News of bodybuilding enthusiasts involved in selling steroids is common. However, others are now engaging into manufacturing of these drugs for higher profit. But since these activities are considered illegal, they usually land in jail. A recent example is the case of a competitive bodybuilder in Ohio. After his arrest and pleaded guilty to the charges, the bodybuilder was sentenced to 4 years in prison plus huge fine.

The home of Jeffery M. Storch, 41, a bodybuilder, was raided by the authorities last May. The police found in his Union Township home 5 lbs. of marijuana and a pot growing operation. Several anabolic steroids and ingredients were also seized which according to the authorities can be manufactured into hundreds of doses of steroids. Storch pleaded guilty to some of the charges in November. According to the report of Cincinnati.com, there were a total of 8 charges but 6 were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Steroids Needed in Competition

Storch competed nationally as a bodybuilder and owns a gym in Clermont County. He admitted to using steroids since 1993. His use of the substance was due to the pressure and demand of the sport that he was into. “He realized that to compete at the national level, you have to use steroids,” said defense attorney Ronald Seibel during the hearing. “Mr. Storch was just a ripped muscle mass.”

Storch’s lawyer tried to get a more lenient sentence by trying to convince the judge that the steroids and marijuana were just for personal use of his client. “Everybody on the national level uses steroids. He was provoked by competition,” said Seibel. He said that his client never offered these steroids for sale to 17 year olds in local high schools. He also argued that the marijuana was used to make his client relax after training.

However, Judge William Walker of Common Pleas Court reiterated that while Storch might have been influenced to take steroids to compete he still committed a crime. “I do not agree that you have led a law-abiding life. You have been using these drugs for a very long time,” the judge said. The judge’s decision was also based on the status of the bodybuilder. He told Storch that he is an example to many other people in the community. “Your occupation was likely to influence other people,” he added.

The judge sentenced Storch to 4 years and required to pay a fine of $15,000. He was also required to reimburse the Clermont County Narcotics Unit for the costs of the laboratory tests worth $1,440. The authorities will also monitor the bodybuilder for 3 years after he served his sentence. He will be subjected to regular testing for steroids.

Storch already lost friends and clients as a result of his indictment said his lawyers. He already transferred ownership of the gym. Storch told the court that he was remorseful or regretful for all the people that he has caused damage. “I’ve damaged my business with this. I can’t express how sorry I am for my pursuit of the body building just blindly over the years,” Storch said.

Another Bodybuilder Acquitted

Meanwhile, another bodybuilder who was also charged for conspiring to sell steroids was found not guilty of the court. The Newcastle Crown Court in UK acquitted Sergeant Darren Towers of the charges. Towers admitted that he used anabolic steroids because he is a competitive bodybuilder. He believed that the importation and possession of steroids for personal use was not illegal.

He started to use anabolic steroids in 2006 when he became active in bodybuilding competitions. “Everything I had come across indicated it was a class C drug and possession and importation for personal use was permitted. I made inquiries on muscle forums and checked the police national database,” Towers told the court. “I decided to take anabolic steroids to compete in bodybuilding,” he added.

The home run king, Barry Bonds, ask the court Friday to bar the testimonies of several baseball players on the start of his trial on March. They contend that these witnesses should not be allowed to testify in the steroid perjury case of the slugger because of a previous ruling of Judge Susan Illston. Bonds is facing 10 counts of lying to a grand jury and an obstruction of justice in connection with his testimony in the BALCO investigation in 2003. Bonds denied that he knowingly used anabolic steroids.

Witness List

The prosecution submitted to the court last October their list of possible witnesses in the case. Most of them were former and current baseball players and officials from the major league. A former official of the BALCO was also included as a witness. Ex-teammate Benito Santiago, free agent Jason Giambi, his brother Jeremy Giambi, Armando Rios, Marvin Benard, Bobby Estalella, Randy Velarde and retired NFL player Larry Izzo are on the prosecution’s witness list. Most of these players have connections with Bonds former trainer Greg Anderson.

Anderson already refused to testify against Bonds and was even jailed for his refusal in testifying against the former San Francisco Giants outfielder.

