Nov 17, 2009 - 12:57:05 PM By Frank Hyden, MMATorch Contributor
I talked to a doctor friend of mine, and consulted WebMD, in order to study up a bit on diverticulitis. I had a relative who was diagnosed with this condition several years ago, and I was curious to see if there had been any new treatments or techniques in the recent years. The good news is that it's very possible to live a normal life, albeit with a few lifestyle changes. Obviously, there's no way to tell how Brock's fighting life will be affected, but the fact that he's had surgery means that it was a severe case. Only about 5% of patients with diverticulitis need surgery. Doctors aren't certain what causes diverticulitis, but a low-fiber diet may be one of the factors.
I personally believe that Brock Lesnar has used, and is probably still using, PED's (Performance-Enhancing Drugs). Note- This opinion does not represent the views of anyone else at MMATorch.com. This is my opinion, and my opinion only. I want to make that clear, I don't speak for anyone else or any of the other writers. Having said that, I'm not one of those guys who thinks people who use PED's should be thrown in jail or something. The definition of what makes a PED isn't even clear, though. Vitamins and supplements aren't considered PED's, but some agencies consider caffeine to be a PED? I'm getting off-topic, though. This is a subject for another time, it can be a very heated subject because there's a lot to debate. For the record, I think a lot of athletes, I would say a majority, are using PED's of some nature. Before you bash me, though, keep in mind that the definition of what constitutes a PED is nebulous.
My point is that there's essentially a 0% chance that Brock's diverticulitis was caused by steroids or other PED's. If PED's caused diverticulitis, then we'd see a lot more cases in athletes. I think this is a case where a guy got an inflammation or infection in his colon. Brock should be able to resume a relatively normal life. How this will affect his fighting career is unknown at this time. I think Brock will be able to come back from this. I don't know if he'll be able to resume the form he once had, only time can tell us that. I'm hoping he makes a full recovery, he's a polarizing figure that brings visibility to MMA.
FAVOR: Would you help MMATorch by taking a short survey to create demographic info for our ad company? CLICK HERE
ALERT: Every Tuesday night, listen to the MMATorch Livecast from 9-10:30 p.m. ET or listen now to the most recent shows by clicking here. Listen live this coming Tuesday as Jamie Penick and Matt Pelkey discuss the latest MMA happenings. Online listen at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mmatorch or call into the show at 646-716-8090 to either just listen or participate.
You've got balls Frank. The Lesnar fans are going to ream you for this and
some them can be as mean as Lesnar himself. I am not a Lesnar fan, and it
wouldn't surprise me if he was using PED's, but I am curious to know why
you think he does. I've noticed that those freakish shoulder neck muscles
of his seem to have shrunk since his WWE days.
Dr Gasket
17 Nov 2009, 13:13
Maybe not. If you look at the cause of it, it would seem to be related to
diet and bowel movement. Simply put :-) if you can't shit and push too
hard, you burst your colon. The question would be is this a one time event,
or an accumulation over time. (note the disease or illness of the blown
gasket is the blown gasket being infected, not the blowing of the gasket
which suggests the gasket could always have been blown and unnoticed until
it becomes infected)
As with aspirins and tylonel when you're sick it clogs you right up. If
this is a one time event, as in during his mono recovery he was "clogged
up" with medication and pushed too hard and blew a gasket, then probably
totally unrelated to PED's however if over a lifetime this is an
accumulated event, then maybe, yes, years of use of "drugs" created
unnatural amounts or periods of constipation which each time, pushed the
colon to it's max, and over time, with unatural cloggage, the gasket
finally blows. Like now.
What Causes Diverticular Disease?
Doctors believe a low-fiber diet is the main cause of diverticular disease.
The disease was first noticed in the United States in the early 1900's. At
about the same time, processed foods were introduced to the American diet.
Many processed foods contain refined, low-fiber flour. Unlike whole-wheat
flour, refined flour has no wheat bran. Diverticular disease is common in
developed or industrialized countries--particularly the United States,
England, and Australia--where low-fiber diets are common. The disease is
rare in countries of Asia and Africa, where people eat high-fiber vegetable
diets. Fiber is the part of fruits, vegetables, and grains that the body
cannot digest. Some fiber dissolves easily in water (soluble fiber). It
takes on a soft, jelly-like texture in the intestines. Some fiber passes
almost unchanged through the intestines (insoluble fiber). Both kinds of
fiber help make stools soft and easy to pass. Fiber also prevents
constipation.
