The group stage of the
Copa Libertadores
begins .
And
River
debuts in
Bolivia
against
The Strongest
.
Martín
Demi
Chelis
's team
will play in La Paz, 3,600 meters above sea level.
So, to counteract the adverse effects, they decided not only to arrive hours before the start of the match, but also to administer
a cocktail to the footballers, which includes aspirin, caffeine and sildenafil.
River players will consume the substance that is sold as
Viagra
in pharmacies, through the famous blue pill.
And the mixture with the other drugs (aspirin contains acetylsalicylic acid and has the minimum doses allowed by the
Conmebol
regulations . Now, what is each of the components taken for? What are you looking for?
“
Sildenafil
, at first, was managed to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension.
That is, when someone suffers from this condition, the arteries are very contracted and do not expand.
This makes the exchange of oxygen in the lung difficult and the patients are constantly agitated.
So the effect of sildenafil is
an arterial vasodilator
.
They dilate the arteries and by dilating them the caliber of the artery increases, causing more oxygen flow.
It improves the circulation of oxygen, and by oxygenating itself the body improves, fatigue decreases, ”explains the cardiologist and sports doctor
Norberto Debbag
(MN: 51,320) in a dialogue with Clarín.
And he continues: “Later they realized that it produces an effect with the erection.
This is because it generates a vasodilator effect also at the penile level.
And there is the same enzyme that is in the lung, favoring the production of a better blood flow at the penile level and that causes an
erection
”.
Regarding soccer squads, Debbag commented: “Using this mixture can help counteract the effect of altitude.
In addition to sildenafil, the cocktail also includes
caffeine
, as a respiratory stimulant (the permitted dose) and
aspirin
, which is used for headaches and so that there is no coagulation problem, as an anti-thrombosis effect.
Martín Demichelis, at the head of the River delegation that traveled to Bolivia to start the Libertadores on the right foot.
Photo: Marcelo Carroll.
Debbag also gave his thoughts on
why it might be wise to arrive around game time
.
“The body begins to try to compensate for the lack of air, that atmospheric pressure, of oxygen, and that is why it takes from 20 days to a month to get used to normal levels.
If you arrive 24 hours before, the body begins to adjust in a different way and performance will not be as effective as if they arrived during the day”, explains the doctor.
And he clarifies: “Undoubtedly, it depends on each organism.
Players such as Messi and Di María
have been observed in the National Team
, who withstood the height perfectly.
There are organisms that tolerate it very well and others completely lower their performance”.
River decided to arrive in La Paz a couple of hours before the start of the game with The Strongest after spending Monday night in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, a city located on the plain.
In addition, there will be oxygen tubes in the locker room.
In this way, it will seek to counteract as much as possible the negative effects of altitude.
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