels with Diet and Exercise to Stay Away from Stroke!

Sat, 23 May 2026 11:20:00 +0800

We often maintain our skin and care for our cars, but have you ever thought about maintaining the most important thing in your body—your blood vessels?

As many as 90% of strokes are actually related to risk factors in our daily lives.

And the common goal of these risk factors is to destroy the health of our blood vessels step by step.

How Do Blood Vessels Slowly Deteriorate?

You can think of our blood vessels as a rubber garden hose at home.

When the faucet is turned on too high and water pressure remains high for a long time, the water pipe will not burst immediately.

But over time, the pipe walls will be stretched until they deform and lose elasticity, and the inner walls will be washed by high-pressure water until they are damaged and accumulate limescale.

This is exactly what high blood pressure does to our blood vessels.

The Three-Stage Process of Arteriosclerosis

Stage	What Happens to the Body	Water Pipe Analogy
Step 1: Endothelial Damage	Blood pressure remains high for a long term, and blood constantly impacts the innermost layer of cells like a high-pressure water gun, causing the vessel walls to be damaged and inflamed	The inner wall of the water pipe is scratched by high-pressure water flow
Step 2: Grease Accumulation	Once the inner wall of blood vessels becomes rough, bad cholesterol and fat can easily stick to the wound	Water scale starts to clog where the water pipe is scratched
Step 3: Plaque Formation	Grease and inflammatory cells mix to form hard lumps (atherosclerosis). The blood vessels become narrower and narrower, completely losing their elasticity	The water pipe is narrow and hard, ready to burst at any time

Not Only High Blood Pressure, the “Three Highs” Are All Enemies of Blood Vessels

Risk Factor	How It Harms Blood Vessels
High Blood Pressure	Acts like a high-pressure water gun, washing the inner wall for the long term and causing damage and inflammation
High Blood Lipids	Bad cholesterol (LDL) accumulates grease on the damaged blood vessel walls, forming plaques
High Blood Sugar	Blood vessels are soaked in sugar water for the long term, triggering chronic inflammation and accelerating hardening

If these greases rupture and fall off, traveling with the bloodstream to narrower blood vessels in the brain, they will completely block them, triggering an ischemic stroke.

Why Is There No Feeling Even When a Vessel Is 50% Blocked?

The most terrifying aspect of arteriosclerosis is:

It has almost no symptoms in the early stages.

Blood vessels are extremely resilient organs. Even if they are already clogged with grease, hardened, or even 50-60% blocked, the human body usually still feels nothing.

By the time obvious symptoms appear, they are often 70-80% blocked or more, or the plaque has suddenly ruptured and triggered a stroke.

This is why strokes are called the silent killer.

Weak Warning Signs That Hardened Blood Vessels May Send

When hardening reaches a certain level and starts to affect blood circulation, the body will send out several weak cries for help:

Location	Possible Warning Signs	What It Represents
Brain	Frequent unexplained dizziness, sudden memory decline, inability to concentrate	Insufficient blood supply to brain vessels
Heart	Chest tightness and pain when climbing stairs or walking fast, relieved after resting	Narrowing of the coronary artery (angina)
Limbs	Leg pain and cramps after walking for a distance, needing to stop and rest before continuing	Obstruction of peripheral arteries (intermittent claudication)

If these signals appear, it means blood vessels have started to have problems, and you should go to the hospital for an examination as soon as possible.

The One Examination Most Worth Doing

For people over 40 or those with the “three highs”, it is recommended to actively select a carotid ultrasound during health checkups.

脖子两侧的 颈动脉 是大脑供血的主干道，而且位置很浅。

医生用超声探头在脖子滑一滑，就能直接看到 血管壁有没有变厚、有没有卡油垢（斑块）、血管狭窄了多少。

Carotid arteriosclerosis usually means that the cerebral and cardiac blood vessels are also hardening.

This examination is painless and radiation-free, yet it can detect stroke crises early.

How Should You Eat Daily to Protect Your Blood Vessels?

Since arteriosclerosis accumulates step by step, we can also “nurture back” our blood vessels through daily diet.

The dietary approach most recommended by the medical community to protect blood vessels is the Mediterranean diet, the core of which is to eat more natural whole foods, replace bad oils, and eat more fruits and vegetables.

Four Dietary Strategies to Protect Blood Vessels

Strategy	Practice	Benefits to Blood Vessels
Replace Bad Oils	Use olive oil, camellia oil, or canola oil for cooking. Reduce saturated fats such as fatty meats, butter, and fried chicken	Reduces bad cholesterol, clearing grease from blood vessel walls like a sweeper
Eat More Deep-Sea Fish	Eat mackerel, saury, or salmon twice a week	`Omega-3` is a natural anti-inflammatory agent for blood vessels, reducing the chance of blood clot formation
Plenty of Fruits & Veggies Daily	Eat more spinach, water spinach, sweet potato leaves, guavas, and bananas	`Potassium ions` help the body excrete excess sodium, naturally lowering blood pressure
Reduce Sodium Intake	Use less dipping sauce, drink less hot pot soup, and eat fewer processed foods	Directly reduces the pressure borne by blood vessels

Whole Grains Are Also Good Friends of Blood Vessels

Replace part of your white rice with oats, brown rice, or sweet potatoes.

Water-soluble dietary fiber can bind cholesterol in the intestines and excrete it from the body, serving as a free lipid-lowering assistant.

How Should Life Habits Be Adjusted to Keep Blood Vessels Elastic?

Diet is the first line of defense that blood vessels contact daily, but life habits determine the aging speed of blood vessels.

Quitting Smoking Is the Most Effective First Step to Protect Blood Vessels

The probability of stroke in smokers is 2 to 4 times that of non-smokers.

Nicotine and tar in cigarettes will directly destroy the vascular endothelium, causing blood vessels to contract severely and lose elasticity.

No matter how long you have smoked, as long as you quit smoking, the risk of stroke will begin to decline steadily.

Exercise Let Blood Vessels Do “Yoga” on Their Own

Exercise at least 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time (brisk walking, jogging, and swimming are all fine).

During exercise, blood vessels secrete a substance called nitric oxide (NO), which is a natural relaxant for blood vessels, allowing them to dilate, lower blood pressure, and restore elasticity.

Regular exercise is like letting blood vessels do stretching exercises every day, keeping them soft and not stiff.

Ample Sleep, Leaving Blood Vessels No Longer Stressed

Staying up late for the long term and high stress will keep the body in a “combat state”, secreting large amounts of stress hormones, causing blood vessels to contract tensely every day and keeping blood pressure high.

Sleeping 7 hours a day is the basic condition for blood vessels to rest and repair.

Why Are Strokes Especially Common in Winter?

Many people’s blood vessels are already slightly hardened and clogged with grease. They are fine normally, but suffer a stroke when the weather suddenly turns cold.

This is usually because the blood vessels are stimulated by a severe temperature difference.

When skin suddenly touches cold air, blood vessels contract rapidly, and blood pressure spikes within seconds.

For a blood vessel that is already hardened and has lost its elasticity, this instant pressure impact may cause it to burst directly.

Practices to Protect Blood Vessels in Winter

Scenario	What to Do	Why
Getting Up	Move your hands and feet in bed first, put on a coat before getting out of bed	Avoid skin touching cold air, which causes rapid vascular contraction
Bathing	Start by washing limbs with warm water, let the body adapt to the temperature before washing upward	Avoid hot water directly washing the chest or head, causing severe vascular reaction
Going Out	Wear a hat and scarf, keep the head and neck warm	Head and neck blood vessels are dense; keeping warm can stabilize blood pressure

Pay Attention in Summer Too

Do not rush directly into a room with strong air conditioning when sweating profusely, or blow air directly from the outlet.