Defense Filed a Motion Barring Testimonies and Evidences

The defense team filed the motion last Friday at U.S. District Court in San Francisco. They want to exclude the names of players who were former clients of the BALCO and worked with Anderson. “The government apparently plans to proceed as if it had won,” said Dennis Riordan, lead lawyer of Bonds. “The government does not appear to recognize that the order- which the government itself certified would have a substantial impact on the case- does in fact require the government to alter its prosecution in substantial ways,” said in the filing.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston already ruled in 2009 that most of the evidences linking Bonds to steroid use were hearsay. Drug tests, calendars, log sheets and other related evidences on the slugger’s alleged doping were declared inadmissible because of the refusal of Greg Anderson to testify. The ruling was also affirmed by an appeals court.

Riordan said that the prosecution filed the same evidences that were already excluded by the court. According to the defense, what the U.S. Attorney’s Office submitted in October was the same witness list used in the original date of the trial in February 2009. These are all irrelevant as a consequence of the ruling said Bonds’ lawyers. They also ask the court to exclude log sheets from BALCO which allegedly contain the doping schedules and steroid test results of Bonds.

In a separate filing, the defense also asks the court why the charges against Steve Hoskins were dropped. Hoskins, a former business partner of Bonds, allegedly involved in fraudulent business transactions. He allegedly sold Bond’s memorabilia without the latter’s consent. Hoskins is one of the star witnesses of the prosecution. “Hoskins received an important benefit from the government when it decided to not to prosecute him for crimes against Mr. Bonds and the public,” said another Bonds’ lawyer.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in California did not respond to the calls of the media. If the motion will be granted by the court, it will have a great effect on the case against the slugger.

It’s enough. The country’s top agency on protecting the welfare of the consumers have issued a strong warning against supplements manufacturers that they should follow the law or else they will end up in jail. The US FDA has been task to monitor supplement products being sold in the country and their findings were alarming. A lot of manufacturers intentionally add ingredients which are controlled or pose great health risks to the consumers. The agency already issued warnings and ordered recalls of several products but this time, they are determined to put unscrupulous businessmen into jail if they will continue to sell tainted products.

According to the data released by the FDA, there are nearly 300 supplement products that contain potentially dangerous or illegal ingredients. Most of these were sold as diet supplements, bodybuilding and sexual enhancement products. Since 2007, the agency was able to recall more than 80 bodybuilding supplements, 70 sexual enhancement aids and 40 weight-loss supplements.

The FDA already warned the public about the dangers of taking these tainted supplements because it can lead to severe health problems. There have been reports that users suffered from strokes, kidney and liver problems and even deaths. FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein advice the public to be more wary of the supplements sold as alternatives to prescription drugs. Consumers should be critical of products marketed as legal supplements, or those sold in the internet or products imported from other countries.

Felony Charges

The FDA said that supplement companies selling “deceptively labeled” products will face criminal charges. Supplements that contain steroids or ingredients found in obesity or erectile-dysfunction drugs are violating existing laws since these ingredients should only be sold under prescription. “We want consumers to be aware that there are products masquerading as dietary supplements that pose significant dangers. These products are generally poorly labeled, so the consumer doesn’t know what he or she is really buying,” said Sharfstein.

The agency urged the supplement producers to implement strict monitoring of their production and distribution process to avoid contamination of products. They are also encouraged to report erring manufacturers through a specially designated email address or to the office of Criminal Investigations of the FDA.

Ivan Wasserman, a representative of the supplement manufacturers told the LA Times that most of the tainted products come from small and internet based companies. “Every time there’s a news report of a tainted supplement, it’s bad for the industry,” he said. However, this was contradicted by a Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizens’ Health Research Group. “Even if not contaminated, in many cases they do not have evidence of safety and effectiveness,” said Wolfe. Supplement manufacturers are not covered by regulations being followed by drug companies.

Supplement Industry Support

This move by the FDA is supported by most industry stakeholders. According to Bloomberg, there are 5 trade organizations supporting this initiative. In a joint statement, they said that products with undeclared drug ingredients or steroids tarnish the reputation of the legitimate supplement industry.

Loren Israelsen of the United Natural Products Alliance said that they have been astonished at the unfortunate growth of this particular class of products, which are intentionally spiked. “These are illegal acts committed by people who work in the shadows. They are very difficult to find. We are committed to joining FDA to find them and to drive them out of the industry,” she said.

Roger Clemens and his lawyers were able to convince the court to grant them an extension so that they could review the documents presented by the prosecution. The trial was re-scheduled on July by Judge Reggie Walton. To avoid giving comments on the case, Judge Walton imposed a gag order to both camps since August 23. This will prevent any speculations and personal comments on the merits of the case.

