Drug abuse in competitive freediving

[Ben Gowland]

Fascinating, Eric.

I can see how beta-blockers could help in all kinds of performance freediving. They would extend breatholds, dive depths etc, but would mean that you would also need massive surface intervals.

I wish I had the courage to experiment with these things - just for interest's sake!

But I don't - so I'll stick to hard dives with smaller surface intervals.

[Rik]

Just something I wondered.

During deeper dives, the hart slows. There even have been researches who showed that below a certain depth some of us get a form of arrythmia.

Nothing wrong with that, since returning back to the surface, the rhythm returns to normal. However, imagine that you would slow your heart even more by using beta-blockers. Couldn't that not lead to a cardiac arrest?

Not to mention that your hart can't give extra output when in an stress or emergency situation...

If we not would mention the fact that beta-blockers are on the doping list, I think that using it could give a serious health risk.

Other opinions?

Rik

[Pezman]

Ok, I know that I will go down in a shower of flames for this one, but I have heard that marijuana can improve static times. Anyone know for sure?

Though I haven't touched the stuff in years, I am curious to know if the rumour is true.

Next stop "Jamaica, mon"

[Rik]

I could imagine that it would work, however I have no expirience with it...

Perhaps it is a idea to visist the Netherlands and try it in a safe environment.. No, kidding. Perhaps it works, however it could also turn out that the diver wouldn't recognise the first symptoms of a LOMC and thus get a Samba or Black out...

Even when supervised by medical trained personel, I guess that expirimenting with drugs like that is still not without a risk.

Rik

[efattah]

I once heard a medical doctor say that freediving under beta-blockers would probably be fatal.

Probably another reason why they're banned.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada

[gerard]

Originally posted by Rik
Other opinions?

Easy taking PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS it's called in my philosophy bookBLOODY CHEATING. It's the same as climbing the Tourmalet with a "Suzuki GSX-R1000" instead of your "Vitus" road bike (sorry for mentioning specific brands)

Regards, gerard.

[Rik]

Most of us will agree that using any 'performance enhancing drug" is not good for the sport (and probably for the diver).

However, I do believe that it should be discussed. Just for the general public to know what the effects and the risks are. Even if we would come to the conclusion that there are only a few, perhaps even none, that should really make a "winner" out of a diver.
And naturally, when we would find a product what could, in theory, enhance the performances of the diver, the AIDA officials reading this could work out some way to prevent the divers from using it and ‘hanging’ those who do.

A summary with some additions:

>Beta-blockers:
Could work, however can be fatal during dives and limits your heart out-put during stress and physical exercises. Could be used in theory for static, however the effects by a healthy diver are unknown, and you would need a physician to get the product, calculate the dose, and more importantly, when you would need to start and stop with the drugs.

>Sedatives and Marihuana:
No clue. Even if it would work, could in theory cause that the diver wouldn't recognise when to end his or her attempt. There has been no research what the effects of hypoxia are on sedatives.

>Blood-doping:
Classic method: Extracting blood and adding it later can result in a high viscosity, which increase the workload for the heart and thus decreases the theoretical benefit. A physician or nurse should be needed for the proper procedure.

Chemical method: Using EPO, results in a high viscosity. EPO can be found in blood tests (recombinant EPO)

Exposure to low oxygen environments (like training on high altitude) can cause a “natural” increase in hematocrit levels and red blood cells.

The old test existed of measuring the hematocrit levels, and giving it a specific maximum. This test could still find the divers who have high Ht level caused by ‘other’ procedures than EPO.

Note: A other thread on DeeperBlue, suggested that freedivers could have a lower iron level, due to their specific eating pattern and thus implying that the amount of Ht produced with these procedures could be rather limited.

>Beta-mimetica
No idea. Are there asthma patients who have experience with this?

>Oxygen
You don’t easily hide an oxygen tank during a competition. Although the benefits of a breath-hold on 100% oxygen are known (static of 14 minutes), the high oxygen pressures are harmful for the lung. Discussed could after which time period breathing of 100% before a attempt is neutralised.
Deep dives on 100% oxygen can result in damage to the central nervous system due to oxygen toxicity.

Last, but not least. Like most of us know, freediving is more a psychological sport than it is physical. Even if you would prepare your body with drugs to 102% of it maximal capabilities, if you don’t feel right you still would perform 90% or less. Is the benefit worth the risk?

Any comments?