Sudden changes in temperature will also be hard for blood vessels to bear.

Preventing strokes does not require expensive health foods. Replacing a spoonful of good oil on the dining table daily, keeping regular exercise weekly, and controlling blood pressure on time is the best investment for blood vessels.

Take good care of your blood vessels, and they can accompany you to go further and healthier.

Reference

If Someone Suddenly Exhibits "Face Drooping or Arm Weakness", It Could Be a Sign of Stroke! Use the FAST Acronym to Quickly Screen for Stroke Symptoms! Learn Other Warning Signs of Stroke! Why Can "Recording the Time" Save a Life? Master the Correct Stroke Emergency Response Steps!

Sat, 23 May 2026 09:10:00 +0800

What would you do if a family member next to you suddenly couldn’t even say a simple “Hello” clearly?

During a stroke, every single minute of delay costs the brain approximately 1.9 million brain cells.

In a state of panic, many people make the wrong moves, such as feeding water, giving medicine, or even using a needle for bloodletting, which only pushes the situation into a more dangerous state.

Learning how to correctly recognize a stroke and dispelling fatal first-aid myths are life-saving skills that everyone should have.

What Warning Signs Does the Body Show When a Stroke Strikes?

The most prominent feature of a stroke is “suddenness”.

One second you are chatting and laughing, and the next second your body has a problem. The internationally recognized acronym for identification is FAST:

Letter	English	Test Method	Key Observation
F	Face	Ask the person to smile	Check if both sides of the face are symmetrical, and if there is a drooping corner of the mouth on one side
A	Arm	Ask the person to raise both arms	Check if one arm drifts downward weakly
S	Speech	Ask the person to say “The weather is very nice today”	Check if they are slurring their words, or completely unable to speak
T	Time	Record the exact hour and minute symptoms appeared	Immediately call 119, and inform them of the onset time

If any one of these three actions cannot be done, it is highly likely to be a stroke, and the patient must be sent to the hospital immediately.

Besides FAST, What Other Danger Signals Exist?

FAST can catch most strokes, but several other warning signs should not be ignored either:

Signal	Explanation
Sudden numbness on one side of the body	Sudden loss of sensation on one side of the face, arm, or leg, unlike the feeling of a limb falling asleep
Sudden vision abnormalities	Sudden loss of vision in one eye, like a black curtain falling; or seeing double images
Sudden trouble walking	Staggering as if drunk, with difficulty even standing steadily
Explosive, severe headache	Unprecedented severe pain, like being struck by lightning, commonly seen in hemorrhagic stroke
Sudden difficulty understanding speech	Hearing is normal, but the brain seems to freeze and cannot comprehend what others are saying

Can We Perform Bloodletting for a Stroke? Is Feeding Water or Medication OK?

When facing an emergency, elders often say “quickly prick the fingers with a needle for bloodletting” or “give them a blood pressure pill to swallow.”

These folk remedies are not only useless, but can also be fatal.

Three Fatal Myths

Myth	Reality	Why It Is Dangerous
Pricking fingers to let blood clears blood vessels	Bloodletting cannot clear the blood clot inside cerebral blood vessels	Painful stimulation can make blood pressure spike even higher, accelerating the worsening of hemorrhagic stroke
Quickly feed water or food	The swallowing nerves might already be damaged during a stroke	Water and food can easily be choked into the lungs, leading to aspiration pneumonia or even suffocation
Administer blood pressure medicine on your own	During ischemic stroke, the brain intentionally raises blood pressure to save itself	Lowering blood pressure without authorization makes the brain more oxygen-deprived, and the damaged area expands instead

Where Did the Saying of Bloodletting Come From?

From the perspective of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the technique of pricking fingers to let blood is called Shi Xuan Bloodletting, but it is not used for emergency rescue of stroke.

Shi Xuan Bloodletting uses stimulation of peripheral nerves to keep the patient awake. This is a medical procedure and should only be performed by a professional practitioner of TCM after determining it is an ischemic stroke.

For ordinary people to perform this at home, the risks far outweigh the benefits.

What Are the Correct Stroke Emergency Response Steps?

The only correct way is simple, but must be executed calmly and rapidly:

Step	What to Do	Why It Matters
Step 1	Immediately call 119	Emergency medical personnel are on the ambulance and can notify the hospital’s Stroke Green Channel in advance to prepare
Step 2	Precisely record “the last time they were seen normal”	The doctor needs this time to decide whether the life-saving drug can be administered
Step 3	Place the patient on their side	Prevents vomit or the tongue from blocking the trachea to avoid suffocation
Step 4	Loosen tight clothing like collars and neckties	Keep the airway unobstructed
Step 5	Stay by their side and soothe their emotions	Anxiety will cause blood pressure to spike higher, worsening brain damage

Do not feed anything, do not move the patient’s head, and do not drive to a small clinic on your own.

If you must transport the patient yourself, go directly to a large hospital equipped with stroke emergency response capabilities, do not waste time sending them to a general clinic.

Why Can “Recording the Time” Save a Life?

You might wonder, why is the last letter of the FAST acronym T (Time)?

Because the life-saving medicine for stroke has a strict time limit.

Time Decides What Weapons Doctors Can Use

Treatment Method	Time Limit	Working Principle
Intravenous Thrombolytic Agent (rt-PA)	Within 4.5 hours of onset	Use drugs to dissolve the blood clot blocking the blood vessel
Arterial Thrombectomy	Within 6 to 24 hours of onset	Insert a catheter into the brain blood vessel to physically pull out the blood clot

If the family cannot provide a clear time of onset, doctors do not dare to use the thrombolytic drug blindly, because administering it past the time limit will instead increase the risk of cerebral hemorrhage.

The “exact hour and minute” you record could be the only key to whether your family member can clear their blood vessels and save their brain cells.

What Happens After Reaching the Hospital?

The hospital will activate the Stroke Green Channel, and all examinations and treatments will be fast-tracked:

Time	Explanation
0-10 minutes	Nurses immediately measure blood sugar (to rule out hypoglycemia mimicking stroke), draw blood, and evaluate severity
10-25 minutes	Urgent transfer to Computed Tomography (CT) to confirm if the blood vessel is blocked or ruptured
25-45 minutes	The doctor decides on using a thrombolytic agent or thrombectomy based on CT results and onset time
Within 60 minutes	Administration of medication is completed, and the patient is transferred to the Stroke Intensive Care Unit for close monitoring

The international medical standard strives to complete “Door-to-Needle” within 60 minutes.

If Symptoms Clear Up Quickly, Do I Still Need to See a Doctor?

There is a condition called “Mini-Stroke” (Transient Ischemic Attack, TIA).

The symptoms are exactly the same as a stroke, but they usually recover on their own within a few minutes to 24 hours.

Never assume that because you feel better, everything is fine.

A mini-stroke is the ultimate ultimatum sent by the brain. It means that the cerebral blood vessels are already severely narrowed or have unstable plaques, and the probability of a major stroke occurring in the future is extremely high.

Even if symptoms disappear within a few minutes, you must go to the emergency room immediately for a complete examination, allowing the doctor to evaluate the condition of the blood vessels and intervene early.

Facing a stroke, the best preparation we can make is to engrave the FAST acronym in our minds, and bravely say no to folk remedies.

At the critical moment, your calm judgment and that phrase “when it started” can save your family member’s brain and future.

Reference

What is a Stroke? What's the Difference Between Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke? How to Handle a Stroke Emergency? Who is at High Risk? Can You Recover from a Stroke? How to Prevent Stroke in Daily Life?

