.:: Sanaka Health | Invest in your Wellness ::. - UDO’s CHOICE 3.6.9 OIL BLEND Testimonials

My passion is climbing high mountains, and I try to get away once a year to some remote part of the planet to climb.

I have successfully climbed the highest mountains on 6 of the 7 continents: Kilimanjaro (5,895m; highest in Africa); Carstensz Pyramid (4,884m; highest in Australasia); Elbrus (5,642m; highest in Europe); Aconcagua (6,960m; highest in South America); Vinson (4,897m; highest in Antarctica); and Denali (6,201m; highest in North America).

I have also successfully climbed Mont Blanc (4,807m), in the French Alps; Mt Pissus (6,883m), in the South American Andes; and Cho Oyu (8,201m), in the Himalayas and the 6th highest mountain in the world. I have just returned from an attempt on Mt Everest (8,848m), and achieved a high point of 8,500m.

When I take on these big mountains, I have a few rules I live by. The first of these rules is that I must have top quality mountaineering gear. When I climb in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius, I do not want to worry about frostbite. When I dangle on a rope on a 45 degree angle with a drop-off of 1,500m, I do not want to worry about whether my equipment will fail me. My second rule in climbing is to train very hard for each climb, and to make sure I am in the best possible physical condition when I hit the slopes. My third rule is to ensure I do whatever I can to be healthy - in body and in mind. I take my supplements with me on each climb - once again, I want to have top quality supplements when I climb, and this is where Udo's Oil comes in.

Since August 2008, I have been on 3 expeditions: Cho Oyu (a 6-week expedition), Aconcagua (a 2-week expedition), and Everest (an 8-week expedition). Udo's Oil was a key element of each expedition. Since taking Udo's Oil with me on expeditions, I have experienced a range of very distinctive benefits. First and foremost is high and sustained energy levels - even when climbing at 8,000m for 10+ hours at a time on supplementary oxygen. Secondly, my health has held up better than ever. Early in my climbing career, I would often get flu and colds, which is debilitating at high altitudes. Since using Udo's Oil, I have not once had the flu or a cold on a mountain. Thirdly, my mind has been clear, enabling me to make good decisions. On Mt Everest this year, at 01h00 and at 8,500m, with another 350m to the summit (about 2 to 3 hours of climbing at that altitude) I just knew that it was not my time to summit the mountain. It was bitterly cold, it was pitch dark except for our head lamps, I was on an 8mm rope with a guide and 3 sherpas, and climbing with supplementary oxygen. Most mountaineering deaths occur on the descent from a summit, often because climbers only focus on the summit and use all their physical and mental energy to get to the top but then do not have enough "gas in the tank" to get down safely. On Everest, I knew I had enough in me to get to the summit, but I distinctly started to question whether I have enough mental and physical energy to descend safely. Whilst climbing, I considered my choices and options, and my intuition and judgment led me to a decision that I knew was the right one: I chose to descend and forego the summit, but the trade-off was that I maximised the possibility of getting back to high camp safe and sound. I believe that it was my constant use of Udo's Oil that contributed to my sound judgment on the highest mountain on earth. Perhaps the final benefit I get from Udo's Oil on high mountains is just a subjective "feel-good" factor: there are so many uncontrollable variables on mountains that just feeling good about your health is often an important contributor to success.

I remain a firm believer in Udo's Oil; after Mt Everest I am more convinced than ever of its benefits; and I am a client for life. Udo's Oil will be an integral part of all my future expeditions, including a second attempt on Mt Everest.

Dr Louis Carstens (47)
Businessman
Sandton, Johannesburg