Medical Question to a Doctor regarding Supplements.
Former Member
When competing last week in Hawaii, I read in the Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper from Saturday May 18, in page A5, an advertisement promoting a product stimulating the release of the Human Growth Hormone by the body.
I read in it: "Practically EVERYONE over the age of 40 has a Growth Hormone deficiency.". I am age 43, and even though I trained more than ever for the past year, I swam slower in Hawaii in 100 free and 200 free than I did last year, which was slower than in 1998, which was slower than in 1996, which was slower than in 1994 when I peaked in yards competitions. Because of this, I kept reading:
by taking the product advertised in the newspaper "In the FIRST MONTH: You should expect: Improved stamina;...".
My question for a Medical Doctor familiar with competitions, regards one specific side effect of such a product, not approved by FDA. I remember reading in the Swimming World magazine in mid-90s, when Chinese Olympic swimmers were being caught on illegal products, that a possible side effect of Human Growth Hormone stimulants given to adults, was an increase of extremities like nose, hands, ears and forehead. A picture of the swimmer Massimiliano Rosolino (Ita.) who in the 2000SydneyOlympics won gold, silver and bronze medals, picture published in 2000 in www.nbcolympics.com, semmed to me to show the increase of the nose. www.nbcolympics.com didn't mean to imply anything like this, this is my interpretation of Rosolino's face. It is publicly documented now, that Rosolino took Human Growth Hormone stimulants before the Olympics.
My question is:
The product advertised in Honolulu Star Bulletin as being a Human Growth Hormone stimulant, does increase the nose?
If so, what safer supplements achieve "...improved stamina..."?
San Francisco Chronicle did mention once before the 2000Olympics, two Olympians who were achieving with legal supplements the outcome of illegal products.
Parents
Former Member
Ion, you always have the most interesting posts . . . I have a thousand responses, and don't really know where to start, but . . .
Some Italians have big noses. I should know (see my last name). I'm just curious about which brand of goggle Rosolino uses :)
Given the reward structure of Masters swimming, isn't even a *risk* of a side effect unacceptable? Why are you so concerned about the letter of the rules, rather than the spirit? As far as I can tell, there is no (Masters) letter of the rules with regard to performance-enhancers, and you can take (otherwise legal) steroids, EPO, HGH, etc. as much as you want. The spirit of the rule is different, and whether the enhancer comes from a bottle as a pill or a bush as an herb makes little difference.
Maybe you are getting old, like the rest of us. Or maybe it is not your physiology, but your psychology - If you are healthy and rested I see no reason why you should swim slower in a meet than you do in practice.
Or perhaps you should practice smarter before you increase your 'enhancer uptake.' A few suggestions from what I saw during your 100 free: Work on your turns, your streamline could be a lot better. Also, you breath both going into (and this breath is not a natural part of your stroke) and out of the turn - bad, bad, bad. I saw you breath several times every arm pull, making your body role and especially twist excessively. Finally, the best swimmers that I observe recover into the water just in front of their head. You stretch your arms out and kind of lay them on the surface of the water. I think this wastes a significant part of your stroke, and is possibly damaging to your shoulder.
Finally, I agree that starting to swim late in life puts you at a disadvantage, though others are in that situation also. But you can't change your history and you have to deal with the situation you are in, and there are ways to do better. More important, there are ways to enjoy yourself more. This post of yours implies that you are getting too obsessed with swimming faster. What will happen if you swim your 100 even 8 seconds faster? You still won't place, and you won't be in better shape than you are now. (and if anyone cared, they would accuse you of taking performance enhancers. )
You have asked for help several times on this forum, so I am giving you public advice.
Ion, you always have the most interesting posts . . . I have a thousand responses, and don't really know where to start, but . . .
Some Italians have big noses. I should know (see my last name). I'm just curious about which brand of goggle Rosolino uses :)
Given the reward structure of Masters swimming, isn't even a *risk* of a side effect unacceptable? Why are you so concerned about the letter of the rules, rather than the spirit? As far as I can tell, there is no (Masters) letter of the rules with regard to performance-enhancers, and you can take (otherwise legal) steroids, EPO, HGH, etc. as much as you want. The spirit of the rule is different, and whether the enhancer comes from a bottle as a pill or a bush as an herb makes little difference.
Maybe you are getting old, like the rest of us. Or maybe it is not your physiology, but your psychology - If you are healthy and rested I see no reason why you should swim slower in a meet than you do in practice.
Or perhaps you should practice smarter before you increase your 'enhancer uptake.' A few suggestions from what I saw during your 100 free: Work on your turns, your streamline could be a lot better. Also, you breath both going into (and this breath is not a natural part of your stroke) and out of the turn - bad, bad, bad. I saw you breath several times every arm pull, making your body role and especially twist excessively. Finally, the best swimmers that I observe recover into the water just in front of their head. You stretch your arms out and kind of lay them on the surface of the water. I think this wastes a significant part of your stroke, and is possibly damaging to your shoulder.
Finally, I agree that starting to swim late in life puts you at a disadvantage, though others are in that situation also. But you can't change your history and you have to deal with the situation you are in, and there are ways to do better. More important, there are ways to enjoy yourself more. This post of yours implies that you are getting too obsessed with swimming faster. What will happen if you swim your 100 even 8 seconds faster? You still won't place, and you won't be in better shape than you are now. (and if anyone cared, they would accuse you of taking performance enhancers. )
You have asked for help several times on this forum, so I am giving you public advice.
