Sports N Health

Alex Rodriguez has come clean about his use of performance enhancing drugs during his press conference. Alex said that he preferred to sleep after delivering one of the most memorable home runs of his entire career to end a 15-inning marathon on the Friday night and did not saw David Ortiz’s news conference Saturday.

From TimesUnion.com:

While Ortiz denied ever using steroids and blamed his positive test in 2003 on over-the-counter supplements, A-Rod came clean about his use of PEDs during his press conference, a decision that unburdened the three-time AL MVP.

“I’m so proud of the way things came out,” Rodriguez said. “I took a lot of things off my chest, and since that press conference, I feel like a new man. I feel like I’ve been embraced by not only the city of New York, but my teammates, my coaches and my manager. I feel liberated by the way I came out and did things.”

The fact that A-Rod disappeared for a month during spring training to rehab his surgically repaired hip also helped him move past the steroid controversy, his month in Colorado serving as what he called “a blessing in disguise. It gave me a chance to refocus, rethink things and basically take a time out from all the white noise I created for myself over the last year and a half.”

It is surprising to note here that Rodriguez has remained free from all types of controversies this season, from the steroid controversy to his public relationship with Madonna to his pending divorce, to put an end to all the drama after his steroid admission during the spring training times.

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According to a new dissertation from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University in Sweden, injecting growth hormone (GH) is not effective at all if the GH user wants to build muscle mass or enhance physical performance.

It is worthwhile to note here that doping in sports using the growth hormone traces back to the mid 1980s. However, GH does not bring the same benefits or aggressive behavior as anabolic steroids. On the other hand, growth hormone can cause severe side effects such as damage to the blood vessels and heart.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Many of those who abuse anabolic steroids regard growth hormone as the Rolls Royce of doping agents: it is significantly more expensive to use than anabolic steroids. There is, however, no scientific evidence that it increases performance when used alone as a doping agent”, says Dr. Christer Ehrnborg.

Christer Ehrnborg has studied 30 well-trained people living in Göteborg. Twenty of these injected large doses of growth hormone each day for a month, while the other 10 believed that they also were receiving growth hormone but received injections of harmless saline solution instead. Tests of the participants’ physical performance on an exercise cycle showed that the participants receiving growth hormone did not perform better than those receiving saline solution.

“It has been a matter of controversy whether growth hormone actually causes an effect or whether it is a matter involving mass psychology. Both our study and studies carried out by others suggest that taking growth hormone will not make you a better athlete”, says Christer Ehrnborg.

It was remarked by Christer Ehrnborg that athletes injecting growth hormones tend to experience immediate effect in the body and believe that GH must improve their physical performance. But that’s not the case as there is no effect of increased muscle mass from the growth hormone as per the conducted experiments.

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The remainder of defamation suit by Roger Clemens against Brian McNamee has been dismissed by U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison in Texas and may now head for a continuing legal battle in New York.

Clemens may find it difficult to refile the case as the dismissal was with prejudice, which means that the case cannot be heard again. But Clemens has expressed his intents to ask the he 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review Ellison’s decision.

From Timesunion.com:

McNamee claimed in the Mitchell Report that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone at least 16 times in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Clemens responded the statements to Mitchell’s staff, which McNamee also repeated to Sports Illustrated’s Web site, were “untrue and defamatory.”

McNamee’s lawyers had moved that Clemens’ lawsuit be dismissed because their client was compelled to cooperate with Mitchell by federal investigators. Ellison agreed, but he initially left intact that part of the suit relating to McNamee’s statements to Andy Pettitte, Clemens’ former New York Yankees teammate. McNamee told Pettitte that Clemens had used HGH and steroids.

In his suit in Brooklyn, McNamee claimed Clemens launched an “intense and coordinated public relations offensive” against the trainer. Clemens went on “60 Minutes” and held a nationally televised news conference to refuse McNamee’s allegations.

Clemens and McNamee repeated their statements to a congressional committee, which then asked the Justice Department to launch a probe into whether the pitcher lied. A federal grand jury in Washington has been investigating Clemens.