Sat, 23 May 2026 07:00:00 +0800

Imagine the brain’s control center, which usually runs smoothly, suddenly experiencing a ‘blackout’ due to a blocked or ruptured blood vessel.

One moment a person is perfectly fine, and the next, their limbs stop working and their speech becomes slurred.

This is what we commonly call a stroke.

Even if a life is saved, a stroke often leaves behind severe long-term disabilities.

But the good news is that up to 90% of strokes are linked to controllable risk factors. In other words, we have a chance to close the door before it strikes.

What is a Stroke? What is the Difference Between Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke?

The medical term for a stroke is a cerebrovascular accident (CVA). In plain language, it means a blood vessel in the brain suddenly gets blocked or ruptures, causing:

Brain cells to be deprived of blood and oxygen supplies, beginning to die within just a few minutes.

Strokes are mainly divided into two major types:

Type	Proportion	Cause	Everyday Analogy
Ischemic Stroke	Approx. 80%	The blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot, preventing blood flow	A water pipe clogged by debris
Hemorrhagic Stroke	Approx. 20%	The blood vessel ruptures and bleeds, compressing brain tissue	A water pipe bursting under too much pressure

Regardless of the type of stroke, as long as

brain cells are deprived of oxygen for more than a few minutes, they will die, and dead brain cells cannot regenerate.

This is why the rescue speed for a stroke is so critical.

How to Recognize if Someone is Having a Stroke?

The biggest characteristic of a stroke is its “suddenness”.

One second they are laughing and talking, and the next, something is terribly wrong with their body.

There is an internationally recognized acronym for identifying a stroke called FAST:

Letter	English	Action	Key Observations
F	Face	Ask the person to smile	Check if both sides of the face are symmetrical, and if one corner of the mouth is drooping
A	Arm	Ask the person to raise both arms	Check if one arm drifts downward weakly
S	Speech	Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase	Check if their speech is slurred or strange
T	Time	Note the time	Immediately call 119/911 for emergency help

If a person fails even one of these three tasks, it is highly likely to be a stroke. Act immediately and call for help.

Besides FAST, What Other Stroke Warning Signs are Easy to Ignore?

Sudden numbness on one side of the body, which is different from limbs falling asleep, but rather losing sensation in half of the body
Sudden vision changes in one or both eyes, like a black curtain blocking the view
Sudden trouble walking, losing balance and stumbling like being drunk
A severe headache that comes out of nowhere, sometimes accompanied by projectile vomiting
Sudden difficulty understanding what others are saying, or being unable to speak at all

What is the First Thing to Do When Someone Has a Stroke?

Many people’s first reaction when encountering a stroke is to feed the patient water, give them blood pressure medication, or even prick their fingers to let blood out.

All of these are extremely dangerous, incorrect behaviors.

What You Must Absolutely NOT Do

Common Myths	Why It is Dangerous
Pricking fingers to let blood	Bloodletting cannot clear blood vessels, and the pain may actually cause blood pressure to spike higher
Feeding water or food	A stroke may impair swallowing function, and feeding can easily cause choking or aspiration pneumonia
Giving blood pressure medicine	During an `ischemic stroke`, the brain intentionally raises blood pressure to save itself; lowering it can make oxygen deprivation worse
Waiting to see if it gets better	For every 1 minute delayed, the brain loses about 1.9 million brain cells

Correct Emergency Steps

Immediately call emergency services (119/911) to get an ambulance.
Accurately record the time when the patient was last seen normal (this is critical for doctors to decide if life-saving drugs can be used).
Place the patient in a side-lying position to prevent vomit from blocking the airway.
Loosen tight clothing around the collar or tie to keep the airway clear.
Stay by the patient’s side to calm them down, letting them know that help is on the way.

How Do Doctors Treat a Stroke After Arriving at the Hospital?

Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors will initiate a stroke green channel, where all examinations and treatments are fast-tracked and prioritized.

Treatment Within the Golden Window

Treatment	Applicable Condition	Principle
Intravenous Thrombolysis (rt-PA)	Within 4.5 hours of onset, Ischemic Stroke	Uses drugs to dissolve the blood clot
Endovascular Thrombectomy	Within 6 to 24 hours of onset, large vessel occlusion	Uses a catheter to go deep into cerebral vessels and extract the clot

The earlier the blood vessel is opened, the more brain cells can be saved.

However, thrombolytic agents carry about a 6% risk of causing brain hemorrhage, so a doctor must conduct a thorough evaluation before use.

This is also why an accurate onset time is so important, because it directly determines whether the doctor can prescribe this life-saving drug.

Can You Recover from a Stroke?

Although dead brain cells cannot be brought back to life, the brain has an amazing ability called neuroplasticity.

Through continuous and repetitive rehabilitation stimulation, other healthy areas of the brain can ‘rewire’ to take over some of the lost functions.

It is like when a main highway collapses, we can widen existing roads or take alternative routes to reach the destination just the same.

The first six months after a stroke is the golden window for rehabilitation. Through physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, many patients can progress from being bedridden to regaining self-care.

Who is at High Risk for a Stroke?

You might think that strokes only happen to the elderly.

In reality, chronic diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes are the true silent killers of blood vessels.

Controllable Risk Factors

Risk Factor	Damage to Blood Vessels
High Blood Pressure	The biggest driver of strokes. Long-term high pressure hardens blood vessels and causes loss of elasticity
High Blood Lipids	Bad cholesterol builds up as grease in vessel walls, forming atherosclerosis
Diabetes	Blood vessels are constantly soaked in sugary blood, causing inflammation and accelerating hardening. Stroke risk is 2-3 times that of others
Atrial Fibrillation	An irregular heartbeat causes blood to pool and clot, which can travel to the brain and cause an ischemic stroke
Smoking	Nicotine directly damages the vascular lining, doubling the stroke risk compared to non-smokers
Obesity & Lack of Exercise	Prolonged sitting slows metabolism, directly leading to the ’three highs’
Excessive Drinking	Binge drinking causes blood pressure to fluctuate wildly, increasing the risk of hemorrhagic stroke

Unchangeable Innate Factors

Factor	Description
Age	After age 55, the risk of stroke doubles with every decade
Family History	If parents or siblings have a history of cardiovascular disease, your own risk increases significantly

How to Prevent a Stroke in Daily Life?

Up to 90% of strokes are linked to controllable risk factors.

In other words, by controlling your blood pressure and improving your lifestyle, you can dramatically reduce the chance of a stroke knocking on your door.

What to Eat to Protect Your Blood Vessels?

The dietary pattern most recommended by the medical community for vascular health is the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on eating natural whole foods and minimizing processed items:

Dietary Strategy	Implementation	Benefits to Blood Vessels
Switch to Good Oils	Cook with olive oil, camellia oil, or canola oil	Reduces bad cholesterol and clears grease from vessel walls
Eat More Deep-Sea Fish	Eat fish like mackerel, salmon, or saury twice a week	`Omega-3` helps fight inflammation and reduces clot formation
Eat Fruits & Veggies Daily	Eat more spinach, water spinach, bananas, and guavas	`Potassium` helps excrete excess sodium, acting as a natural blood pressure reducer
Less Sodium & Processed Foods	Use fewer dipping sauces, drink less hot pot soup, and avoid processed foods	Directly reduces stress on blood vessels

How to Adjust Your Lifestyle?

Lifestyle Strategy	Description
Quit Smoking Immediately	As soon as you quit smoking, your stroke risk begins to decline steadily
Exercise Regularly	Cardio exercise 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time (brisk walking, swimming) helps vessels release nitric oxide to stay elastic
Get Enough Sleep	Chronic sleep deprivation spikes stress hormones, keeping blood vessels tense all day
Beware of Winter Temperature Swings	Move around in bed before getting up; start showering by spraying warm water on limbs first to prevent vessels from constricting sharply

How Important is Regular Health Checkups?

