A doctor’s primary duty is to ensure that their patients are treated with utmost care and proper treatment is given. They should also prescribe medicines that are legally approved for specific medical conditions. However, we still hear from time to time some cases where doctors violate these rules. A doctor in Tulsa, Oklahoma is an example of this. He was charged for making off-label prescriptions for anabolic steroids.

Anabolic steroids are controlled substances. It is a drug that is only prescribed for specific medical conditions such as anemia and some forms of cancers. But today, steroids are commonly used for bodybuilding purposes and used to improve the performance of professional athletes. If an individual can’t purchase these steroids from the black market, they usually connive with doctors just to get prescriptions for steroids. Taking black market steroids are usually dangerous.

Prescriptions for Bodybuilding Use

Dr. Gary Lee, a family and sports medicine doctor from Tulsa, made prescriptions of steroids to at least 3 patients. Authorities said that the steroids were not used to treat ailments but used in bodybuilding like building muscle bulk and muscle enhancement. The doctor was nabbed last year and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He told the court that the off-label prescriptions of steroids were intended to treat injuries and not for bodybuilding purposes.

2 Years Supervised Activities

In the recent update on the case, the Tulsa World website reported that the prosecution and the defense made an agreement to postpone the proceedings for 2 years. Instead, the doctor’s activities will be supervised and monitored by the District Attorney’s Office for the entire duration of the agreement. If Lee violates any of the provisions in the agreement, the case against him will continue.

Payment of Fines and Penalty

The doctor is also required to pay $1,000 to the victims compensation fund, $100 to the DA’s Drug Fund and a monthly due of $40. The court will review the case of Lee on April 2013 and if there are no violations of the law or supervisory guidelines, the case will be dismissed.

Michael King, the defense lawyer of Dr. Lee, clarified that the agreement is not an indication that the doctor pleaded guilty to the charges. The signed document was also clear that the defendant had not admitted guilt. “This seemed like a good way to resolve the case without a long, extended trial,” said the defense lawyer.

The 50-year old doctor is licensed by the Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision. The prosecution maintained their position that Dr. Lee made illegal prescriptions of anabolic steroids by conspiring with patients who obtained and used the drugs for bodybuilding purposes.

Steroid use has become a contributing solution towards treating asthma in children. However, there remains a question about the safety of using this drug in children, especially since the University of Montreal has evaluated how steroids can affect the immune system of children. The findings say that despite the help of steroids, it can expose asthmatic children to new contagious diseases. The study found out that oral steroids cause a temporary depression of immune response of children that were given the drug.

According to Francine M. Ducharme, a University of Montreal professor and pediatrician, the administration of steroids reduces any risk and even the duration of hospital admission in children suffering from acute asthma. However, the safety of this kind of medication is still raising concerns among physicians and parents as steroids have a possible impact on the child’s immune system.

The Reduced Immune Response

The study had evaluated the immune response of children from three to 17 years old, who suffered from an asthma attack. All of them are given immune triggers or antigens and the study has come up with a comparison of the immune response of those given corticosteroids and those that were not given one.

Ducharme says that the evaluation resulted to finding that the children who have been treated with corticosteroid had a significantly decreased immune response. The conclusion was based in the measurement of the amount of antibody produced in children treated with oral steroids as compared to the non-treated children.

Despite this alarming fact, the reduced immunity in children is only transient. This is supported by the study of children who were revaccinated with antigen five weeks after the first evaluation. The recovery period of the immune suppression can heal within six weeks. Ducharme even said that the window of risk of using corticosteroids in treating asthma is very small and the risk is only present with the patients’ exposure to a new antigen concurrent to the intake of corticosteroids.

As a prevention technique, physicians need to know the medical history of the patient prior to prescribing oral steroids. Since the most commonly reported case is chickenpox infection, it is suggested that children who will be treated with steroids must be given a vaccine prior to being prescribed with the drug.

Alternative Asthma Treatments

With the long term effects of steroids and other asthma medications, people are finding alternative ways to cure asthma for a safer and more effective approach. Chiropractic care is one of the alternative solutions being seen today as an effective solution in treating asthma in children. In one study, chiropractic care gave positive effects on 81 children suffering from asthma. It corrects the vertebral subluxation and so decreases and eliminates the need for medications despite asthma being in the picture.

Acupuncture is also seen to be effective in helping children with asthma. However, this kind of acupuncture used in children does not use needles. It is called Shonihari and is known to help a lot of children already especially when coupled with dietary and lifestyle advice.

Corticosteroids, a type of steroid, may be proven an effective solution towards aiding children with asthma. However, there is always a risk involved with it. Talk to your child’s doctor and weigh in the benefits and risks associated with it.

Federal and local law enforcement agencies are continuously doing their best to curtail the illegal importation of steroids. Anabolic steroids are controlled substances that are regulated by the government. It should only be used for specific medical conditions. However, the presence of internet makes it hard for the authorities to control purchases of steroids from other countries.

