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The Fight Against Steroids In High School
By Loring A. Windblad, Thu Dec 8th
Okay, let's get real for a minute. I use and have beenfor several months - again. And yes, I have used them in thepast. I have them on doctor's prescription, to help heal a veryminor injury which caused a staff infection and two bouts of I/Vantibiotics (21 total days at 2/day IVs) this year. The steroidI'm using is a hydrocortisone salve to help heal my skin from anabrasion and, hopefully, to help prevent another staff infection. But – I’m not using to help build muscle mass, improvephysical performance at sports, or even to maintain my youthfulsexual prowess into my dotage! My use is bad enough, that kindof use is downright dangerous. How dangerous, you might ask? Well, see my article on thedangers of a simple little thing like artificial sweeteners, andthe mounting evidence of not only carcinogenic damage but,worse, DNA damage to the genes. You know, the stuff you passalong to your children so they will grow up to be normal humanbeings rather than distorted freaks or sickly weaklings, orcripples, or..... But enough digression, back to Steroids, HighSchool abuse and possible long-term consequences.
Way back in the late 1970's I knew a woman who was so vain thatshe wanted to stay young, active and sexually attractive eventhough she was nearly 60. She was using and she lookedlike she was sixtyish and using drugs, but she felt good,thought she looked great and her husband accepted it. She justwanted to "maximize the human experience" as long as possibleand they both accepted the long-term consequences of heractions. We talked about it quite a lot at the time, and she hadno illusions about rapid deterioration after use and possiblecancer or tumors because of using the steroids. First a brief look at Major League Sports - football, baseball,basketball, hockey, and track and field. The world has beenusing and/or other performance enhancing drugs forabout 40 years, to the point where Olympic Testing constantlyturns up "champions" who have been using one or another of theperformance enhancing drugs. Football stars, retired, have diedin their 30's and early 40's of complications from performanceenhancing drug use. A couple of young up and comers in probaseball have recently died and several have tested positive forsteroid use. So far there's no real evidence in that eitherHockey players or Basketball players have been using steroids,but I'll wager that they have been and speculation on TelevisionSports Shows indicates that they have been. Is there a steroid problem in High Schools? The answer is anemphatic yes! Is there a steroid problem in Junior Highs andGrade Schools? The answer is still an emphatic yes! Though notquite as bad as in our High Schools. Are we, as a nation, doingsomething about it? The answer is "Slowly, but a growingmovement" is gaining steam against High School Steroid Use.Here's a look at what's happening nationwide (no data availableon Canada). According to a survey by the Center for Disease Control andPrevention, steroid use among high school students more thandoubled between 1991 and 2003. More than 6% of 15,000 studentssurveyed admitted trying steroid pills or injections. At thesame time less than 4% of the nation's high schools were testingfor steroids, according to the National Federation of State HighSchool Associations' survey of athletic directors. Further, JohnStewart, Commissioner of the Florida High School AthleticAssociation, asserts "there has to be a trickle-down effect" atthe college and high school level, when citing the use ofsteroids at the professional level. Independent surveys estimate 1.5% to 2% of Florida's high schoolathletes might be using steroids. "But against a student base of215,000 athletes, it's kind of scary to think that possibly 4000are at risk out there," Stewart says. "We don't want to see anyyoungster's life at risk." Stewart is also concerned by a studythat showed not only football players and weightlifters, butfemales in the 9-to-11-year-old age group using them (steroids)to enhance their build. "That's scary because it means parentsare buying them for kids. And its a scary thing that society isdictating to kids that young that it's
OK to put your health atrisk to have a body type that seems so critically important,"Stewart says. Not only are and other performance enhancing drugsbeing tested for, but there is a growing movement to test forall "recreational" drugs as well. With School Board approval,Polk County in Florida began testing for recreational drugs in2004 and added steroid testing in January of this year, 2005. The major problem faced by School Districts, School Boards andAthletic Departments is funding. At this time recreational drugtests cost approximately $18.00 per student to administer. Therandom steroid tests run upwards of $100 per test. Other counties in Florida are following suit with both drug andsteroid testing. Other states are also jumping on the bandwagonof testing. In May (2005) the Fort Zumwalt School District boardin St. Charles County, MO, approved a voluntary testing program.Also last month the Texas House approved a bill directing theUniversity Interscholastic League to develop a comprehensiveeducation program for students, coaches and parents, and tosurvey high school students to gauge the level of anabolicsteroid use. A 2002 study by Texas A&M University estimated upto 42,000 Texas students were abusing steroids. "Most parentswould be shocked to learn - as I was - that teenagers useveterinary-grade anabolic from Mexico - drugs made forhorse, cattle and pigs," King (Rep. Phil, Texas) notes. Lawmakers in other states have considered bills that wouldmandate statewide testing programs for student athletes.Opponents argue that money and time could be spent far moreefficiently. California has implemented new regulationsrequiring parents, players and school officials to signcontracts promising athletes will avoid steroid use. Just beforethe California Interscholastic Federation voted in favor of thenew rules, Frank Marrero of Vacaville recalled how his19-year-old son's addiction to and paranoia led to hissuicide by gunshot. In summary, we do seem to have an epidemic of drug and steroiduse among both athletes and non-athletes (see ref. to11-year-old girl above). We already have proof that continuedabuse with will cause the body to break downphysically, will cause in particular certain types of tumors todevelop, and will often eventually develop into a form ofcancer. I'm reminded of the long-term problems resulting fromexposure to Agent Orange by Vietnam Vets. I'm also put in mindof the DNA and genetic changes documented above, in artificialsweeteners, and believe that time and testing will show possiblegenetic/DNA damage from steroids, as well. We are playing with our human genetic future using all sorts of"chemical substitutes and enhancements" - steroids, performanceenhancing drugs, artificial sweeteners, genetically modifiedorganisms (food grains, etc., hard to digest). Disclaimer: This article in no way should be taken as “medicaladvice” on any product, condition or course of action, nor doesit constitute in any way “medical advice” endorsing any specificproduct, specific result, nor any possible cure for anycondition or problem. This article is meant as a source ofinformation upon which you may base your decision as to whetheror not you should begin using any vitamin, mineral and/or herbalsupplement for better health, or begin using a “greens” productas a dietary supplement. If in doubt, or if you have questions, you should consult yourphysician and, if possible, consult a second physician for apossible different opinion. The author does not bear anyresponsibility for your decisions nor for the outcome of youractions based upon those decisions. Reference includes Author's personal experience and memory andUSA Today Sports Weekly for June 8-14, 2005. Check this editionfor additional and very frightening information on High Schoolsteroid use. About the author:Loring Windblad has studied nutrition and exercise for more than40 years, is a published author and freelance writer. This article is Copyright 2005 by http://www.organicgreens.us,http://www.organicgreens.ca and Loring Windblad. This articlemay be freely copied and used on other web sites only if it iscopied complete with all links and text, including the AuthorsResource Box, intact and unchanged except for minorimprovements.
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