The scariest thing about atherosclerosis is that it is almost completely asymptomatic in its early stages.

Even if a blood vessel is 50-60% blocked, you might not feel a thing.

For people over 40 or those with the “three highs”, it is recommended to add a carotid ultrasound during health checkups.

This is a painless, radiation-free test that allows doctors to directly see whether the large blood vessels in the neck have plaque buildup or narrowing, catching stroke risks early.

By controlling blood pressure, eating healthily, and staying active, strokes are highly preventable.

Protect your brain’s blood vessels, starting with a spoonful of good oil at the table and a brisk walk today.

Reference

How to Dress to Prevent Hypothermia While Hiking? Is the Core of Layering Dryness, Not Thickness? How to Walk Effortlessly? 'Rest Step' Let Bones Carry the Weight! Dynamic Energy-Saving Technique Coordinating Breath and Pacing!

Thu, 21 May 2026 21:35:00 +0800

Gasping for breath at every step? Knees hurting so much that you question your life?

Hiking requires not just physical strength, but strategy.

Many think buying the best gear is enough and walking fast makes you strong. But true hiking veterans seem to walk very slowly on steep slopes, yet never need major rests all day, and always arrive at the mountain hut first.

The difference lies in correct gear configuration and pacing rhythm.

The Core of the Onion Layering System is “Dryness”, Not “Thickness”

At high altitudes, sweat is the invisible killer of hypothermia.

You might think the thicker you wear, the safer you are. But a super thick down jacket will make you sweat heavily during movement. The heat carried away by sweat evaporation is far more terrifying than you think.

The core purpose of the onion layering system is not blindly seeking thickness, but to quickly adjust according to “movement (sweating)” and “rest (wind exposure)” to keep the body dry and comfortable.

Layer	Name	Material	Function
Base	Wicking Layer	100% Synthetic Fibers	Quickly wick sweat from the skin surface to keep dry
Mid	Warmth Layer	Fleece or Lightweight Down	Lock in the heat emitted by the body
Outer	Protection Layer	Waterproof & Breathable Material	Windproof, rainproof, and snowproof

Base layer is strictly forbidden to use cotton materials. Cotton absorbs water and is extremely hard to dry. When the cold high-mountain wind blows, it will stick to your body like an ice pop, which is the beginning of hypothermia.

Clothing Switch Between Movement and Rest

State	Recommended Clothing	Reason
Moving (sweating)	Base layer + outer layer as needed	Avoid overheating and heavy sweating, keep dry
Short Rest (1-3 mins)	Keep unchanged	Time is short; sweat has no time to cool down
Long Rest or Camp Arrival	Put on a down jacket immediately	After stopping, cold wind will carry away several times more heat

“Take it off when hot, put it on when cold; never be lazy.”

It is completely normal to adjust your clothes every 5 minutes while hiking.

Reducing Load is Reducing Oxygen Consumption: Ultralight Principles

In a high-altitude oxygen-depleted environment, every kilogram you carry consumes extra oxygen.

Reducing backpack weight is not just to make you walk comfortably, but directly reduces cardiopulmonary burden, indirectly lowering the risk of high altitude illness.

Ultralight Principle	Explanation
Multi-use items	Buff can be used as a mask, sweat towel, and neck warmer
Calculate food precisely	Do not bring too many redundant "just-in-case" snacks; accurately calculate calories per meal
Choose lightweight gear	Choose the lightest version of gear with the same function
Shared gear sharing	Stove, cookware, and other group items shared for carrying

Gear Myth: Oxygen Canisters are Not Life-Savers

Many feel safe putting two oxygen canisters in their backpack. But continuously pressing and inhaling from commercial portable oxygen canisters, one canister usually runs out within 2 to 5 minutes.

Oxygen canisters can only temporarily delay symptoms, not treat high altitude illness.

The best source of oxygen is your feet: walk down immediately when encountering danger.

How to Walk the "Rest Step"? Let Bones Carry the Weight

Many people are used to stepping with their toes when climbing, which causes the calf gastrocnemius muscle to fatigue and cramp extremely fast.

The correct way is to use bones rather than muscles to bear the body weight.

Correct Movement of Rest Step

Step	Movement	Effect
1	Every step you take, step firmly with the whole sole	Disperse pressure, avoid overloading the calf
2	Slightly relax the knee the moment you step up	Prepare to enter bone lock
3	Fully straighten and lock the back leg bone	Use bones to bear weight, giving thigh muscles a 0.5-second relaxation

This technique lets your bones help you carry the weight, while muscles are only responsible for propulsion.

It looks slow, but the energy consumption throughout the day is far less than rushing blindly.

Pacing Size Adjustment

Terrain	Pacing Principle
Gentle Slope	Normal stride, maintain stable rhythm
Steep Slope	Shorten stride, rather take more steps than large strides
Extremely Steep	Walk in a zig-zag pattern to reduce the steepness of vertical ascent

Coordinating Breath and Pacing: The Core Formula of "Dynamic Energy Saving"

The speed of pacing is not determined by feet, but guided by breath.

Breathing and Pacing Formula

Terrain	Breathing Pace	Explanation
Slightly Steep	Step one step inhale, step one step exhale (1:1)	Maintain aerobic zone
Steep	Step one step, inhale + exhale (1:2)	Complete a full breathing cycle with every step
Extremely Steep	Stand still inhale, step exhale	Completely guide pacing with breathing

Once you find your breathing is chaotic and you start gasping for air, shorten your stride immediately.

Never force your way up while gasping for breath.

Pursed-Lip Breathing: The "Breathing Hack" at High Altitude

Step	Movement	Time
Inhale	Inhale through nose	2 seconds
Exhale	Purse lips like blowing out a candle, exhale slowly	4-6 seconds (exhale is 2-3 times of inhale)

Exhaling slowly with pursed lips generates a small back pressure in the airway, which can support the bronchi and alveoli, preventing them from collapsing early due to low high-altitude pressure, giving alveoli more time for gas exchange.

Diaphragmatic Breathing: Inhaling Oxygen with Lower Lung

When tired or anxious, people tend to switch to shallow "chest breathing," using only the upper part of the lungs.

Action	Explanation
Belly rises when inhaling	Push the `diaphragm` down to fully open the lower lobe volume of lungs
Belly contracts when exhaling	Relax naturally, prepare for the next deep inhalation

The lower part of the lungs is filled with more capillaries.

Diaphragmatic breathing makes the effective oxygen intake of the same breath far greater than chest breathing.

Scientific Rest: Why "Those Who Cannot Rest Cannot Hike"?

Hypothermia most commonly occurs "within 5 to 10 minutes of just stopping to rest".

During movement, the body is like a furnace. Once stopped and blown by cold wind, sweat evaporation on clothes will carry away several times more heat.

Short Rest Formula: Stand to Rest, Less Than Three Minutes

Frequency	Method	Time
Every 50-60 mins of moving	Do not sit down, do not unload pack, stand leaning against a tree or rock wall	1-3 minutes
What to do	Adjust breathing, take 3 sips of water, eat a gummy or salt candy

Standing keeps muscles in a slightly warm state. Time is short; sweat has no time to cool down, and the body will not enter hypothermia mode.

Major Rest Formula: Put on Clothes Before Sitting Down

Frequency	Method	Time
Every 2-3 hours or lunch	Put down pack, pull out down jacket and put it on in the very first second	15-20 minutes
When sitting	Never sit directly on cold stones, cushion with backpack or foam pad

At this point, you might feel hot or even be sweating, but you must do "preventative warming". Coldness will invade your core from your buttocks before you know it.

