| Steroid use
RNS, Steroid use, August 2004
2:16
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2004/hmsteroid.htm Steroid abuse not just an Olympic problem
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Lead — Every athlete wants to run as fast as Michael Johnson, vault as powerfully as Mary Lou Retton or hit a baseball like Mark McGwire. But as the 2004 Summer Olympics approach, one expert cautions teens and weekend athletes not to turn to performance-enhancing steroids to reach their gold-medal potential. Here is Andi McDonnell with more.
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Synthetic steroids were first developed in the 1930s and are mostly used to treat men whose bodies do not produce enough testosterone. Bodybuilders and weightlifters first latched onto them in the 1950s as a way to build muscles, and soon other athletes were using steroids to enhance their performance. Athletes in the 1950s and 1960s used steroids during the Olympics, before the International Olympic Committee banned them. The IOC first began testing athletes for steroids in 1976 at the Montreal Games. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and many professional sports also ban steroids.
At least 1 million Americans have tried steroids at some point, and 4 percent to 6 percent of male high school seniors and 1 percent to 3 percent of female high school seniors use steroids.
Dr. Kirk Brower, ( M.D.), executive director of the Chelsea Arbor Addiction Treatment Center , which the University of Michigan Health System operates in conjunction with Chelsea Community Hospital tells us
“Anabolic steroids can be addictive both physically and psychology. We know that withdrawal symptoms develop when people stop using anabolic steroids, such as depression. We also know that people grow tolerant to steroids and have to keep using more and more doses to get the same effects that they used to. And we also know that many athletes will tell us that they feel addicted to the steroid use and that they can't stop using them, even when they want to.”
Although steroids are not legally available in the United States without a prescription, other countries sell them over-the-counter. These are often smuggled into the United States and are easy for teenagers and young athletes to obtain on the black market.
“For people who are considering using anabolic steroids, my advise is don't for a number of reasons. First of all, it's illegal. Second of all, it's cheating. Third of all, it can be dangerous to your health and we don't know what the long-term effects of anabolic steroids are. “
While steroids can increase the body's ability to make protein and build muscle tissue, they also interfere with the body's natural sex hormones and can cause sterility, stunted growth and severe mood swings. Steroid use has also been linked to health problems, including heart attacks, stroke and liver cancer.
Andi McDonnell, U-M Health System News |
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