First, understand Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and EPO (erythropoietin) are both legal drugs in the U.S.. A prescription can be given to patients with genetic disorders and/or kidney dysfunctions. However, as we all know, athletes and other people are misusing them as performance-enhancing drugs, also known as “doping” or “juicing”. Are the use of such drugs taints the “wide world of sports”? What are some ideas to control this, or is the solution to simply legalize all performance-enhancing drugs for athletes under a physicians supervision?
First, we need to understand the clinical use of HGH and the anatomy and physiology affected. “HGH is a naturally occurring peptide hormone secreted by the pituitary gland” (Heally,…show more content… Less erythropoietin are produced when the kidneys are not functioning normal. When a person has proper kidney function and a normal red blood cell count and decides to uses EPO, this is called “Blood Doping”. Evidently, erythropoietin is very common with professional cycles. Floyd Landis, winner of the 2006 Tour de France, was stripped of his title after testing positive for EPO. Later, during his confession, Landis accused 17 other riders, including Lance Armstrong for blood doping (Quinn, 2014). Armstrong tested positive for steroids four times during his first Tour de France win. Specifically he tested positive for EPO and corticosteroid. Watch the 2012 documentary "The World According to Lance Armstrong" for more…show more content… There are many websites and underground stores that sell steroids. However, unlike a prescription from a physician, the black markets may not produce a “pure” product. After watching a documentary on steroids by Chris Bell, “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”, I see how easy and cheap it is to buy and sell steroids. This documentary gave me a different perspective on steroids. Specifically what caught my interest is how often Americans stereotype and blame steroids for life-threatening health concerns like heart attacks, strokes, and suicide, but with no proven documentation. There were several doctors that disagree with these concerns including Dr. Charles Yesalis. Dr. Yesalis received his doctoral degree by the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in 1975. He has published several books on performance enhancement drugs. He constantly mentions how the health risks of steroids have been greatly overstated. Technically, all drugs have adverse effect and no drug is 100% safe. In actuality, in the U.K. it is listed as Class C, which is the lowest health risk category of