Spending an extra 30 seconds to put on clothes can save you the huge price of being unable to walk later, or even retreating due to hypothermia.

Let Pacing Take You Further

Gear is external protection; pacing is internal rhythm.

Combining correct clothing strategy, ultralight configuration, rest step technique, and breathing pace is what the hiking world calls "Dynamic Energy Saving".

Master this system, and you will be able to enjoy the scenery along the way, instead of just gasping for breath.

Reference

Why Should You Keep Eating Candy at High Altitudes? Is Carbohydrate the 'Most Oxygen-Saving' Energy Source? How to Drink Water Without Cramping? Dehydration Actually Worsens Altitude Sickness! A Complete Guide to Precise Hydration!

Thu, 21 May 2026 21:30:00 +0800

When climbing, guides always tell you to suck on a candy or eat a chocolate bar. What is the science behind this?

At high altitudes, eating the right things is more important than eating well. Choosing the wrong food will make your body suffer more in a low-oxygen environment, while choosing the right food can help you last for several more hours.

Why Keep Eating Candy at High Altitudes? The Oxygen-Saving Science of Carbohydrates

You might think eating candy is just for “replenishing energy,” but in low-oxygen high-altitude environments, the significance of eating candy goes far beyond that.

For the human body to convert food into energy, it needs to consume oxygen. Comparing carbohydrates and fat, when consuming the same amount of oxygen, burning sugar generates 8% to 10% more energy than burning fat.

Energy Source	Characteristics	Oxygen Efficiency
Carbohydrates (Sugar)	Simple structure, high proportion of oxygen atoms	Oxygen Saver, quickly converted to energy with little oxygen
Fat	Complex structure, requires a lot of oxygen to decompose	High Oxygen Consumer, a slow remedy for an urgent need

At high altitudes, your body faces a “tight oxygen budget” every second.

Eating candy is like choosing the “oxygen-saving mode”.

Save precious oxygen for your brain and muscles, and you will naturally breathe easier.

This is why guides always tell you to suck on brown sugar, eat chocolate, or gummies.

Eating Candy Helps Red Blood Cells Release More Oxygen?

When the human body is in a high-altitude low-oxygen environment, red blood cells will absorb a large amount of glucose from the blood.

Red blood cells use this sugar to produce a molecule called 2,3-BPG. This molecule goes and binds with hemoglobin, forcing hemoglobin to “let go” and release the oxygen it holds to surrounding oxygen-deprived tissues and organs.

Replenishing enough sugar is like providing an endless supply of raw materials for red blood cells, speeding up oxygen release and utilization within the body.

Red blood cells release more oxygen the following steps:

Eat candy
Red blood cells absorb glucose
Produce 2,3-BPG
Increase oxygen release to surrounding oxygen-deprived tissues and organs

Eating Candy Can Make You Breathe Deeply Automatically?

Burning carbohydrates produces more carbon dioxide than burning fat.

After the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood rises slightly, it triggers the respiratory center of the brain, which commands the lungs to spontaneously deepen and speed up breathing.

This deep breathing induced by eating candy actually allows you to unconsciously inhale more thin air from high altitudes, thereby increasing blood oxygen saturation.

What Foods to Eat at High Altitudes? Which Ones are Landmines?

Now that we know the benefits of carbohydrates, the next question is: how should we choose foods?

Trail Food: What to Eat While Hiking?

When climbing, the body is very short of oxygen, so you won’t have the energy to chew hard nuts or beef jerky.

Chewing itself consumes oxygen, and liquid or semi-liquid sugars are the best instant fuels.

Recommended Food	Reason
Energy Gel (Energy Drink)	Liquid, no chewing required, rapid absorption
Gummies, Brown Sugar Bars	High carb, easy to swallow
Raisins, Yogurt Bars	Small size, high calorie density

The core principle of trail food: high carb, easy to swallow, no long chewing required.

Meals: What to Eat at Camp?

Digestion at camp is slightly better than during movement, but gastrointestinal blood flow decreases at high altitudes, and digestion speed is still greatly reduced.

Recommended Food	Reason
Dehydrated Rice, Instant Noodles	Easy to digest, high calorie, dehydrated vegetables or egg drops can be added
Instant Mashed Potatoes	High carbohydrate content, virtually no chewing required

Why is Flatulence Easy at High Altitudes? Which Foods to Avoid at All Costs?

This is related to the physical law of Boyle's Law.

When atmospheric pressure drops, the volume of gas inside a closed container expands.

Your stomach and intestines originally contain gas; at high altitudes, these gases expand collectively.

In addition, when the body is hypoxic at high altitudes, it prioritizes sending blood to the brain and heart, reducing blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract and severely reducing digestive function.

Low air pressure + slow digestion = severe flatulence. Eating too full actually increases the cardiopulmonary burden.

High Altitude Diet Landmine List

Foods to Avoid	Reason
Beans (Red Beans, Soybeans)	Gas-producing food, worsens gastrointestinal flatulence
Carbonated Drinks (Cola, Beer)	A large amount of gas expands in low-pressure environments
Sweet Potatoes, Onions	Intestinal fermentation produces a large amount of gas
High-fat Foods	Digestion is highly oxygen-consuming, increasing the burden in hypoxic environments

How to Drink Water at High Altitudes? “Precise Hydration Method”

Many people “drink only when thirsty” when climbing, which is very dangerous on mountains.

High-altitude air is extremely dry, and combined with faster breathing, the body loses up to 1 to 2 liters of water per day just through breathing.

By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated.

Hydration Formula: Small Amounts, Multiple Periods, Regularly

Timing	Water Intake	Principle
During Movement	Drink 50-100 ml (2-3 sips) every 15-20 minutes	Never chug 500 ml at once
Daily Total	`Weight(kg)` × `30ml` + `Climbing Hours` × `300ml`	60 kg climbing 6 hours = at least 3,600 ml

Water Temperature Matters: Refuse Ice Water

On dry and cold mountains, drinking ice water forces the body to consume precious calories to “heat” the water in the stomach to body temperature.

You must have a thermos in your backpack. Drinking warm water saves energy and prevents cold air from inducing airway spasms (high altitude cough).

Electrolyte Replenishment to Prevent Cramps

Drinking only pure water accelerates salt loss from the body; panting and sweating take away a lot of salt, and pure water will only make it worse.

Replenishment Method	Explanation
Add sports drink powder or effervescent tablets to the water bladder	Replenish lost sodium, potassium, magnesium
Suck on a salt candy regularly	Lowest cost, most effective for preventing thigh cramps

What is the Relationship Between Dehydration and Altitude Sickness?

This is the most easily overlooked yet most impactful link.

When the body is dehydrated, blood becomes thick. If blood is too thick, red blood cells flow slower, and the efficiency of carrying oxygen drops like an avalanche.

Dehydration not only makes you uncomfortable, it directly worsens altitude sickness, and can even cause your symptoms to be misdiagnosed as altitude sickness.

Chain Reaction of Dehydration	Result
Thick blood	Red blood cells flow slower
Reduced oxygen delivery efficiency	Increased tissue hypoxia
Headache, nausea, fatigue	Symptoms are almost identical to altitude sickness

Drinking plenty of water to keep blood thin allows red blood cells to flow smoothly like traffic on a highway, quickly delivering inhaled oxygen to the entire body.

Conscious and regular hydration is the simplest yet most easily overlooked step to prevent altitude sickness.

Reference

What Medicine Should I Take for High Altitude Illness? How to Use Diamox? Can Viagra Also Treat Altitude Sickness? A Complete Guide to Essential Climbing Medications and Emergency Procedures

Thu, 21 May 2026 18:30:00 +0800

One week before departure, you checked the gear checklist in your backpack three times, but you only have a vague understanding of those few pills in your medicine bag?

