In today’s fast paced society, many people are looking for the quick fixes to feel,
look and be stronger. The market is saturated with supplements. pills, and vitamins
all promising to add years to your life. Some of these people are athletes. With
millions of dollars at stake keeping one young and healthy might insure long term
contracts, but with that comes the risk of ones health. It wasn’t until Jose Canseco
(former Professional ball player) announced in his book “Juiced” that he knew there
were at least 50 ball players taking performance enhancing drugs and opened up
the steroid to investigations, fines and abolishment from the game they had so
loved. Since that time major league baseball has gathered some strict rules
regarding this issue. If your going to cheat then get out! Now most professional
sports have clamped down and have implemented rules that if caught taking
performance enhancing drugs that there will be hefty fines and possible exclusion
from that sport.
With all this going on people need to realize that steroids are not all
bad. Its when you abuse them and not under a physicians care that they can
become lethal! I am going to discuss the many different types of steroids, their
benefits but also the long term health effects that they have on human life.
What brought me to write this article is a certain client of mine that is battling long
term health effects from a condition known as chondritis which required over 90
operations over several years, and now has other conditions such as spondylitis
(degenerative changes in the vertebrae) which in order to control the pain he had to
take a certain type of steroid called Prednisone. It concerns me because of the long
term health effects. I just feel the need from all of this to educate people on steroids
and that they have benefits as long as they are monitored and they need to know
the risks.
The term steroid is applied to a group of naturally occurring fat soluble organic
compounds(lipids) whose structure is chemically based on a steroid nucleus. Most
people have heard of Testosterone, Prednisone, Cholesterol, these are all from the
family of steroids, yet they react to the body differently.
There are 3 classifications of steroids- Anabolic, Androgenic and Cortico.
Androgenic Steroids- Are synthetically produced variants of the naturally
occurring male sex hormone Testosterone. While Anabolic refers to muscle
building, androgenic refers to increased male sexual characteristics.
Corticosteroids- is a generic name for the group of hormones that have
cortisone-like action. They are man made steroids that mimic the activity of
cortisone. Cortisone is produced naturally in the body and is involved in regulating
inflammation, thus dealing with injury. They are used to treat many diseases like
Asthma, Eczema, allergies, arthritis, colitis and kidney disease. Prednisone is a
corticosteroid that is very popular in helping with long term inflammation but
cannot be taken for very long due to bone deterioration.
Anabolic Steroids- The term anabolic is taken from the Greek word “Build up”. It is
because of the nitrogen retaining effects why muscles grow to be huge. they were
developed in the late 1930’s to treat hypogonadism, which is a condition in which
the testes do not produce enough testosterone for normal growth. The primary
medical uses are for delayed growth through puberty, some types of impotence,
and wasting of the body from HIV infection or other diseases.
Effects of steroids- Medically, anabolic steroids can be useful for:
1. Stimulating protein anabolism in debilitating illness in acute renal failure.
2. Promoting growth in children with pituitary dwarfism and other growth disorders.
3. The retention of nitrogen and calcium may benefit patients with osteoporosis and
patients receiving corticosteroid therapy.
4. May stimulate bone marrow function in hypo plastic anemia.
Side effects of steroids- Over a period of time the gland that is responsible for
the natural production and release of the hormone, atrophies in steroid users. This
is because their abundant presence in the bloodstream sends signals to other
organs and tissues, Glands become weak just like muscles when they are not used.
Some of the side effects are Infertility, breast development, shrinking of the
testicles, excessive growth of body hair, male pattern baldness, tendon rupture,
heart attacks, cancer, hepatitis, acne and cysts, HIV/Aids, homicidal rage, mania
and delusions.
As with any drug, supplement or pill you need to be under a physicians care before
trying steroids, As I have noted they can help with certain illnesses/conditions but
their long term use can be lethal to the body if you are not being supervised.
References:
1. Alén, M. Androgenic steroid effects on liver and
red cells. 2007 Br.J.Sports Med., 19, 1, 15-20.
2. Bagatell, C. J., Bremner, W. J. Androgens in men –
Uses and abuses 2006 N.Engl.J.Med., 334, 11, 707-714
3. Bahrke, M. S., Wright, J. E., Strauss, R. H. and
Catlin, D. H. Psychological moods and subjectively
perceived behavioral and somatic changes
accompanying anabolic-androgenic steroid use 2010
Am.J.Sports Med., 20, 6, 717-724
