Archive for October, 2009

Last September 19, 2009, the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) Executive Committee approved its new list of banned substances in 2010.

In 1963, the prohibited list was first published. It was under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee. However, in 2004, the preparation and publication of the list was transferred to WADA.

The prohibited list was made to conform to the International Standards. It is used to identify prohibited substances and methods in sports during in-competition and out-competition.

Substances are divided into different categories depending on their effects and chemical components.

A sub-group composed of a panel of scientists made the recommendations on the contents and revisions to the Prohibited List.

Cold medicines containing the substance “pseudoephedrine” was prohibited in sport until 2003. According to WADA’s classifications, cold medicines such as Sudafed should be under the Monitoring Program, and it continuously joined the list of monitored substances from 2004 onwards.

These substances under the Monitoring Program are not necessarily prohibited in sport, but they are monitored by anti-doping laboratories in order to identify patterns of misuse in sport.

Based on the results of the Monitoring Program, pseudoephedrine will be prohibited in doses exceeding 150 micrograms per milliliter.

From The Examiner:

It is particularly worthy to note the banning of Pseudoephedrine, which is commonly used as a nasal decongestant for those suffering from colds or allergies. According to Wikipedia, “Sudafed is a trademark for a common brand which contains pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, though Sudafed PE does not.”

Steroid cycles are mainly time slots during which anabolic steroids are consumed. This period can vary from two to twelve weeks or even more. These cycles usually involve use of one anabolic steroid in the initial stages and then finishing the concerned cycle with different steroids for better results.

The best way to get maximum result through anabolic steroids is to stack them with other drugs. It has also been observed that many non-anabolic drugs are also stacked within a steroid to minimize their side effects or aromatization levels.

Each steroid cycle is unique in its own way and one must have absolute knowledge of the affect each drug or its combination with the other can cause on the human body. Wrong steroid cycles can sometimes result in high blood pressure, increased cholesterol levels, hair loss and baldness and therefore one should be extremely particular about their correctness.

Long and heavy anabolic steroid cycles touch the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, and the testicular axis. The continuous employment of the steroid cycles depends on the goals a drug user wants to achieve. Some users prefer short rounds while some prefer longer ones. Ideally it should be up to the individual himself to opt for the cycle best suited for him. Short and heavy steroid cycles are associated with protocols that raise the steroid burden in the body but their duration is kept relatively short. Such methods are mostly employed by experienced steroid users and advanced body builders. This cycle is primarily short-lived that usually runs for 30 to 40 days and is not meant for beginners.

An advanced knowledge about one’s body and its response to various steroids is imperative for a user to get the most out of the drug. Some commonly used cycles employed by steroid users include pyramiding, flat pyramiding, staggering, jump-starting, front-loading, and bridging. However, most of these are not meant for beginners who are strictly recommended to start their usage only under expert professional guidance.

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan cricketer who was twice arrested in Dubai for possessing and utilizing the prohibited substance nandrolone, will not be permitted to participate and play in the three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games at Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

According to Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ijaz Butt, if Asif sets down in Dubai, he will be arrested.

The competition was transferred to UAE from Pakistan due to security concerns and will then be succeeded by three more Tests in New Zealand.

Pakistan is set to cater the venue for the Australian Summer, with the exception of Boxing Day and New Year Tests, which will take place in Melbourne and Sydney. The series will then conclude in mid-January in Hobart.

One such good news about Pakistan’s cricket team, however, would be Younis Khan concurring to comeback as team captain. He stepped down as captain last week following allegations of match fixing after being defeated by Australia of the last ball of their final group game.

According to Butt, although Younis decided to resign in front of the National Assembly’s standing committee last week, he had never acknowledged his resignation. Hence, Younis would stay as team captain until 2011 World Cup on the subcontinent.

According to The Australian:

DRUG cheat Mohammad Asif will not play a one-day series against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates for fear of being jailed, but he is on course to tour Australia this summer.

The lack of knowledge or concealment of facts are the reasons behind the real truth that while steroids have been used and considered as legendary drugs by many, they are considered to be harmful by some others. The reason for this disparity in approach is nothing but lack of education.

If steroids were harmful then not less than 60 percent of professional sportsmen and bodybuilders would have died or suffering from fatal diseases due to steroid use by now. In addition to that, approximately 45 percent of individual users would have also come across the same fate. But is it the real fact? No, steroid users are very much alive and doing better than others. The point to be told is that steroids are not harmful unless they are abused.

