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Comment: Football Finds Its "Medicine Woman"
Nilesh Pinto has Mariana Kovacevic on his mind...
28-Nov-2009 6:52:51 PM
It started with PSV Eindhoven midfielder Danko Lazovic. It hit prominence with Arsenal ace Robin Van Persie. And since then we’ve heard about Van Persie’s team-mate Armand Traore along with Liverpool’s Albert Riera, Yossi Benayoun, Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio. The latest to join the club is Frank Lampard.
What we are talking about? Well, it’s the so-called ‘magic cure’ that has taken the Premier League by storm over the last few weeks.
The influx of Premier League stars into the Serbian capital of Belgrade has been on the incline over the past month. The destination is common to all of them. It is the clinic of the ‘Medicine Woman’ - a 42 year old Serbian housewife called Mariana Kovacevic who specializes in herbal treatments and alternate medicine.
Over the past few weeks, she has been attending to some of the EPL’s elite with her innovative treatment which is devoid of injections. It involves massaging the injured area with fluid from horse placenta. The placenta cream is applied with a massage machine that creates waves of pressure. The result? It supposedly reduces the recovery time drastically. What would take seven weeks to recover under orthodox medical treatment is substantially reduced to three weeks.
At the moment, it certainly seems to be a miracle cure. Frank Lampard, who was initially feared to be out of action till the Christmas period, was today declared by Carlo Ancelotti as a possible starter for Sunday’s heavyweight clash with Arsenal.
Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta have also availed the benefit of the 5000-pound treatment with the Manchester City duo returning to training within a week of visiting the clinic.
It is also believed that Albert Riera, who had a two centimeter muscle tear, underwent the placenta treatment for two days. On returning to Liverpool, the tear had healed and he returned to training shortly after.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has given the thumbs-up to the treatment. “We knew from some players from other Premier League clubs that it was a good treatment, and the doctor has good experience with clubs in Europe. Some [Manchester] City players, an Arsenal player [have all received it], so it is something that is credited, he had no injections.”
"We felt it was a good opportunity to send some of our players. We sent two, Benayoun and Riera and they came back and started training straight away.”
He added that the doctors had explained that the treatment was good for specific injuries and they were satisfied with the components of the cream.
Liverpool midfielder Benayoun said, “It meant I was able to play again and help the team at an important time within a fortnight. I never envisaged being on the pitch again so soon, and it shows what can be done with this treatment.” added the Israeli.
Robin van Persie heaped praise on the Serbian physician. “The woman is a miracle.” claimed the Dutchman. Arsene Wenger, too, has endorsed the treatment, saying that there was nothing to lose even if it failed. “If the player is comfortable with it, then so am I,” said the Arsenal manager.
However, there have been voices of dissent as well, with specialists suggesting that the treatment only masks the injury in the short-term. They have suggested that it could cause even more damage in the long run if the players take the field, believing they are fit.
In the meanwhile, the party has come to a premature end with the Serbian authorities shutting down the clinic as Kovacevic has not registered with the medical and business authorities.
Legal wrangles are likely to ensue and it wouldn’t be surprising if Rafael Benitez decides to represent her in court – she might just save his season in the long run!
Nilesh Pinto
What we are talking about? Well, it’s the so-called ‘magic cure’ that has taken the Premier League by storm over the last few weeks.
The influx of Premier League stars into the Serbian capital of Belgrade has been on the incline over the past month. The destination is common to all of them. It is the clinic of the ‘Medicine Woman’ - a 42 year old Serbian housewife called Mariana Kovacevic who specializes in herbal treatments and alternate medicine.
Over the past few weeks, she has been attending to some of the EPL’s elite with her innovative treatment which is devoid of injections. It involves massaging the injured area with fluid from horse placenta. The placenta cream is applied with a massage machine that creates waves of pressure. The result? It supposedly reduces the recovery time drastically. What would take seven weeks to recover under orthodox medical treatment is substantially reduced to three weeks.
At the moment, it certainly seems to be a miracle cure. Frank Lampard, who was initially feared to be out of action till the Christmas period, was today declared by Carlo Ancelotti as a possible starter for Sunday’s heavyweight clash with Arsenal.
Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta have also availed the benefit of the 5000-pound treatment with the Manchester City duo returning to training within a week of visiting the clinic.
It is also believed that Albert Riera, who had a two centimeter muscle tear, underwent the placenta treatment for two days. On returning to Liverpool, the tear had healed and he returned to training shortly after.
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has given the thumbs-up to the treatment. “We knew from some players from other Premier League clubs that it was a good treatment, and the doctor has good experience with clubs in Europe. Some [Manchester] City players, an Arsenal player [have all received it], so it is something that is credited, he had no injections.”
"We felt it was a good opportunity to send some of our players. We sent two, Benayoun and Riera and they came back and started training straight away.”
He added that the doctors had explained that the treatment was good for specific injuries and they were satisfied with the components of the cream.
Liverpool midfielder Benayoun said, “It meant I was able to play again and help the team at an important time within a fortnight. I never envisaged being on the pitch again so soon, and it shows what can be done with this treatment.” added the Israeli.
Robin van Persie heaped praise on the Serbian physician. “The woman is a miracle.” claimed the Dutchman. Arsene Wenger, too, has endorsed the treatment, saying that there was nothing to lose even if it failed. “If the player is comfortable with it, then so am I,” said the Arsenal manager.
However, there have been voices of dissent as well, with specialists suggesting that the treatment only masks the injury in the short-term. They have suggested that it could cause even more damage in the long run if the players take the field, believing they are fit.
In the meanwhile, the party has come to a premature end with the Serbian authorities shutting down the clinic as Kovacevic has not registered with the medical and business authorities.
Legal wrangles are likely to ensue and it wouldn’t be surprising if Rafael Benitez decides to represent her in court – she might just save his season in the long run!
Nilesh Pinto
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