KG
That's interesting info about CIR. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't people that start testosterone therapy loose the ability to produce it naturally? Wouldn't they have to take testosterone for the rest of their life or is there a way around this?
----- Original Message ----
From: masessa@charter.net
To: OBRA
Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 11:08:57 AM
Subject: [OBRA Chat] Landis/ slamming others without the facts
---- Kevin.Selker@colorado.edu wrote:
> Quoting "Freyensee, James P" :
>
> > But the fact that every single
> > positive test for unusually high testosterone levels has been overturned
> > makes this drug test the UCI uses suspect.
>
> The test isn't "suspect," it's just that it is limited in its power. The test
> measures the T/E ratio. Testosterone is naturally occuring so it's impossible
> to tell if the testosterone detected in the test is naturally produced or
> supplemental. The positives can be overturned if riders prove that they have a
> naturally high testosterone level.
>
IMPOSSIBLE!?
But in addition to the commonly known T:E ratio test, there is a less-common test that, in American circles, is called CIR, or Carbon Isotope Ratio analysis. It was pioneered in the late 1990s by, among other scientists, Don Catlin of UCLA, one of the worlds pre-eminent anti-doping scientists and a noted expert in steroids.
CIR discerns naturally ocurring testosterone from artificial. It can be a stand-alone test, but is particularly useful in concert with the T:E test because, while an athlete could conceal testosterone use by taking epitestosterone (thus raising his levels of both but keeping the relative ratio below 4:1), any artificial testosterone would flag a positive on the CIR test. Further, the CIR test has been upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport as being sufficient proof on its own to declare a positive (independent of T:E findings). In short, the test is considered well-supported by research and past case history, and quite accurate.
AND, cortisone is a steroid which is used to reduce inflammation and the immune response and therefore reduces pain. Cortisone IS most commonly prescribed for this reason.