There are already many professional wrestlers whose death is linked to steroids use and other substance of abuse. This may not be surprising because of the nature of their profession. They have to maintain a good body physique, stamina and endurance and the most important thing is strength and power. However, the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional wrestling becomes a menace because of its abuse which commonly leads to health problems such a depression. And the worst is committing suicide.

The wrestling world is again in grief for the loss of another champion wrestler, Chris Kanyon. He was found dead at his Queens, NY apartment last Friday. Kanyon’s real name is Christopher Klucsaritis. Based on initial reports, the wrestler committed suicide because of the various steroid pills found near his body. But investigators are still looking for other angle of Kanyon’s death.

What are the reasons why many people immediately linked his death to overdose of steroids? Chris Kanyon, who is also known as “The Innovator of Offense” when he first appeared in 1997 at the WCW, was said to be under great depression and suffering from bipolar disorder. His condition may have been aggravated by his retirement from the sports. Many are saying that Kanyon still wants to play as a professional wrestler but he was never given another chance to capture the spotlight again. Before his death, Kanyon only appeared in independent and charity matches.

Kanyon first appeared in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as the masked wrestler Mortis. His fame started in WCW and he was named as the “The Innovator of Offense”. He also formed the “The Jersey Triad” in 1999. He ended his career in WCW in 2001 with several championship titles on his belt. He was the WCW United States Champion and WCW world Tag team champion with Diamond Dallas Page. He then played for the WWF and WWE up to 2004 but he was not able to get the same fame he received in WCW which lead to his early retirement from the sports.

Other wrestlers like Mick Foley expressed his concern on the fate of some retired professional wrestlers. Foley said in his blog that wrestlers need a “soft landing” after retirement. Many of them suffer financial problem which leads to depression. Most of them also continue the use of steroids which worsen their health conditions. “Unfortunately, suicide is a solution that far too many wrestlers have opted for,” Foley said. “I really wish there was some kind of emotional crash pad for wrestlers to land on when the bright lights dim, or when injuries take their toll, or when one is finally forced to face the fact that the next big break just might not come around,” Foley added.

Most wrestlers who retire or forced to retire from wrestling due to injuries have no other job skills to make for a living said James Caldwell of PWTorch. The sports should have organized or implemented programs to help these wrestlers. Caldwell made as an example the Wrestler’s Rescue, an organization that helps wrestlers. Foley is a member of this organization and has worked with other advocacy-type groups. “I hope we’ll see Foley use his name-value and organizational work to help his wrestling colleagues find that soft-landing “once the lights dim” and wrestlers have to find another way to make a living outside of their chosen profession,” said Caldwell.

The WWE has already implemented some changes in the format of their games to replace the so-called steroid-era and has claimed that they have a well established anti-doping policy but programs for retired wrestlers should be their next concern to avoid further deaths as a result of a miserable life after their wrestling careers. They should see to it that there will be no more deaths similar to Chris Benoit and many others who claimed their life because of steroids and fall from their careers.

The prosecutions were disappointed when Oneida County Court judge ruled Thursday that the case against a county jail correction officer is weak and could be heading for the dismissal of the case. Judge Barry M. Donalty said that there wasn’t enough evidence to justify the search conducted at the home of Peter DiNardo, a county jail correction officer, in connection with his alleged sale of steroids. DiNardo was charged together with correction officer Zachary Lazore as accomplices with the criminal sale and possession of steroids in connection with an alleged drug transaction that occurred in July last year.

The judge identified so many loopholes in the case. Aside from the defective warrant, the prosecutors will not be able to present any of the steroids, testosterone and cocaine allegedly seized from the Deerfield home of the accused. Judge Donalty will further review the testimony from the grand jury to determine whether any of the related drug charges against DiNardo and Lazore should be dismissed. Additional charges filed against DiNardo were one felony and two misdemeanor drug charges after police searched his Floyd Avenue home in August 2009 but the search warrant was said to be questionable.

The Observer Dispatch reported that the Oneida County’s district attorney expressed frustration that the state police CNET Narcotics Unit is unwilling to allow prosecutors to review such warrants ahead of time. District Attorney Scott McNamara said that CNET will not comply with that request on their behalf and they don’t know why. “They feel that they possess the knowledge and experience that they don’t need us to help them, and that’s unfortunate because this outcome could have been prevented very easily,” he said.

“Around the state, hundreds of search warrants are issued based on our CNET investigations,” state police Lt. Glenn Miner in Albany said. “It’s ultimately up to the judge to decide whether the warrant is sufficient or not, and the overwhelming majority of these warrants are fine,” Miner said in response to the statement of the district attorney.

Judge Donalty stated in his ruling that it is clear from the information presented to the court that there did not exist information sufficient to support a reasonable belief that evidence of illegal activity would be present at the specific time at DiNardo’s home. The procedural lapses of the apprehending officers were noted in the case. In the surveillance conducted in the alleged sale of steroids between the accused and codefendant, the Judge noted that there is no indication that Lazore and DiNardo had any hand-to-hand exchanges of money or drugs.