Steroid abuse is nothing but indiscriminate usage of steroids, with no regard to dosage, instructions, and qualified medical advice. It is true that steroid abuse may bring some side effects but not steroids.

If you think that whatever may be the reason of getting side effects, steroids are still harmful then what about walking on the road, driving, eating fruit and vegetables, and consuming those nutritive pills. You can die or get injured while walking or driving due to non-obeyance of rules, and you may be eating contaminated or sub-standard fruit and vegetables, and the nutritive pills may also come with side effects, if abused. The crux – excess of anything or lack of knowledge or indiscriminate usage of anything is harmful.

In short, while steroid use can bring dramatic benefits for a bodybuilder, steroid abuse can lead to side effects. The choice is yours – steroid use or steroid abuse!

After more than a year and a half of thinking about their respective careers, officers Stephen Reece and Danny Cage, finally decided to hand over their resignations, with two weeks’ notice effective today. The two plan to seek employment in a private security agency providing protection for civilian contractors in Iraq.

The Metro police officers were decommissioned last February 29, 2008 and were made to take a paid administrative leave after names got involved in a steroids probe case.

This October, Metro police announced that since there is no solid evidence pointing to their direct involvement, the two officers will finally get to return to work with their names cleared.

According to Attorney Warrick Robinson, the officers’ lawyer, his clients had a hard time enduring all the allegations, risking their dignity, subjecting their families to suffer in the whole 19 months, wondering whether they would be reinstated. They endured all these despite passing the series of lie detector tests given to them.

Metro police officers claimed the investigations lasted this long due to involvement of federal agents.

So far, this is the latest development in a string of cases involving police officers in illegal steroids distribution and possession.

From News Channel 5:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two officers cleared of steroid allegations said they are done with the Metro police force. After living 19-months under a dark cloud of suspicion, the two said they will resign.

If you have a close look at benefits of steroids, you would surely be left amazed by their unmatched powers. Steroids allow the human body to workout for more without feeling tiredness. They facilitate promotion of new muscle tissue and add value to the muscles, which means that solid muscle mass and strength are experienced by the bodybuilders in no time. Steroids are also known to improve the count of red and white blood cells that allow body organs to work better than ever.

Steroids are nothing but miracle drugs when it comes to delivering consistent performances on and off the field. They help bodybuilders achieve enhanced levels of stamina, endurance, and health so that strenuous workouts are worth indulging into. Anabolic steroids such as Winstrol, Anavar, Dianabol, Deca Durabolin, Clomid, Nolvadex, and Clenbuterol have been assisting bodybuilders to stay in top shape for competing and excelling at professional events.

Now that the World Wide Web has come to the rescue of bodybuilders by allowing them to buy quality steroids at low prices with just a click of the mouse, things have been easier than ever. You can now buy steroids by making use of payment options such as credit card or even Western Union payments. This means that ordering steroids from the Internet is very much accessible, safe, and easy. Are you still ordering from the traditional stores and risking your money and reputation?

Summary: If you have been in the world of bodybuilding or joined this world just a few days ago, you must have heard of the amazing benefits of steroids by now. Yes, steroids are considered to be exceptional health products by bodybuilders from all parts of the world.

People suffering from pneumonia can recover with a combination of corticosteroids and traditional microbial therapy at a faster pace than with antibiotics alone, as per a study by scientists from the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

It is worth noting here that unlike the anabolic steroids that are generally used to add muscles, corticosteroids are primarily used to treat inflammation related to infectious diseases.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Some people might think that if you give steroids, it would counteract the effect of the antibiotic,” said Dr. Robert Hardy, associate professor of internal medicine and pediatrics and the study’s senior author. “But it turns out you need the antibiotic to kill the bug and the steroid to make the inflammation in the lung from the infection get better. The steroids don’t kill the bugs, but they do help restore health.”

Pneumonia is a lung infection typically characterized by breathing difficulties and spread by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms include headache, fever, chills, coughs, chest pain, sore throat and nausea. Pneumonia caused by the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacterium is generally a less severe form of the disease that can occur in any age group. It accounts for 20 percent to 30 percent of all community-acquired pneumonia cases.

It was remarked by Dr. Hardy that the group receiving both the steroids and antibiotics did the best.

Other researchers from the UT Southwestern included Dr. Christine Salvatore, infectious-disease fellow in pediatrics; Dr. Chonnamet Techasaensiri, postdoctoral trainee in pediatrics; Dr. Asunción Mejías, assistant professor of pediatrics; Dr. Juan Torres, visiting senior researcher in pediatrics; Kathy Katz, senior research associate in pediatrics; and Dr. Ana Maria Gomez, assistant professor of pathology. Some researchers from the University of Milan also contributed to this study.