The perjury case of Clemens has lured the attention of some legal experts especially on the evidences presented by the prosecution. One of the critical physical evidences that were used by the government was the alleged syringes used to inject steroids on the baseball player. These were provided by Brian McNamee, the former trainer of Roger Clemens. McNamee alleged that he injected Clemens with steroids and human growth hormone in the span of 4 years from 1998 to 2002. The trainer claimed that he injected Clemens at least 13 times in the player’s apartment in 2001.

Rusty Hardin, the lawyer of Clemens, said before that the syringes, bloody gauze and steroid vials were a bunch of junk because it was stored in unsanitized place. The drug paraphernalia were turned over to the federal investigators by McNamee in 2008. It is expected that the defense will attack the validity and reliability of these evidences.

McNamee Hid Syringes in the Basement

The New York Daily News detailed how McNamee stored the used syringes, gauze and the vials at his home. McNamee put these materials in a Miller Lite can and Ziploc bag and stored them in a FedEx box. The box was kept in a large cedar closet in the basement. Textbooks and baseball bats were also found in the closet which was usually locked.

However, the package was moved sometime in 2007 when McNamee’s wife relocated it to an upstairs bedroom. The trainer retrieved that package on January 8, 2008 to counter the allegations against him by Roger Clemens.

What Experts Say

The NY Daily News interviewed some legal experts about their views on the significance of these evidences in the steroid perjury trial of Clemens. Peter Keane, a law professor at Golden Gate University, said that these needles could be used to prove that Clemens was doping. “Any time you have physical evidence, scientific evidence, evidence that an expert can examine and say it says this or that, that’s the most powerful evidence a prosecutor can have,” Keane said. “Jurors can throw out witness testimony, because they believe a witness has an ax to grind, but physical evidence can be very conclusive,” the professor added.

On the other hand, the evidences could also be used by the defense to weaken the prosecution’s argument. According to Matthew Rosengart, the case of Clemens could be compared to the case of O.J. Simpson. The defense was able to convince the jury by attacking the credibility of the evidence.

“The government will have to prove these syringes are the same ones used to shoot up Roger Clemens, and they will have to rely on McNamee to do so,” said Rosengart, who is also a former federal prosecutor and is now connected with a law firm. “They will raise a lot of questions - why did he sit on this evidence for so many years? Does he have an ax to grind with Clemens? The defense will throw everything at the government to prove that the syringes were somehow doctored,” Rosengart said.

The fact that Hardin asked the court for a few more months, it is expected that they will try to question the admissibility and credibility of the materials provided by Brian McNamee. The real battle of Roger Clemens will just begin in July.

One of the sectors in the health industry that is becoming popular across the country is anti-aging clinics. Owners claim that the business is booming despite questions on its legality and effectiveness of the methods and treatments used by these anti-aging clinics. Critics argued that anti-aging practitioners in the country are putting their patients into great risks rather than helping them cure certain medical condition. The use of growth hormones and testosterone are common methods of slowing down the aging process but others are not convinced on its efficacy but are more worried on the dangers that these substances can give to the users.

Even if there are health experts who are against the use of these drugs for other purposes, a lot of people are still hooked up on these treatments hoping it would give them vigor, strength, sexier body, and even improve sexual potency. As people grow older, the quest for elixirs and pills to counter the signs of aging becomes his primary concern.

The Critics

One of the more outspoken critics of these anti-aging clinics is Thomas Perls, an associate professor of medicine and geriatrics at Boston University Medical School, said that the wrong perception of people about growth hormones makes it easy for health practitioners to promote these products. “The population generally equates hormones with youth, and therefore for gullible or narcissistic individuals, it becomes an easy sell. Any claims that this stuff works for anti-aging is absolute nonsense. It’s quackery,” he said.

Alan D. Rogol, a University of Virginia professor and pediatric endocrinologist and also connected with the World anti-Doping Agency, enumerated the legitimate use of testosterone and human growth hormone. “There are seven or eight kiddie indications, three or four adult indications, and everything else is a felony,” Rogol told the Star Ledger. The doctor doubts if anti-aging practitioners could back up their hgh prescriptions with proper and comprehensive test results. In a study of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, there are only 1 in 100,000 adults who have a legitimate need for growth hormones annually. But clinics specializing in HGH Therapy keep mushrooming around the country.