Constipation makes the muscles strain to move stool that is too hard. It is
the main cause of increased pressure in the colon. The excess pressure
causes the weak spots in the colon to bulge out and become diverticula.
Diverticulitis occurs when diverticula become infected or inflamed. Doctors
are not certain what causes the infection. It may begin when stool or
bacteria are caught in the diverticula. An attack of diverticulitis can
develop suddenly and without warning.
Trend Tracker
17 Nov 2009, 15:34
What I find interesting about this is not so much the references to PEDs,
but that Diverticulitis is equally hard to quantify, both in its origins
and it's treatment. I mentioned in a previous blog that my wife and my
brother have both been diagnosed and treated for it.
The thing is, where some doctors think a low fiber diet can cause it, many
other doctors think it's high fiber diets that cause it (or cause its
flare-ups.) The higher fiber foods, like sesame seeds and popcorn get
caught more easily in people whose intestines have more pronounced pockets.
In the case of my wife, she is now on a low fiber diet because her
life-long natural high fiber diet was supposedly causing the problem.
My brother now has a moderate fiber diet after being on a high fiber diet
his whole life. He's made great progress with this diet.
And just so you know, neither had any problems with constipation issues
before the attacks. Both had natural, normal bowel movements before they
had their flare-ups. So this disease is not exactly what people are
thinking or reading. But it is SOME of the time.
(And people wonder why we keep our names anonymous during these
discussions...)
One point, again for a later discussion. If I said a person was a "drug
addict" but then said the definition of drug addict has to be defined
before we could discuss it, I think it would be better that I not label
someone a drug addict until I actually DID define it. Saying someone is a
PED user and then leaving the definition open and nebulous is kind of
cheating in a "sensationalist journalism" sort of libelous way. Especially
since this was not the time or place for that discussion. Bring it up as
its own topic, and let's discuss it then.
While PEDs may not cause diverticulitis, certain painkillers do have major
digestive side effects. In my lifetime, the most famous of these was Brett
Favre, who had a vicodin addiction in the late 90s that led to him to go
weeks between bowel movements, information about which is actually on
brettfavre.com (again, thank god for anonymous posts). While I do agree
with you that Lesnar's illness is likely not the result of drug use, I'm
not ready to totally discount it. That said, I actually am a Lesnar fan,
and do hope that he comes back 100%
This is really poor journalism, steroids would not have caused Lesnar's
illness. As a med student this is really uninformed, accusing him of taking
illegal substances is outrageous with no history of drug taking. Steroids
can make a man bald more quickly than normal does this mean Randy Couture
or Fedor is taking them? Of course not! A hack trying to get his name out
there at the expense of a sick pro athlete, website is great but this guy
should never feature on it again.
Frank Hyden
18 Nov 2009, 01:00
I had actually planned on making this blog longer, going into more detail
about why I believe Brock is on PED's. I was going to post the blog
tomorrow.
However, I got a few calls from people earlier this morning asking if there
was a link between steroids and diverticulitis. As far as I know, and this
is based on what I've read and heard from doctors, there's no confirmed
link between the two.
And TrendTracker, my definition of a PED user is someone who uses steroids,
or HGH, or blood-packing, or cortizone, or some other artificial way of
increasing performance. Most of the stuff I just mentioned you can't test
for.
The number 1 reason I think Brock is on PED's is that I have eyes. I know
you cant always use the visual detector to suspect someone of using PED's,
but Brock was also in pro wrestling. He looked different then, as opposed
to now. He's probably still on PED's.
As I mentioned, though, I don't consider PED use to be as heinous as some
other people do.
I plan on blogging more about this as soon as I can.
Boles
18 Nov 2009, 08:07
Please don't. Every time you write my eyes bleed, and the planet's
collective intelligence takes a small dip.
Frank Hyden
18 Nov 2009, 11:47
Oh, my bad, Boles. I didn't know there was a gun to your head, forcing you
to read my blog.
George
18 Nov 2009, 11:50
STFU Boles, you're a toolbox
King_of_Kings
18 Nov 2009, 12:24
Thanks for the extremely long wikipedia entry dr. Gasket. I also find it
very funny that Boles talks intelligence in a sport where people beat each
others brains in.
