Investigation of Canadian Doctor Adds to Tiger Woods' Woes

Bad news has been rolling in for Tiger Woods lately, but most of it has not directly involved questions regarding his career. We've heard reports of cheating, personal failings, the loss of sponsors and a lot of tabloid fodder, but no one has questioned anything to do with his golf game. The latest bad news changes that. There are questions about his use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs after a doctor that has treated him in the past came under an FBI investigation.

According to the New York Times, a Canadian sports medicine specialist, Dr. Anthony Galea, is under criminal investigation in the United States for possibly providing athletes under his care with performance-enhancing drugs. This investigation follows his October arrest in Canada when his assistant's car was searched when she was crossing the US-Canadian border. His medical bag was found inside containing human growth hormone and Actovegin.

According to WebMD, Actovegin is usually used to treat peripheral artery disease and strokes. For athletes however, it can be used to provide more oxygen to their muscles since Actovegin has been known to improve the transport and oxidation of glucose in the body.

There is no known evidence that points to any indication that Woods has ever taken drugs to improve his game. This news about a specialist he saw simply could not have come at a worse time for him, when people are already expressing shock at the revelation that he had numerous extra-marital affairs.

According to a USAToday article, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police charged Dr. Galea with, "conspiracy selling an illegal drug known as Actovegin, and also with conspiracy to import an unapproved drug, conspiracy to export a drug and smuggling goods into Canada." It goes on to state that Dr. Galea visited Woods' home four or five times in February and March of 2009 to treat Woods' left knee using a legal, new technique called plasma therapy.

Chances are that Woods is completely innocent in this case, but given recent news headlines, it is adding salt to the wound.

Sources:

Van Natta, Jr., Don; Schmidt, Michael S.; Austen, Ian, "Doctor Who Treated Top Athletes Is Subject of Doping Inquiry", Nytimes.com

Doheny, Kathleen, "FAQ on Actovegin", WebMD.com

Brennan, Christine, "Links to Doctor could deepen Tiger Woods' travails", USAToday.com