Taking them at the wrong time or using the wrong medication can be more dangerous than not bringing any at all.

Overview of Altitude Sickness Medications: Preventive vs. Treatment Drugs

Altitude sickness medications are divided into two main categories: Preventive and Treatment. Their roles are entirely different.

Function	Positioning	Timing of Use
Preventive Drugs	Accelerate the body’s adaptation to altitude	Start taking before departure
Treatment Drugs	Relieve symptoms that have already occurred	Use after symptoms appear

Preventive drugs are helping the body do its homework in advance, while treatment drugs are helping the body survive a crisis.

“Preventive drugs” and “treatment drugs” both cannot replace “descending,” which is the most fundamental solution.

Preventive Drug: Diamox (Acetazolamide / Diamox)

Diamox is currently the most widely used preventive medication for altitude sickness, and it is the only first-choice drug supported by sufficient research evidence.

Mechanism of Action

Diamox is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor that acts on the kidneys:

Mechanism	Description
Inhibits carbonic anhydrase	Reduces the reabsorption of bicarbonate
Acidifies the blood	Stimulates the respiratory center
Deepens and accelerates breathing	Mimics the body’s acclimatization response at high altitudes

Simply put, Diamox allows your body to start adapting in advance, rather than scrambling only when oxygen is scarce.

Dosage and Administration

Item	Description
Dosage	For adults, 125 mg each time, once every 12 hours (250 mg daily)
Start Time	Start taking 1 day before departure
Duration	Continue taking until 2 to 3 days after arriving at the highest altitude, or when beginning to descend
Child Dosage	2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight, once every 12 hours

Common Side Effects

Side Effect	Description
Tingling in hands and feet	Most common, usually mild and tolerable
Frequent urination	Because the kidneys excrete more bicarbonate and water
Altered taste of carbonated beverages	Sodas and beers will taste weirdly metallic
Mild nausea	A small number of people may experience gastrointestinal discomfort

Contraindicated Groups

Contraindicated for those allergic to sulfonamide drugs
Those with severe renal or hepatic insufficiency
Patients with hypokalemia

It is recommended to try taking it once before departure to confirm that you do not have a severe allergic reaction to Diamox before bringing it up the mountain.

Alternative Preventive Drug: Dexamethasone

If you are allergic to sulfonamides and cannot use Diamox, Dexamethasone is an alternative option.

Item	Description
Type	Steroid (Glucocorticoid)
Dosage	4 mg every 6 hours
Action	Directly reduces brain swelling and inflammatory response
Limitation	Cannot be used long-term (steroid side effects) and does not accelerate altitude adaptation

Dexamethasone is “suppressing symptoms,” while Diamox is “accelerating adaptation.” Their mechanisms are completely different.

If Dexamethasone is used as a preventive, once you stop taking it, the body may experience rebound altitude sickness symptoms because it only temporarily masks the problem.

Medications for Treating High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)

High Altitude Cerebral Edema is one of the most critical types of altitude sickness and can be fatal within 24 hours.

Drug	Dosage	Action
Dexamethasone	First dose 8 mg, then 4 mg every 6 hours	Rapidly reduces brain swelling, takes effect within hours

The role of Dexamethasone in treating HACE is “to buy time for descent,” temporarily restoring the patient’s consciousness and physical mobility.

Works better when paired with a Portable Altitude Chamber (PAC) or bottled oxygen

But the most important thing is still to descend immediately.

Medications for Treating High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)

The fatality rate of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema is the highest among the three types of altitude sickness, and the core issue is excessively high pulmonary artery pressure.

Drug	Dosage	Action
Nifedipine (Adalat OROS)	30 mg every 8 hours (extended-release form)	Lowers pulmonary artery pressure, improves lung blood flow
Tadalafil (Cialis)	10 mg every 12 hours	Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PDE5i), lowers pulmonary artery pressure
Sildenafil (Viagra)	50 mg every 8 hours	Also a PDE5i, lowers pressure by dilating pulmonary blood vessels

Yes, Viagra is indeed one of the medications used to treat High Altitude Pulmonary Edema.

It was originally developed for the purpose of lowering pulmonary artery pressure, and was only later discovered to have another more widely known “side effect” besides treating altitude sickness.

So if you see Viagra in a climbing medicine bag, don’t laugh; it could be a critical, life-saving drug.

Recommended Climbing Medicine Bag Checklist

Drug	Purpose	Carrying Suggestion
Diamox 125mg	Altitude sickness prevention	Prepare according to the number of itinerary days, start 1 day before departure
Dexamethasone 4mg	HACE emergency treatment	Carry at least 10 pills
Nifedipine 30mg ER	HAPE emergency treatment	Carry at least 6 pills
Panadol	Headache relief	Caffeine-free version is preferred
Anti-nausea drug	Nausea and vomiting	Such as Ondansetron

All medications must be obtained after physician evaluation before departure; do not purchase them on your own or use others’ medications.

It is recommended to visit a Travel Medicine Clinic for consultation.

Non-Drug Equipment: Oxygen and Altitude Chambers

Equipment	Description	Effect
Bottled Oxygen	Directly increases inhaled oxygen concentration	Maintains for a few hours, suitable for emergencies
Portable Altitude Chamber (PAC)	Manually pressurized sealed bag	Mimics a descent of 1,500 to 2,000 meters in altitude
Fingertip Pulse Oximeter	Monitors oxygen saturation (SpO₂)	Normal value is above 95%, below 90% at high altitude requires alertness

The process of using a Portable Altitude Chamber (PAC):

Place the patient inside the bag
Pressurize continuously with a foot pump
Maintain for 1 to 2 hours
The effect is roughly equivalent to descending 1,500 to 2,000 meters

The pressure bag is a lifesaver for buying time, but it cannot replace descent. Symptoms will return after the pressure treatment ends.

Emergency Situation Handling Flowchart

When a teammate or you experience severe altitude sickness symptoms, handle them in the following order:

Step 1: Assess Severity

Assessment Item	Mild	Severe (Requires Immediate Action)
Headache	Mild, relieved by pain relievers	Severe, pain relievers ineffective
Gait	Normal	Unsteady walking (Sign of cerebral edema)
Breathing	Slightly short of breath during activity	Short of breath even at rest (Sign of pulmonary edema)
Consciousness	Clear	Confused, lethargic, slow response

Step 2: Handling Mild Symptoms

Stop ascending
Rest and observe at the same altitude
Replenish water and keep warm
Take pain relievers to alleviate headache
If no improvement within 24 hours → proceed to Step 3

Step 3: Emergency Handling of Moderate to Severe Symptoms

Descend immediately by at least 500 to 1,000 meters
Give oxygen (if available)
Use a PAC (if immediate descent is impossible)
Cerebral edema → give Dexamethasone
Pulmonary edema → give Nifedipine
Do not let the patient act alone; at least one teammate must accompany them

Step 4: Follow-up Care

If symptoms improve after descending, continuous observation for 24 to 48 hours is still required
After symptoms disappear completely, consider resuming a slow ascent
Patients who have experienced HACE or HAPE are recommended to seek medical attention after descending

On the mountain, it is better to retreat one time too many than one time too few.

Travel Medicine Clinic: The Most Important Stop Before Departure

Almost all major hospitals in Taiwan have travel medicine clinics. Clinic services include:

Assessing your personal medical history and altitude sickness risk
Prescribing preventive medications based on itinerary altitude and days
Teaching you to recognize symptoms and emergency handling procedures
Providing vaccination recommendations (applicable to overseas trips)

Spending an afternoon at the clinic gains you peace of mind for the entire trip. This is the most worthwhile pre-trip investment.

