Tiger Woods Doctor Linked To Calf's Blood Treatments

It sounds like santeria, but it isn't. Sports medicine specialist Dr. Anthony Galea is under investigation in both the U.S. and Canada for allegedly smuggling and selling performance enhancing drugs to world-class athletes, possibly including Tiger Woods.

While no link in terms of use of performance-enhancing drugs and Tiger Woods has been established, Anthony Galea has worked with Woods in the past. He has also been linked to sprinter Donovan Bailey, figure skater Patrick Chan, U.S. swimmer Dana Torres and several NFL players.

Anthony Galea is also the head team physician for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. He runs the ISM Health and Wellness Centre, and is scheduled to appear in a Toronto court Friday. He was arrested after the RCMP raided his Toronto office on Oct. 15. The FBI is also investigating Galea.

The investigation began when authorities seized a laptop and a bag allegedly containing human growth hormone (HGH) and other drugs, including Actovegin, from the Anthony Galea's assistant after refusing him entry into the U.S. from Canada. That incident took place in late September. Besides the obvious HGH issue, it is illegal to use, sell or import Actovegin in the U.S.

Actovegin is essentially strained and purified calf’s blood. It is not approved for use in Canada or the United States and is imported from Austria. It is not listed as a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping agency, but the New York Times reports that the Agency is closely monitoring its use.

Actovegin is reportedly popular among professional European cyclists. Theories for its benefits include speeding up the recovery time from certain injuries, including muscle and tendon tears.

Anthony Galea treated Tiger Woods four times in February and March for his knee. Woods was reportedly concerned over the slow healing of his knee after knee surgery.

Galea treated Woods with his "blood spinning" technique, of which he is a purportedly a pioneer. Blood spinning spins a patient's own blood in a centrifuge and injects it into injured joints in hopes of accelerating healing.

Various sports talk shows on Tuesday took a look at the list of Galea's clients and commented on their physiques. Examples were the extreme musculature of Dara Torres at the age of 40 plus, as well as Woods' own ripped physique. There is, of course, no evidence of any wrongdoing yet from any of the athletes, but this is further bad PR in the world of Tiger Woods.

Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com