The Meldonium Madness

For those of you who are not familiar with what Meldonium is or why I call it a madness, here's a short introduction and summery of events.

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Meldonium (INN; trade name Mildronate, among others) is a limited-market pharmaceutical, developed in 1970 by Ivars Kalviņš at the USSR Latvia Institute of Organic Synthesis, and now manufactured by the Latvian pharmaceutical company Grindeks and several generic manufacturers. It is primarily distributed in Eastern European countries as an anti-ischemia medication. source

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Ischemia or ischaemia is a restriction in blood supply to tissues, causing a shortage of oxygen that is needed for cellular metabolism (to keep tissue alive). Ischemia is generally caused by problems with blood vessels, with resultant damage to or dysfunction of tissue. It also means local anemia in a given part of a body sometimes resulting from constriction (such as vasoconstriction, thrombosis or embolism). Ischemia comprises not only insufficiency of oxygen, but also reduced availability of nutrients and inadequate removal of metabolic wastes. Ischemia can be partial (poor perfusion) or total. source

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Since 1 January 2016, it has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of substances banned from use by athletes. However, there are debates over its use as an athletic performance enhancer. Some athletes are known to have been using it before it was banned. It is currently unscheduled in the US. source

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So as you can see, Meldonium may be used to treat coronary artery disease, which is a very serious illness. It's a banned substance and unfortunately top athletes were also banned as caught testing positive for Meldonium. It was a big scandal back then as some were accusing the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of not announcing the ban in time.

Were they right? Was this intentional? I don't know and certainly don't care. However, I have a question which is unanswered still, I guess no one is going to give me a honest answer as i know exactly what was going on.

Ok, so when the news broke and top athletes like Maria Sharapova were banned for using Meldonium, many of them were justifying their actions by saying they had some heart problems and they were prescribed Meldonium. This was a lie as Meldonium was not even available in some countries. I've seen an interview with a doctor saying this medication is usually prescribed to elderly people, not to young ones.

My question is, how the hell were these athletes able to become top athletes with such a medical problem? Super healthy, strong athletes sometimes don't even have a chance and these athletes suffering from such a disease could get to the top. I guess we all know the answer, don't have to go on with this.

My other question is, how can a doctor take responsibility for such a thing? How is that correct? Giving an athlete medication he/she doesn't need, that could danger his/her health just to win a competition, how is that right? Just because it's not forbidden, it doesn't mean it's right to take it.

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Check out my #SevenDaysOutside Challenge!

These are the days and the categories:
#WindowMonday – Windows
#DoorTuesday – Doors
#RustArtWednesday – Rust
#GateThursday – Gates
#StatueFriday – Statues
#BrickSaturday – Bricks (bricks only, no pavement elements or cobblestones please)
#StreetlampSunday – Street Lamps

Make sure you write a description of the photo you are posting. Share as much details as you can, like where that statue is placed (in a park, at the front of a museum), what it represents etc. Make it enjoyable.

Use the #sevendaysoutside tag along with the daily tag and tag me, @erikah!

Goes without saying that you can only use your own photos. No paintings, no drawings, no digital art please! There is no prize here, this is just for fun.

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