Asthma and Team Sky

Matthewfalle

Is it just me or is there a lot of it going around?

If it turns out that Mo Farrah is also on an asthma TUE then I reckon Team GB should invest in some Fabreze .....

Just wonderin' like ...........

fenix

Probably if you exercised the amount that Pro athletes do - you may find yourself having issues too ?

solosuperia

Not only Team Sky, I remember Seb Coe used to suffer from asthma!
Had to take medication for it.
I don't know what to believe these days.

Flâneur

Fenix wrote:

Probably if you exercised the amount that Pro athletes do - you may find yourself having issues too ?

Stop sitting around having tea n coffee made for you MF

Ciao

Matthewfalle

Fenix wrote:

Probably if you exercised the amount that Pro athletes do - you may find yourself having issues too ?

Why? You're saying there's a link to cardio efficiency and asthma? Blimey. Evidence please.

Matthewfalle

Flâneur wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Probably if you exercised the amount that Pro athletes do - you may find yourself having issues too ?

Stop sitting around having tea n coffee made for you MF

Ciao

Never - would mean I'd have to get a real job and I've been fighting that for years

keef66

Matthewfalle wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Probably if you exercised the amount that Pro athletes do - you may find yourself having issues too ?

Why? You're saying there's a link to cardio efficiency and asthma? Blimey. Evidence please.

I suspect there's more exercise-induced asthma in those who exercise than in those who don't.

But if you find a higher incidence in pro cyclists than in amateurs / enthusiasts then I think there's something fishy going on. Doubt Team Sky are any worse / better than the rest though.

Alex99

keef66 wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Probably if you exercised the amount that Pro athletes do - you may find yourself having issues too ?

Why? You're saying there's a link to cardio efficiency and asthma? Blimey. Evidence please.

I suspect there's more exercise-induced asthma in those who exercise than in those who don't.

But if you find a higher incidence in pro cyclists than in amateurs / enthusiasts then I think there's something fishy going on. Doubt Team Sky are any worse / better than the rest though.

Why would it be fishy? They exercise more than most of us. And, if I feel a bit chesty the day after I've trained hard, I can take the day off.

It boils down to, is it within the rules, or not? Pro sport is not an au-naturale contest. Not many things are. Ever take a paracetamol to get you through a day at work?

fenix

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me - cold air - hot air - dusty air - they work their bodies a lot harder than the average person.

Plus they have access to doctors on the team with them - who would pick up on anything not quite right.

Joe Bloggs possibly wouldn't notice a problem and might not be arsed going to the docs about it.

pblakeney

Orica Bike Exchange too.
To name but one.....

Flâneur

keef66 wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Probably if you exercised the amount that Pro athletes do - you may find yourself having issues too ?

Why? You're saying there's a link to cardio efficiency and asthma? Blimey. Evidence please.

I suspect there's more exercise-induced asthma in those who exercise than in those who don't.

But if you find a higher incidence in pro cyclists than in amateurs / enthusiasts then I think there's something fishy going on. Doubt Team Sky are any worse / better than the rest though.

I suspect that is far too sweeping and would ignore all other variables which any true study would look at.

From the most limiting and ignorant sample pool of my experience, those who played various sports and outside rarely suffered from Asthma, but those whose active involvement outdoors was limited did suffer.

Now as children did we train like pro athletes? No, was there hours upon hours of sport, yes.

Are Sky worse than the rest? no they are all as bad as each other

mamil314

Typed up a somewhat fierce rant about yet another useless thread, but realised i'd be wasting electrons just as the OP is.

Ben6899

Exercise-induced asthma is awful. It's reasonable to be able to medicate, if you're compelled to compete regardless.

pblakeney

Child goes to doctor. Doctor diagnoses asthma. Doctor prescribes medicine and exercise.
Child exercises and becomes athlete. Not stretching the imagination too far.

haydenm

Also, most asthma drugs aren't performance enhancing unless you have asthma

fat daddy

Flâneur wrote:

Are Sky worse than the rest? no they are all as bad as each other

If they are all as bad as each other, then surely they are all competeing on the same level so it cancels each other out

craigus89

All an inhaler does is reduce or limit broncospasms which is what interferes with breathing in an asthmatic. If you don't have asthma, you won't have broncospasms, so it would be of no benefit to take an inhaler.

So, your point? Are you suggesting there is something being covered up by the inhaler use? Or just being a d1ck about Sky?

Matthewfalle

Craigus89 wrote:

All an inhaler does is reduce or limit broncospasms which is what interferes with breathing in an asthmatic. If you don't have asthma, you won't have broncospasms, so it would be of no benefit to take an inhaler.

So, your point? Are you suggesting there is something being covered up by the inhaler use? Or just being a d1ck about Sky?

Why do you have to be a dick to talk about Sky? Do you love them?

fenix

Yeah - what have Sky ever done for us eh ?

