The notion that the patient knows what's good for him gets kicked in the head with the chilling story of baseball's Barry Bonds and his long-time affair with drugs to improve his game. A Sports Illustrated excerpt from the new book Game of Shadows by Mark Fainaru-Wada and
Lance Williams (see video interview) describes the Bonds regimen and the coterie of semi-medical experts pushing him drugs:
In addition to growth hormone and testosterone, doping calendars showed that Bonds used insulin along with steroids; the drug's anabolic effect was significant, especially when used in conjunction with growth hormone. He also popped Mexican beans, fast-acting steroids thought to clear the user's system within a few days. The label of the container read, "Andriol. Undecanoato de testosterone" -- in English: testosterone decanoate. Early in the 2001 season, the calendars indicated Bonds tried trenbolone, a steroid created to improve the muscle quality of beef cattle. Within the year it would be the chemical foundation for a new formulation of the Clear, the undetectable steroid Conte obtained from an Illinois chemist, Patrick Arnold.
The SI.com web package presents the issue from all angles, describing how athletes and their facilitators lied, cheated and broke the law while chasing record book glory, fan acclaim and multi-million dollar paychecks.
Wow. WOW. As if any single person's experience is a statistically signficant indicator of what a patient CAN and CANNOT do!!
But BONDS??!!! This guy is certifiably crazy. Please don't paint the other 6 Billion potential health consumers with this man's brush.
Trapier K. Michael
www.marketplace.md
Posted by: Trapier K. Michael | March 20, 2006 at 02:00 PM