Steroid use accusations on Two All Blacks

The former coach of Olympic gold medalist Hamish Carter, Jack Ralston, has accused two All Blacks of taking steroids in his new book.

"People might be stunned by this but I know at least two All Blacks in the 1990s who responded to demands that they bulk up by taking steroids," Ralston revealed in an early edition of his biography The Sports Insider.

From Stuff.co.nz:

Ralston was the New Zealand Rugby Union's head of sales and marketing between 1997-99. He has also been on the payroll at Netball New Zealand, Gymsports NZ and as a coach worked for Arthur Lydiard during a lengthy career in New Zealand and international sport.

The highly regarded Ralston, who also enjoyed a stint with Nike and worked with sporting icons such as Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Carl Lewis, worked with the All Blacks in a commercial capacity during their failed 1999 Rugby World Cup campaign.

Ralston added he "never saw" any All Black ingesting steroids.

Steroid bust by Albuquerque Police

On Friday, the Albuquerque Police Department said it made one of its largest steroids busts at a Westside home.

Ruben Jaramillo Jr., who turned his home into a steroid lab, at his home near Unser Boulevard, was arrested by the ADP.

From Kob.com:

"He is huge, probably I would say right now, probably one of the largest trafficking distributions of anabolic steroids from what we are finding in there,” APD Sgt. Patrick Ficke said.

APD went to the home with a warrant but Jaramillo didn’t answer the door, so police entered by force.

APD’s Eastside Narcotics Team found vials of liquid steroids plus it's pill form, in plain sight inside Jaramillo's home.

Most interesting, Jaramillo was making the steroids himself, he even had his own labels, police said.

He also wasn’t shy about his drug dealing.

"Obviously, he's very open, everybody in the household knows what he's doing," Ficke said.

About a year ago, Jaramillo and his wife were arrested by Bernalillo County deputies for similar steroid related charges.

One year suspension for Sonnen

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen following a failed drug test he took prior to his UFC 117 bout against middleweight champion Anderson Silva on Aug. 7, 2010.

The fight was dominated by Sonnen with punches and takedowns but Silva managed to make a triangle choke submission to force Sonnen to tap out.

From Prommanow.com:

The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has suspended the license of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Chael Sonnen, after Sonnen tested positive for steroids, a banned substance.

A sample from Sonnen’s August 6 drug test came back with a high T/E (testosterone-to-estrogen) level, which is indicative of anabolic steroid use. CSAC learned of the results September 2 and ordered a second test, which also came back positive for steroid use. CSAC received test results from the second sample on September 14 and suspended Sonnen two days later. He is suspended for one year. Sonnen has 30 days to appeal the decision.

“The use of anabolic steroids and other banned substances are not tolerated by the commission,” said CSAC Executive Officer George Dodd. “Anabolic agents put the health and safety of both the user and his opponents at risk.”

Sonnen’s sample was sent to the World Anti-doping Agency test facility at theUniversity ofCalifornia,Los Angeles on August 6, 2010 for processing.

Aristy faked age for bonus

Alvaro Aristy, originally Jorge Leandro Guzman, forged everything from his name to age and even talent.

The vice president of Major League Baseball's department of investigations, Dan Mullin, remarked the MLB got a tip about Aristy's identity in January 2010.

From Baseballamerica.com:

Randy Smith, Padres vice president of player development and international scouting, said the team was surprised to learn of Guzman's fraud before spring training in 2010. "We had no reason to be suspicious," Smith said. "From our information and him being cleared the first time, we were comfortable with MLB's investigation."

MLB launched its department of investigations in 2008 in response to recommendations from the Mitchell Report, but Mullin's team didn't take over age and identity investigations of Latin American players until July 2009. Prior to that, teams contracted out background checks of Latin American players—including Guzman's—to independent investigators, a system that team officials often complained was ineffective and at times outright corrupt.

Aristy tested positive for a metabolite of Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid commonly sold as Deca Durabolin.

Drug seizure with Pelham drug bust

In a search of a Pelham home by the Niagara Regional Police Morality Unit and the Prescription Unit, four people have been arrested and nearly $30,000 worth of drugs have been seized.

Police seized $24,599.30 in cash, about $12,000 worth of marijuana, $890 worth of cocaine, and $15,000 worth of anabolic steroids.

From Niagarathisweek.com:

In all, police charged five people. A Pelham man has been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of anabolic steroids for the purpose of trafficking, possession of crime over $5,000, careless storage of ammunition and unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon.

A Welland woman, a Thorold man and a man from Clinton have all been charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

A Welland woman was charged with possession of oxycodone for the purpose of trafficking and possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000 in a related investigation.

Popular asthma drug inadequate when used alone

A drug widely prescribed as the sole treatment for asthma has been found to be incapable by itself when it comes to preventing asthma attacks.

The drug is also ineffective in controlling the airway inflammation thought to lead to deteriorated lung function and gradual worsening of asthma.

From Ucsf.edu:

“Inhaled steroids are widely underutilized,” Lazarus concludes. “In low doses they are safe, and they are the most proven method of attacking the inflammation that is asthma’s greatest long-term danger.”

Lazarus is co-author of a companion article in the same issue of JAMA which found that once their asthma was brought under control with inhaled steroids and long-acting beta agonists, most patients with more severe asthma could cut their steroid dosage in half with no ill effects. But if the steroids were dropped completely, the asthma could not be adequately controlled.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

E-learning to help tackle drug use

The London 2012 Olympic Games will become a learning archive through online resources bringing thousands of people from all over the world to England's capital city.

Online learning resources would be used to help raise awareness in conjunction with the experts.

From Virtual-college.co.uk:

E-learning modules for the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been announced which will provide packages educating users on the benefits of sport and fitness, PJ Online reports.

In collaboration with the Games, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) Clinical Pharmacy Services Group has implemented the use of a new revolutionary system which will help those operating on site and allow them to get information on the go.

The three polyclinic pharmacies at the athlete villages in Stratford, Eton Dorney and Weymouth are designed and well under construction. Furthermore, the package entitled 'The use of drugs in sport: a healthcare professional's perspective', are fully completed and ready for use as all pharmacy policies and procedures have been written.

Categories of drugs banned from sporting events such as the Olympics include anabolic steroids, peptide hormones, strong analgesic painkillers, stimulants, and diuretics that can all have performance enhancing effects.

More and more local fighters taking steroids

Drug-busters recently said that a growing number of local fighters are taking steroids after banning South African boxing champion, Matima Molefe for two years.

Molefe's urine sample tested positive for traces of Nandrolone, an anabolic agent, after he stopped Simphiwe Tom in the second round of a showdown for the vacant SA featherweight crown in East London on May 29.

From Sowetanlive.co.za:

SA Institute of Drug-Free Sport (Saids) chief executive Khalid Grant said on Tuesday that drug abuse by professional boxers was becoming rife, with four positives out of 87 tests from April 2010 to March 2011.
Pugilists were turning to steroids in the "misconception that steroids alone will enhance their performance and give them additional strength and power".
“Boxers are not only increasing their risk by using sports supplements, but are also wasting their money as the boxing performance gains are minimal,” said Galant, adding the promised performance gains of sports supplements and steroids had little bearing on improved boxing skills.

Galant added, “We hope boxers will learn from these doping bans being handed down that champions are made through hard work in the gym and will not be found in some capsule or muscle powder drink.”