by Dr. Judyth Reichenberg-Ullman and Dr. Robert Ullman
You may be under the misconception that homeopathy takes a long time to work and is only useful for simple conditions. Neither is true. We want to show you that you can count on homeopathy, the safest medicine you will ever find, reliably, on a volcano climb as much as in the comfort of your own home. First-aid and acute homeopathy act quickly, effectively, and are easy to take with you wherever you go. We want to share our recent personal experience in hopes that you will give it a try the next time you, maybe not climb a volcano, but at least take a walk in the woods or the park. It’s so much more natural, cheaper, and easier than carrying along over-the-counter or prescription pharmaceuticals.
A Long-Awaited Adventure
We’ve been looking out our front door, in Pucón, Chile, at Volcán Villarrica for nine years. We’re hikers and backpackers. but climbing the volcano (did we mention active?) seemed daunting. Call it a “bucket list” must, or “if not now, when?” we decided to go for it! Friends of ours run climbs through Summit Chile, the safest of the many outfitters here. We got fitted for our rental gear a few days ahead, then waited for the best possible weather conditions.
There is up to one death per year on this climb (minimal since there were easily 200 climbers the day of our climb), but we didn’t want to be among them! We were given heavy boots (they made the trek more difficult, but since we hiked in snow with crampons all the way up, better to have used theirs than our lighter ones), ice axe, and heavy, hooded jacket, ski pants, gloves, gaiters, helmets, and packs. And a butt-sized plastic slider to save for the descent. It was the opposite of our ultra-light backpacking equipment, for sure. Backpacking near Mt. Rainer a year ago, we ran into a couple of young men who were hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Canada to Mexico, and picked their brains a bit about their packing philosophies. They both wore running shoes with crampons, rather than heavier hiking boots, explaining that hauling extra pounds on your feet is no different than on your back. We could understand this better on this climb, because it was challenging lifting those heavy boots and crampons for four hours straight up! We were happy to have the rest of the gear, all of which we used, and which we were able dump, mostly wet, in bins at the end, rather than needing to dry it all out ourselves for a day. This outfitter has been guiding climbs for years. As a matter of fact, our same four guides did the climb three to four times that same week. For us, however, we were thrilled to have made it to the top, and will consider it a once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Homeopathic and Dietary Preparation the Night Before the Climb
Volcán Villarrica is 2847 meters (9,380 feet) high. Seasonally, including when we went, it is possibly to ride a chair lift part way. The vertical ascent (think steep) is about 700 meters (2300 feet straight up). It has a gorgeous, perfectly conical form, a diameter of 200 meters, and contains a permanent lava lake. It is definitely an active volcano, with eruptions around ever 20 years, typically of a lahar (overflowing of lava from the crater which melts the glacier surrounding the crater and sends a combination of lave and hot water down the mountain into the river valley). The last eruption was in 1984. There have been few deaths, and the vulcanologists pay close attention to the conditions. A fairly constant fumarole can be seen emanating from the crater (and from our front door). Locals assure us that as long as she is steaming, no worries! Each years thousands of tourists set out to climb the volcano up to the crater, most of them successfully.
We’ve enjoyed our share of high-altitude hiking and touring, the highest a couple of years ago in the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile (17,000 feet), in Ecuador outside of Quito (and we plan to return in a couple of months to hike around Volcán Cotopaxi there, but not climb), as well as last June in the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco. We knew that it’s no fun to suffer from altitude sickness. We were reminded of this by a neighbor friend here who had to spend three days in bed at his hotel because he felt so terrible. Embarking on our volcano trip, we were quite aware of homeopathic Erythoxylon’s (from the Coca plant) effectiveness for preventing these unpleasant symptoms (see our recent Townsend Letter article on hypothermia). It is the same plant that is chewed ubiquitously by indigenous Peruvians, Bolivians, and Ecuadorians, and available widely to visitors of Machu Picchu. We have found the homeopathic preparation to be stronger and more rapidly effective. We take a dose either the night before of the morning of our arrival at the high altitude and have had no problems. Of course, it is more challenging if remains at the altitude for more than six hours, which was not true in our case. We took one dose each of a 1M potency, however 200C would have been quite adequate, and perhaps even 30C. The climb turned out to be challenging enough without having to deal also with altitude sickness.
Claudio and Suzy of Summit Chile advised us to drink lots of water the day before the climb and to eat a heavy pasta meal the night before the trip. That was no real hardship! They assured us that any possible weight gain due to the carb loading would be offset by the energy expenditure of the climb. They were right!
Thin Ozone Layer Protection
We have heard repeatedly that the ozone layer is depleted over Chile, and that the sun is more dangerous here compared to other parts of the world. A hole in the ozone layer does exist over the South Pole in the Southern Hemisphere. It does apparently pass over the Patagonia region of South America (four to five hours south of Villarrica) from October to December, especially from 11AM to 4PM. Especially vulnerable are Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and Chile. In fact, Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. So, sun screen was a must.
