History is divided in two different cultures, where both cultures are the total opposite from each other. We only see the western society because we have lived in the west. We grew up with the mindset of the bigger that it gets the better it will be. When I was a little kid I remember playing with action figures like the G. I. Joes and the superheroes. The one thing I remembered from the toys and it never taught about that is the toys size.
The shape of the toys are with what we call a perfect body, they are big; the arms, legs and upper body. Like we can see (see fig. ) he evolution of the action figures is a perfect example of the western society, year after year the new models are bigger and the bodies more define. But we never pay attention to scenarios like that because in the western society we are molded to big stuff. What I am referring is that we are used to everything big, we can see it everywhere like in television, stores, cars, food, human body, etc. But we do not see it because is a “normal” to us, is part of the western society. In the television we see commercials of every kind with the outlook that bigger is better and more powerful.
Even when we are riving we can see the big billboards or even a triple burger from Wendy’s. Even though we like bigger stuff and objects we always have a problem when we hear the word Steroids, but why? Are steroids are doing damage and what side effects can cause to the body? But what if everything that we hear about is a myth. In the new society that we are living we are tending to live a healthy lifestyle, eating healthy, taking chemicals products that enhance the body, without realizing been in front of us the time.
Companies making money, black market rising on demand of the products and the people such as athletes and ody builders paying the price. When we hear the word steroid we tend to put a negative view. But what are Steroids? That is the question that we have to ask among ourselves. Anabolic Steroids are synthetic versions of testosterone, which are artificial to enhance performance and physical appearance. Steroids are used in the medical field to battle with AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) and in some cases help with the delayed puberty.
The perception of a person that uses steroids is a big human with gigantic arms and legs, with needles in the neck, hungry and psychotic looking, the reason or that is the belief that we have develop as humans, without noticing, they are more normal people using steroids than athletes. When I said as normal people I am referring non- athlete people. More people are trying to put their bodies to a high level of endurance without the proper exercise and diet. The anabolic steroids have two different components: androgenic and anabolic properties.
The androgenic is responsible for the development of the growth of the body, voice, facial hair. The anabolic promote the regulation of the muscle growth Also, the anabolic steroids have been approved y the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a small treatment of diseases such as: anemia and breast cancer. However, reports from World War Il showed that German soldier were given steroids to increase aggressiveness in battle. German scientists injected every German soldier steroids to increase the productivity and the stamina before the missions.
Based on some reports the first used of anabolic steroids was use in the Olympics’ in 1954 by the female Russian team. After the incident in the Olympics, the demand for anabolic steroids blew up for world-class athletes, most of the athletes articipating in sports such as: Powerlifting and weightlifting. The results of taking Performance Enhance was so impressive and different that it created a new world, from High school athletes to professionals sports athletes everybody dream to be the greatest of all times. The production was growing faster for the anabolic steroids than the cold and flu medicine.
The demand was so high that big companies could not keep in track with the demand. At the time people using anabolic steroids did not understand the process in how and when to use it, because it was something new, they just wanted to see the results. The powerlifting was up and coming as a big sport in the world, trying to make the perfect body and the world strongest man. Taking high doses of anabolic steroids make the body grew twice as fast, building the muscle stronger and bigger, really defining the body.
Dr. Terry Todd is a former Olympic weightlifter and powerlifter and journalist. He has a doctorate. Degree from the University of Texas. He is the director of the H. J Lutcher Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports in library at the University of Texas. He is the creator of the Famous powerlifting Arnold Strongman Classic. In his book, He talks bout the concern for all the athletes taking anabolic steroids and the irreparable harm to the body. He point out the big damage that the body received after all the years taking anabolic steroids.
According the Dr. Terry Todd and his many interviews with steroids users, he conclude that people develop symptoms and diseases, but others did not have problems with them. His conclusion is taking everything in a proper way will give the better results. “Unless something is done soon, international sport will be a competition between circus freaks manipulated by international chemists. ” Dr. Todd made a good oint in his quote, do we want to see chemistry running the world, with fakes athletes doing the show, spending billions of dollars and companies making profit out of people.