Apart from all that Tour glory etc etc etc....

I remember the days when we'd send one or two riders to the worlds in mis matched kit and ask for it back after. We didnt win much back then.

keef66

PBlakeney wrote:

Child goes to doctor. Doctor diagnoses asthma. Doctor prescribes medicine and exercise.
Child exercises and becomes athlete. Not stretching the imagination too far.

Didn't Trotty do exactly this?

Matthewfalle

Fenix wrote:

Yeah - what have Sky ever done for us eh ?

Apart from all that Tour glory etc etc etc....

I remember the days when we'd send one or two riders to the worlds in mis matched kit and ask for it back after. We didnt win much back then.

Sorry - don't get it. Can you explain what exactly mean? Twhat have the multi national rider funded by an Australian owned multinational company ever done for us?

Sorry - it's right over my head.

Or do you mean the fact that a Belgian and a Kenyan won the Tour?

Sorry, I really a missing the point.

fenix

Yes you are missing the point.

bikes`n`guns

I was diagnosed with sports induced wheeze / asthma years ago and tried inhalers. Never had much improvement with them so stopped using them and found the harder I worked the better I performed breathing wise.

Only PED aspect I could see would maybe be increased O2 transfer ?

earthvspace4XTuUWcX

The key question is whether or not bronchodilators can produce bronchodilation in non asthmatics and therefore potentially may result in performance enhancement, I don't know the answer but I'm sure someone has researched it.

mamba80

Fenix wrote:

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me - cold air - hot air - dusty air - they work their bodies a lot harder than the average person.

Plus they have access to doctors on the team with them - who would pick up on anything not quite right.

Joe Bloggs possibly wouldn't notice a problem and might not be arsed going to the docs about it.

Dont you believe it, when my daughter went up to do her first National XC running event as an u13, she stood on the line with 300 plus other girls and about 1/3 to a 1/2, were on asthma inhalers.

something to do with cold weather and lung efficiency, go to your GP, complain of coughing after/during exercise and you get the inhaler, no tests in youth/junior sport either.

Matthewfalle

Fenix wrote:

Yes you are missing the point.

In what way? Sorry, I really don't understand.

pinno

Oh no, we are at p177 and the last 15 or so pages or so have been about TUE's. Mind you, I got the popcorn out as Ugo had a bit of spat:

viewtopic.php?f=40002&t=12885414&start=3420#p19963667

At least we got to the crux of the matter: Should Vegemite be on the banned list?

daniel_b

Fenix wrote:

Yes you are missing the point.

As well as letters and words.

964cup

There's no point bronchodilating unless you have constriction - if the smooth muscle is relaxed then your bronchii are as wide as they're going to get. Salbutamol (the blue inhaler), Terbutaline (the favoured drug of cyclists with exercise-induced asthma) and its LABA cousins Salmeterol and Formoterol (which do the same job, but more slowly over a longer duration) are therefore of no use in healthy people; they all also have the side-effect of tachycardia (increased pulse rate), which is hardly what you want as a cyclist. Similarly the steroids that are used for prophylaxis in preventing allergen-induced bronchoconstriction and inflammation (Budesonide, Fluticasone, Beclomethasone et al) don't give you a performance enhancement unless you have an allergy, and all have potential unpleasant side-effects.

It's worth noting that of that list, only Terbutaline needs a TUE in normal dosage (because, taken orally, it may have a performance-enhancing effect which is not related to lung function); all the others are either exempt or permitted at dosages up to and beyond BNF (the normal maximum dose prescribed). I had to look into this for the Worlds in Denmark last year and had a long email exchange with UKADA about it.

Even Prednisolone, an oral steroid used to treat extreme chronic bronchoconstriction, is allowed out of competition - and the side effects from that can be quite unpleasant (and quite obvious).

This article is quite good: http://theconversation.com/terbutaline- ... hell-58660

diamonddog

As above if you don't have asthma the inhalers etc will give no benefit.
I can vouch for the nasty side effects of Prednisolone over a long period, on set of cataracts and glaucoma being just a couple of them.

pinno

Methyl prednisolone caused Avascular Necrosis in both my hips. They had to be both replaced.

The body produces a natural steroidal equivalent of 8mg. The cut off from low dose to high dose is 7mg of a prescribed steroid as 15mg is considered high dose i'e 8mg + 7mg prescribed.
'High dose' is the point at which not only the body reduces it's natural production of steroids. Other secretions such as cortisone are also affected and over a period of time, some bones suffer a constriction of the natural pores causing the affected bone area to die; hence the term 'Avascular'.

They are not to be messed with.

That family of steroids and it's effects are quite different to Anabolic steroids and I don't think there has been a single case of Anabolic TUE use in a cyclist - unless someone can quote me otherwise.