Rik

DISCLAIMER: This information should NOT be used for cheating of enhancing your performances. The writer can not be held responsible for any accidents resulting in any material, psychological or physical damage or death caused by using the information provided in this article. The writer strongly opposes any cheating in freediving expects that you oppose it too

[bruno]

Ever heard of it???

During Italian Giro 2001 prof cyclist Dario Frigo was caught with this product in his hotel room even before it was officially on the market as medical drug.

RSR13 is a genetically modified hemoglobine (Hb). Oxygentransfert to organs and brain is much more easy, O2 concentration can go far below normal values. This drug is given to patient with brain tumor. Patient are said to respond better to radiation after oxygen poor cancer has been well oxygenated.

As far as I know, RSR13 can damage liver, can cause fatal high blood pressure, is extremely expensive and can not be found in urine (dopingtest)

Want to know more???



bruno

[Klaas Feenstra]

Just suppose a freediver would use the drug. It would cause that the availble oxygen is earlier released from the hemoglobin.

Wouldn't this not result, at best, in narrowing the thin line between a 'clear' performance and a LOMC or Black-out?

How 'conservative' would a freediver be using this drug. Would there not be a chance that the extra free O2 would be faster used up than when bound to hemoglobin?

Trying to enhance your performance with drugs is walking over a rope with two people at each side standing ready to cut the rope.

Just my 0,2 cents

Klaas

[gerard]

Originally posted by Klaas Feenstra
Trying to enhance your performance with drugs is walking over a rope with two people at each side standing ready to cut the rope

I don't think so. Try @##%&*s. I am not giving ideas to anyone. I'm drug-free because my ethics don't allow me to take stuff. But when I say take that, is because it works and it's effective. The problem is that you are likely to be caught and punished unless you have a good plan B.

Regards, gerard.

[efattah]

Personally I wouldn't take illegal drugs, but I don't care if my opponents use illegal drugs. Let them take EPO, let them take steroids, beta blockers, let them take RSR13 or artificial oxygen carriers.

The diver who takes all of these things cannot even beat a penguin or a seal. Yet, the penguin and the seal were created without drugs, through natural adaptations.

The natural mechanism of adaptation is virtually flawless. Messing with natural adaptations will never allow you to reach your maximum potential.

Using illegal drugs may improve your performance in the short term, and you might beat Mr. 'Clean', but in the end, if Mr. Clean trains properly, and long enough, he will always beat the drug athlete.

I will give an example of this. If an athlete takes enough EPO, he eventually dies from too thick blood when his hematocrit goes over 60-65%.

However, Andean natives, through *natural* adaptations, have hematocrits of up to 80%, and they don't die from 'too thick blood', because their body has adjusted their fibrinogen and other viscosity agents.

This is just one example of how the athlete with the drug can never beat the human who has gone through natural adaptations.

Maybe the drug athlete can reach amazing performances in a very short time, but in the end he will be beaten.

Even with all the steroids invented, the strongest man in history is still Louis Cyr, who lifted 1968kg (4337lbs), in 1896, before the invention of anabolic steroids, using only natural adaptations as his weapon. He lifted 250kg (551lbs) with only one finger.

So, let athletes use drugs, because in the end they will never reach their maximum potential.


Eric Fattah
BC, Canada

[gerard]

It really captures the spirit of what sport should be.

Regards, gerard.

[ActiveMatrix]

Here's another interesting question... What would the effects of baby aspirin be on freedive performance? It seems to me that lower blood viscosity would decrease heart rate and cause a performance increase, plus as an Emergency Medical Technician I am constantly hearing about new studies involving the drugs I administer, and it is being shown that over long term periods, the body will build a tolerance to aspirin, increasing hematocrit levels to the point that if an old fart that has been taking it for a while suddenly goes off, it alone can be enough to cause a cardiac event.
If this is the case, then I would think that it might be an interesting and safe way to boost performance in the long term. (Although still quite unfair in competition.)

As far as illegal performance enhancing drugs go, I've seen some nasty stuff in my short time riding on ambulances. (gave a ride to a 17 year old high school wrestler having a heart attack from steroids, the whole time DYING to just kick this kid in the groin)
Your body takes a long time to adjust itself to these substances, and in the meantime it is thrown off balance. Now throw that person in a couple hundred feet of water with no air, and they will very quickly rethink their decision to use that crap.
Sure, freediving can be dangerous. Yes, you can die doing it.
NO, increasing that risk tenfold is SURE AS HECK not worth another 10 feet!