![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/mountain_run.jpg\" "\\"mountain_run\\"")
Viagra is, of course, designed to boost anybody’s performance in a specific area.\u00a0 But, it’s been shown to have other uses.\u00a0 In fact, it was originally being tested as a heart medication, and is in fact used as one in certain applications.\u00a0 But what about athletic performance?\u00a0 Can Viagra really make you play a better game of baseball, or does it just put unnecessary strain on your jockstrap?<\/p>\n
The truth is…the jury is still out.\u00a0 Despite substantial testing, and a possible scientific basis, no real decisions one or the other are really possible.\u00a0 But first, it’s important to understand how Viagra works.\u00a0 It’s a vasodilator, that is, it expands the blood vessels to increase blood flow.\u00a0 This is why Viagra can have side effects like swelling of the limbs: it opens up blood vessels in your entire body.\u00a0 In theory, this means your exercise capacity, that is, your ability to run around playing, is increased.<\/p>\n
In practice, it’s not so simple.\u00a0 Viagra only lasts for four hours, so any effect it offers is only temporary.\u00a0 While increased blood flow may bring more oxygen to the muscles, there’s no evidence that Viagra does so or that, if it does, how much effect it has on the field.<\/p>\n
There is one area where Viagra definitely helps the performance of a certain class of athlete: namely, mountain climbers.\u00a0 Mountain climbers and other athletes at high altitudes often face the problem of pulmonary arterial hypertension, or pressure on the main artery delivering blood to the lungs.\u00a0 As this artery constricts, you receive less oxygen than normal and experience problems such as shortness of breath, dizziness, and fainting, all of which are less than ideal when you’re hanging off a three-hundred foot drop miles from any assistance.\u00a0 Although Viagra is only a short term solution, it’s useful in high altitude situations and is often part of a climber’s gear as a medical necessity.\u00a0 There has, alas, been no data on how many climbers have joined the \u201cmile-high without an airplane\u201d club.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/03\/mountain-top-300x225.jpg\" "\\"mountain")
But the truth is, not many athletes really face altitude conditions so extreme that Viagra could be of any scientific help.\u00a0 It may be useful to cyclists or marathon runners at extremely high altitudes, but most athletes perform in areas well below the two or three miles of altitude it takes to generally induce lung problems and make it a factor.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, never underestimate the power of the placebo effect.\u00a0 If a person thinks a drug is working, the mind can often take over and give the drug an effect, even if it’s not scientifically possible.\u00a0 In this respect, Viagra is like a baseball player’s lucky socks he never washes or a football player’s pre-game ritual: it’s not the physical effect, it’s the psychological one.<\/p>\n
In that respect, as long as the athlete believes Viagra is really helping, it might as well be the greatest drug ever designed.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it’s also a risky one; Viagra has side effects, like any prescription drug, and shouldn’t be taken without a doctor’s consultation.\u00a0 Still, it sure beats not washing your socks, although we’re not sure what’s more awkward: the smell of rancid feet, or standing around the dugout with Viagra’s intended effect front and center.\u00a0 We suppose it’s up to the athlete to decide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Viagra is, of course, designed to boost anybody’s performance in a specific area.\u00a0 But, it’s been shown to have other uses.\u00a0 In fact, it was originally being tested as a heart medication, and is in fact used as one in certain applications.\u00a0 But what about athletic performance?\u00a0 Can Viagra really make you play a better […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_autoblog_aioseo_focus_keyphrase":"","_autoblog_aioseo_title":"","_autoblog_aioseo_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-viagra"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t