King of Kings
18 Nov 2009, 13:07
Thanks for the extremely long wikipedia entry Doc Gasket. Its ironic that
Boles would be talking about intelligence in a sport where people beat.
Each others brains in.
shannon
18 Nov 2009, 14:00
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/116-1183/631/
re: steroids/diverticulitis link.
Cody
18 Nov 2009, 14:29
I really don't know why everyone always says that Brock is using or has
ever used steroids. As far as his physique changing from WWE to UFC, the
measure of success in pro wrestling is image and marketability, not
athletic ability. So why wouldnt brock want to get as big as he can so
people would se him as a monster therefore buy more tickets. In the ufc he
has to cut weight to 265 which he didnt have to do in WWE. so why lift as
much as he did back then when that means more of a weight cut come fight
night? it just doesnt make sense. Does he use legal supplements?
absolutely. He couldnt get that big with out them. So I hate to see people
pull the steroid card when the person in question is bigger, with more
dedication and mental toughness than the guy behind the keyboard.
thejyav
18 Nov 2009, 22:26
Outrageous "journalism", If you are in anyway paid to write for the torch I
hope Brock sues the crap out of this site.
Cole
19 Nov 2009, 02:06
How on earth could Brock sue the website for an opinion? Why do people keep
calling this Journalism? It's not intended to be journalism. Didn't you see
the big OPINION & ANALYSIS heading at the top of the article? Let the guy
have his opinion sheesh.
I think Boles's comment is out of line too, but in all fairness King of
Kings, MMA is not void of intelligence. There's a lot of strategy, planning
and psychological stuff going on. MMA is the only sport I have any interest
in whatsoever, and as weird as it is to hear it my least favorite part is
people getting beat up. The parts I like are the strategy, technique and
edge-of-your-seat action. If they could pull all that off without guys
getting beat up that would be awesome, but I have yet to see an
alternative. :)
Федор Емельяненко
19 Nov 2009, 06:58
This is absolutely ridiculous! A guy gets a serious decease and the only
talk which goes on the web STILL is is it because of steroids or not. This
is pathetic, guys. And what if he had AIDS or cancer or something? I guess
in this case we could see something like:
HYDEN BLOG: PED Use Didn't Cause Brock's AIDS.
You, Frank, say that "the definition of what makes a PED isn't even clear",
but you still somehow manage to state that they are not a factor here. I
don't understand it. Are protein bars and supplements a PED? Because they
certainly mess with someone's digestion.
What bothers me is how a guy can get "an inflammation or infection in his
colon"? Sounds sick.
Anyways, Brock - you are the man, get well soon! You still have a certain
dream match to have ;)
Jim Rogers
19 Nov 2009, 12:20
Well, first off, Brock would never sue anybody who said that he (Brock)
uses steroids. The reason is that he'd have to prove that he doesn't use
steroids. He doesn't want that, because he knows he'd fail.
Frank Hyden
19 Nov 2009, 12:27
I want to thank Shannon for bringing to my attention that there can be a
link between steroid use and the masking of the early symptoms of
diverticulitis.
King of Kings
19 Nov 2009, 12:30
Cody your an idiot. Look at Lesnar when he was in college and then when he
came into WWE. Big difference there. It's an opinion piece you fucking
morons.
Just the Facts
19 Nov 2009, 16:04
I'm not exactly sure when folks got the idea that it was okay to slander
or libel someone just as long as it's clearly stated that it's "only an
opinion."
For instance, if I said that I THINK that Frank is a an alcoholic, an
illegal drug user, a wife beater, and a terrorist and my evidence for that
opinion is the picture that he displays of himself on this website, and
followed that observation up with, "but that's only an opinion," it does
not make me any less libel for action if Frank wanted to sue me.
Notice I said "if" I wanted to state this. I am in no way suggesting that
Frank is any of those things.
But there is a point to all of this. Brock would not have to prove that he
was "not a PED user" in order to have a defamation suit brought against
anyone. The person making the claim would have to prove he was a user or he
would be found guilty of slander. Destroying someone's good name and
reputation is a punishable offense. Especially if other people start
sharing that same opinion. If Frank's opinion would cause more of you to
think that Brock is a PED user, that would be the very basis of the
lawsuit. In fact that's the very definition of slander. Frank would be
wrecking Brock's reputation by convincing others that Brock is a PED user.
