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. Second, if an athlete requires, say, a diuretic for hypertension, it can be used with a Therapeutic Use Exemption. I'm not strongly advocating this be implemented in USMS, but this debate tends to stray from the facts. Hi Craig, Thank you very much for the information, but I'm already very familiar with WADA. I think Bob’s messages help clarify what I was trying to say earlier – but I’d also like to add a few bullet-points for those who may not know about the actual medical applications of certain banned substances. Let’s look at three of the big ones: erythropoietin (EPO), human growth hormone (hGH), and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). All of these drugs are used in medical treatments. • EPO stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells, and can be given as a treatment for a low red blood cell count (anemia), or as an alternative to a blood transfusion. If your hemoglobin level falls too low after treatment with certain types of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, EPO is one of the treatments available. • hGH is is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland of humans. Although it is used most frequently for treating children with a deficiency in their natural hGH levels and children who are shorter than their peers but have no hGH deficiency, it is also used as a treatment for Chronic Renal Insufficiency and Turner's Syndrome. Studies have also been performed and completed using hGH to quicken the repair of wounds, torn cartliage, and non-healing fractures, as well as treating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthosis • anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones. “Anabolic” refers to muscle-building, and “androgenic” refers to increased masculine characteristics. “Steroids” refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Certainly, athletes abuse these substances. There may even be Masters athletes who abuse them. Personally, I think it is much more likely that Masters aged athletes would take those drugs to treat actual medical conditions rather than enhance their athletic performance. Then, there’s still the question of incentive. Personally, although I realize there are a few people out there who live to see their names in print, having my name on a list is not what validates my swimming experience. I believe that's probably the case for most Masters swimmers. ~SB

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. Second, if an athlete requires, say, a diuretic for hypertension, it can be used with a Therapeutic Use Exemption. I'm not strongly advocating this be implemented in USMS, but this debate tends to stray from the facts. Hi Craig, Thank you very much for the information, but I'm already very familiar with WADA. I think Bob’s messages help clarify what I was trying to say earlier – but I’d also like to add a few bullet-points for those who may not know about the actual medical applications of certain banned substances. Let’s look at three of the big ones: erythropoietin (EPO), human growth hormone (hGH), and anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS). All of these drugs are used in medical treatments. • EPO stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells, and can be given as a treatment for a low red blood cell count (anemia), or as an alternative to a blood transfusion. If your hemoglobin level falls too low after treatment with certain types of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, EPO is one of the treatments available. • hGH is is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland of humans. Although it is used most frequently for treating children with a deficiency in their natural hGH levels and children who are shorter than their peers but have no hGH deficiency, it is also used as a treatment for Chronic Renal Insufficiency and Turner's Syndrome. Studies have also been performed and completed using hGH to quicken the repair of wounds, torn cartliage, and non-healing fractures, as well as treating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthosis • anabolic-androgenic steroids are man-made substances related to male sex hormones. “Anabolic” refers to muscle-building, and “androgenic” refers to increased masculine characteristics. “Steroids” refers to the class of drugs. These drugs are available legally only by prescription, to treat conditions that occur when the body produces abnormally low amounts of testosterone, such as delayed puberty and some types of impotence. They are also prescribed to treat body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases that result in loss of lean muscle mass. Certainly, athletes abuse these substances. There may even be Masters athletes who abuse them. Personally, I think it is much more likely that Masters aged athletes would take those drugs to treat actual medical conditions rather than enhance their athletic performance. Then, there’s still the question of incentive. Personally, although I realize there are a few people out there who live to see their names in print, having my name on a list is not what validates my swimming experience. I believe that's probably the case for most Masters swimmers. ~SB