Barry Bonds has been under the drug microscope ever since the book A Game of Shadows
by Lance Williams and Mark Fainaru-Wada hit the bookshelves in 2006.
The authors claim that Bonds used steroids illegally starting in 1998
because he was jealous of all the attention Mark McGuire had received
that year in his home run chase with Sammy Sosa (steroid use was not
officially banned from Major League Baseball until 2002).
Some people are upset because Bonds will very likely pass Babe Ruth on the home run list this year and may pass Hank Aaron to become the all-time leader in home runs. Baseball enthusiasts feel it's unfair. Ruth and Aaron racked up their numbers without steroids so why shouldn't Bonds?
Steroid use gets a lot attention in the media and it should. But, there's another drug that sneaks under the radar escaping scrutiny or debate. The drug is legal and easy to buy. Millions of athletes take this drug every day for a variety of aches and pains without a second thought. They should think again.
I'm talking about non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). You may know them as Advil, Motrin or Aleve.
I know people who take Motrin before they run or workout so they can run and workout. The pain would otherwise sideline them. A non-chalant use that begins as just one or two pills once in a while can lead to daily use of higher doses. Chronic, high doses of NSAIDs carry significant health risks with gastric ulcers, bleeding and kidney damage at the top of the list and can also interfere with your injured joint's ability to heal.
But, I am not the only one who's concerned about NSAIDs in sports. Marathon runners are advised against taking NSAIDs on race day by the International Marathon Medical Directors Association.
If you run long distances, the combination of dehydration, loss of
salt and moderate to high doses of NSAIDs can wreak havoc with your
kidneys. And,
some physicians now argue that if you need to use a pain reliever to
compete, you would be better off finding out why you hurt instead of
masking the symptoms.
NSAIDs are performance enhancing drugs. They make you feel
better, eradicate the pain and allow you to play when you otherwise
would be on the bench. If you must take NSAIDs, don't play. Give your
body a chance to heal. Feeling better and being better are not always the same thing. You may not hurt but as you continue to play, workout, or run, your injured tissue takes a pounding. Then, when you stop the drug, you may hurt as much or more than when you started it. And so, the cycle continues.
Barry Bonds will likely be the home run king and maybe he used steroids to get there. But, I'm more concerned about the chronic, habitual use of NSAIDs than whether Barry Bonds hits another home run. How about you?
Make today count.
Doug Kelsey
