Masters Swimming and Illegal Supplements

Originally posted by gull80 Again I would refer you to the list on the WADA website. In the first place, the majority of the drugs listed are clearly performance enhancing (anabolic steroids, growth hormone, etc.), and very few, if any, Masters swimmers are using these to treat a legitimate medical condition. But, as noted previously, they are also monitoring things like caffeine, phenylpropanolamine, and pseudoephedrine in order to decide whether to include them on the list in the future. If USMS were to implement the WADA standard, it would be agreeing to conform not just to the current list, but also to anything WADA decides to add to the list in the future. Second, if an athlete requires, say, a diuretic for hypertension, it can be used with a Therapeutic Use Exemption. Theoretically. But that's the problem. Historically, the board that issues the TUEs has been accustomed to dealing with fairly simple things like insulin use by Type 1 diabetics, drug use to treat sports injuries, etc. And that happened because they were dealing almost exclusively with young athletes who, because of their participation in their sport, were on the average healthier than their peers. The health problems faced by some masters swimmers are far more complex. And research is proceeding at such a rapid rate that it's difficult, if not impossible, for a doctor to keep abreast of everything that's been discovered. That's why people go to specialists, and get second opinions. Now, lets say that you've got a health problem - maybe even several health problems. You've been to a number of doctors, you've tried numerous treatments, you've suffered from drug sensitivities, bad side effects, and drug interactions, but you've finally found a doctor with the expertise to put you on a regimen that works. But there's one problem: The regimen includes a substance that's on the WADA banned list. And the result is that you have to place your fate as a comptetive swimmer (or as a patient - take your pick) in the hands of a board of doctors who have had no experience treating you and who have no particular expertise with the medical problems you have. Does that sound fair? Another thing to consider is whether you want to advertise your medical problems to the entire world by applying for a TUE. Of course, USMS might promise you that the information would be kept confidential. But that also means that USMS would be open to lawsuits if that confidentiality were ever breached (even by accident). Bob

Originally posted by gull80 Again I would refer you to the list on the WADA website. In the first place, the majority of the drugs listed are clearly performance enhancing (anabolic steroids, growth hormone, etc.), and very few, if any, Masters swimmers are using these to treat a legitimate medical condition. But, as noted previously, they are also monitoring things like caffeine, phenylpropanolamine, and pseudoephedrine in order to decide whether to include them on the list in the future. If USMS were to implement the WADA standard, it would be agreeing to conform not just to the current list, but also to anything WADA decides to add to the list in the future. Second, if an athlete requires, say, a diuretic for hypertension, it can be used with a Therapeutic Use Exemption. Theoretically. But that's the problem. Historically, the board that issues the TUEs has been accustomed to dealing with fairly simple things like insulin use by Type 1 diabetics, drug use to treat sports injuries, etc. And that happened because they were dealing almost exclusively with young athletes who, because of their participation in their sport, were on the average healthier than their peers. The health problems faced by some masters swimmers are far more complex. And research is proceeding at such a rapid rate that it's difficult, if not impossible, for a doctor to keep abreast of everything that's been discovered. That's why people go to specialists, and get second opinions. Now, lets say that you've got a health problem - maybe even several health problems. You've been to a number of doctors, you've tried numerous treatments, you've suffered from drug sensitivities, bad side effects, and drug interactions, but you've finally found a doctor with the expertise to put you on a regimen that works. But there's one problem: The regimen includes a substance that's on the WADA banned list. And the result is that you have to place your fate as a comptetive swimmer (or as a patient - take your pick) in the hands of a board of doctors who have had no experience treating you and who have no particular expertise with the medical problems you have. Does that sound fair? Another thing to consider is whether you want to advertise your medical problems to the entire world by applying for a TUE. Of course, USMS might promise you that the information would be kept confidential. But that also means that USMS would be open to lawsuits if that confidentiality were ever breached (even by accident). Bob