Steroid use common, says retired NHL enforcer

In a new book, retired NHL enforcer Georges Laraque said steroid use was commonplace for years in hockey dressing rooms.

Laraque wrote in "The Story of the NHL's Unlikeliest Tough Guy" that steroid use wasn't limited to just the league's bruisers.

From Espn.go.com:

Laraque, who is now a deputy leader of the federal Green Party, doesn't accuse any players by name in the book. He said enforcers also used steroids to gain weight before arriving in the pros, and took substances such as Ephedrine so they would be desensitized before a fight.

The NHL and the NHL Players' Association haven't responded to Laraque's claims. Testing for performance enhancing substances was included in the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the union in 2005.

Laraque did not name any players who were making use of steroids.

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.

House Committee misled on steroid use among players

Major League Baseball and union officials may have misled the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in relation to steroid use among players, according to a report by the New York Times.

The newspaper said officials presented figures that demonstrated that baseball's two-year-old testing program had substantially reduced the number of positive tests for performance enhancing drugs.

From Espnstar.com:

"It's clear that some of the information Major League Baseball and the players' union gave the committee in 2005 was inaccurate," Waxman said in a written statement, according to the Times. "It isn't clear whether this was intentional or just reflects confusion over the testing program for 2003 and 2004. In any case, the misinformation is unacceptable."

The newspaper also reported that the committee's staff plans to send letters to MLB commissioner Bud Selig and union executive director Donald Fehr about what Waxman deemed "misinformation."

Those falsities came from the information about 2004 testing, which was shut down for part of the season, allowing for the significantly lower number of positive results, according to the report. The newspaper said the committee was not aware of that. The Times reported that Selig's office later called that shutdown "an emergency response to an unforeseen situation," which the report said was in reference to the federal investigation of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative steroid ring.

"The testimony of Major League Baseball officials was completely accurate, and we are happy to address any concerns that Congressman Waxman may have," deputy commissioner Rob Manfred said.

Trial of ex-Padre Giles will have no steroid talks

According to a San Diego Superior Court judge, any evidence of alleged steroid use by former Padres outfielder Brian Giles should be excluded from his ongoing palimony trial against his former fiance.

Judge Jeffrey Barton made this ruling in response to a request by attorneys of Giles before the trial.

From Signonsandiego.com:

Giles’ attorney, James Scott, said this pre-trial request was made because of their concern that Olvera “will try to throw any kind of mud against the wall they can. That’s the reason for the prohibition on the issue.”

“I’ve represented Brian since 2003,” Scott said Monday. “He was never involved in it.”

They argued that Olvera had no expert witness to testify about it, that it was irrelevant to the case and that testimony about this subject would be highly prejudicial.

Olvera is seeking more than $10 million in damages in her palimony and domestic violence suit against Giles. She cited four incidents of alleged domestic abuse -- all denied by Giles -- and said he broke an oral agreement with her to provide for her and her daughter after they broke up in 2008. His attorneys have made the case that she refused to sign a prenuptial agreement and that this is part of a pattern of her seeking money from wealthy men.

It was argued by the attorneys that the ex-fiance of Giles, Cheri Olvera, would apparently attempt to prove Giles’ use of Adderrall (an amphetamine) and anabolic steroids to prove him mentally or physically predisposed to anger or violence.

Use of steroids by athletes advocated

An ally in Dr. Norman Fost, director of the bioethics program at the University of Wisconsin at Madison was found by sportsmen on steroids who have seen their image getting tarnished by media.

It was remarked by Dr. Fost that athletes should be allowed to use performance enhancing drug as per their preferences, hinting that all previous talks about steroid use in sports were of no substance.

