The article discusses hypoxic pathophysiology and high-altitude medicine as of December 2012, with a focus on the traditional Tibetan medicine Duoxuekang and its potential prevention of high-altitude polycythemia (HAPC) induced by hypoxia. Topics include the oxygen-carrying capacity of human blood, reduction of red blood cell and hemoglobin counts, and serum erythropoietin (EPO). Additional information is presented on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1.