History Of SteroidsSteroids are said to have originated in the earliest years of the Olympic Games in Greece. By then there was nothing much about chemical additives that would have improved the performance of athletes but it was thought that the athletes of that time used some diets to improve their performance in their sports. In the 20th century, the stakes in sports were getting higher and some competitors started using pills for their performance in sports. This was way before the International Olympics Committee cracked the whip on people who were using performance enhancing drugs for their sports. While at the beginning the use of steroids was underestimated, sportsmen and women started paying real attention to performance enhancing drugs and more than half of them are using steroids today. Steroids HistoryIn the 60’s and 70’s there was a mad rush by competitors and aesthetic users alike to use steroids with very few of them caring about the side effects of using steroids. It was all about the game and anyone who wanted to bulk and win was using steroids. It was in the 80’s that people started becoming more careful when using steroids because of the side effects which were now known. Still, more and more steroids were invented to combat the side effects and to gain as much muscle as possible Steroids UsageSteroids have their use in the medical world as well and scientists discovered that most of them were able to increase the red blood cell count in people who are suffering from anemia. This is the condition characterize by low red blood cell count and whose symptoms include dizziness, weakness and white palms and fingernails. Since steroids are used to increase the muscle mass of people who compete in sports, it was also used to improve the muscle mass of people who suffer from diseases that are characterized by muscle wasting like AIDS. Steroids were also used as hormone replacement therapy for infertile men and women. In women, some steroids were used to trigger ovulation where it was discovered that it was the lack of hormones that prevented ovulation. There are some men who do not have enough testosterone in their bodies and testosterone steroids are used to reverse testicular shrinkage and improve sperm count. In the treatment of infertility in men and women, steroids were used only when the male and female hormones were absent in their bodies and not when there is some other cause to the problem of infertility. Last but not least, boys who take long to reach puberty can be treated using steroids which will trigger the formation of secondary male sexual characteristics in those who have not developed them yet. Steroids onlineThanks to the internet a lot of steroids are sold online. In some countries like the United States, there are some which are considered illegal although there is nothing much that can be done to regulate the black market. Steroids are controlled substances in the United States and some of them are yet to be approved for human use by the FDA. They can be used medically for the treatment of anemia and infertility but the doctors have to compare the benefit of using anabolic steroids with the potential side effects on the user before making a prescription. There are some steroids that will not be dispensed without a prescription because they are hazardous. Users are abusing steroids now more than ever before to get the edge they want in their specific sports. The black market drugs cannot assure anyone of quality and unfortunately some of them have been laced with compounds that are life threatening. The presence of the black market results in increased steroid use and while this is an industry that does not show any signs of slowing down, users need to educate themselves.
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