Ben True Doesn't Take Ibuprofen, Takes Vitamin D, Probiotics, and Melatnonin When He Can't Sleep, and Gatorade "Twice a Year"

Is True really blue collar? Does being a top-class skier imply his parents had some money? Just wondering.

jewbacca wrote:

LetsRun.com wrote:

and melatonin when he can't sleep.

So True is using hormone therapy?

Nope.

reader of the forums wrote:

jewbacca wrote:

So True is using hormone therapy?

Nope.

Yup.

mel·a·to·nin

ˌmeləˈtōnən/

noun, Physiology

1. a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in inverse proportion to the amount of light received by the retina, important in the regulation of biorhythms.

People on here are too skeptical. Ben is the man and ran a great race to make the world team...that's all that needs to be said. If you're trying to find reasons to make it seem like him using melatonin is against WADA (it's not), you need to get a life.

ijenns318 wrote:

People on here are too skeptical. Ben is the man and ran a great race to make the world team...that's all that needs to be said. If you're trying to find reasons to make it seem like him using melatonin is against WADA (it's not), you need to get a life.

You should reread my post. I have no issues with Ben or his use of melatonin.

I take issue with the brojos making headlines out of his supposed lack of supplement-infused training, and the insinuation that he is the model or standard for distance runners. You could make the same arguments against melatonin as thyroid medication.

No you can't. You can buy melatonin over the counter at any pharmacy.

So, Ben True gets a pass from the witch hunters because he takes a performance enhancing hormone that happens to be available by prescription only in some countries and over the counter in others?

It's hard to keep up with the ever-changing witch hunting handbook. Apparently:

- if an athlete deliberately takes a widely available, performance-enhancing stimulant with the sole intent to enhance performance, that's okay.

- If an athlete take a performance-enhancing hormone that is not available over the counter in many countries, but is available over the counter in his home country, that's okay.

- If an athlete does not break any WADA rules, they still may be a "doper."

- If an athlete is prescribed medications by a licensed physician, but that physician's ideas aren't mainstream enough, then the athlete is secretly "doping."

If an athlete is or has been part of NOP, then the must be a "doper" whether there is any evidence or not.

Finally, if someone asks to clarify the witch hunters handbook rules, they must be a PR flack.

Been Troof wrote:

reader of the forums wrote:

Nope.

Yup.

mel·a·to·nin

ˌmeləˈtōnən/

noun, Physiology

1. a hormone secreted by the pineal gland in inverse proportion to the amount of light received by the retina, important in the regulation of biorhythms.

Nope.

Let me clear it up for you: A sleep aid is not a PED, nor is it a gray area drug.

Hope that helps.

So who gets to decide what is "gray area?" Melatonin IS a PED according to the article I posted, which is backed up by research. It just happens to not be against WADA code. Thyroid medication is similarly not against WADA code. Neither requires a TUE. Which is the gray area drug?

Just want to make sure we're applying the same set of standards to all athletes.

So a performance-enhancing hormone is not a Performane-Enhancing Drug (PED) because it is also a sleep aide? I thought it wasn't a PED because it is available over the counter in the athlete's home country (according to a previous post). Either way, it seems WADA rules are irrelevant in the Handbook. The Handbook does define "gray area drug/supplement" as anything taken by an NOP athlete. :-)

No athlete should be taking ibuprofen to mask regular training pain! It is NOT a recovery tool.

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6588063

HRE wrote:

No you can't. You can buy melatonin over the counter at any pharmacy.

As others have pointed out, this is a poor argument. Pseudo-ephedrine is banned in competition, and....(drum roll)....you can buy it OTC.

Ben True is in the "gray area." Let's hope it doesn't get any darker for him (Of course we are apparently taking him 100% at his word on what he takes and what he doesn't because.....well, why again exactly?)

OK, let's add a sentence. Melatonin does not require a prescription and is not on WADA's list of banned substances. That's not too hard to grasp. And you're free to take or not take anyone at their word.

ECA stack used to be very poplar. It was the L-carnitine of yesteryear for weight loss.

OK Letsrun, now I believe Ben True is a grey area doper after this thread.

HRE wrote:

OK, let's add a sentence. Melatonin does not require a prescription and is not on WADA's list of banned substances. That's not too hard to grasp. And you're free to take or not take anyone at their word.

So we're agreed it's an equivalent class of drug to Cytomel? Performance enhancing, but not banned. I would also throw caffeine into that list.

BTW, is there research showing Cytomel to be performance enhancing? I did a quick google search and didn't turn up any papers. Maybe it wasn't the right search string.

Melatonin is available only by prescription in some countries. So is it a doping or ethical violation depending on where the athlete is physically located at the time? Or is it based on citizenship and citizens of some countries get the advantage of taking performance-enhancing hormones because of what their politicians or beaurocrats decide? Or is it based on what the rules in the U.S. say? I get the sense that you're saying the ethics are based on the prescription drug laws in the U.S.

We only agree if I'm incorrect in believing that you can get melatonin in any pharmacy without a prescription and that you need a prescription to get Cytomel. You can throw chocolate milk into your list if you want. Your list doesn't matter.