Altitude Quote by Steven Magee
““I started to see a serious decline in health in high altitude professional astronomy. Most noticeable was the onset of constant fatigue, memory issues and confusion. The condition progressed during my time in the commercial and utility solar industry where I started falling asleep at work and developed hot skin. The doctors tested me and said I had shift work disorder in 2008 and vitamin D and Vitamin B12 deficiencies in 2011. In 2015 I had a COVID-19 like sickness that made everyone in the family really sick. I never recovered and this started regular visits to the doctors. They diagnosed severe sleep apnea and mental illness and prescribed a CPAP machine. Under the care of the doctors I became much sicker on their prescription drugs and treatments. I eventually got smart and figured out I was not going to recover under their care and they may actually kill me! In 2021, moving to Hawaii island revealed that I had ‘Altitude Hypersensitivity’ and a high altitude commuting disease called ‘Magee’s Disease’. By the end of 2023 I had developed the treatments for these conditions and made a reasonable recovery. There is no cure for either condition. They are life-long illnesses. I now have to live well below 1,000 feet near sea level and take the treatments for the rest of my life. I documented the conditions in the books ‘Toxic Altitude’ and ‘Magee’s Disease’. The treatments for the hypoxic high altitude damage appeared transferable into COVID-19 and Long COVID and these are documented in the books “COVID Supplements” and ‘Long COVID Supplements’.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Toxic Altitude and Magee’s Disease by Steven Magee, 2023
Living at high altitude can cause chronic health issues that persist despite conventional treatment, requiring lifelong management and lifestyle adaptation.
In simple terms: High altitude can cause lasting health problems needing ongoing care.
Adapt lifestyle to low altitude and follow prescribed treatments.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- career planning
- medical consultation
- travel decisions
- daily routine adjustments
- long‑term health monitoring
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can individuals mitigate altitude‑related health risks?
- What strategies support chronic illness management?
Treatments may not fully reverse damage; access to low‑altitude environments can be limited.