So, Aside from Sports Performance, What are Steroids Good For?
The benefits:
They are the cornerstone of treatment for ailments like rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, ulcerative colitis, temporal arteritis, psoriasis and even bad cases of poison ivy.
The risks:
In addition to weight gain, side effects may include high blood pressure, deteriorating bones that can result in osteoporosis, diabetes, thinning of the skin, muscle weakness, moon face (caused by increased fat deposits, which may also occur in the stomach, chest and upper back), cataracts, glaucoma, ulcers, easy bruising, increased sweating, acne, arterial deposits that can lead to heart disease and, because of their effect on immunity, delayed healing of wounds and an increased risk of infection that can persist for a year or more after the medication is stopped.
Full story in The New York Times.
Do they really help athletes? Art DeVany says no.
Should they be allowed in sports? Mark Cuban says yes.
Very interesting. Especially Art DeVany’ s article.
The problem with Mark Cuban’s position is that we would be encouraging young men to do serious damage to thenselves later on in order to win when they are young.
Cuban said he’d support steroid use “…especially in recovery from surgery, but only if there is proof there is no long term damage.”
He apparently hasn’t endorsed performance-enhancing drugs that might harm players.
Devon, thanks for that clarificaion.
the risks are overrated and I don’t see why they shouldn’t be allowed in sports. I guess its a stigma that won’t go away.