The Henan province rowing team recently withdraw from the 11^th Chinese National Games after one of their rowers, Guo Linna tested positive for anabolic steroids.

Linna was barred from joining the competition after anti-doping results showed that she tested positive for a steroid precursor known as 19-noandrostenedione.

According to Xinhua news agency, this is the first steroid doping case reported in the prestigious competition.

The team’s action to withdraw from the competition is to show their determination in their fight against doping. According to their team leader Han Wei, they do not need any medals with doping. Wei added that their move highlights the whole team’s attitude to doping.

The Henan rowing team was disqualified from joining two rowing divisions namely, the lightweight double and the quadruple sculls competition.

China is determined to avoid any scandals and controversies associated with doping. Their determination was evident during the Beijing Olympics last year. They promised to implement a very tough punishment to those who cheat in this year’s National Games.

For the past years, the country has been subjected to numerous controversies such as major doping scandals, sabotage and on-court cheating.

However, provincial teams are most likely to be tempted in doping since their athlete’s performance could give them the promotion and the money they vie for.

From USA Today:

BEIJING (AP) — Henan province pulled its rowing teams out of China’s National Games after one of its members tested positive for steroids, state media reported Monday.

Steroids are chemical compounds resembling the male hormone, testosterone, which is responsible for accentuating one’s musculature and rendering strength to the body. Commonly used by athletes and body builders, these substances (steroids) have also found increased usage among the masses wanting to bring about cosmetic changes in their bodies.

Here’s a list of some steroid cycle patterns in which their administration can be possibly employed

Staggered

Staggered pattern of steroid intake requires swapping out compounds and doses at very frequent intervals. This pattern involves long cycles that constantly keep getting extended for the achievement of additional gains. One should take them only under expert care and their usage should not be attempted by novices under any circumstances.

Front-loading

Front-loading mainly involves the usage of chemical compound with either a short ester such as acetate and testosterone propionate or with no ester at all like testosterone suspension in order to increase the blood levels almost instantly. Front loading can also be achieved by administering heavy esters and duplicating the maintenance dose before the first half life of the cycle.

Jump Starting

Jump-starting starts with administering a strong ester steroid along with a chemical compound which either has a rapid releasing ester, a steroid without an ester or a fast metabolizing oral. The most commonly employed steroid for this is Dianabol, which is mainly taken orally and used for jumping a mass-building cycle. It helps in a good localized flow of blood inside the trained muscle and causes general increase in disposition as well as immediate weight gains.

Bridging

Bridging, as the name suggests, is the use of steroids to fill the gap between two steroid cycles. Bridging is mainly practiced by those who have exceeded a level of muscularity. It employs drugs with lowest impact on endogenic androgenic hormone production in the body or by taking quickly metabolized substances one time a day, similar to taking one dose of Dianabol or testosterone suspension.

However, none of the above cycles are medically certified but are amicable ways that muscle-builders have tried, developed and improved through years of tests and errors.

Whether you believe it or not, anabolic steroids and bodybuilding have continued sharing a “mutually benefiting” relationship. The reason why this relationship is termed as mutually benefiting relationship is because while steroids have gained much success and popularity due to more and more bodybuilders using them, bodybuilders have been able to deliver consistently dramatic performances on the field by using anabolic steroids.

It is believed that steroids shared a relationship with professional sports much before the First Olympics in Greece. During and after these times, testosterone levels were enhanced by sportsmen, especially power lifters, by using testicles of sheep and bull. Nowadays, anabolic steroids such as Winstrol, Clenbuterol, Dianabol, and Deca Durabolin are used by sportsmen to stay ahead of the competition and create a distinctive niche.

Today, more and more individuals are making use of steroids. The reasons may be many, such as increase in muscle mass, strength, stamina, endurance, intense workouts, dramatic performance, competition win, or maintaining the “invincibility” status.

Whatever the reason, it would not be wrong to say that steroids are more popular today than ever and it is only because they are benefited one and all. One of the other reasons why steroids have been so much popular these days is easy and cheap availability. The fact that steroids can be purchased online without a prescription is only proving an advantageous factor for all those trying to make a place for themselves in this cutthroat competitive world.

Summary: Despite all odds, steroids have virtually entered every human life. In this article, we would be reading about how they entered the world of bodybuilding and ensured a successful run all these years.