Reference

Debunking 7 High Altitude Illness Myths: Can Oxygen Injection Keep You Climbing? Does Being Fit Prevent AMS? Everything You Need to Know to Prevent and Handle High Altitude Illness

Thu, 21 May 2026 17:30:00 +0800

“I run marathons, so altitude sickness shouldn’t affect me, right?”

In fact, high altitude illness will not spare you just because you exercise regularly.

Myth #1: Being Fit Prevents Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness has nothing to do with fitness; it relates to how fast your body adapts to low oxygen.

The air oxygen content above 2,500 meters is only about 75% of sea level, and it drops to less than 55% at 5,000 meters.

Faced with such an environment, the body needs time to trigger a series of adaptation mechanisms:

Adaptation Mechanism	Purpose
Deeper and faster breathing	Increase air intake
Faster heart rate	Accelerate blood circulation
Increased red blood cells	Improve oxygen-carrying capacity

These adjustment speeds vary from person to person, depending on your genes and your physical state on the day, and have no direct relation to how many kilometers you usually run.

Fit people are actually more prone to make a mistake: climbing too fast.

Because their muscles do not feel tired, they ignore that other systems of the body are lacking oxygen.

Myth #2: Being Fine Last Time Means Being Fine This Time

The occurrence of altitude sickness is not constant; every climb’s conditions and physical states are different.

There are too many variables affecting altitude acclimatization:

Variable	Influence
Ascent Speed	For the same mountain, chartered vehicle direct ascent vs. three days of slow hiking leads to completely different results
Sleep Quality	Insomnia the night before or staying up late the previous week will reduce adaptation capacity
Physical Condition	Unrecovered cold or gastrointestinal discomfort means the immune system is already consuming resources
Water Intake	Dehydration will worsen the symptoms of altitude sickness
Alcohol	Even in small amounts, it will suppress the respiratory center

Being fine last time might just mean the conditions were all just right that time.

Every time you go up a mountain, prepare as if it were your first time.

Myth #3: Taking a Painkiller Will Fix the Headache

Painkillers only suppress the alarm; they do not disarm the danger.

When a headache occurs above 2,500 meters, the first reaction should be:

This could be altitude sickness
Stop ascending further
Observe for other symptoms (nausea, dizziness, insomnia)

Taking painkillers can temporarily relieve discomfort, but if the root cause is cerebral vasodilation caused by hypoxia, painkillers will only make you falsely assume you are fine and keep climbing, leading to a sudden outbreak at higher altitudes.

The rule for handling headaches on mountains: “Unless you can prove it is due to other causes, always treat it as altitude sickness first.”

Myth #4: Inhaling Oxygen Lets You Keep Climbing

Oxygen is an emergency rescue tool, not a cure.

Using oxygen (bottled oxygen or portable hyperbaric chamber) at high altitudes is equivalent to “temporarily returning you to a lower altitude”:

Oxygen Equipment	Effect	Limitation
Bottled Oxygen	Directly supplements inhaled oxygen concentration	Limited capacity, usually only lasts for a few hours
Portable Hyperbaric Chamber (PAC)	Simulates a drop in air pressure of 1,500 to 2,000 meters	Lasts about 1 to 2 hours per use, requires manual pressurization

The function of both oxygen and medication is to “buy time to descend,” not “to let you keep climbing up.”

Once the oxygen supply is removed, the body returns to the same hypoxic environment. If you do not descend, symptoms will keep recurring or even worsen.

Myth #5: Walking Slowly Prevents Altitude Sickness

Ascent speed is the key factor affecting altitude sickness.

The critical indicator for altitude sickness prevention is “the net gain in sleeping altitude per day,” not your walking speed.

Scenario	Risk
Riding a car for 3 hours directly to 3,400 meters	High risk, the body has absolutely no time to adapt
Hiking for 2 days from 2,000 meters to 3,400 meters	Lower risk, the body has time to adjust gradually
Climbing from 3,000 meters to 4,200 meters within a day, but sleeping back at 3,000 meters	Well controlled, aligns with the “climb high, sleep low” principle

Many Baiyue itineraries, to fit holidays, are designed to go directly from the trailhead (approx. 2,000 meters) to a cabin above 3,000 meters for overnight stay in one day.

This kind of itinerary design itself is a breeding ground for altitude sickness.

If the itinerary cannot be changed, at least do the following:

Consult a travel medicine clinic before departure and carry preventive medications.

Myth #6: Only Children and the Elderly Get Altitude Sickness Easily

Age is not a deciding factor.

Group	Actual Situation
Young Adults	The incidence is not lower than the elderly, and they are more likely to ignore symptoms due to overconfidence
Children	Because they cannot express discomfort accurately, they are more prone to delayed discovery
Women	Some studies show slightly higher AMS incidence in women, but the difference is not significant
Long-term High-Altitude Residents	Returning to high altitude after a stay at sea level, they can still experience altitude sickness

Everyone is equal in the face of altitude sickness. The only difference is whether you are prepared.

Myth #7: Taking Altitude Sickness Pills Guarantees Safety

Fact: Medication is a support tool, not a magic cure.

The most common preventive medication, Diamox (Acetazolamide), works by speeding up the body’s acclimatization process, prompting your kidneys to excrete bicarbonate, which acidifies the blood and stimulates the respiratory center to deepen breathing.

But it has several major limitations:

Limitation	Description
Not suitable for everyone	Contraindicated for people with sulfa drug allergies
Has side effects	Numbness in hands and feet, frequent urination, altered taste for carbonated drinks
Cannot replace acclimatization	Even after taking it, you still need to control the ascent speed
Needs to be taken in advance	Usually starts 1 day before departure, continued until 2 days after arriving at the highest altitude

Medication is like a seatbelt; it can save lives at key moments, but it doesn’t mean you can drive with your eyes closed.

Altitude Sickness Risk Assessment for Different Routes

The following compiles the risk levels of common high-altitude routes in Taiwan and overseas:

Taiwan Baiyue

Route	Maximum Altitude	Risk Level	Suggestion
Hehuanshan Main Peak	3,417 meters	Moderate	Start from Cingjing, adapt midway
Yushan Main Peak	3,952 meters	Moderate-High	Acclimatize before staying overnight at Paiyun Lodge (3,402 meters)
Jiaming Lake	3,310 meters	Moderate	Two-day itinerary has high risk; three-day itinerary is recommended
Qilai Main & North Peaks	3,560 meters	Moderate-High	High risk if ascending directly to Chenggong Cabin on day one

Overseas Routes

Route	Maximum Altitude	Risk Level	Suggestion
Mount Fuji, Japan	3,776 meters	Moderate	Strongly recommended to stay overnight at the 7th or 8th station
Nepal EBC	5,364 meters	High	Standard itinerary takes about 12 to 14 days, including multiple acclimatization days
Lhasa, Tibet	3,650 meters	Moderate-High	Flying direct has extremely high risk; taking the train to Tibet is recommended
Cusco, South America	3,400 meters	Moderate-High	Can stay in a lower-altitude city for 1 to 2 days first
Mount Kilimanjaro	5,895 meters	Extremely High	Choose a route of at least 6 days or more

What You Can Do Before Departure

Preparation Item	Description
Travel Medicine Clinic	Inform the doctor of destination altitude, itinerary days, ascent speed, and discuss preventive meds
Physical Training	While it doesn’t prevent altitude sickness, good fitness can reduce extra physical burden
Study the Route	Understand daily altitude changes and mark potential risk zones
Prepare Gear	Oximeter (fingertip), headache pills, warm clothing
Inform Teammates	Let teammates know your physical condition and past history of altitude sickness

The best attitude toward climbing: “Keep awe for the mountains, keep honesty to your body.”

