Those of us who care for athletes and interact regularly with coaches are acutely aware of the minuscule adjustments that can lead to improved performance. Undoubtedly, diverse superstitions are played out in the pursuit of improved performance. Otherwise, the scattered tactics now employed would yield more widely accepted techniques. As team physicians or as office-based providers caring for athletes, we become involved in evaluating the safety of new methods.
Questions can arise indirectly or directly.
In the former case, a patient might describe his creatine regimen or her zone diet. In the latter, a coach might ask us to become involved in prescribing hyperbaric oxygen treatment for training. Before becoming overly confident of our right to criticize others, let's remind ourselves that our profession, despite every effort, still makes mistakes and errors in judgment. In other words, there often is no definitive answer about safety and efficacy. First and foremost, every decision should be to preserve health, not to win events.