Steroids

Steroids

Probably one of the biggest stories in the news today is steroids in Major League Baseball. This is one of the reasons that I chose to do my research paper on steroids. I knew that it would not be hard to find information on the issue. I also needed to have a topic that relates to my service learning project. This is helping coach a high school track and field team. And as you will read later, I talk about steroids with high school athletes. I also wanted to improve my knowledge on the subject, so that if I ever did have a conversation with someone about the issue, I would be educated enough to have an argument, if it came to that. I am also a fan of baseball, so I was just interested in what steroids can all do for you, and what the side effects are. And actually in my research I have found some of the side effects to be pretty interesting.

First I will talk about the effects of steroids. Now contrary to many people's believes there are steroids that are good for you too. So I will talk about the advantages of them first. You always hear steroids are illegal unless they are prescribed. Well when they are actually prescribed. Steroids can come in a variety of medications. I personally have used steroids in a lotion that was designed to protect against dry skin. All that it simply is a stronger medication that you are not able to get over the counter. There are also contraceptive steroids or birth control. They are called steroid releasing implants. The implant is inserted under the skin. It slowly releases the steroid, which prevents conception. So there are actually steroids that are designed to help you. And most of the time these types of steroids have no negative of long term side effects. If they did your doctor would not prescribe them to you. It is when you get into the anabolic steroids is when you start getting those negative long term side effects that you always hear about the football players and the body builders have.

In the dictionary anabolic steroid is defined as this: A group of synthetic hormones that promote the storage of protein and the growth of tissue, sometimes used by athletes to increase muscle size and strength. Now after reading that there doesn't seem there's anything wrong with anabolic steroids. You may think why don't all athletes take them if they can get an edge. It does not say anything bad about them. Now this is true but it is when athletes take them in excess that is when they get in trouble and start to have some of the side effects of anabolic steroids. Some the side effects that occur in men are as follows - impotence, shrunken testicles, and breast enlargement. Those are some pretty big side effects for the male. All three of those side effects you would think affect the male ego in a pretty big way. But no many males are taking steroids to feel more macho and more of a manly man. The side effects in women are different though. Yes women also take steroids; it is actually a growing trend, trying to keep up with the male muscle mass. Some of the side effects in females are as follows menstrual irregularities, growth of body hair and loss of scalp hair, a deepened voice, irreversible enlargement of the clitoris and reduction in breast size. Once again, I know if I was a woman those would be some of the last things I would want happening to my body. And for women who are trying to achieve the more fit and carved look, they sure are sacrificing some of their other qualities. I know for me at least one of the qualities that I like to see in women is that they have hair on their head and not necessarily on their body. And here are some side effects that effect both genders, acne, increased risk of aggressive acts which may injure self or others, risk of HIV and hepatitis B and C from contaminated needles, decreased sex drive, baldness, water retention, muscle cramps, aching joints, increased risk of tendon injuries, increased risk in muscle tears, increased risk in nose bleeds, insomnia, and infertility. And believe it or not, those are not even the worst side effects of steroids. Some of those are only cosmetic effects, the long term ones are the ones that do the most damage. Some of the long term effects are kidney, liver, and immune system problems. They can also lead to high blood pressure and an increase of chances of getting heart disease; this is because steroids affect the cholesterol levels. Over a period of time the cholesterol builds up and clogs the arteries. That pretty much sums of the effects of anabolic steroids, now lets move on to the issues with Major League Baseball.

One of the biggest stories in sports these days is steroids in Major League Baseball. They became such a big issue when Jose Canseco a former MVP of Major League Baseball published his tell all book Juiced. In it Canseco admits to himself using steroids and also says that many other players when he played also took them. He even went as far as in claiming that he injected some of his teammates. This raised a huge concern with the MLB officials in that the players might actually be cheating and taking illegal substances. So the implicated a new steroid suspension policy which consists of first time offenders will serve a 10-day suspension, second