Minnesota Vikings case to be reviewed next week

After the dispute between the Minnesota Vikings players and the NFL authorities regarding their suspension, the US congress will re-examine the Minnesota drug-testing law next week, which prevented the two Viking Pro Bowl tackles, Kevin and Pat Williams from being disciplined by the NFL authorities.

According to Karen Lightfoot, subcommittee chairperson of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer protection, the committee will conduct thorough investigations on November 3, 2009.

Members of the NFL Players Association and executives from the league will be attending the investigations to testify, while the two Vikings players are not yet confirmed if they will be called in as witnesses.

The Williamses were suspended from four games after testing positive for bumetanide in 2008. They were not aware that the weight loss supplement StarCaps contained the said diuretic substance. NFL prohibited bumetanide because it can mask the presence of steroids, although it was clear that the two players were not accused of taking any steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs.

After NFL decided to suspend the two players, they filed charges against the league, accusing them of violating a Minnesota law by suspending them for testing positive for bumetanide.

They sued NFL in Hennepin County and won a US Court of appeals ruling in September 11, 2009.

From Twin Cities:

Congress has scheduled a hearing next week to scrutinize a controversial Minnesota law allowing Kevin and Pat Williams to fight their suspensions in Hennepin County and thwart the NFL's authority to discipline the Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl tackles.

Public still not safe from nutritional supplements containing steroids

In an interview conducted by CBS news, Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter said, nutritional supplements are not subjected to pre-clearance. Hence, it is important that you do a research for a particular product before buying or using it.

Dr. Zeid Kayali, a liver transplant from Loma Linda University Medical Center in California, witnessed the severity of liver damage among a group of patients who has taken the nutritional supplement Tren. He was so alarmed that he reported it to US FDA.

Tyrone LaRose, a 42-year-old bodybuilder and an MBA student was one of those cases affected by Tren. In fact, LaRose is a part of the series of cases who filed a lawsuit against American Cellular Laboratories, the makers of Tren.

LaRose bought the supplement last fall and started using the product for three straight months. According to him, he took the supplement way below the recommend dosage. However, he was surprised to develop jaundice. His father had to take him to the hospital since his eyes were almost cat green and his skin just looks so terrible.

Upon biopsy, it was determined that LaRose had a severe liver damage.

La Rose swore that had he known the product was anabolic steroids, he would not have taken it. He was just not the type to resort to steroids in order to achieve the muscle gain he wanted.

From CBS News:

(CBS) Since the first CBS News story aired last March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun to crack down on designer steroids like Tren, but as CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reported on "The Early Show," they are still very available -- and very dangerous.

Colorado businessman pleaded guilty in exchange of a plea bargain in steroid case

After more than a year of fighting steroids accusations and money laundering, James A. Abernathy, a Colorado-based businessman finally pleaded guilty to charges filed against him and to eleven more defendants.

Abernathy pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute steroids and one count money laundering last week at a Mobile court in Alabama.

He was the first to make such plea among a group of twelve, all involved in the investigations conducted by authorities on Applied Pharmacy Services.

The pharmacy performed its operations in Mobile, Alabama, catering to customers across the whole country. According to court reports, the pharmacy allegedly sold and distributed anabolic steroids in thousands of doses.

Abernathy also agreed to return $5,000 worth of proceeds from their sales of anabolic steroids and he agreed to surrender the money used to facilitate the conspiracy.

In a bargain plea, Abernathy’s legal counsel negotiated with state prosecutors to lessen the terms of imprisonment for their client, based on existing sentencing guidelines advisory.

In addition, if state prosecutors deemed that he has provided “substantial assistance”, his punishments could be further lowered. “Substantial assistance” referred to by prosecutors would mean that Abernathy will testify against his other co-defendants.

From Al.com:

MOBILE, Ala. -- A Colorado businessman pleaded guilty in Mobile last week to steroid charges, representing the first break in a unified front that a dozen defendants have put up since their indictment last year as part of a long-running probe.

Actor playing steroids dealer say he is the real thing

Scott Siegel of New Rochelle, who played the role of a steroids dealer in 'The Wrestler', has pleaded guilty this Friday of distributing anabolic steroids and went on to confess that he even tried to run down the agents who came to arrest him.

The confession, which surprises one and all, is expected to bring a prison term of approximately five years for Siegel.

From TimesUnion.com:

Prosecutors said investigators found 1,500 bottles of steroids and thousands of dollars in cash at Siegel's and his parents' homes. When agents moved in on Feb. 18, prosecutors say Siegel sped away in his car, rammed five police cars and tried to run down an officer who was on foot.
Siegel played the role of a steroid dealer who distributed steroids to the lead character, which was played by Mickey Rourke.

The incident has once again put light on the often untalked relationship between steroids and celebrities and affirmed the fact that steroids have entered into lives of many present-day celebrities.

Turning Point does their best to minimize steroids use and abuse

During the past 18 months, Turning Point’s Smart Muscle sessions have attracted 270 men, one-half of whom had not previously employed anabolic steroids.

Most of them find out about Smart Muscle from acquaintances or at the gym and would otherwise rely on their supplier for information; they buy their vials from friends, their gym or online.

The clinic provides advice on nutrition and how best to. That convinces several that they do not need any chemical help. Still, if a customer wants to go ahead after discovering about potential side effects and the hazards of purchasing fake substances, the clinic suggests on dosage and explains how to inject into the muscle as safely as possible. Smart Muscle also offers liver-function tests and sexual health screening.

More people are taking anabolic steroids and that the profile is shifting to people who are not competitive sportsmen. They are doing it because of peer pressure, the media, and for some there is an economic drive.

Fifty-four anabolic steroids are already controlled substances, legal to have for private use, to supply. The Home Office, however, is consulting on adding another 24 to the controlled list.

From Times Online:

The fashion for pumped-up gym physiques is leading boys as young as 12 to risk their health taking anabolic steroids.

Long lasting aggression triggered by steroids in teens

Steroids can bring a lasting effect on brains of teenagers, as per a U.S. Study. The study also brought forward the fact that steroids can even go to the extent of flipping an adolescent brain's switch for aggression, which can last for at least two years.

It was remarked by the study researchers that anabolic steroids can result in permanent changes to the human brain though some experts are of the view that it is almost impossible to accurately ascertain the length of such an effect in humans.

From News-Medical.Net:

Neuroscientists are deeply concerned about the rising adolescent abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs), given the National Institute on Drug Abuse's estimate that nearly half a million 8th to 10th-grade students abuse AASs each year.
Not only do steroids set kids up for heavier use of steroids and other drugs later in life, it is known that long-term steroid use can cause mood swings, hallucinations and paranoia, liver damage and Hypertension, high blood pressure, as well as increased risk of heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.
Coming off steroids can also lead to depression.
The researchers at Northeastern University, Boston, examined the behaviour of adolescent hamsters when another hamster was put into their cage.
It seems that hamsters naturally defend their territory by play-fighting, wrestling and nibbling, but hamsters injected with commonly used steroids, which were suspended in oil, became extremely aggressive.
According to the researchers even after the drug was withdrawn, the newly vicious hamsters attacked, bit and chased the intruders, and the level of aggressiveness was 10 times greater than that of other hamsters which were only injected with oil.

Dr Richard Melloni, who led the research, remarked that steroids can bring a change in the trajectory if they are administered during development. He also said that people who are making use of such drugs need to consider the long-term health complications along with the severe potential for violence and aggression.