Considering that Brock has passed every PED test he was ever given, it
would be impossible to show or prove that Brock was a PED user. Brock would
then win his lawsuit. It really is that easy.
I'm not sure how many of you follow the news, but the next big thing in
civil lawsuits are people suing bloggers for slandering them. It's already
happening. And its happening regularly. I know if I owned this website, I
sure wouldn't let Frank write for me. Most of what he says is libelous.
That he doesn't know or understand that makes it even scarier. Professional
writers have to know the ground rules going in. You can't break those rules
without eventually getting into trouble. Of course if I were Brock, I'd
also sue the owner of this site which I believe is Wade Keller, that's
where the money is.
Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if you deliberately make
disparaging remarks about someone and you cannot prove them, you can and
will be found guilty in a court of law if the case is ever brought to
court.
Even opinions need some truth for support. Just looking at photographs
isn't proof. Take a look at top pro football players and what they used to
look like in college. Good consistent weight training doesn't always point
to 'roids. It just means you're a hard worker who is serious about what you
do.
"King of Kings" is a good example of how agreeing with what Frank wrote is
perpetuating what Frank said. His agreement is now propagating the lie that
Frank started. That's how slander works.
You can say you think that Brock is a lousy MMA fighter, but you cannot
accuse him of doing something illegal unless you have evidence to the
contrary. And you better have some good evidence, even if you say it's just
an opinion.
Cole
19 Nov 2009, 16:42
That's sad. Our legal system shouldn't work that way.
Trend Tracker
19 Nov 2009, 19:09
Actually, I'm glad America's system of justice assumes someone is innocent
until proven guilty. I'm also glad it prevents rumor and innuendo from
destroying people's lives.
People often talk about freedom of speech in America without giving it a
second thought that responsibility and restraint must be shown by the
speakers in question if we are still going to have a civilized society.
Lies that are dressed in opinion are still lies. Public forums like this
(that are actually ran as a business) are responsible for the content of
their site. And people who make unfounded accusations can be brought to
court on charges.
Frank and Wade should be very glad that Brock never bothers with websites.
jame
19 Nov 2009, 23:42
If this was true "just the facts" fox news would be off the air
Fox Guy
20 Nov 2009, 07:16
Jame
You missed the point. It's okay to say that Obama is a lousy President.
It's not okay to say that he's a "murdering drug dealer." Even if you think
he is and it's just your opinion, you must have real evidence of your claim
before you make it public. As a nation, we've grown lax when it comes to
public officials and politicians. We let more slide and we recognize it as
part of the politics.
Maybe that's one of the reasons we no longer see how wrong it is when we do
it to others at sites like this.
But slander and libel are wrong and you can get in trouble for it. Glenn
Beck from FOX news recently lost all his sponsors for saying something that
was beyond "okay." There ARE consequences when you say or publish things
that are misleading and hurt someone's reputation in the process.
Don Imus lost his popular show for 18 MONTHS when his opinion went too far.
It was "just his opinion" but he paid the consequences.
charles brooks
18 Dec 2009, 06:46
Often we forget the little guy, the SMB, in our discussions of the comings
and goings of the Internet marketing industry. Sure there are times like
this when a report surfaces talking about their issues and concerns but,
for the most part, we like to talk about big brands and how they do the
Internet marketing thing well or not so well.
www.onlineuniversalwork.com
somaie
19 Dec 2009, 03:18
Cash Making Opportunities - The Beginning The working life is already tough
enough, but the worries of being out of work was even tougher. The
unsecured working environment have prompted me to search the internet for
an alternative source of extra income so that I could learn how to Make
Money Work for me and be Financially Independent. I listed down a number of
Free Internet Business Opportunity Ideas while researching ways how people
earn money online while working-from-home.......
www.onlineuniversalwork.com
1.
somaie
19 Dec 2009, 03:27
Cash Making Opportunities - The Beginning The working life is already tough
enough, but the worries of being out of work was even tougher. The
unsecured working environment have prompted me to search the internet for
an alternative source of extra income so that I could learn how to Make
Money Work for me and be Financially Independent. I listed down a number of
Free Internet Business Opportunity Ideas while researching ways how people
earn money online while working-from-home.......
www.onlineuniversalwork.com
