Military Officer - September 2008 - (Page 50)

askthedoctor Steroid Abuse Illegal use of anabolic steroids to improve athletic performance can have dangerous side effects — some of them permanent. By Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, D.O. A Steroid Abuse Is Risky — and Illegal I Anabolic steroids cause dangerous medical effects, and possession without a medical prescription can result in serious legal penalties. nabolic-androgenic steroids (often just called anabolic steroids) are man-made hormones chemically related to the natural male sex hormone, testosterone. Among their many effects, they increase the amount of protein the body makes and thus can increase muscle mass. In small doses, they can be useful in the treatment of some medical conditions, such as the wasting syndrome of AIDS or in patients with decreased testosterone production. In addition to increasing muscle mass, steroids also aid tissue repair after exercise and speed recovery between exercise sessions. Testosterone was isolated around 1930 and found to increase muscle growth in animals — and to have masculinizing effects. By the 1940s and 1950s, bodybuilders and weight lifters were using steroids to increase strength and muscle mass. In the 1960s, athletic use of steroids spread to include some Olympians. Though it is now illegal to abuse steroids, some athletes are reputed to use them today. Use of anabolic steroids by professional athletes has garnered widespread media attention. Though it receives less publicity, between 1 percent and 3 percent of middle and high school students are estimated to use steroids illegally. Athletes who use anabolic steroids take very high doses, potentially 10 to 100 times greater than a medical dose. Steroids can be administered by various means — orally, as skin patches or gels, and by injection. There are several dif- ferent anabolic steroids that can be taken together (a process known as stacking), in cycles lasting a few weeks or months. However, anabolic steroids — especially when taken in the high doses used by athletes — have many dangerous side effects. They disrupt the body’s natural hormonal balances, cause acne, and hasten malepattern baldness. Steroids also can have sexual effects that can be permanent (lasting even after steroid use is discontinued). In men, steroids can decrease testicle size and sperm production and cause infertility; in women, they affect menstrual cycles and have masculinizing effects such as deepening the voice, decreasing breast size, and increasing hair growth on some body areas while causing hair loss on the head. Anabolic steroids can stop bone growth prematurely, leaving a child permanently shorter than otherwise. They also can contribute to a range of other problems that affect the heart, liver, and kidneys. Injecting steroids presents the same infectious disease complications as any other needle use. These drugs also affect mood and can contribute to aggressive and violent behavior. Anabolic steroids have dangerous effects on nearly every body system. They should be used only when prescribed for medical reasons. MO — Rear Adm. Joyce Johnson, USPHS-Ret., D.O., M.A., is vice president, Health Sciences, Battelle Memorial Institute, Arlington, Va. Find more health and wellness resources at www .moaa.org/wellness. For submission information, see page 18. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT 50 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2008 http://www.moaa.org/wellness http://www.moaa.org/wellness

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Military Officer - September 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Middle Ground Finance Your Future One Step at a Time Cover Story: Reducing the Threat Slow Boat Through China Practice Makes Perfect Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index MOAA Member Services MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - September 2008

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