Anti-Aging Practitioners

The Star-Ledger interviewed a gynecologist who is now an owner of an anti-aging clinic in Clifton, NJ. The doctor said that based on his experience, the use of human growth hormone and testosterone, an anabolic steroid, have made him healthier, stronger and mentally sharper. Dr. Henry Balzani who is now 63 years old can still boast of his strength and vitality which can be compared to a man at his 20’s or 30’s. He’s taking human growth hormone, testosterone, and TA-65, an unregulated substance that fights the aging process.

His clinic specializes in hormone replacement therapy. The increasing demand for growth hormones and steroid treatments are the result of massive advertisements and endorsements of celebrities. “There’s a big movement for this. It’s becoming mainstream,” Balzani said.

Booming Business for Anti-Aging Clinics

The criticisms did not affect the demand for both growth hormones and testosterone. In the report of the Star-Ledger, the sales of these drugs from 2005 to 2009 in the United States more than doubled. Testosterone gels and liquids comprise the majority of the sales which is estimated to be more than $1 billion. This year, it is estimated that doctors will prescribe more than 4 million prescriptions for the drug.

The spending on growth hormone for the same period increased to 32.7% with an estimated cost of $1.3 billion. Projected prescription for the drug could reach to more than 431,000. These statistics were provided by the IMS Health, a firm that provides market research to the pharmaceutical and health care industries.

The dramatic increase in these figures was also caused by the shift in the specialization and health services provided by doctors. Aside from gynecologists, other health care professionals such as chiropractors, orthopedists, internists, pain-management physicians, and plastic surgeons are also venturing in the HGH craze.

Lax Regulation

Existing laws and regulations are weak. The continued proliferation of anti-aging clinics is the result of lax state laws, poor monitoring of the federal government and the inherent protection of the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Rogol said that nobody’s watching. “Each patient sees his doctor, and his doctor has a doctor-patient relationship, and if he’s diagnosed as deficient— however that’s done— then a legitimate prescription is written,” he said.

There are also at least 16 states without a prescription drug monitoring program according to the Star-Ledger. This would be difficult to trace and monitor if the doctor is doing something illegal. The FDA’s role is to approve drugs for specific purposes but doesn’t directly monitor physicians. The agency is more concerned on how to curtail the manufacturing and distribution of illegal anabolic steroids, HGH and other drugs.

It’s been nine years since Jose Canseco last played for the majors but the steroid whistle blower claims that he can still lead in home runs. The former steroid user who accused several baseball players of using anabolic steroid is determined to get a shot at the Major League. However, one question that remains unanswered is the willingness of any major league team to include him in their roster.

It is a fact that Canseco caused a lot of problems for the Major League Baseball. His revelations had shaken the sport and made its reputation become questionable. The rampant steroid use in the league may be over but people inside the sports organization are not yet willing to forgive Canseco.

Use of Social Media to Air Sentiments

Canseco knows that the best thing to do to be noticed is to use social media. In his latest tweets, Canseco said that he would not give up the dream of playing in the majors again. “If a team would give me chance I would not let them down, baseball is my life.” He added that he miss the game. “Its part of me, its my addiction.”

The former All Star MVP tried other sports like mixed martial arts and boxing but failed to get good promotions. This year he was given a chance to play for the Laredo Broncos in the Independent League but it was just a very short contract. There are reports that Canseco is now financially unstable and needed a job. And playing baseball is the only answer.

Can Lead the League in Home Runs

At age the of 46, Canseco is confident that he can still deliver home runs. “I can dh for any major league team and lead the league in home runs, just give me the chance,” Canseco said. “I will show everyone that steroids are completely overrated once I get the chance to play. All I need is the chance. I was laughed at when I said I would do the 40^40.”

When he played for the Laredo Broncos, he was able to hit some home runs for the team. Major league teams may not question his capability but the issue is more on his past actions that caused deep wounds that won’t heal. His 16 year career in the majors can’t be simply ignored. He won the MVP two times and a 6-time All Star player.

Desperate Move

A sports writer wrote in his column that these tweets of Canseco show that the slugger is already desperate. “Former Cuban Major League Player, alleged wife beater and admitted steroid abuser José Canseco, is in Desperado mode, trying to get back to the MLB,” from the Hispanically Speaking News.

Duk of Yahoo sports has this to say on Canseco, “Canseco continues to shine a depressing light on his state of mind. It clearly isn’t easy being an ex-steroid user who wrote two books outing other steroid users.”

But these tweets were simply thoughts of a baseball player. “I dream about playing almost every night. When I wake up and realize I am not anymore that’s when the nightmare begins,” Canseco wrote. “I am and will always be just simply a baseball player,my tomb stone will just say. Baseball.”