Steroids

How Do Anabolic Steroids Work? Anabolic steroids stimulate muscle tissue to grow and "bulk up" in response to training by mimicking the effect of naturally produced testosterone on the body. Steroids have become popular because they may improve endurance, strength, and muscle mass However, research has not shown that steroids improve skill, agility, or athletic performance

How are they used? Cycling: a period of taking and then not taking the drugs in the belief that the drug-free cycle allows the body to recover normal hormone levels Pyramiding: taking doses in cycles of six to 12 weeks, starting with a low dose, then slowly increasing it, and then decreasing the amount to zero, believing this allows the body time to adjust to the high doses Stacking: taking two or more types of steroids, mixing oral and injectable forms, believing the different drugs interact to have greater effect

What Steroids Do To a Body? Psychological Side Effects of Steroids edginess, impatience, paranoid feelings severe mood swings including depression obsession with body image, having to work out, and food angry and violent outbursts known as "roid rage"

General Physical Side Effects of Steroids liver damage kidney damage increased blood pressure and cholesterol (risk for heart disease) depressed immune system (risk for infections) headache and stomach ache nosebleeds severe facial and body acne decreased joint flexibility

Additional Physical Side Effects of Steroids In men: breast enlargement shrunken testicles lowered sperm count increased sex drive decreased sexual performance - difficulty getting and maintaining erections

In women: growth of facial and body hair male pattern balding development of Adam's apple deepening of voice enlargement of clitoris abnormal or absent menstrual period infertility

In teens: stunted growth due to early closure of the growth centres in long bones severe acne

What Is Human Growth Hormone? hGH is only legal when prescribed by a doctor for a medical condition. Doctors prescribe hGH for people whose bodies don't naturally make enough growth hormone, a condition known as growth hormone deficiency There is absolutely no evidence that growth hormone helps to improve athletic performance

Risks of hGH Any type of hGH that is not obtained by prescription is not regulated by the government and could be almost anything. If you buy what may be called "growth hormone," "growth stimulators," or "growth factors" online, it's likely they're not really hGH. Many websites claim to be selling growth hormone, but they're really selling amino acids that don't significantly increase growth hormone levels in your body.

More risks of hGH If the false claims of performance benefits from hGH don't bother you, the price probably will — $5,000 for a month's prescription, meaning that the street value for just a month could run anywhere from $5,000–$10,000 Because growth hormone can only be injected, like some steroids, there's a risk of contracting HIV or other diseases (like hepatitis) if people share needles.

Strong Alternatives to Steroids When it comes right down to it, harming your body or getting disqualified aren't smart ways to try to improve your athletic performance. Being a star athlete means training the healthy way: eating the right foods, practicing, and strength training without the use of drugs.