But we do that every day when we go to fast food’s restaurants and eat the food that is made from all the chemicals. So what are we choosing sides when it comes to steroids? From 1976 to 1993 sixteen reported death cases claimed steroids use. That is less than 1% of the population that were taking steroids all those years. The most common cases that people taking anabolic steroids encounter are heart attacks. The reason for that is the ad cholesterol start blocking the veins and no oxygen cannot get to the heart, the result is a heart attack.
In 1990 the industry took a big hit, when the Unites States Congress passed and approved the Anabolic Steroid Act, making anabolic steroids an illegal drug and you cannot consume it without a doctor prescription, to consider a product a drug needs to be addictive to the body, according to doctors and specialists they cannot prove that steroids are addictive to the body. The government instead of regulate the use the product, they made it illegal, not only affecting the users, but the production of hem.
Billions of dollars lost because reducing the demand. Newton’s third law stated that “When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first body. ” That is what happened when the United States Congress made the steroids illegal, a black market was born in such of magnitude that the sales sky-rocket. The production and distribution of the product created in the underground economy was a successful illegal business.
Eliot Marshall is a staff writer in the Science’s news in Europe and Asia, his research include cience policy issues, health care and politics. The article talks about the millionaire market that exist in the sports world, how all the athletes and non-athletes spend a fortune in the chemicals to enhance performance, not only chemicals but they started to use animals hormones such as: horses, monkeys and cows. People were fanatics of their bodies, because the results and the monster muscles they had.
Some people became fanatics of the business because the results and the gym culture started to grow up. One of the examples that we can look is an artist that people like, Dwayne Johnson better know that the Rock, as we can see in see fig. 2 the major change that he made to his body, Him getting that big made him more profitable for his career, and society accepted him because his look and performance. “Athletes and body builders support a $100- million black market in steroids, while medical science has been slow to see why” Dr. Kathleen E. Miller has a PhD in Sociology.
She is an Assistant Professor in the University of Buffalo. Her primary research include: Substance use and risk-taking in young adults, sports, gender and sexual risk. In the article she explains the Anabolic steroids in young adolescents and athletes. The study shows that young adolescents taking anabolic steroids will have the same effects as the athletes, furthermore kids are more likely to mix anabolic steroids with other drugs such as: Marijuana and alcohol. Having a mix of drugs will cause the kids to have more side effects and behavioral problems and develop depression.
The study also shows that non-athletes adolescents take more steroids because like I said before the western culture is about big things. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 6. 6 % of high school seniors take steroids just for cosmetic looks, the adolescents try to become he “Big guy”. In today’s society we are more expose to the western culture due to the technology that we have and the advertising that we are exposed. More people are experimenting every day to break the system.
Misusing Anabolic steroids can have a big effect in the body, people who become fans of the use of anabolic steroids tend to misuse putting 26 times more than the regular dosage. We look at that and we say that anabolic steroids are a risk for the health, but what about the fast food, most people have a busy life and do not have time to cook properly and keep up a good nutrition. They are at risk every time they eat out, also people tend to use weight loss pills with no exercise which put them in a stage that they develop symptoms and diseases because the misuse or the poor nutrition.
Also, the steroid’s that are put into the animals for example the chicken, all the hormones, because is more chicken and the companies can make more money. But the question still there; why steroids are still illegal? If all the studies conducted by Doctors, chemists and sociologists cannot come with a reason of people dying or affecting the body when they follow the right dosage. All the studies cannot determine that eople get diseases or died because the anabolic steroids.
In conclusion Anabolic steroids do make a change in the human body, putting the body to another level in a short period of time. It was a time that athletes took them to perform better in their respective fields but ethically and professionally is wrong. But despite is another sport that is known for using anabolic substances and is powerlifting. One of the roots for the sport it involves the steroids. Also steroids are used for cosmetics, society believe that is more attractive to have a man or a woman with a define body is the perfect and attractive.
In the article from Dr. Miller she points out that more adolescents are using anabolic steroids, the problem is they do not let the body develop correctly, and that can cause health issues. Is interesting that anabolic steroids are illegal in the country w no medical or scientific prove they are a risk for your health. So we lived speculating about problems when is an assumption. If we as society cannot change the view and the strong believes about Big is better, we never move forward. So how can we change that mindset? We can do educating ourselves and don’t assume when the problem is an assumption.
