Muscle and power is seen as a great thing to outside viewers but what’s more important is how it can be bad for you! We are talking about steroids here! Steroid use is very common these days to help an individual gain muscle mass and accomplish overall body physique faster. So, what are anabolic steroids exactly? Steroids are a drug that is used to build muscle. The steroid abused by athletes is considered an alternative form of testosterone. Testosterone is the male hormone within our bodies. Both men and women naturally produce this but the excessive amounts injected into the body can produce very muscular results for both sexes.

Steroids have shown to have got a pretty bad rep! However men and women still pursue to use this drug like substance. Ultimately, there must be some positive aspects to steroids.

What do they do EXACTLY?

• Improve athletic ability and give edges during a physique competition
• Allow athletes to lose weight by burning excess fat within the body
• Improves muscular strength and performance
• Provides muscles with more oxygen and ultimately increasing muscle mass
• Increased visual appearance
• Increased strength ability
• Testosterone is a natural body compound that’s used

To what extent does steroid use actually work though? It’s easy, for example; you can gain inches on your biceps immediately within the first 3-4 weeks of working out. Steroids are distributed in pill form and composed into a liquid form that can be injected directly into the blood stream. Most athletes have a “problem area” or in other words a part of their body they wish they could change. With steroids you can inject them directly to one area to give further definition and muscle build to where you are naturally lacking it. Steroids seem pretty simple. (Lemaise)  Where’s the problem?

NEGATIVES

“Testosterone is a “Male Hormone” so it has Male Effects on Women!”(Denon)

Are Steroids Illegal?

“Yes. Without a doctor’s prescription for a medical condition, it’s against the law to possess, sell, or distribute anabolic steroids.

Legal prosecution can be a serious side effect of illicit steroid use. Under federal law, first-time simple possession of anabolic steroids carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $1,000 fine. For first-offense trafficking in steroids, the maximum penalty is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Second offenses double this penalty. In addition to federal penalties, state laws also prohibit illegal anabolic steroid use.

Anabolic steroids are powerful hormones. They affect the entire body. Some of the side effects are common to all users. Other side effects are specifically related to your sex and age (Denon).”

Why Do Doctors Prescribe Steroids?

“Doctors prescribe anabolic steroids to treat certain specific medical conditions.”(Denon)

For example, they may be used to treat the muscle wasting seen in AIDS. Aids are a sexually transmitted disease that has many side affects to the human body and can ultimately cause death. Giving such steroids gives these aid patients more time to live a fulfilled and somewhat normal life before their time is up and they pass on. Steroids may also be used to treat delayed puberty or loss of testicular function. Some kids can be born with hormonal imbalances and even though there genital area is a certain sex, they may see unnormal body hair or growth parts. Taking some form of hormone balancer which is made in a steroid form can grammatically help kids with this condition. When steroids first came out they were not meant to be abused by athletes. Bodybuilders especially use steroids for their own personal gain even though they are considered normal healthy adults.

“Mautner notes that doctors are not allowed to prescribe steroids to enhance a person’s athletic performance.”(Denon)

Building muscle mass and a profound physique is a great goal and can defiantly be done in a healthy way. Are we taking things too far and too serious though? If people are taking steroids to this extreme who is to say what is next.

Alexandria Cummines

(Medical Student at Old Dominion University)

 

Denon, Daniel. “Why Steroids Are Bad for You.” WebMD. WebMD, 16 Mar. 2005. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

 

Lemaise, Mack. “Positive Effects of Steroids.” Health Guidance. Health Guidance, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Oct.

2014.