In the investigation of the Drug Enforcement Agency and other law enforcement authorities, the bulk of steroid being sold in the country comes from China. According to DEA spokesperson Rusty Payne, the steroids are imported from European countries like United Kingdom, Germany and Eastern Europe. “But most of them come from China,” Payne told the NewsTimes.

This information is backed up by a thorough investigation by the DEA which started in 2007. The “Operation Raw Deal,” which is considered as the most successful operation of the DEA against anabolic steroids, nabbed more than 50 steroid laboratories in the country. The investigation also led them to steroid operators in Mexico and Canada. All of these improvised laboratories get their raw materials from China.

The Real Danger

The DEA said the anabolic steroids purchased from China are in dry powder so it must undergo into another process. However, the great danger is on how these steroids are made into finished products. The improvised laboratories were usually set up in basement or unsanitized rooms. According to Payne, The raw materials are mixed in the sink or bathtubs.

Don Hooton, the founder of the Taylor Hooton Foundation, detailed why buying steroids from China could put the users at great health risks. He agreed that most of the steroids are coming from China but the quality is questionable. “There’s one study that showed 21 percent of what was sold from China had lead, mercury, tin or arsenic in it,” said Hooton, who devotes much of his time educating young student athletes from the dangers of anabolic steroids. His son committed suicide because of steroid use. The lack of strict government regulations on steroids is also a problem in China.

Another horrifying fact about underground laboratories in the country is the way they manufacture these steroids. The raw materials imported from China were usually mixed with oils (any oil). “It can be Wesson oil, peanut oil, sesame oil. We found it mixed with motor oil on the West Coast,” Hooton said.

The Type of Users

While professional athletes buy from legitimate supplement stores, students and other people who just want to improve their image tend to buy from illegal dealers and acquaintances. And these are the dangerous steroids which could harm them. It is a fact that steroid dealers targets students and amateur athletes because these are the people who hide their use of performance enhancing drugs. The case of Mark Mansa, a steroid dealer in Danbury, CT, revealed that majority of his clients were student athletes and bodybuilders.

This is the problem of most sports officials in the different schools around the country. They know that steroids are there but they have a difficult task in identifying steroid users. “It is around, but we just don’t know how much or where. Nobody knows that,” said an athletic director.

The health authority in Singapore began sending letters to all health care professionals including pharmacists and dentists informing them about the dangers of an anti-arthritis pill popular among the elderly. The supplement which can be bought in make shift stalls promises an immediate relief for arthritis pain which are common health condition for older people. The HSA or Health Sciences Authority is also coordinating with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Board to address the problem.

The herbal supplement in question is called the black honey pills or “hei mi wan” in Chinese. It is an herbal-scented pill that is being sold in bottles containing 80 to 100 pieces. The black and glossy pills are sold in unlabeled bottles. The cost of each bottle ranges from S$35 to S$80. Sellers of this herbal supplement claims that it can treat chronic ailments such as arthritis and rheumatic pain, high cholesterol and hypertension.

The HSA conducted a laboratory test on this product after doctors reported 2 cases of women who were using the black honey pills. According to reports, the women were taking the black honey pills for two to three months already. The women in their 50’s suffered from Cushing’s syndrome, a hormonal disorder caused by long term use of steroids. The symptoms of the Cushing’s syndrome include weight gain in the trunk area, stretches in the abdominal area, insomnia, thinning of the skin and a round “moon” face.

Health officials are concerned on these reports because a lot of people could be taking this supplement without knowing the possible side effects. “Possibly, there are people still taking these pills, unaware that they are having an adverse drug reaction or did not tell their doctors about it,” said Chan Cheng Leng, the director of enforcement division. According to a fishmonger who was caught by health officials selling the product, he already sold at least 300 bottles of the black honey pills since September last year.

Based on lab results, the black honey pills contain the potent steroid dexamethasone. When used under medical supervision, this can be prescribed to relieve extreme pain and inflammation. However the said steroid can weaken the immunity of the patient and cause hormonal disorder. Other noted side effects of taking this substance are high blood pressure and higher blood sugar levels which can lead to diabetes.

It also contains chlorpheniramine, an antihistamine. While the antihistamine found in these pills was in low dose, the steroid content is too high. “This is of grave concern as the adulterants found are very potent substances which can cause serious and fatal adverse effects in people who consume these pills,” added Chan Cheng Leng. Each black honey pill contains 0.31mg of dexamethasone. Buyers of the supplement were advised to take at least 6 pills a day which means they are taking beyond the normal dosage recommended for this type of steroid. The normal prescription dosage starts from as low as 0.5mg daily.

The health agency advised the public to immediately stop taking this herbal supplement. For those who have taken the pills, they must consult a doctor immediately to avert any complication. Health officials are now investigating the people behind the importation and distribution of these pills in the country. Under the existing laws of Singapore, importing or selling an unapproved and illegal medicine can lead to 2 years imprisonment and a fine of $10,000.