From Bigthink.com:

“Drug-testing policies in professional sports are completely illogical, and the placement of drugs on the banned substance list is quite arbitrary,” says Fost. He readily acknowledges that many of these illegal substances do boost performance, but “so does everything else that athletes do to give themselves a competitive edge.” He also emphasizes that steroids do not create athletes, but rather help them to train harder; “Believe me, I could juice all day and all night, and I’d never be able to hit a major league pitch.”
In response to those who believe steroids should remain banned because of their health risks, Fost points to the MLB’s tolerance of chewing tobacco during games, and to the NFL’s glorification of bone-crunching tackles. Regardless, Fost insists that the health risks of steroids have been wildly exaggerated. Fost also thinks it's hypocritical that Lance Armstrong has been crucified in the media for his alleged blood doping, while NFL newcomer (and predestined superstar) Tim Tebow was recently seen on television boasting about his use of a hyperbaric chamber; “Hyperbaric chambers and drugs such as EPO are essentially two means to the same end.”

This support for use of steroids also suggested that proclaimed health risks of steroids have been widely exaggerated in the past and steroid use can only help athletes train hard.

Shane Carwin received steroids

The UFC Heavyweight contender, Shane Carwin, has been named by a US prosecutor as one of the 22 athletes receiving steroids from a drug ring in Alabama.

Carwin last faced Brock Lesnar, the UFC Heavyweight Champion, in first round of the championship battle and lost after appearing all set to win.

From Helium.com:

It is believed Shane Carwin took steroids in 2006. Shane Carwin joined the UFC in 2007 and won all his fights until he lost in the UFC Heavyweight Championship fight (at UFC 116) vs. Brock Lesnar. Shane Carwin has never tested positive for steroids at a UFC event. However, this does not conclude he has never taken steroids while fighting in the UFC. This means Shane Carwin was never tested while he was on steroids.

What does this mean to UFC fans? As a fan, it is a shame to have UFC fighters linked to steroids. It is true there are steroid users in every sport, professional wrestling being the biggest culprit when it comes to steroid use. The UFC is supposed to be better than the WWE. Now there is a former WWE fighter as the UFC Heavyweight Champion in Brock Lesnar. Is there proof he never took steroids when he fought in the WWE? Many people believe all WWE fighters have taken steroids. It is part of the fake game of wrestling. Linking one of the superstars of the UFC to steroids could have horrible effects on the UFC. Some fans won't care, but the die-hard fans will. Who wants to pay for another venue pitting fake athletes (infested with steroids) up against each other?

The name of Carwin in a drug racket has once again highlighted the speculations that WWE and UFC fighters take steroids to stay on a high.

Soares defends case on steroids

An Albany judge has been asked to forge ahead by prosecutors with a criminal trial for five Florida pharmacy operators accused of being at the center of an alleged illegal steroids business. The steroids case drew national interest in 2007 but has since then brought attacks on office of the Albany County district attorney.

The remaining criminal case targeting the pharmacist-owners of Orlando's former Signature Compounding Pharmacy has been languished for three years and exposed illegal steroid use by professional athletes and others.

From Timesunion.com:

More than 15 people, including doctors and business owners, pleaded guilty to related drug charges in a case that exposed systemic abuse of prescription drug laws. But the case against the pharmacists and their managers, who were also targets of a related federal criminal investigation, has thrust a spotlight on District Attorney David Soares' decision to indict operators of a faraway company that did a small percentage of its multi-million-dollar business in New York state and Albany County.

Two years ago an Albany County judge threw out the first indictment against the pharmacy's operators, citing prosecutorial missteps in the grand jury proceedings. A month later, the pharmacists fought back with a federal civil rights lawsuit in Florida seeking millions of dollars in damages for false arrest and malicious prosecution. They sued Soares, an assistant district attorney, the Orlando Police Department and other law enforcement officials.

But their criminal case in New York was not over. Earlier this year a state appellate court reversed a portion of the county judge's dismissal order that barred prosecutors from bringing a new indictment, which they did in June.

Soares not only participated in, but also directed the Assistant District attorney and others for violating plaintiffs' Fourth Amendment right to be free from unlawful arrests.

Injectable steroids demonstrate efficacy for treating diabetic complications

Triamcinolone (a corticosteroid), when injected directly into the eye, for treating progression of a complication of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy can be more than just useful, according to a study.

The finding was disclosed in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

From Sciencedaily.com:

Corticosteroids have been shown to interfere with the creation of new blood vessels, possibly by reducing the production of compounds that spur their growth, the authors note. However, steroids are also associated with other eye diseases.

