Originally posted by badmoon
True, MLB didn't test. But there is the illegality of how they obtained it.
Have you ever heard of DMSO (dimetholsulfoxide I think is the compound)? This was a wonderdrug in the 60's and 70's. It is high grade horse linament. MANY pro players and collegiate players, including myself, used the stuff. It was not a bad drug that did horrible things to you, but the FDA would not approve it so it could be obtained for human use over the counter. You could walk into a tack store and buy it all day long to use on your horse though. It is alos a primary ingredient in many industrial floor cleaners which were obtainable. Dumb. The horse linament was pure enough to use, but you had to be careful of the floor cleaner because of the added chemicals that were in it that you didn't want in your body. Why wouldn't the FDA approve it? Because one of the things that was unique about this drug was, in liquid form, it would flow from your skin directly into the bloodstream. That was deemed bad for two reasons. One, if you applied the stuff and it hit your clothing, it would suck the dye out of the clothing and take it straight into the bloodstream and it could kill you. That is why we always applied it without any clothing on in the area being treated. The second reason, and I think the primary one why the FDA would not approve it, was that drug users could place powdered cocaine, heroin, or other drugs on their skin, apply DMSO and it would take the drugs directly into the bloodstream for a fix, without leaving any track marks.
Now, you may ask, what was so great about this drug compound? It had an extremely fast healing rate for injured muscle tissue that has not been seen in anything else. When a pitcher was throwing every 4th day, as it used to be, many pitchers developed "dead arm" anywhere from half to 2/3 of the way through the season. This condition was caused by the constant tearing of muscle tissue and the bleeding in the arm after pitching, and not allowing enough time for the healing to occur. DMSO, would alleviate the pain and speed the healing process. Hell I saw a sprinter pull a muscle in a race on Friday, the trainers bathed the muscle for 12 hours in DMSO, and the guy ran a race on Saturday, without any ill effects from the pull. Daryle Lamonica would have had his career ended 5 years ealier without DMSO. The drug in itself isn't dangerous, but it is what the drug can help you do that is what they were defending against.
Was using DMSO illegal?....NO. Was having DMSO for human use without a perscription illegal?....yes. Was having DMSO for use on your horse illegal?....NO. Was having DMSO for use on your floors illegal?...NO.
Most of you have probably never even heard of the stuff. This stuff wasn't a steroid. It wasn't a growth hormone. It was a healing agent that would allow you to perform when you otherwise would have been unable to due to the pain.
A-roid
11 Feb '09 01:20
YouTube
Back to Top