Police officers also failed to present the informant to the judge issuing the warrant to evaluate his or her credibility regarding past experiences with DiNardo and Lazore. The informant alleged that he was able to purchase steroids from Lazore on nearly a dozen occasions. He also claimed that he bought steroids from DiNardo at least 3 or 4 times.

District Attorney Scott McNamara said he and prosecuting Assistant District Attorney Grant Garramone are not yet sure how DiNardo’s case will move forward. “Grant and myself will have to sit down and review all the evidence we have and make that decision,” he said. I can’t make that call at this time, but this is a substantial blow to the case. There’s no doubt about that,” he added.

The schedule of the next hearing of the DiNardo’s case is not yet set but Lazore will stand trial on May 17.

A lot of baseball fans are waiting for the release of the tell-all tape of Mindy McCready, Roger Clemens‘ former mistress. The video “Baseball Mistress” which will be released on April 19 is another blow to Clemens as he continues to battle his case in court. It may not contain details of his steroid use but some statement of the singer would hasten the case against him, that he really used banned substances and he lied about it. The prosecution is surely one of those who will be happy to see and hear what McCready will reveal in the tape.

The perjury case which the 7-time Cy Young awardee is facing right now dragged several baseball players like Andy Pettite, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. However, Clemens’ fate could be in the hands of slugger Jose Canseco who will take the stand on April 8 before a grand jury. His former teammate is the steroid whistle-blower in baseball.

But still, many people are interested in what will be the content of the video. Based on Fox News, the sex tape featuring McCready has some scene where McCready details her relationship with Clemens. McCready is a country singer and is said to have an illicit relationship with Clemens when she was only 15 years old. The relationship lasted almost a decade so whatever revelations that McCready will make is something that will interest many people. Moreover, it also coupled with another sex video of the singer which according to some sources contains an explicit act with her ex boyfriend. Vivid Entertainment is releasing the said video.

What makes the “Baseball Mistress” an interesting movie to watch? It contains interview with McCready saying that the pitcher is having sex related problems. She alleged that Clemens suffered from a lot of problems with erectile dysfunction. Although she still said that Clemens was still good in bed. The release could be stopped if McCready’s lawyer successfully obtain an injunction. Adam Dread, lawyer for McCready, said to the media that his client does not approve the release of such tape and they will be asking the court to issue an injunction to prevent it from hitting the shelves.

If the allegation of McCready is true, then the use of anabolic steroids of Roger Clemens could also be true. Long term use of steroids could lead to various health related problems including the abnormal functions of hormones in the body. It can cause infertility, shrinking of the testes, gynecomastia and the possibility of suffering from erectile dysfunction. But again, there are other causes of erectile dysfunction.

Although Clemens did not issue any press release on the matter, he showed his disappointment on his Twitter account. “It’s amazing what some will say to make money off of another. Hey, here’s a thought…ever tried working for a living? And BTW, I’ve taken great care of my body and to this date and time all the pipes on this body are still working great. Thanks for askin’,” Clemens posted on his account.

Now, the question is, can the statement of McCready affect the outcome of the perjury case of Clemens? Will it give more weight to the already piling up testimonies and evidences against the pitcher? Is it the missing link?

Waterloo Regional Police raided a home of a football player for alleged stolen goods but instead they found out several steroids and HGH. This immediately prompted the University of Waterloo to ban the still unnamed football player pending the investigation. And to prove that they do not tolerate steroid use in the field, the entire Waterloo Warriors football team was sent to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports for steroid testing. According to UW athletics director Bob Copeland, it sends a strong signal through the whole league and that it is something that can happen to any program. He also said that the entire university supports this decision. The testing will cost the university at least $200 each for more than 65 players.

Once the result is ready, the Centre for Ethics in sports will inform the CIS of any positive tests. The result however will take more or less a month but the university is hoping that it will not give more positive tests. Copeland said that he was bitterly disappointed and deeply concerned on what had happened but he also told the media that he will just wait for the result. “Testing is done to catch the guilty and exonerate those who would be under any suspicion,” he said.

But the incident did not end in the testing of the entire football team. The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport has dispatched testers to other schools like the university of Guelph, McMaster, Western and Wilfrid Laurier. The Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) is also involved in the planned testing of the athletes. They were not happy with the incident in the Waterloo since they have a strong stand against the use of performance enhancers.

CIS chief executive Marg McGregor confirmed that the substances found on the player were steroids and growth hormone. Using banned substances does not make sense while studying at Canadian intitutions according to the CIS chief. “It’s a high-risk game to be taking steroids and in my view the risk-reward just isn’t there. It’s unfortunate that some people make bad choices,” she said. Based on the Canadian Press reports, there have been 56 doping infractions from over 5,800 tests since the CIS began its doping control program in 1990.

According to Rosemary Pitfield, spokesperson for the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, the test will be looking for various banned substances including steroids, HGH and masking agents. Results will be made public after a couple of weeks. Their concern is to determine the extent of steroid use in colleges as well as high schools and area gyms. “The bigger concern is that this may not be limited to the university system or even the sports arena. Kids are very concerned about body image and some of them will do anything to improve it,” she said. “We’ll spread the blanket as wide as it needs to go,” she added.