This case has once again proved or at least acted as secondary evidence that steroids and sports are almost inseparable.

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According to a new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, treatment with anabolic steroids could improve surgical repair of massive or recurrent tears of rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder.

It is common to see that these kinds of injuries extend well beyond athletes, collegiate, and professional sportsmen and may occur in older sportsmen, including golf and tennis players.

This study appeared in an issue of the American Journal of Sports Medicine and was led by Dr. Spero Karas, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery in UNC’s School of Medicine.

From News-Medical.Net:

Anabolic steroids benefit millions of people a year, said Karas, including those with deficiencies in sex hormones and burn victims who need to build up their metabolism to repair musculoskeletal tissue. They also are FDA-approved for treating anemia for their ability to help the body rebuild blood.

As it’s widely known that anabolic steroids can build muscle mass and strength, Karas said he thought these properties might apply to shoulder tissue and that Banes’ bioartificial tendon might provide the appropriate model for testing.

“In this new study, supraspinatus tendon cells were harvested from my patients during rotator cuff surgery, isolated and then sent to Albert’s lab,” Karas said. “The cells were then grown in his culture media to coalesce and form this experimental tendon model, the bioartificial tendon.”

Prior to applying mechanical strain, the researchers treated some of the developing tissue with the anabolic steroid nandrolone decoanate. The steroid was administered directly into the lab dish via pipette, or dropper.

“We clearly found that when you looked at the bioartificial tendon matrices that were treated with anabolic steroid and then mechanical load or strain, we saw significant increases in their biomechanical properties,” Karas said.

It was remarked by Karas that anabolic steroids and load work synergistically for improving features of tendon. It is believed that crucial implications of this study could prove beneficial to post-surgery healing of tendons that have been torn or retracted for a long time.

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New Technique to curb use of banned substances in sportsAccording to a research published in the journal Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, a new technique can enable sporting drug officials in the form of a long jump forward in spotting use of banned substances by athletes.

This technique can easily distinguish the presence of naturally occurring human steroids and those that have been synthetically manufactured.

From News-Medical.Net:

The new approach, developed by scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Nottingham, allows easy analysis of the carbon ratio. It uses a catalytic reaction to strip steroids of their more aggressive parts whilst leaving the carbon ’skeleton’ intact. This technique, called hydropyrolysis, is commonly used to aid oil exploration by freeing small fragments of organic matter from petroleum rock sources.

Dr Mark Sephton, from Imperial’s Department of Earth Science and Engineering and lead author of the research, explained: “The type of carbon in the body’s molecules reflects the carbon ingested as part of an athlete’s diet, and if you can work out the carbon ratio in the molecules you can determine the source of the carbon.

“Drug cheats should beware. The carbon-based secrets of steroids are now apparent to the analyst. Thanks to our technique, in the future it will be much more difficult to escape detection when using performance-enhancing steroids“, he added.

The involved researchers are presently working on pure samples of steroid molecules and the next step for them is all about extending their work onto samples taken from the body.

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In the world of professional sports, the use of steroids is often a matter of debate and criticism but recent observations have clearly suggested that only one side of the story has been heard till now and steroids are not harmful as they have been told.

Despite the fact that WADA made it clear that sportsmen find abusing steroids to gain advantage will not be spared, more and more sportsmen are still finding steroids to be exceptional performance enhancing drugs without any second thoughts.

Let us find out whether steroids and sports are perceived in the right spirit or not.

From Whitehousedrugpolicy.gov:

Doping is the use of a substance that artificially enhances athletic performance. These substances often pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of athletes. The use of performance-enhancing drugs undermines the ideals of sports and devalues and debases the rewards of competition. Despite the range of health risks and ethical implications, many athletes at both the professional and amateur levels use these dangerous substances.

One of the most effective ways to combat doping is by supporting and working collaboratively with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). WADA was established to harmonize and coordinate an effective international program to detect, deter, and prevent doping. The United States plays a leadership role in WADA, serving on WADA’s governing board and on many working committees. The United States is the largest funder of the organization and was also recently elected to represent the entire 41-nation region of the Americas on WADA’s Executive Committee.

