Training & Nutrition - what the heck is E.P.O.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?
jarhead#42

You can google search it can't you?
It's fake red blood cells.

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7032

Here's a succint explanation

I believe it is Epogen, a drug made by Amgen, which mimics the action of erythropoitin, a human hormone. The hormone stimulates the human body to produce more red blood cells. Amgen came up with the drug because people on chemotherapy tend to have problems with anemia and there are a lot of those people and that is a lot of customers.

Anyrate, after awhile, endurance atheletes tumbled onto the notion that they could take epogen and increase their red blood cell concentration and improve their aerobic performance. This practice is not without hazard. If you increase the percentage of red blood cells too much in your blood and you are out on your bike and you sweat, your blood become mainly cells and it turns to sludge and the heart can not pump sludge. I read someplace that a cycling team in europe went through something like a dozen rider fatalities from epogen overdose this way, but that could have been apocryphal.

Ive heard after the age of 65 or so , the red blood cell count plummets , in some cases starving the brain of oxigen causeing dementia like illness . So perhaps its not a bad idea , if your 65 or older to replace the lost red blood cells .
jarhead#42

funny you should mention that

epo is intrinsically a neuroprotectant when the oxygen or blood flow is compromised to the brain. There are clincal trials in germany evaluating this in an acute stroke. However, it does not improve blood flow like tpa, but allows the cells to survive an hypoxic (low oxygen) onslaught. http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20021109/bob8.asp

It's used all the time for anemia due to renal insufficiency but the price tag is high for medicare patients who have no drug coverage. (thousand dollars a month at least). Most anemia is caused by low vitamin b12 in that population. Overall, anemia is not a common or normal consequence of aging so secondary causes are evaluated for. (ie: blood loss from colon polyps, low vit b12 or pernicious anemia, low folate , renal insufficiency and subsequent loss of epogen production from the kidneys.

funny you should mention that

epo is intrinsically a neuroprotectant when the oxygen or blood flow is compromised to the brain. There are clincal trials in germany evaluating this in an acute stroke. However, it does not improve blood flow like tpa, but allows the cells to survive an hypoxic (low oxygen) onslaught. http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20021109/bob8.asp

It's used all the time for anemia due to renal insufficiency but the price tag is high for medicare patients who have no drug coverage. (thousand dollars a month at least). Most anemia is caused by low vitamin b12 in that population. Overall, anemia is not a common or normal consequence of aging so secondary causes are evaluated for. (ie: blood loss from colon polyps, low vit b12 or pernicious anemia, low folate , renal insufficiency and subsequent loss of epogen production from the kidneys.

Thanks for the link . Not too many people know that I am epileptic . Im sure Ive lost some brain cells when my seizures generalized . Once all the blood vessels in my eyes seemed to have ruptured during a siezure . I dont think you breath much during this type of siezure . I cant afford this stuff now and Im also 45 and more then likely have plenty of red blood cells . But I will keep this in mind as I age . I have to protect the brain cells I have left . bwahahahahahahahahhhhahahhahha thank god I have good control now of my epilepsy .
peace
jarhead#42