"Use of this intravitreal [injected into the eye] corticosteroid preparation to reduce the likelihood of progression of retinopathy is not warranted at this time because of the increased risk of glaucoma and cataract associated with intravitreal steroid use," the authors write. "Any treatment to be used routinely to prevent proliferative diabetic retinopathy likely needs to be relatively safe because the condition already can be treated successfully and safely with panretinal photocoagulation. Nevertheless, further investigation with regard to the role of pharmacotherapy for reduction of the incidence of progression of retinopathy appears to be warranted."

The finding was revealed after a study involving 840 eyes of 693 participants having macular edema was conducted by Neil M. Bressler, M.D., of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and colleagues in the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network.

McGwire wants people to move ahead of baseball steroid tales

Mark McGwire, the recently appointed hitting coach of the Cardinals, wants every one to move ahead of baseball steroid tales.

During his first public appearance since coming clean, McGwire evaded all questions related to steroid use thrown at him and defended his decision to came clean and spoke honestly on Monday night on TV with Bob Costas.

From LATimes.com:

"I was being as honest as I (could), from the heart. I got it off my chest and it's something we can all move on from."
Asked several times about allegations from former Oakland teammate Jose Canseco that he wasn't telling the truth and whether he was familiar with specific names of steroids, this was his answer:
"Those names, yeah, I'm familiar with them but, like I said, I'm not going to go down that road with Jose," he said. "I'll take the high road with Jose."
He was also asked if he really had never told Tony La Russa of his steroid use. La Russa, his manager in Oakland and St. Louis, had said he believed McGwire was clean.
"Absolutely. Tony La Russa, I kept this to myself," he said.

Whatever may be the talks in the baseball world, one thing that can easily be said is that McGwire has relieved himself by confessing to using steroids.

Diabetes-related eye diseases may be treated with steroids

According to a new study that was led by researcher Dr Neil M. Bressler of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, steroids when injected directly into the eye can help in treating Diabetic retinopathy, which is a complication of diabetes and results in vision loss and blindness.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy occurs when new blood vessels are formed on the optic disc or another component of the retina. The study highlighted that there is a need for further studies in identifying other treatment though laser treatments may reduce the risk of vision loss while control of blood glucose can prevent the development of retinopathy.

From Timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

"Use of this intravitreal [injected into the eye] corticosteroid preparation to reduce the likelihood of progression of retinopathy is not warranted at this time because of the increased risk of glaucoma and cataract associated with intravitreal steroid use," the authors write.
"Any treatment to be used routinely to prevent proliferative diabetic retinopathy likely needs to be relatively safe because the condition already can be treated successfully and safely with panretinal photocoagulation.
“Nevertheless, further investigation with regard to the role of pharmacotherapy for reduction of the incidence of progression of retinopathy appears to be warranted," they added.

The study appeared in journal Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Anabolic steroids can easily result in anti-social behavior

There can be a possible link between anabolic steroids and anti-social behavior as per researchers from Sweden.

Anabolic steroids are drugs related with male sex hormones that are used in oral as well as injectable forms for building muscles and developing lean body appearance. However, long-term use or abuse of steroids can result in serious health complications including liver cancer and kidney disease.

From News-Medical.Net:

Apparently non-prescription steroid use has been linked previously to a number of psychiatric conditions and changes in behaviour and there have been reports of groups such as bodybuilders using anabolic androgenic steroids where hypomania or manic episodes, depression or suicide, psychotic episodes and increased aggressiveness and hostility have been experienced.

Dr. Fia Klötz of Uppsala University in Sweden, and colleagues studied the associations between criminality and steroid use in 1,440 Swedish residents tested for the drugs between 1995 and 2001.

They found that those who tested positive for steroid use were about twice as likely to have been convicted of a weapons offence and one and a half times as likely to have been convicted of fraud.

It was remarked that the use of steroids leads to anti-social behavior due to steroids' effects on mood swings, impulsiveness, depression, paranoid jealousy, extreme irritability, delusions and impaired judgment.

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.