It is seen that sportsmen who have been using steroids for professional events have the basic understanding that is required to ensure that steroid abuse does not happen at any point of time. It is also expected that the awareness drive in relation to steroids and sports that has been in the pipeline since long will bring a complete awareness about steroids so that side effects does not happen to sportsmen when they (steroids) are abused.

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With the passing time, more and more sportsmen are using steroids to gain an advantage and stay ahead of their peers. Term it as reluctance to change or the will to remain invincible, steroids and sports have get well in such a way that they have almost become inseparable in today’s sporting world.

The previously unfeasible and impossible targets and records are now crumbling and audience is getting more interested in seeing the “best side of sportsmen” with sheer enthusiasm.

Despite so much to offer, steroids have often being termed as harmful to general health by some people who find cheap publicity a reason big enough to live and have a laugh. What they probably laugh is at the fact that technologies at their times were not ‘potent’ enough to caught their doping acts.

From Huffingpost.com:

Does anyone really care if someone damaged his or her health by working too many hours? It happens every day. So why are we worried about what millionaire athletes do?

Steroids can be used responsibly if prescribed by a doctor. Maybe that’s why the AMA was AGAINST making them a controlled substance. And here’s something to think about: If there were a drug with marginal side effects that would make you smarter, would you take it? And what if it enabled you to excel to the point where you could double your earnings? What if not using them meant failure?

The cat is out of the bag and he isn’t going back in. These drugs do amazing things and they will continue to be used. They come with a risk however. I’d rather see that risk controlled than have the users sneak around and support a black market in order to engage in what should be their inalienable right of free choice as long as the consequences don’t endanger anyone else. As far as I’m concerned, if I want to juggle a couple of flaming chainsaws in the privacy of my own home, that’s my option. It’s funny to see the people who scream the loudest about civil liberties leading the march against others should and shouldn’t do.

I’m not advocating or endorsing steroid use, but it’s here to stay. And the biggest irony of it all is that most fans don’t care. They’d rather see their favorite players playing, instead of penalized. What is the more egregious crime is the price of the tickets. And for that kind of money, I want to see a great performance, however it’s achieved. And although I’m not a fan of the Hall of Fame in that it’s not a museum as much as an elite club determined by committee, there should be an asterisk next to McQuire, Bonds, et al stating: “Post enhancement era.” Would that be so hard?

Just as these drugs will add a few years to the career of a great pitcher by replacing that lost mile or two an hour on his fastball, they can extend youth and vitality for aging baby boomers. If used properly.

From the above statements, it can be easily made out that steroids are not bad for health unless one starts abusing them for quick gains. So, what’s the point in blaming them for new records or audience getting attracted to the game? One thing that does emerge from these facts is that there is nothing that can come between steroids and sports.

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Despite the fact that anabolic steroids and sports are condemned by some quarters of sporting and government authorities, the relationship between them is getting stronger and stronger with each passing day.

This news blog is a serious attempt to educate all those who think that steroids are harmful to human health and are not worth the risk.

From Entertainment.howstuffworks.com:

Anabolic Steroids

A steroid is a chemical substance derived from cholesterol. The body has several major steroid hormones — cortisol and testosterone in the male, estrogen and progesterone in the female. Catabolic steroids break down tissue, and anabolic steroids build up tissue. Anabolic steroids build muscle and bone mass primarily by stimulating the muscle and bone cells to make new protein.

Athletes use anabolic steroids because they increase muscle strength by encouraging new muscle growth. Anabolic steroids are similar in structure to the male sex hormone, testosterone, so they enhance male reproductive and secondary sex characteristics (testicle development, hair growth, thickening of the vocal cords). They allow the athlete to train harder and longer at any given period.

Anabolic steroids are mostly testosterone (male sex hormone) and its derivatives. Examples of anabolic steroids include:

* Testosterone

* Dihydrotestosterone

* Androstenedione (Andro)

* Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)

* Clostebol

* Nandrolone

From the above facts, it can be clearly seen that anabolic steroids are excellent performance enhancing products for every one, including endurance athletes and bodybuilders, who expect to deliver top-notch performance with dedicated efforts and a high sense of perseverance.

