Trekking!

I'm taking a class on public health and today the lecture was on AIDS/HIV. In Africa and parts of Asia, AIDS is endemic, meaning it's found regularly in the community. Most of the children at the orphanage told me their parents died from AIDS. I heard rumors the disease traveled to Nepal through sex trafficking in India. Many times this disease is co-infected with Hepatitis B and tuberculosis (TB). TB with AIDS is the leading cause of AIDS related deaths worldwide. Apparently there are several types of TB, including types that are extremely drug resistant (this past month a total drug resistant form was discovered in India). 

Places without proper healthcare tend to have populations misusing the tuberculosis drug treatments. The treatment can last up to 9 months and the costs are significant. What does this matter? Can acupuncture cure these diseases? Well, no. We can't cure immune-compromising diseases. Fortunately, one of the requirements while I am at the clinic is to educate the local staff by teaching a class on blood borne pathogens and clean needle technique. The staff will then be able to educate the local community.   

In regards to treatment for AIDS, acupuncture can help patients by boosting their immune system, relieve the symptoms of the disease, and reduce the side effects from the medications. Although, in developing countries, I doubt patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS receive the drug cocktails available in more developed countries. Acupuncture offers low cost treatment for various diseases, in contrast to western medicine which can use high cost medications to treat illness. Ideally, using eastern and western medicine would be the most effective form of treatment. At the clinic we are opening in Nepal, these patients are able to receive treatment free of cost. They can come every day, every week, for the entire time we are there and not pay a cent (or rupee as it were). 

I've been getting vaccines over the last few weeks, but diseases like TB, Hepatitis C and AIDS do not have a vaccine. I push these scary facts to the back of my head. But, having anything traumatic happen in a third world country is way worse than if it were to happen at home. I don't say this to be morose, but it is something to take into consideration. I am actively choosing to put myself in an at-risk population in order to help those who do not have access to healthcare. I am doing this because I want to. I can close my eyes at night and picture the faces of the children, the homeless begging and I want to help. Acupuncture is my medium and fundraising is how I will get there. Please consider making a donation. If you already donated, ask someone you know to donate. 

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C/O Terry Atchley

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Portland, OR 97209

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On to my favorite activity- trekking! The clinic will close for several days in honor of the Diwali festival, therefore we have time to trek in the Langtang region. I do not know much about this trek, but what I do know is we'd start at 1670m and hike up to 5050m, the trek will last about 10-days and go into the Himal region bordering Tibet. The Langtang valley is sandwiched between the main Himalayan range to the north and a slightly lower range of snowy peaks to the south. Langtang Lirung (7246m) dominates the valley to the north; Gang Chhenpo (6388m) and Naya Kanga ri (5846m) lie to the south; and Dorje Lakpa (6966m) protects the East end of the Valley. This high and isolated region is inhabited by Tamangs whose religious practices, language and dress are much more similar to those of Tibet than to the traditions of their cousins in the Middle Hills. By the way, this trek is paid for out-of-pocket, no donations are used to support the staff while the clinic is closed. 

Previously, I've hiked the Annapurna Circuit. This trail is a loop around the three Annapurna Mountains and generally takes people between 19 to 22 days to complete. Sadly, I hiked it in 14-days. I wish I had a good reason for plowing through this amazingly beautiful area of the world, but I don't. I hiked with someone who cared about speed and instead of speaking my peace, I harbored resentment and just kept going- furious the entire time. I will have three weeks at the end of my time in Nepal, I am considering re-hiking the circuit alone and at a pace which makes me happy. 

The Annapurna Circuit is considered one of the best treks in the world. I find this to be true.  The trek goes through four regions: Lamjung, Manang, Mustang and Myagdi. Lamjung and Myagdi are in the lower elevations, which are predominantly Hindu. The Manang and Mustang regions are in the higher elevations and predominantly Tibetan Buddhist.  The people of the Mustang region relate more to Tibet and this region has actually been part of Tibet through periods in history. There are some regions in the Mustang area that were not open to westerners until 2005! 

The trek itself was like nothing I'd ever done before. The trails link all the villages and currently a road is being built. The road is detrimental to the hikers and a catch-22. The hikers hate walking the dusty road while lazy travelers zoom by in jeeps. But the road will make access to these areas easier for locals and will increase the tourism to the villages whose economy is based on travelers. Luckily, not all of the trail is turning into a road and there are times when seeing these mountains for the first time I felt like a new explorer. Often when I hike my mind clears of the muck, which is probably why I love doing it so much. I wonder what the first people to ever see these areas thought and what much of the world looked like before people came and changed the terrain. I loved hiking in the Himalayas because not much of the terrain has changed, at least in the higher elevations. Even the villages I walked through look as if they haven't changed since they were built. The one thing I found interesting was all the German bakeries popping up. Nothing is better than a fresh baked chocolate croissant at 14,000 feet. 

I look forward to hiking the new areas of Nepal I've never seen before. Please take a moment to donate to the ARP and thanks for reading. 

Also, here is a short 3-minute video about what I'll be doing in Nepal!

Video!