Physician Notes

In order to provide quality care for our student athletes, we do our best to work along side doctors and other health care professionals. If your son/daughter is seeing or is going to see a physician for an injury, we need a note clearing them for participation. If they do not have a note, they will be unable to practice or compete. It is important that we have this communication to protect our athletes from further injury as well as enhance our rehabilitation capabilities. Thanks.

Supplements

Dear Parents,

On behalf of the New Trier Athletic Department, we are taking this opportunity to communicate with you about a very important topic, sports supplementation. We believe it is important for us to be proactive by increasing your awareness and knowledge of this issue.

The use of sports supplementation is one of the fastest growing trends, yet least discussed issues, in all levels of sports today. Sport supplementation is a multi-billion dollar industry that has targeted your sons and daughters as a primary consumer. The manufacturer's goal appears to be to produce legal alternatives to steroids. Sport supplements come in all shapes, sizes, flavors and forms. In the United States, the only guidelines the supplement industry needs to follow are those within the Hatch Act. According to the Hatch Act, in order for any supplement to be legal it only needs to be found in a compound that exists in nature. We feel it is imperative for you to know these same natural compounds are not subject to FDA testing or regulation, leaving their effectiveness and safety in question.

As a department, the sports medicine staff, team physicians, and coaching staff discourage any of our athletes from partaking in the use of any form of supplementation. The scientific literature on these supplements has focused on adults, not adolescents. This same literature shows some supplements seem to be safe (e.g. whey protein), others (e.g. androstenedione (Andro) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may have serious side effects, which include, but are not limited to: liver abnormalities; lowering HDL/LDL cholesterol ratio; testicular atrophy; breast enlargement in men; prostate hypertrophy; mood swings; excessive hair growth in women; and in adolescents, premature closure of growth plates. Please see the enclosed handout, Sports Supplements: Critical Facts

Nothing is more important to athletic performance than proper nutrition. A properly balanced diet, rich in protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water, provides the body with the nutrients needed to perform. We encourage our athletes to maintain a properly balanced diet, and faithfully follow prescribed strength and conditioning programs which will enable them to reach their full genetic potential.

We would encourage you to become actively aware of sports supplements and use of any form of supplementation. If you like to speak to someone about this issue, please call Dale Grooms at 847-784-2297.