Eastern medicine wins over athletes
Denver practitioner says it speeds recovery, boosts performance
By Jordan Dresser
The Denver Post
POSTED: 08/18/2008 12:30:00 AM MDTADD A COMMENT
Scot Somes treats Robyn Smith, a Russian kettlebell instructor and rugby player, using an Eastern medicine cupping procedure. ( Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post )
With the 2008 Olympic Summer Games underway in Beijing, the practice of traditional Chinese medicine on athletes for pain and improved performance is very much in evidence.
Swimmers have sported telltale cupping marks — they look like giant polka dots — and athletes such as pro basketball player Yao Ming have talked about how traditional medicine has enhanced their abilities and helped them recover.
While Eastern and Western athletes alike have been cautioned about taking herbal treatments that might cause them to test positive for banned substances, many Chinese medicine practices are being used — and for good reason, says Scot Somes.
Somes, owner of the Center for Integrated Eastern Medicine in Denver, says some of the benefits of an athlete using Eastern medicine include faster recovery from injuries, greater focus and less performance anxiety. All this comes from balancing emotional, mental and physical health.
Somes, who has a master of science from the Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said he tried Eastern medicine when he was in the Navy.
After getting the flu in Japan, he visited an acupuncturist insteadof taking the drugs that were prescribed for him. He said he recovered in two days. […]