We researched the effectiveness of sunscreens when doing our investigation for The Savvy Traveler’s Guide and found the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to be in the most reliable source of information. www.ewg.org It is only since 2010 that sunscreens are being carefully evaluated for both effectiveness and harmful side effects including, ironically, cancer. According to the EWG, the U.S. FDA was aware of the potential danger of some chemicals contained in sunscreens for as much as ten years earlier, but did not take action. The main dangers are due to oxybenzone, a hormone-disrupting chemical that penetrates the skin and enters the bloodstream. Also of concern is retinyl palmitate, a form of Vitamin A. The EWG discourages the use of products containing these substances. Their website provides ratings of the most popular sunscreens, with a particular emphasis on which is safe for babies and young children. It is an essential resource for parents.
Another concern is nano-sized titanium dioxide, which may have significant health implications. Also worthy of consideration is the need for reliable information concerning SPF ratings, which are often misleading and meaningless, offering a false sense of security to sun worshipers.
Well-informed from our book research, we slathered ourselves with BWC (Beauty Without Cruelty) Broad Spectrum SPF 30, a natural zinc oxide sunscreen. Forget about looking like a fashion plate when it comes to sunscreen: slather and get used to the white look.
We applied sunscreen generously to our faces, which were all that were exposed. And we did reapply once during the four-hour ascent during a rest stop. What we didn’t count on were drippy noses that removed the sunscreen from our lips. Nor did we remember to take the high SPF lip sunscreen that we left at home with our ultra-light backpacking gear. A big oversight, as we will share later!
A Grueling Ascent and an Exciting Descent
We are seasoned hikers, but not with crampons and full gear. Hiking is one matter and ascending a snow-covered volcano another, even if the climb, as in this case, was not a technical one. The ice axes, though a necessary precaution, were awkward. We were encouraged to climb in a tight group, placing our feet in the tracks of the person just ahead. That worked until Judyth fell about 100 meters behind, encouraged, gently but surely, the entire time by one of the guides. The weather conditions were perfect: sunny, little wind, and we waited out for about 20 minutes the sulfurous fumes emitted from the crater. The relentless uphill ascent, demanding stamina and endurance, was rewarded by a spectacularly clear and panoramic view from the top, a moment of sacred silence invoking Rukapillan, “House of Spirits” in the Mapuche language, Mapundungun. Another alternative meaning is Quitralpillán, “Dwelling of Ancestors with Fire. “ The high fives, awesome views, and memorable photos were well worth the effort. We were able to spend a good half hour at the time marveling at the 360-degree views of four other volcanoes, the surrounding Andes, and glacial lakes.
Our guides were ultra cautious, instructing us in the correct use of ice axes, insisting on helmets all the way back to the van, and descending by foot, rather than by butt, the first third or so. Then the crampons came off and we engaged in what felt like an Olympic luge. We tucked the plastic ovals under our butts, attempted (only partially successfully) to slide down in close proximity to each other, and enjoyed the roller-coaster-like ride of our lives. Bouncy, to say the least, and, when we tried to walk crampon-free, we often ended up on our butts anyway. Nine hours after we gathered together in the early morning, all 15 or so climbers plus the four guides, arrived back in Pucón. We returned exhausted, elated, and relieved.
The Worse for Wear
What was most surprising for us was that it took about two weeks to fully recover. We are 64 and nearly 67 and we still like to think of ourselves as invincible. Especially with the support of homeopathy and naturopathy! One of our Whidbey Island role models, Meg Petersen, is 87, still hiking, and just stopped backpacking a year ago. That is our hope for ourselves. (We plan, hopefully, to celebrate Bob’s 65th birthday, a year and a half from now, to hike part of El Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain). Back to our recovery from the climb: Arnica, the homeopathic godsend for sore, overused, or injured muscles, was a great help, as well as a great massage and daily soaks in our rooftop spa. Compared to any of our previous hikes, however, it took some time to get back into our grooves. We kept up with our regular classes of yoga, Zumba, and Pilates, beginning the following morning, rather than taking a break for a few days, which might have been a better idea. The sunscreen worked well on our faces however we found that the wind and nasal dripping resulted in some peeling on the tips and underneath our noses. The most unpleasant and uncomfortable symptom, for both of us, was lip burn. Homeopathic Cantharis helped, as well as Calendula and another herbal salve, but it took nearly two weeks for our lips to return completely to normalcy. On our upcoming trip to Cotopaxi, we will not forget our high SPF lip balm! Are we glad we finally climbed this volcano? Definitely. We feel a much more intimate relationship with its spirit , beauty, power, and wonder.
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