WHAT A LOAD OF MUMBO JAMBO!

TOP doc John MacLean thinks long and hard before prescribing a paracetamol to a player with a sore head.

So he understands the scepticism of Hearts players refusing to be treated by an alternative therapist with ideas that are new to even him.

Dr MacLean works with the Scotland national team and is medical director of the sports medicine centre at Hampden.

He has a wealth of experience in his profession, as well as pro football, and admits he cannot imagine sanctioning the techniques currently being endorsed by Vladimir Romanov

Record Sport revealed yesterday how a mystery Lithuanian therapist, known only as Rima, is offering players a bizarre treatment involving golden sticks placed on pressure points on the body.

She is part of an eastern European influence that also involves the equally mysterious Pyjama Man, who claims he can restore the energy of players by turning their kidneys.

Hearts players are distrustful of the new methods and, by and large, are giving the Lithuanians a wide berth.

There is unhappiness among the Scottish medical staff at Riccarton and a fear their more conventional work with the players is being compromised.

It is claimed Rima and Co are even exerting an influence on team affairs, with word getting back to Romanov on the fitness and well being of his players.

For their part, Hearts insiders say the appearance of the Lithuanians is simply another example of Romanov's attention to detail and a holistic approach to the physical and mental harmony of his squad.

That is all very well, argues MacLean,

but his sympathy lies with Jambos physio Ollie Finlay and his team because he cannot endorse treatments that have no basis in scientific reality.

He said: "Conventional medicine looked far more sceptically at alternative therapies 20 years ago but now treatments such as acupuncture are much more widely endorsed.

"However, we must ensure the same scientific scrutiny goes into everything from taking a paracetamol to performing surgery on a knee ligament injury.

"The problem is that very few, if any, of these alternative therapies have been subjected to scientific scrutiny.

"Therefore, until it does - so-called Gold Rod therapy or anything else - I would not be happy using it.

"I've never even heard of this type of therapy and I would need to see scientific proof of its merits in respected periodicals such as the British Medical Journal before I would consider recommending it. There would have to be trials of Gold Rod therapy involving at least 50 players but, as far as I'm aware, this has never been done."

MacLe an knows the mentality of players, who come with degrees in cynicism and jealously guard their relationship with their club physios and doctors.

It is a relationship built on mutual respect and understanding and MacLean appreciates why the arrival of alternative therapists at Hearts have been greeted with suspicion.

He added: "Players would be sceptical of any new form of treatment that was not widely used by their peers.

"Players speak to each other at different clubs and absorb the influences of the different nationalities.

"If a treatment is being widely used at other club s they would b e happy to take it on board, but there would be suspicion if it was only used at their club.

"Players are not daft and would ask their physio why they were doing something when no one else was.

"Certainly, if I suggested trying a new treatment to an international or club player I'd expect them to ask me what it is, what it does and if others are doing it.

"No physio would be comfortable recommending treatment on which they didn't have enough knowledge.

"Occasionally, we might not have enough knowledge about a certain procedure but we soon find out about any latest developments."

Critics claim Scottish footballers are just too close minded to focus on the benefit of therapies that are not part of mainstream medicine.

They have applauded Hearts for their open-mindedness in making a range of therapies available to players.

However, MacLean denies Scots players are too stubborn to embrace techniques that could give them greater fitness benefits and even extend their careers. He added: "I like to think, in Scotland, we operate best practice and that means adopting what is accepted around the world as the best way forward.

"We are not blinkered in Scotland - we have a historical pedigree of innovation.

"If something is available and proven then Scots have a good track record of b eing early users of new techniques but they must be scientifically sound.

"Glasgow University has a department of sports medicine and they are involved in trialling new forms of treatment.

"If scientific evidence is produced to show that it can be of benefit, then we should consider using it.

"A journal of sports medicine is produced six times a year in Britain and it's full of articles on new treatments and methods.

"This is how we should learn to innovate, change and define the practices that have gone before."

Taken from the Daily Record