At least four members of the U.S. ski team, including star Bode Miller, have sought treatment in Mexico from controversial orthopedic specialist Milne Ongley, according to ESPN.

Ongley has been credited by some with saving careers, but also banned from practicing in the United States.

Ongley injects patients with something dubbed the "Ongley Solution," which he says is a mixture of dextrose, glycerin, phenol and distilled water.

Ongley says the solution "causes the growth of new tissue by the reproduction of similar cells."

The reproduction supposedly aids in an athlete's recovery from injury.

"Without him," J.J. Johnson told ESPN, "I wouldn't be on the team."

U.S. ski officials, however, aren't happy. They worry the "Ongley Solution" could contain banned substances.

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"Guys are on a tight anti-doping policy," trainer Paul Meier told ESPN. "A substance like that is not regulated. You don't know what it is. He tells you what it is, but there's no literature to prove it."

U.S. coach Phil McNichol is also skeptical.

"I'm assuming (Ongley's) in Mexico for a reason, other than a suntan," he told ESPN. "The whole thing concerns me, that the guys have to fly off to a foreign country to do things that our medical department is saying, 'I don't see the medical value in it.' And we're not really comfortable with the guys doing it.

"That's our position, if you want an official position. The guy's practicing out of the country for a reason. And we're uncomfortable at best."

Often called Prolotherapy, treatments like Ongley's are very controversial. Experts agree sugar-based solutions can have positive short-term effects but argue there to prove any long-term power.

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To date, none of the U.S. skiers have failed a drug test. Also none of the ingredients Ongley lists are on the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's banned list.

Skiers knees are both critical and vulnerable.

"The majority of the team has had a knee injury," Meier said.

That includes Miller, whose career nearly ended in 2001 due to an injured left knee. Sources told ESPN that Miller has visited Ongley in the last year.

Miller, who has told reporters "I don't even take vitamins," referred family members to Ongley, according to ESPN.

Ongley's past, however, is not well know. He was sued for negligence in 1987 by former U.S. track star Dwight Stones, and settled out of court.

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California's medical board determined Ongley's treatment was "devoid of medical value."
According to the board, Ongley failed to get a physician's license in the U.S. on several occasions and had his license to practice acupuncture revoked in California. He also lost a malpractice suit in New Zealand and pleaded no contest to practicing without a license in Newport Beach and San Diego in 1992.

"Run as far away as you can from this guy," Stones told ESPN. "He's hurt people."

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