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Raw Animal Testicles
Dopers back in ancient Greece chewed on raw animal testicles. Like modern steroids, the earliest athletes chewed on raw testicles to get an extra testosterone boost to kick start their game. Testosterone is a steroid hormone and is used by dopers to enhance muscle development, strength, or endurance.
Brandy Shot
Olympian Thomas Hicks famously won the 1904 Olympic marathon with the help of brandy shots his coach gave to him in regular intervals during the race. Alcohol is a drug, but it can also be considered as a bodily nutrient because it provides the body nutrient.
While many major studies have concluded that alcohol has no beneficial effects on muscle strength, short-term muscular endurance and speed, psychologically alcohol may benefit performance by increasing self-confidence, lowering sensitivity to pain, and reducing anxiety and hand tremors and is sometimes used in precision sports like pistol shooting.
Marijuana
While past studies have shown that the marijuana or hashish or any other cannabis product does not actually directly enhance sports performance, it can reduce anxiety. A study on Australian athletes has shown that almost 60 percent believed that marijuana improved athletic performance, and were unable to clearly explain how using the drug would negatively impact their athletic performance. The athletes in the study said that said that some of the enhancing effects of marijuana included enhanced relaxation and increased confidence.
Nasal Decongestant
Nasal decongestants, an over-the-counter remedy for stuffy noses, often contain pseudoephedrine. While pseudoephedrine was recently removed from the International Olympic Committee’s list of banned substances and placed on the monitoring program because there was no conclusive scientific evidence to show that the drug enhanced athletic performance.
However, a previous study found that athletes given pseudoephedrine capsules 90 minutes before a trial run ran on average 5.8 seconds faster than runners taking the placebo.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant that was once banned from use in the Olympics. Today, the World Anti-Doping Agency no longer tests for caffeine. Elevated levels of caffeine cost Bakhaavaa Buidaa his silver medal in judo at the Munich Olympics while Australian fencer Alex Watson was banned from competition from the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Alcohol
A beer could cost you the gold for some Olympic competitions. While Olympians can indulge in their alcoholic beverage of choice outside of competition, a few sports ban alcohol use during competition. Alcohol acts as a depressant, helping to calm nerves. Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall was a pentathlete who was banned from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for having two beers before the shooting portion of the competition.
Pesticide
Poison, strychnine in this case, has been used for doping purposes in the Olympics. Often fatal, very low dosages of strychnine could be used as a stimulant. In the 1904 St. Louis Games, Thomas Hicks was given strychnine in order to finish a marathon while in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Wu Dan was banned from competition.
Chili Peppers
Doping goes beyond just two legs in the Olympics. Capsaicin, the part of peppers which makes it hot, is banned from equestrian sports. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, four athletes were banned after their horses were found to have elevated levels of capsaicin, which is a mild stimulant and has pain relieving properties.
Forget tablets, blood transfusions and syringes. Here's a list of some pretty unusual, but less sophisticated ways Olympic dopers use to boost their game.
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Published by Medicaldaily.com
