>>280064It (water) goes a long way. Is it the "cure", no.
The "cure" comes with time.
As you work, your body needs oxygen. The more you work, the more oxygen you need. Until you acclimate, your body expects a certain amount of oxygen through the lungs. Without that adequate oxygen supply, you tire quickly and feel the effects you mentioned. It can be dangerous, even life-threatening depending on the situation.
Took a camera crew up to a pass (14k+ft) who had just come from another shoot in Georgia. These guys are based out of Chicago, and were the work-work-work, get-shit-done city-types of people.
They described me as a "badass mountain dude" later in the day.
Up on the pass, there's a parking area at the summit and some hiking trails/stairs to walk around. I could tell a few of them were feeling pretty awful, but they still had that go-go-go attitude.
Sat them down at the cars, "Here's the deal, you're not used to the elevation. Drink some water, we'll head down in a little bit and you'll feel better. Don't want to scare you, but if you start to feel real bad let me know. Just take it easy for a while, the rest of the crew's got things covered."
It's a good thing I threw about a dozen extra water bottles in a cooler in my truck, as they weren't prepared for high-elevation work. I really didn't want to use my first-aid skills.
Different people are affected by elevation differently too. My experience has been that you don't know how it's going to affect you till you get up there. Make a plan, but don't be afraid to adjust or abandon that plan if conditions change. You can still give yourself the upper hand knowing the environment you're going into; and water's a big factor.
>Pic, again, extremely related. That photo was published nationwide in a large ad campaign. 
