http://www.cnsproductions.com/drugeducationblog Addiction and Drug Education Blogs and Podcasts, looking at drug use trends and treatment, and how addiction is tied to the brain as well as the body Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:29:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 2007-2008 service@cnsproductions.com (CNS Productions) service@cnsproductions.com (CNS Productions) Addiction education 1440 http://www.cnsproductions.com/144logo.jpg http://www.cnsproductions.com/drugeducationblog 144 144 A leader in the creation of drug education books and videos for educators, health care professionals and the public --- used by treatment facilities, counselor-training programs, law enforcement, and businesses and industries concerned about drugs in t... Addiction and Drug Education Blogs and Podcasts, looking at drug use trends and treatment, and how addiction is tied to the brain as well as the body addiction, drugs, education, recovery, substance abuse education, prevention, chemical dependency, AOD CNS Productions CNS Productions service@cnsproductions.com no no http://www.cnsproductions.com/drugeducationblog/podcasts/656/ http://www.cnsproductions.com/drugeducationblog/podcasts/656/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:22:24 +0000 CNS http://www.cnsproductions.com/drugeducationblog/?p=656 http://www.cnsproductions.com/drugeducationblog/podcasts/656/feed/ 0 00:01:01 As the Olympics approach, a look at new research on EPO, Mark McGwire's admission of steroid use, and other issues of drugs and doping in ... As the Olympics approach, a look at new research on EPO, Mark McGwire's admission of steroid use, and other issues of drugs and doping in sports. Listen to podcast Transcript (edited): CNS: Hi and welcome once again to the CNS Addiction Podcast.  Sports news is everywhere as we approach the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. There is a recent New England Journal of Medicine article about one of the doping agents commonly used, “EPO”. Darryl:  EPO, yes that has actually been used for quite awhile.  Erythropoietin (EPO) is a class name for a group of drugs that are used to stimulate the production of red blood cells. There are a number of these drugs that were created in an attempt to evade the drug tests. These tests actually determine EPO misuse by measuring the number of red blood cells there are in the body and how much they are breaking down in the urine.  If you have more red blood cells than normal, it is obvious that there is something going on.  This drug stimulates the bone morrow in the spinal cord to produce more red blood cells. The theory is if you’ve got more red blood cells in your circulation than normal it will increase the body’s ability to carry oxygen. An increase in oxygen to the muscles will provide more power and endurance, and more oxygen to the brain increases mental acuity. This article reminds me of what is known as the “Goldman dilemma”. In the early 1980’s, researcher Bob Goldman posed this hypothetical question to top athletes “If there was a drug that could guarantee you a gold medal but would cause you to drop dead five years later would you take it?” Well, it turns out that from the 1980’s through today well over half of the world’s top athletes say they would take the drug.  They are willing to risk their lives in order to guarantee a gold medal. CNS:  …… bargain with the devil there. Darryl:  Exactly. The recent reports on EPO, which athletes have been abusing for years to get that competitive edge, find that people who take EPO versus people who don’t seem to suffer more heart attacks in their life.  It stands to reason if you are getting more red blood cells, you will thicken your blood and that makes it more difficult for your heart causing more heart attacks.  EPO users are more than twice as likely to suffer strokes too because more red blood cells increase pressure on the blood vessels especially small blood vessels so they may become overwhelmed and they burst and that is a stroke.  So, the hypothetical question becomes real. If there is a drug that will give you a competitive edge at the risk of stroke and or a heart attack, would you take it?  I think the answer is clear based on the Goldman dilemma.  I believe world class athletes are going to say, “Why not?”  The problem with this though is that their competitors are probably taking the drugs as well.  If an athlete is taking EPO and his or her competitor is also taking it - is there really a competitive edge?  Both of them have the same competitive resources, so the better athlete is going to win anyway. CNS:  Or whoever has the better drug? Darryl:  What I’m trying to get at here is what is an athlete’s competitive edge if their key competitors are taking the same drug?  That simply guarantees that the better trained athlete is still going to win the competition and both have the risk of suffering an early stroke or heart attack. CNS:  Maybe a lot of professional athletes do suffer physical debilitation later in life and perhaps die earlier as a group.  But what the study indicates is that elite athletes seem to have a different psychological bias because when normal people were asked the same question what was the answer? Darryl:  2 in 250, so less than 1%.  In recent years non -athletes were presented with the Goldman dilemma and less than 1% said they would take it.  So, there is a mindset between world class athletes and the rest of us who are les Dr. Darryl Inaba, In the News, Podcasts, Steroids & Erogenic aids CNS Productions no no