I think it's more of the "pill for every ill" syndrome. 40 years ago were normal mentally healthy people taking Prozac? Ritalin? Did kids have ADD when I was in school?
malmo -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Wayne T. Armbrust Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 11:23 PM To: WW Track & Field Email list Subject: Re: t-and-f: Fw: NYT - "Felix, 18, Is Still Making the Adjustment >From High School Star to Professional" I was being cynical. Don't you think that some athletes get physicians to prescribe inhalers when they aren't necessary, so they can legally take a stimulant? Bob Duncan wrote: Maybe we inhale too much dirty air. But seriously, I don't think the medication would give you any advantage. I've been asthmatic most of my life and had a terrible recurrence in my early 20's when my running was really going super. Since then (almost 30 years), I've suffered through one medication after another and the side effects. This is no fun at all. For example, most inhalers or other meds will make your heart race and also can make you overheat. Corticosteroid drugs weaken muscles and cause weight gain. And you have to time the medication for best effect. After your race, you are jittery from the side effects. Beer helps :-) though. Despite the effectiveness of the medication, you are never 100% again and this is a *progressive* disease, which means that you get worse over time. I personally had to abandon road racing and limit any serious competitive efforts to 800m. The list of asthmatic athletes is endless. Jim Ryun, of course. Had Jackie Joyner-Kersee not been asthmatic, her 800m times would have been faster, given her natural talents and her records would be even further out of reach. Joan Samuelson became asthmatic later in her career, as did Mary Slaney. Paula Radcliffe is asthmatic, something which I just discovered and makes her records even more incredible. And now it appears that none other than El Guerrouj is having breathing problems as his last two races have been far below his usual standards. bob William Bahnfleth wrote: > I suppose the answer depends on the type of asthma. I'd have to > assume that exercise induced asthma seems more prevalent in athletes > because they subject their respiratory systems to the conditions that > trigger it. However, a lot more people have asthma than in the fairly > recent past. According to a fact sheet at the EPA web site, > > "Between 1980 and 1994, the prevalence of asthma in the U.S. increased > 75% overall and 74% among children 5-14 years of age." > > http://www.epa.gov/iaq/asthma/ > > Why the incidence of asthma should be increasing so rapidly is the > subject of a lot of ongoing research. > > Bill Bahnfleth > > At 03:18 PM 7/6/2004, Wayne T. Armbrust wrote: > >> Interesting the number of athletes who need inhalers. Do you suppose >> it is out of proportion to the general population, and if so, why :-) >> >> Christopher Goss wrote: >> >>> July 6, 2004 >>> >>> Felix, 18, Is Still Making the Adjustment From High School Star to >>> Professional By LIZ ROBBINS >>> >>> >>> Felix filled out the paperwork to use an inhaler, which is banned >>> for use by track athletes unless prescribed by a doctor, and she >>> started to feel better during workouts. "It's great to find out what >>> was going on and have that all taken care of before the trials," >>> Felix said last week from the training center, referring to the >>> United States Olympic trials, which begin Friday in Sacramento. >>> -- Wayne T. Armbrust, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Computomarx (TM) 3604 Grant Ct. Columbia MO 65203-5800 USA (573) 445-6675 (voice & FAX) http://www.Computomarx.com "Know the difference between right and wrong... Always give your best effort... Treat others the way you'd like to be treated..." - Coach Bill Sudeck (1926-2000)
