Usain Bolt's dynamic world record-setting performances during the Olympics seem to have set off a bunch of naysayers who attribute his speed to steroid use, although there is no evidence he uses anything other than talent and training. Then again, to become a world class athlete, is it imperative that anabolic steroids become part of one's physical resume?
An interesting article in wired.com came to my attention this morning with three pictures of a man's torso from a German medical clinic that should be labeled, "Due to the graphic nature of these photographs, do not show them to children". Or maybe they should be shown to children. Trying to have unnatural bodybuilder proportions will seem less attractive once they view the extreme body acne and shrunken testicles (in men) or the facial hair (in women) that accompany steroid use. (Okay, the testicles are left to the imagination, but the acne is full frontal. Yick.)
Here's the link: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/08/graphic-evidenc.html?cid=127896286#comment-127896286
If you know any young people, this is real-life information to pass on. Steroid abuse is not about sportsmanship or competition, it is about an extremely unhealthy abuse of one's body. Just ask Arnold Schwarzenegger... oh, wait, don't. If anyone says his open heart surgery was related to his (legal in 1967) steroid use, he sues them and wins for libel unless they have examined him.
Of course, egomaniac that he is, he claims he doesn't regret abusing steroids (AP February 2005) and claims to have used them only for muscle 'maintenance' not muscle building. (How I love a sense of humor!) I still liked him in that movie 'Kindergarten Cops', or whatever it was, when he tells a five-year-old he has a headache, and the kid responds, "It's probably a brain tumor."
I know just how his characters feels. Of course, steroids can be a medical miracle when used properly as any asthmatic will tell you. What concerns me is another wired.com article http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/10/who-takes-stero.html#previouspost that describes the 'typical' steroid user as follows:
Contrary to the steroid-user image epitomized by pro athletes like Barry Bonds, the survey of over 2,000 male steroid users found that the typical user was "30 years old, well-educated, and earning an above average income in a white collar occupation."
On the other hand, perhaps Wired's readers are like its writers, in which case the other attributes of steroid users -- driven as well as dedicated to gym attendance and diet -- are qualities that we can only wish for.
The study, which appears today in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, pinpointed the desire for more muscle mass, strength, and physical attractiveness as the primary drivers of usage, not increases in athletic performance. Other "significant" factors driving men to take steroids were "increased confidence, decreased fat, improved mood, and attraction of sexual partners." Curiously, side effects like shrunken testicles, baldness, and back acne were left off the list.
This study published in October of 2007 tells us we are not getting out the message to our young people that these bodies need to last a lifetime. I am very interested in your comments, so fire away.
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 26
I, too, get an occasional prescription for 5 days worth of oral steriods when my asthma flares up - it is a miracle drug short term in my opinion - but it is the chronic, non-medical use that makes it so dangerous.
Oh, and I loved the pun, Richard Frisbie!
Another home-run-of-a-post, lady (nod to Barry Bonds).
My personal experience with steroids was as a nearby witness to a long ago live-in lover who became an extreme adult asthmatic. Steroids made her able to breath but (my opinion) it totally changed her personality. And I mean t-o-t-a-l-l-y.
? As a doctor once explained to me: when one takes steroids one is altering the core of sense-of-self.
Sadly, I understand oh-too-well!
(Loved your comment about children's clothing in my Back to School piece!!)
Never worth it. There are many athletes who do not take steroids but who take muscle powder, whey powder, ginseng, multiple vitamins daily(10-20), plus antioxidants up the wazoo. I am married to one. Same reasons as steroids (athletic or other performance or appearance issues); it is all a bit wacky to me. It is good to eat healthy, exercise healthy and take healthy supplements, but there is a point when the extreme becomes the norm. That's just nuts.
Your article is Featured in the Triple Name Club.
Lisa, a family member was recently diagnosed with vasovagal syndope, which is usually a harmless condition but it is the main cause of fainting in the majority of people. For some reason many doctors do not think of this when fainting is involved, as it can be something more serious, of course. Triggers (it could be as simple as the sight of blood) cause a drop in heart rate and reduce the blood flow to the brain, which is what causes the fainting.
Once the person is on the ground, the blood flow balances and they regain consciousness. Usually doctors teach patients how to recognize their personal triggers and lie down with their legs raised when they feel woozy. Of course, for some this problem is serious enough to require a pacemaker, so it is not something to ignore and all other causes (cardiac particularly) should be ruled out first.
http://arthritis.about.com/od/steroids/f/anabolicsteroid.htm
Good thing, or else all of us asthmatics would be bulging with muscles and covered in acne. LOL.
I mean let's level the playing field. Any athelete who wants to use the anabolic steroids would be free to do so but would have to compete with only those athletes who also use them. Imagine the possibilities! Talk about intense competition. Talk about excitement!
Oh sure...there would be some drawbacks. Probably a lot of fights and extra bloodshed...but hey...maybe that's a plus. Adds to the excitement.
I remember a Saturday Night Live skit in which a weight lifter had taken so many anabolic steroids and he gained so much strength, that when attempting to lift some huge weight...he pulled both of his own arms off. Now THAT would sell tickets.
Both of them - and they had had great physiques beforehand - ended up looking like two apples with sticks for arms and legs. Of course, doctors now can use other treatments for asthma and some forms of severe inflammation that seem to be more directed, but when you can't breathe? You do what you have to do.