The centre is also concerned on the dangers of using performance enhancers. “It’s dangerous and to think that people believe the answer to life is a quick fix when they are risking their health,” said Pitfield.

Peter Baxter of Ontario University Athletics football is optimistic that university football will endure the controversy. “Ontario university football will survive this black cloud. My experience is that most student-athletes act responsibly. There’s a very, very small element that may be involved in this unauthorized activity,” he said.

Players who want to take the shortcut and excel in their chosen sports would rely on anabolic steroids. Taking performance enhancers are not unknown to most coaches and trainers. There are some cases that they are the source of these drugs or encourage the use of these drugs to make their players more competitive. But in a recent case, a coach was sued by his player for giving him anabolic steroids.

A football player of Stone Memorial High School in nearby Cumberland County sued his assistant football coach and other school officials for the side effects he got from taking anabolic steroids. He argued that the coach did not tell him what was the drug. Benjamin Dodd suffered severe headaches and violent mood swings when he began taking the pills given to him by his coach. It was further stated in the lawsuit that Dodd still needs medical attention because of ongoing side effects. Other noted side effects of this drug to young athletes include problems in longitudinal bone growth and psychological problems.

According to Dodd, he began taking the drug after his junior season at Stone Memorial. Although he admitted that he asked assistant football coach Jim Wilson of what kind of supplement that would help him become stronger. The football player claimed that his coach did not explain those supplements.

Other school officials were also included in the lawsuit. Dodd said that when they found out about the steroids, he was asked not to talk about it and they did not inform his parent. The amount of compensation and damages caused to him is not yet clear as of this moment.

The professional association on strength and conditioning has already denounced the use of steroids in enhancing performance. The National Strength and Conditioning Association has already published steroid packet for coaches that will help them in combating steroid abuse among athletes.

Meanwhile, an athletic trainer distributing anabolic steroids in West Caldwell was arrested by police officers. Joshua Soldano who works in a fitness center in the area was charged with 3rd-degree distribution of a controlled dangerous substance to an undercover police officer, and nine other charges relating to possession, distribution or intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, hypodermic needles or narcotics paraphernalia.

A search on his car yielded about 40 packages of heroin, 18 grams of cocaine, 8 bottles of anabolic steroids and 29 hypodermic needles. It was estimated that street value of the drugs is more than $5,000. Soldano was also charged with with possession of controlled dangerous substances with the intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school and 500 feet of public property or park. Judge Thomas P. Zampino of the Essex County set the bail for Soldano at $100,000.

Another man was also arrested when Soldano was allegedly selling heroin to him. Brian Leaman was already released on his own recognizance but the case will still be referred to a grand jury.

There are already many cases of doctors and healthcare professionals who were charged and convicted for making illegal prescriptions. Federal authorities are keen in catching those people who are doing unethical practices because they are putting their patients at risk. It is also a must that proper diagnosis should be done in order to avoid any complications. Doctors should strictly follow the procedures in making prescriptions as mandated by law. However, there are still some health professionals who violate the basic procedure in treating their patients. Most of these happen in the prescription of controlled substances such as stimulants, opioids, hallucinogens, depressants, and anabolic steroids.

To implement an effective control and monitoring of the prescriptions, the Drug enforcement Agency (DEA) proposes to expand the current electronic prescription system being adopted by health care professionals, hospitals and pharmacists. The old system allowed the providers to create prescriptions electronically for controlled substances and those prescriptions are either printed out for signatures or faxed to a pharmacy. The electronic prescriptions are transmitted as electronic data files to the pharmacy and then import the data file into a database through the use of computer programs.

However, the rule for e-prescribing met some resistance from federal healthcare providers. They argued that the approach proposed for the private sector was inconsistent with their existing practices and did not meet the security requirements for federal systems. This was the rule imposed by the DEA since June 2008.

The new rule proposed by the DEA will now include the use of biometrics. The use of fingerprints, iris scans, or handprints will be utilized to help in the authentication of the e-prescribing user. Under the new rule, users of e prescribing systems for controlled substances would have to prove their identities by using two out of three factors: something you know (passwords), something you have (tokens), or something you are (biometrics).

The proposal will eliminate the unauthorized use of identities of e-prescribing user. The biometrics will now be used as a substitute to hard token or password. According to the DEA, entities who will still use the hard token, should meet specified security standards for cryptographic devices one time password devices. In addition, it must be stored on a device that is separate from the computer in use.

In a statement issued by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, allowing for electronic prescribing of controlled substances— while maintaining rigorous controls to prevent illegal diversion and protect privacy— is key to unleashing the vast cost saving and quality improvement potential of health information technology. “This new interim rule from the DEA and DOJ brings us one step closer to that goal,” he added.

Specifically, the aim of the new rule is to prevent the misuse of controlled substances that have a potential for abuse and psychological and physical dependence. Some of these drugs include opioids, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and anabolic steroids. According to Health Leaders Media, the prescriptions for controlled substances in the US accounts for 10% to 11%. The DEA has already posted the new regulation in the Federal Register and is open for comments for 60 days.