Buying human growth hormone supplements to combat aging is now a hot trend among middle-aged individuals. They were hoping that these growth hormones would help them prevent or at least slow down the signs of aging. Supplementation of HGH is also becoming popular as a performance enhancing drug for professional athletes and bodybuilders.

This supplement is said to help develop leaner muscles and aid in faster recovery from injuries. Most sports organizations are now banning the use of growth hormones because of its performance enhancing effects just like anabolic steroids.

But health professionals advocating the use of human growth hormones should now think twice. A recent study published in the Science Translational Medicine Journal, revealed that suppressing human growth hormone may also ward off some diseases common to older people. They found out that cancer and diabetes are not prevalent to people with suppressed growth hormones in their body.

This study poses a debate whether supplementation of HGH outweighs the benefits of being cancer and diabetes free. “There are a lot of people giving human growth hormone to fight aging,” Dr. Nir Barzilai told LA Times. “The question is, will you live longer and healthier? I think these studies suggest maybe not,” said Dr. Barzilai, who is a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

While HGH is marketed as a “fountain of youth” drug, there are still some concerns on its efficacy and claims. Animal studies showed opposite results with regards to the amount of < a href="http://www.steroidsources.com/human-growth-hermone.php">human growth hormones in the body. Mice without growth hormones were reported to live longer and they are protected from cancer. Though more evidences are still needed to verify if suppressed human growth hormones in humans can significantly extend their life expectancy.

The researchers headed by Dr. Valter Longo, a cell biologist from the University of Southern California (USC) conducted studies on yeast and mice that lack growth genes. Yeast lived 3 times longer while the mice lived 40% longer. And additional research in collaboration with Ecuadorian endocrinologist Jaime Guevara-Aguirre revealed that suppressed growth hormones in humans prevents them from getting age related diseases.

The group studied the health histories of Ecuadorians with Laron Syndrome. People with this syndrome had a genetic mutation that shuts off receptors to human growth hormone which resulted to stunted growth. The Laron patients had lower amounts of IGF-I or Insulin-like Growth Factor 1. Further, the analysis conducted on blood samples showed lower insulin concentrations and higher insulin sensitivity. The subjects were also protected from DNA damage.

Drug companies are now into clinical trials to know whether the IGF-1 can be effectively used to treat cancer. The researchers are also planning to conduct further studies on the use of HGH in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

If you are looking for information about the possible side effects of steroids, you will surely find acne as one of the minor side effects. Most online sources would tell you that acne is one of the common effects after taking anabolic steroids. There are also a lot of professional athletes who were accused of using this performance enhancing drug because of their back acne. Some of them were Mike Piazza and Barry Bonds of the major league and Chael Sonnen of MMA.

The alleged steroid use of Mike Piazza still remains debatable because he had not failed a steroid test. On the other hand, Chael Sonnen tested positive for testosterone which makes people believe that the acne on his back was caused by steroid.

But what is the real score on this issue? Can steroids really cause acne? A recent article written by Howard Megdal of the NY Baseball Digest shed light on this matter. He interviewed some dermatologists to know if acne is really caused by steroid intake. Megdal concluded that the steroid-acne connection is extraordinarily tenuous.

The three doctors interviewed by Megdal were all specializing in acne treatment. All dermatologists agree that acne is a common problem of people regardless of age. “It’s a very common thing in my practice,” said Dr. Jennifer Goldwasser of Central Westchester Dermatology. But she argued that the number of steroid users with acne is very minimal.

A dermatologist from Manhattan agreed with Dr. Goldwasser. Dr. Eric Schweiger said that there is a broad section of the population who suffer from this condition but only a handful of them are taking steroids. “Lots of adult females, adult males, adolescents, many of whom have back acne,” he said. Based on his experience, half of his patients who admitted taking steroids showed no symptoms of acne.

But can we safely say that Piazza or Bonds took steroids because they have acne? The doctors answered in the negative. Most professional athletes are prone to acne even if they are not on steroids. According to Dr. Schweiger, 10 to 20 percent of men at their 20’s or 30’s suffer from acne. The percentage could be even higher for athletes. “More activity leads to the clogging of their pores,” the doctor said.

Another dermatologist from Staten Island confirms that athletes are more prone to acne. “One of the major causes of [back acne] is if someone sweats a lot, wears heavy equipment, wears, as Piazza did, heavy uniforms,” said Dr. Ira Davis.

Some people may also jump into a wrong conclusion. Dr. Goldwasser pointed out that red spots in the back are not always caused by acne. There are other skin problems with similar symptoms with acne. “We don’t even know if that’s what he had,” said Goldwasser, referring to the case of Mike Piazza. “Folliculitis, rosacea, they’d present in a similar way. We don’t have an official medical diagnosis, and we’d by no means draw the conclusion that he even had back acne so quickly,” the doctor said. She also told Megdal that steroids can’t cause folliculitis and rosacea. The former is an infection of the skin follicles while the latter is a chronic skin condition.

The doctors all agreed that athletes having acne should not be labeled as steroid users. “I would say that conclusion is not fair,” said Dr. Schweiger.