It is, however, very important to note that steroids are to be used and not to be abused. This is because steroid abuse can lead to severe health risks.

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In the recent times, there has been a lot of debate concerning the growing relationship between steroids and sports. With more and more sportsmen being found using steroids to gain an advantage over their peers on the field, sporting bodies and confederations are having tough times ahead of them.

Before one starts criticizing these sportsmen, it is essential to find out the reasons behind the use of steroids in sports. The average life of sportsmen on the field is getting reduced with intense competition and sportsmen are experiencing shorter career span due to injuries. Moreover, modern day audience is no longer keen to attend matches that are just average. This clearly means that they want to see steroid-taking sportsmen who can talk, walk, and behave aggressively and capable to deliver dramatic performance.

It is important to note here that there is nothing wrong in taking steroids if one is using them as per a qualified medical advice and as per instructions. This informed use of steroids not only enables the user to push his body to realistic limits but also helps him gain extra confidence by being capable of delivering good performance. This is the reasons why anabolic steroids such as Testosterone, Winstrol, Clenbuterol, Deca Durabolin, and Dianabol have been in high demand these days. These effective steroids have helped many athletes in the past and the help goes on to give advantage to athletes who want to think beyond limits. Therefore, it is well said that the relationship between steroids and sports continues to flourish despite all odds.

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When the talk is about steroids, there is one thing for sure, never-ending debate. Despite steroids being given the go-ahead by members of the medical fraternity, some people are still seen advocating banning steroids. What they forget is the fact that steroids work like anything and do not bring any side-effects with them, unless abused.

The use of steroids is not really harmful for your health if the usage is as per qualified medical guidance and within established norms. This means that you do not need to take extra doses of steroids to build your body in a day or two. If you are doing that, you are abusing steroids and side-effects may come on the way. But if you are using them as per the instructions, they can help you like nothing on this world.

One of the myths that people often have about steroids is that they are only for professional sportsmen and bodybuilders. But, this is a wrong conception. Steroids can be used by any adult but only under after a qualified medical advice. If used accordingly, steroids can help in increasing lean muscle mass and getting access to great body secrets of bodybuilding. They can help users to get into a perfect shape without getting closer to side-effects or ailments.

With steroids such as Winstrol, Clomid, Deca-Durabolin, Dianabol, and Clenbuterol already making strong waves among bodybuilders and non-bodybuilders, it is the perfect time to use them but with complete caution. If that can be done, there is nothing that can come between you and the dream of owning a perfect muscular body.

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It is not uncommon to find a reputed sportsman in the cloud of steroids these days. With many names coming up in the sporting events such as Baseball and American Football, the list of steroid-using sportsman and use of steroids in sports is on an unprecedented rise.

Most of us accuse a sportsman when he is caught of taking steroids but is he the sole person responsible for playing with his own body and the game? No, this is because the modern-day sporting audience (including all of us) does not want to see dead-rubber matches or average sportsman performing average sporting feats.

We want them to play like machines and win all matches. In addition to that, we should not forget that the life span of a modern-day sportsman is lower than ever because of the ever-growing competition and burden of audience’s expectations.

These things put a huge amount of stress and burden on the shoulders of maturing sportsmen and they are often seen hiding behind the shelter of steroids. It is important to note here that no one has the will to play with his own body unless something “more important” to him is attached and that thing is greater than his will for not playing with the body. The “thing” is sports for a sportsman and it is important for every sportsman to create a niche for himself by giving extreme importance to win in sports in today’s highly competitive sporting industry.

In addition to that, it is almost impossible to create a distinction between a steroid-user (sportsman on steroids) and a non-steroid user (sportsman). There may be many medical tests for the same but they are often found inconclusive and do not reflect the true picture at many a times. In short, there is nothing wrong with steroids in sports unless the audience changes its approach to sports rather than advising the sporting fraternity to dig the grave and bury an innocent sportsman.

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