Reference

What is High-Altitude Illness? Does Physical Fitness Prevent Altitude Sickness? How to Acclimatize Before Climbing High Peaks? Treat Any Headache in the Mountains as Altitude Sickness First! 'Descend, Descend, and Descend' is the Only Cure!

Thu, 21 May 2026 15:30:00 +0800

Longing to stand on the peak of a high mountain, looking down at the magnificent sea of clouds and rolling ridges, but feeling inexplicably nervous at the mere mention of “altitude sickness”?

Many people believe that having good physical fitness and regular exercise habits prevents altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness has absolutely nothing to do with your physical fitness.

A marathon runner is not necessarily better at adapting to high altitudes than an average person, because the cause of altitude sickness is thin air and decreased oxygen partial pressure, unrelated to muscle endurance.

When we climb to altitudes above 2,500 meters, atmospheric pressure drops, causing oxygen molecules in the air to become sparse.

Taking 3,000 meters above sea level as an example, the oxygen content at the peak is only about 70% of that at sea level.

If the speed of ascent is too fast, the cardiopulmonary function and blood system fail to adapt to this sudden hypoxia, and the organs in the body will begin to protest.

This is High-Altitude Illness (or Altitude Sickness).

Three Classifications of Altitude Sickness

Based on severity and the affected organs, high-altitude illness is classified into three types:

Type	English	Core Symptoms	Danger Level
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)	Acute Mountain Sickness	Headache, accompanied by nausea, dizziness, insomnia, weakness	Most common, resolves on its own for most people
High-Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)	High-Altitude Cerebral Edema	Unsteady gait (ataxia), confusion, lethargy, coma	Extremely dangerous, can be fatal within 24 hours
High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)	High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema	Shortness of breath even at rest, dry cough, pink frothy sputum	Highest mortality rate, requires immediate treatment

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is the most common type, usually appearing within 1 to 12 hours after arriving at high altitude, experienced by about 25% to 50% of travelers.

For most people, symptoms relieve within 2 to 3 days after the body adapts, but if it continues to worsen, it may progress to fatal cerebral edema (HACE) or pulmonary edema (HAPE).

Is a Headache Just a Cold? Never Think This Way in the Mountains

Early symptoms of altitude sickness are very similar to many common illnesses:

Common Misjudgment	Real Symptoms of Altitude Sickness
Thought to be a cold	Headache, general fatigue, nausea
Thought to be a hangover	Throbbing headache, insomnia, loss of appetite
Thought to be motion sickness	Dizziness, vomiting
Thought to be exhaustion	Weakness, decreased athletic performance

In the mountains, any headache must be treated as altitude sickness first, unless proven to be caused by other reasons.

Many mountaineering accidents are actually related to altitude sickness. Because high-altitude cerebral edema causes unsteady gait leading to falls off cliffs, and the weakness of acute mountain sickness makes people move slowly, failing to reach camp in time and causing hypothermia.

Never ignore symptoms just because you think it is “just a mild cold,” missing the best timing for descent.

Who is Prone to Altitude Sickness? Who are the High-Risk Groups?

The primary risk factors for altitude sickness are related to genetics and ascent speed:

Risk Factor	Explanation
Rapid ascent	The primary risk factor, ascending to altitudes above 2,800 meters within one day
History of altitude sickness	People who have experienced it before have a higher chance of recurrence
Individual genetic makeup	Natural adaptation speed to hypoxic environments varies from person to person
Unresolved cold/respiratory infection	Going uphill with airway inflammation can cause altitude sickness to worsen directly into pulmonary edema
Staying up late or extreme fatigue	Autonomic nervous system dysfunction reduces the body’s ability to regulate hypoxia

The following groups are not recommended to travel to areas above 2,500 meters:

Patients with unstable angina
Patients with pulmonary hypertension
Patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Patients with sickle cell disease

Having no issues last time does not mean you will be fine this time.

Altitude adaptability is not always the same for every individual, and colds or staying up late can reduce your adaptability to zero.

How to Prevent Altitude Sickness? The "2500+300 Rule" and "Climb High, Sleep Low"

Prevention is key. Slowly ascend to allow the body to adapt.

Core Speed Guide

Rule	Explanation
First Night Altitude Control	On the first day of entering high altitude, keep the overnight altitude below 2,500 to 2,800 meters as much as possible
Daily Sleep Altitude Control	Above 3,000 meters, the net increase in sleeping altitude per night should not exceed 300 to 500 meters
Forced Rest Every 3 Days	After the sleeping altitude has risen continuously for 1,000 meters, stay one more night at the same altitude to adapt

Climb High, Sleep Low

During the day, you can climb higher to stimulate the body’s response mechanisms, but at night you should descend to a lower altitude to sleep, allowing the body to recover in an environment with higher oxygen content.

The golden rule of mountaineering: "Climb high, sleep low."

Pre-trip Preparation Checklist

Preparation Item	Explanation
Travel Medicine Clinic	Consult a physician before departure to evaluate the need for preventive medication (such as Acetazolamide)
Acclimatization in Advance	Stay in areas above 2,750 meters for 2 or more days within 30 days prior to departure
Layering Clothing System	Moisture-wicking base layer, warm middle layer, and windproof/waterproof outer layer
High-Carb Diet	Carbohydrates consume less oxygen than fats; replenish sugars anytime during the hike
No Alcohol and Smoking	Alcohol and sedatives suppress the respiratory center, worsening hypoxia

General Precautions at High Altitudes

At high altitudes, besides controlling the speed of ascent, daily behaviors also need adjustment:

Behavioral Control	Explanation
Reduce Strenuous Activities	Strenuous exercise accelerates blood oxygen consumption; slow down your pace and stabilize your breathing
Keep the Body Warm	Low temperatures increase pulmonary arterial pressure; use the layering system to dress up when cold and de-layer when warm
High-Carb Diet	Carbohydrates consume less oxygen than fats; replenish sugars anytime during the hike
Avoid Gas-Producing Foods	Foods like beans and carbonated drinks expand and bloat in the gastrointestinal tract under low air pressure, causing discomfort, which affects breathing and appetite
Actively Replenish Water	High-altitude air is dry, and rapid breathing causes significant water loss; replenish water in small amounts and multiple times
Monitor Yourself and Teammates	Physical conditions can change at any time in high altitudes; do not push yourself, and rest or descend immediately if you feel unwell

What to Do When Altitude Sickness Occurs? "Descend, Descend, and Descend"

Lowering altitude is the most effective and only way to treat altitude sickness.

Severity	Symptoms	Treatment
Mild	Headache, nausea	Stop ascending, rest and observe at the same altitude; take pain relievers to alleviate
Moderate	Vomiting, worsening headache	If no improvement after resting for 24 hours, descend immediately
Severe	Ataxia (unsteady gait), rest dyspnea	Descend immediately by at least 500 to 1,000 meters, while administering oxygen

Medications, oxygen cylinders, and Portable Altitude Chambers (PAC) are only "time-buying" tools to keep the patient stable until they can safely descend.

Never continue to push uphill just because symptoms are temporarily relieved after taking medication or inhaling oxygen.

When there is an issue with your body at high altitude, you must remember the "3D" formula:

Down, Down and Down (Descend, descend, and descend).

Never leave a person with altitude sickness alone; they must be accompanied by at least one teammate who is familiar with the route and possesses basic medical knowledge to descend.

The mountains will always be there.

Be fully prepared, do not rush, listen to your body, and everyone can safely enjoy the beauty of high altitudes.

Reference

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