Steroids, the truth, informative articleSteroids, the truth, informative article
Dr Zak?s informative article
By Dr Zak Pallikaros, Doctor of Steroid Biochemistry
The following article is for INFORMATION purposes only. LA Muscle in no way encourages the use of any anabolic steroids in any shape or form. They are dangerous and can cause long term side effects.
?Anabolic steroids? is the familiar name for synthetic substances related to the male sex hormones (androgens). They promote the growth of skeletal muscle (anabolic effects) and the development of male sexual characteristics (androgenic effects), and also have some other effects. The term ?anabolic steroids? will be used through-out this article because of its familiarity, although the proper term for these compounds is ?anabolic-androgenic? steroids. These are artificial substances that are closely related chemically to the male sex hormone, ?testosterone?. ?Steroids? are classed as a drug and they are only legally available by prescription.
Anabolic steroids were developed in the late 1930s primarily to treat hypogonadism, a condition in which the testes do not produce sufficient testosterone for normal growth, development, and sexual functioning. The primary medical uses of these compounds are to treat delayed puberty, some types of impotence, and wasting of the body caused by HIV infection or other diseases. The abuse and wrong use of steroids can lead to serious heath problems and some are irreversible
During the 1930s, scientists discovered that anabolic steroids could facilitate the growth of skeletal muscle in laboratory animals, which led to use of the compounds first by bodybuilders and weightlifters and then by athletes in other sports. Steroid abuse has become so widespread in athletics that it affects the outcome of sports contests.
These days, you may hear people use the words steroids ?roids?, ?juice?, ?hype? or ?pump?. They are mainly your normal athletes such as swimmers, sprinter, body builders and etc who abuse steroids to enhance their performance and physical appearances.
The common users of steroids can be found among following groups:
* Athletes involved in sports that rely on strength and size, like football, wrestling, or baseball
* Endurance athletes, such as those involved in track-and-field and swimming
* Athletes involved in weight training or bodybuilding
* Non-athletes - anyone interested in building and defining muscles
Today, we see less and less steroids being prescribed by physicians. The remaining medical uses for them are generally used to treat patients with certain kinds of anemia, severe burns and some types of breast cancer.
Steroids can be taken in the following ways:
* Orally - by mouth as a form of a pill,
* Injection - injected to the muscle by a needle (Users of steroids who shares needles are at a risk for serious infections such as Hepatitis A or B and HIV, the AIDS virus),
* Cream or gel - rub on to the muscle area to where you want to enhance.
Steroids can be taken, usually in cycles of weeks or months (referred to as ?Steroid Cycle?), rather then continuously.
Steroid abusers may take ?mega-doses?, meaning hundred more times of the medically recommended dose, to produce a faster and more effective result. Others would gradually increase their dosage over a period of time. This is called ?pyramiding?. Users will often combine several different types of steroids to boost the effectiveness. This is called ?stacking?
Another common method is called ?steroid cycle? (mentioned above). Users will take steroids for 6 to 12 weeks or more and then stop for several weeks and then start again. By doing this it is believed that these practices produce bigger muscles and allow the body to adjust to and recuperate from high doses of steroids; this has not been substantiated scientifically. Also you would see better result when you combined with a healthy high protein diet. It is known that users of the method can expect to put on a good amount of size and strength.
Steroid abusers are exposing themselves to more than 70 different kinds of side effects ranging in severity from liver cancer to acne and encompassing psychological as well as physical reactions. The major parts of the body that are most seriously affected by steroids are the liver and the cardiovascular and reproductive system. Other side effects can be jaundice (yellowing of the pigmentation of you skin, tissues and body fluids), fluid retentions, high blood pressure, increases in bad cholesterol and decreases in good cholesterol, kidney tumours, severe acne and trembling. In addition, there are some gender side effects:
Steroids In Males
One of the more disturbing effects of steroid use for males is that the body begins to produce less of its own testosterone. As a result, the testicles may begin to shrink. Following is a list of some of the other effects of steroid use for males:
* Reduced sperm count
* Impotence
* Increase in nipple and breast size (gynecomastia)
* Enlarged prostate (gland that mixes fluid with sperm to form semen)
Steroids In Females
Since steroids act as a male hormone, females may experience the following side effects:
* Reduced breast size
* Enlarged clitoris (a very sensitive part of the genitals)
* Increase in facial and body hair
* Deepened voice
* Menstrual problems
Steroids In Adolescents
Adolescents may experience the following side effects:
* Growth halted prematurely. This is through premature skeletal maturation
* Accelerated puberty changes
Emotional effects
Users of steroids may also have the following emotional effects on the mind and behaviour:
* ?Roid rage? - severe, aggressive behaviour that may result in violence such as fighting
* Severe mood swings
* Hallucinations - seeing or hearing things that are not really there
* Paranoia - extreme feelings of mistrust and fear
* Anxiety and panic attacks
* Depression and thoughts of suicide
* An angry, hostile, or irritable mood
Described above are only effects of steroid abusers.
Anabolic steroid abuse has been associated with a wide range of adverse side effects ranging from some that are physically unattractive, such as acne and breast development in men, to others that are life threatening, such as heart attacks and liver cancer. Most are reversible if the abuser stops taking the drugs, but some are permanent.
Most data on the long-term effects of anabolic steroids on humans come from case reports rather than formal epidemiological studies. From the case reports, the incidence of life-threatening effects appears to be low, but serious adverse effects may be under-recognized or under-reported. Data from animal studies seem to support this possibility. One study found that exposing male mice for one-fifth of their lifespan to steroid doses comparable to those taken by human athletes caused a high percentage of premature deaths.
Doses taken by abusers can be 10 to 100 times higher than the doses used for medical conditions.
Steroid abusers typically ?stack? the drugs, meaning that they take two or more different anabolic steroids, mixing oral and/or injectable types and sometimes even including compounds that are designed for veterinary use. Abusers think that the different steroids interact to produce an effect on muscle size that is greater than the effects of each drug individually, a theory that has not been tested scientifically.
Often, steroid abusers also ?pyramid? their doses in cycles of 6 to 12 weeks. At the beginning of a cycle, the person starts with low doses of the drugs being stacked and then slowly increases the doses. In the second half of the cycle, the doses are slowly decreased to zero. This is sometimes followed by a second cycle in which the person continues to train but without drugs. Abusers believe that pyramiding allows the body time to adjust to the high doses and the drug-free cycle allows the body?s hormonal system time to recuperate. As with stacking, the perceived benefits of pyramiding and cycling have not been substantiated scientifically.
An undetermined percentage of steroid abusers become addicted to the drugs, as evidenced by their continuing to take steroids in spite of physical problems, negative effects on social relations, or nervousness and irritability. Also, they spend large amounts of time and money obtaining the drugs and experience withdrawal symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, restlessness, loss of appetite, insomnia, reduced sex drive, and the desire to take more steroids. The most dangerous of the withdrawal symptoms is depression, because it sometimes leads to suicide attempts. Untreated, some depressive symptoms associated with anabolic steroid withdrawal have been known to persist for a year or more after the abuser stops taking the drugs.
A lot of money is now spent on research to develop natural testosterone boosters that enhance the body?s own natural steroid production. An alternative to Steroids are the number of herbal or natural testosterone boosters that are available now days after years of research that would produce similar ?steroid like? results without the nasty side effects associated with the drugs.
Athletes that follow good diets and correct supplementation can achieve excellent muscular gains that are permanent unlike the quick gains made by steroid use that are often reversible once the drugs are discontinued.
There are no shortcuts to building a good physique. Good diet, hard training and correct supplementation will eventually give you a good body to enjoy for many years! |
