The use and abuse of performance-enhancing drugs have become a highly contentious issue in contemporary society. The media and the general public typically view these substances negatively for a variety of reasons, including steroid use is associated with a number of major health risks; athletes who use steroids are seeking an “unfair” advantage; athletes who are encouraged to use steroids may be viewed as coerced; and the use of such substances conflicts with the concept of good sportsmanship and how society generally views professional athletes as role models. Some athletes seek out dietary supplements for weight loss or muscle building as an alternative to steroids. Many dietary supplements obtained from sports medicine clinic are legal and safe for athletes and young adults to consume.
Supplements sold primarily in sports medicine clinic for weight loss and muscle building, on the other hand, “are known to frequently be adulterated with illegal substances, such as steroids and prescription pharmaceuticals, and to include toxic concentrations of legal substances.” They were also unaware of the dangers and negative side effects of some of the ingredients in the legalized supplements. Misuse of anabolic steroids can also result in a variety of negative side effects. Anabolic steroids are man-made variations of the male sex hormone testosterone that are commonly used by doping athletes. These substances have been scientifically proven to cause a variety of mental effects, including extreme irritability and aggression, delusions, impaired judgment, and mania.
Long-term effects include kidney damage or failure, liver damage and tumors, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of blood clots within the body. Other steroids have a direct effect on the cardiovascular system: cardiac hypertrophy can occur, blood pressure can skyrocket, and thrombotic complications can occur. The negative side effects can vary depending on the substance and dose consumed by each athlete. Athletes, on the other hand, would not resort to doping if they believed there would be no long-term benefits.
Some athletes seek benefits such as injury recovery, increased body recovery capacity after training, increased muscle mass and strength, decreased fat tissue, and increased endurance. Others are under pressure to be the absolute best at their position and the best in their sport, while also staying one step ahead of the competition in order to maintain that status. This mindset gives rise to the desire to have superhuman abilities, which comes with the use of steroids obtained from a sports medicine clinic.
