August 2007

Chiropractors lead drive for drug‑free athletics

Doctors of chiropractic have always been noted for promoting drug‑free health care. Now, they are taking the lead in the push toward drug‑free sports.

Victor Naumov, DC, founder of the National Coalition for the Advancement of Drug‑Free Athletics, Inc. (NCADFA), has launched an anti‑drug crusade aimed at municipalities, middle schools, high schools and sports organizations across the U.S. His message is direct and simple, "First, address the growing  problem of performance enhancing drug use among student‑athletes then, begin teaching them strategies that will enable them to safely and effectively improve their athletic performance, naturally."

Drug use ‑‑ particularly anabolic steroids ‑‑ among athletes has been widely covered in the media for years and although the publicity hasn't stopped the problem, it's brought the topic out of the locker‑room and into the living rooms around the country.

The latest national figures indicate that more than one million teens have admitted using anabolic steroids with the intent to improve their athletic ability, physical appearance and self‑image, according to Dr. Naumov, who is recognized as one of the leading advocates for drug‑free athletes,

Naumov has appeared on nationally aired sports radio programs to get out his message about the use of drugs by young athletes and uses every opportunity to explain the role of chiropractic in solving the problem.

"The most under‑utilized and overlooked, natural performance enhancing tool available to any athlete, at any age, is the chiropractic adjustment," he explained at a recent seminar. "Only chiropractors are trained to identify and correct interference in an athlete's nervous system. For that simple reason they are the leaders in the field of natural performance enhancement. It's important that you understand, for an athlete to perform at their absolute best, their nervous system has to be as clear as possible. Only regular chiropractic care ensures the body consistently is able to perform at its peak in all areas. This not only includes physically, but mentally and chemically as well. Remember athletic skills such as balance, hand‑eye coordination, body position sense and reflexive reaction time are all neurological acts which require a good nerve supply to be performed at 100 percent."

In all his talks, he emphasizes that chiropractors are "more than alternative health care providers, more than just neck and back pain doctors ‑‑ they are human performance specialists. Only chiropractors help the body work at its peak potential, at its absolute best."

He founded NCADFA in hopes of recruiting other DCs into the effort to convince athletes to use chiropractic rather than drugs to enhance their sports performance. "It's about time the public recognized us for our uniqueness and we stop trying so hard to be accepted by other groups," he tells other DCs. "Our efforts and resources are better allocated helping athletes understand the service only we are capable of providing. To become a leader, you must first see yourself as one. I see every chiropractor on this planet as a potential leader. We can help athletes of all ages maximize their innate peak potential, "naturally."

Doctors interested in learning more about the work of, or in joining the NCADFA, can visit www.NCADFA.org or call Dr. Naumov at 201‑265‑8688.