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Steroid Health

Articles related to the use of anabolic steroids for medical and therapeutic purposes.

Profiling Steroid Users Based on Acne

January 31, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The profiling of steroid users based on various physical characteristics seems to be gaining popularity. The federal government appears prepared to use physical characteristics (e.g. changes in muscularity, etc) as indicative of steroid use in the perjury trial of Barry Bonds. Muscularity has been used as putative evidence of steroid use in order to obtain search warrants in Oklahoma. Pro bodybuilders have been detained and forced to submit to drug testing in Sweden simply because of their muscularity.

Muscle profiling isn’t the only type of profiling that has been used in the war on steroids in sports.  Some sportswriters use acne as irrefutable evidence of steroid use. For example, Murray Chass has maintained for years that Mike Piazza used anabolic steroids because he observed acne on Piazza’s back. Since (back) acne is a common side effect of steroids, steroid users are more likely to experience acne. However, not all steroid users experience back acne and most people with back acne don’t use steroids.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health, Steroids and Baseball

Steroids Not a Scapegoat for Rhabdomyolysis at University of Iowa

January 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The media’s knee-jerk reaction was to blame dietary supplements and/or anabolic steroids for the highly unusual cluster of rhabdomyolsis cases recently affecting the University of Iowa Hawkeye football program. “You have muscle breakdown from intense workouts. You have dehydration and then supplements which are nephrotoxic are damaging to the kidneys directly. That’s a perfect storm for kidney failure,” according to Dr. James Williams, of the St. Joseph Medical Center. While a dietary supplement would be a convenient scapegoat, evidence has yet to surface that suggests creatine or any other supplement is responsible.

Anabolic steroids are unlikely to be a scapegoat. Dr. Richard Auchus, an expert on steroid biosynthesis at UT Southwestern Medical School, summarily dismissed the connection between the muscle disorder and performance-enhancer drugs such as anabolic steroids and human growth hormone while suggesting recreational drugs as one possible culprit. “You don’t see rhabdomyolysis with anabolic steroid use or growth hormones. You can see rhabdo with GHB. It’s is one of those recreational drugs that can cause this,” according to the consultant to the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health, Steroids and Football, Steroids in Supplements Tagged With: , , , ,

Trenbolone Shows SARM-Like Potential in Androgen Replacement Therapy

January 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) may be the current darlings of scientific research into alternative options for androgen replacement therapy, but University of Florida researchers are excited by the “SARM-like potential” of trenbolone. They suggest that the actions of trenbolone are similar to selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs).

Low-dose trenbolone was called “SARM-like” because of the positive anabolic effects in muscle and bone without negative side androgenic side effects of prostate enlargement or polycythemia. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health, Steroids and Bodybuilding Tagged With:

Health Clinics Offering Harm Reduction Services for Steroid Users

January 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Scotland now has two health clinics specifically for users of anabolic steroids. Several new health clinics offering harm reduction services for steroid users have opened in recent years in response to the increasing number of steroid users seeking supplies at national needle exchange programs in the United Kingdom. The number of steroids users entering some clinics has outnumbered those with addictions to narcotics.

Unlike the United States where the personal use of steroids is criminalized, the United Kingdom has medicalized the issue of steroid use and abuse. The government focuses on steroid education and harm reduction rather than incarceration. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health Tagged With: , ,

Steroid Side Effects and Harm Reduction with Niacin

January 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The media bombards steroids users everyday with messages about the side effects of steroids. Sometimes the side effects are exaggerated or overstated and often too much time is spent focusing on unlikely and rare side effects that may never affect most steroid users. One of the most common steroid side effects is the adverse alteration in blood lipid profiles. Several studies have documented that steroid use can suppress HDL cholesterol levels. One strategy that may be worthwhile at harm reduction in steroid users is the use of the dietary supplement niacin to improve cardiovascular health. Niacin is known to increase HDL levels. Nelson Vergel, author of “Testosterone: A Man’s Guide” discusses this strategy. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health Tagged With: , ,

When Testosterone Doesn’t Lead to Better Erections

January 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The use of anabolic steroids usually leads to heightened sexual desire and increased frequency and quality of erections whether they are used for medical or non-medical (bodybuilding) purposes. Nelson Vergel, author of “Testosterone: A Man’s Guide“, discusses the effects of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on libido but more importantly discusses what happens when TRT doesn’t improve libido and lead to improved erectile functioning. He discusses the use of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (PD-5) drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra that can be used in conjunction with testosterone replacement therapy. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health Tagged With: ,

Hair Loss and Anabolic Steroids

January 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Ask Bill Roberts: Will my hair loss increase when I take greater amounts of steroids? And if I only experience minor hair loss using large doses of anabolic steroids like winstrol, masteron and tren (steroids known for hair loss), would small doses of AAS known to cause minimal hair loss cause much if any at all? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health, Steroid Pharmacology, Steroids and Bodybuilding

Chael Sonnen and the Testosterone Replacement Therapy Defense

January 13, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Chael Sonnen recently appeared before the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to appeal a suspension after testing positive for anabolic steroids (testosterone) at UFC 117. Sonnen’s suspension was reduced to six months from one year. The CSAC seemingly accepted Sonnen’s defense of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The Chael Sonnen appeal, broadcast live on the internet, exposed a commission entirely unprepared to deal with the controversial issue of testosterone replacement therapy. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anti-Doping, Steroid Health, Steroids and MMA

Testosterone Replacement Therapy and Anti-Doping Tests

December 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Ask Bill Roberts: MMA fighter Chael Sonnen failed two anti-doping tests which revealed that he used exogenous testosterone. At his recent hearing, his defense was that he was on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). My question is, how would TRT effect the T/E ratio? Does exogenous testosterone also shutdown epitestosterone production creating a scenario where someone can have a high ratio due to exogenous test, and suppressed epitestosterone production, while sill having “normal” testosterone levels? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Anti-Doping, Steroid Health, Steroids and MMA

Growth Hormone Will Not Be Added to Controlled Substances List

April 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have modified a bill that would have added human growth hormone (HGH) to the Controlled Substances List. The bill was introduced as a kneejerk reaction to revelations of widespread HGH use in professional baseball. But in the end, legislators avoided making the same mistake with HGH as they did with anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) with the Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 1990. (“HGH bill altered to help children,” April 16) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Steroid Health, Steroid History, Steroid Law, Steroids and Baseball Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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