Why do so many athletes turn to extreme and unproven remedies? | Psyche Ideas

Some experts think psychological advantages in sports are more important than physical ones.

Sixty-seven per cent of elite athletes said they would happily engage in a placebo-mediated deception if it effectively improved their performance.

Many athletes trust the nutritional opinions of their peers over qualified experts.

However, this is a symptom of a broader societal problem. The past decade has shown anti-science movements and attacks on scientists worldwide. Therapy can become popular because it goes against an established order.

US athletes receive only $37,500 in prize money for winning an Olympic gold medal. British athletes receive no prize money.

This cause many athletes to strike sponsorship deals with marketing agencies, often using their large social media followings to advertise.

Professional athletes are supported by a network of physicians, physiologists, nutritionists and psychologists.

Interventions are generally discussed as a group, but sometimes choices are made by the performance director or coach.

A survey of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine found that 88 per cent of physician members had prescribed at least one type of CAM for sports medicine pathologies in the preceding year, mostly chiropractic, acupuncture and yoga.