Drugs Banned From Sports

Performance Enhancing Drugs in Athletics

Information provided by the Conscious Evolution Institute

Athletic competitors are always trying to get an edge over the competition. Usually, they do this by training hard and putting their blood, sweat, and tears into their trade to become the best they can be.

Other athletes, however, take shortcuts. There are a number of ways that athletes can do this. Although practical, performance-enhancing drugs and medical techniques provide an unfair advantage to these players that have the potential to put honest athletes out of work.

Lance Armstrong's appearance on Oprah recently is the most relevant example today, but a decade ago, it was the excellent baseball homerun shootouts of the early 2000s. The primary stories of performance-enhancing drugs in the 1980s and 1990s involved Olympic Track and Field athletes.

Although we at the Conscious Evolution Institute are significant proponents of Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone Replacement Therapy, we understand that they should not be used for athletic performance-enhancing purposes because of the unfair work environment for athletes who do not turn to the substances.

However, we strongly support using drugs such as HGH Shots and Testosterone Injections for their rejuvenative, Anti-Aging purposes.

Below is a list of commonly used performance-enhancing drugs regularly banned in amateur, professional, and Olympic sports.

Categories of Banned Performance Enhancing Drugs

Stimulants and Performance Enhancement

Although not the most talked-about form of performance-enhancing drug, stimulants are commonly tested for by athletic organizations such as Major League Baseball and the International Olympic Committee.

Stimulants are medicines and illicit drugs which boost mental and athletic performance by increasing physical and mental stimulation. They tend to boost competitive desire and allow players to attain higher levels of alertness for more extended periods.

Take baseball, for example. Baseball is a sport of split-second reaction times and decision-making. The pitcher throws the ball, and the batter has less than a second to judge the ball's trajectory and take a swing.

Stimulants such as yellowjackets, Adderall, and amphetamines can provide precious extra milliseconds for the batter to react accurately and make clean contact with the ball.

In addition to this, stimulants tend to increase levels of aggression that allow players in high-contact sports such as football the desire to drive their opponent straight into the ground.

Stimulants also reduce tiredness and help athletes enhance their energy levels. Baseball is well-known for the use of stimulants through the seventies and eighties.

Baseball players are on a grueling schedule, playing through well over 100 games a year all over the country.

They are expected to maintain peak performance even under these conditions. If they slip up, the risk of being demoted back to the minor leagues is high for unestablished players. Stimulants were often used to help players get excited about every night game.

Dangers of Stimulant Abuse

Although the performance benefits of stimulants are well-documented, misuse of stimulants can lead to a number of health and behavioral problems as well. Abuse of stimulants can raise blood temperature to unhealthy levels as well as elevate blood pressure to a dangerous rate.

Stimulant abuse increases the chances of heart attack and stroke in mid-adulthood because of the increased strain on the cardiovascular system. Stimulant abuse can also disrupt the heart's normal function, leading to an irregular heartbeat.

Examples of Stimulants

Although cocaine and methamphetamine are well-known illegal stimulants, many other stimulants can be acquired through prescription or over-the-counter. Other nutritional and herbal supplements can also be purchased from diet and nutrition stores. Stimulants prohibited from athletic performance include:

• Terbutaline
• Strychnine
• Salmenterol
• Salbutamol
• Phentermine
• Phenylpropanolamine
• Pipradol
• Pentylentrazol
• Mesocarb
• Fencamfamine
• Ephedrines
• Cocaine
• Carphedron
• Bromantane
• Amphetamines
• Amiphenazole
• amineptine

Steroids and Performance Enhancement

Steroids are another form of Performance Enhancing Drugperhaps the form that receives the most media attention. Anabolic Steroids enhance the body's ability to withstand and develop muscle through weightlifting and other forms of intense exercise. These Steroids work by mimicking the function of the testosterone our bodies endogenously produce.

Bodybuilders and professional athletes primarily use testosterone to strengthen their muscles and bones to hit harder on the field, run faster on the track, and enhance their physique in a culture that desires and appreciates aesthetically large and impressive muscles.

Professionals who use anabolic steroids such as Testosterone shots can train more frequently than their peers and for extended periods. They can also put more strain on their muscles and still see results because Testosterone helps feed hungry muscles the protein they need to take on an enhanced workload.

In the medical arena, steroids have been used for decades as a means to decrease recovery time and increase rehabilitative outcomes for patients who are suffering from significant illness or are in the process of recovering from major surgery.

Steroids like Testosterone creams have also been shown to be especially effective in treating Age-related disorders such as Low-T and Adult-onset hypogonadism.

As men age, their natural Testosterone levels start to dwindle, and the positive effects of healthy Testosterone levels begin to diminish.

Testosterone helps these patients maintain healthy baseline Testosterone levels to maintain enhanced physical and mental health.

Testosterone Therapy has also been beneficial in women for restoring sexual desire, alleviating depression, and maintaining muscle and bone health. The positive health benefits provided for women with the use of Testosterone are with low doses intended to replenish normal levels of female testosterone.

Symptoms of Steroid Abuse

Of course, since Testosterone is the primary male androgen, Abuse of testosterone and other steroids in women can lead to the development of unwanted male traits. These women develop muscles that are similar to those of men.

In addition, body hair also begins to grow in traditionally male patterns. The breasts often shrink as Testosterone crowds out the female body's natural estrogen production. Personality traits typically dominant in males, such as aggression, also tend to develop.

In patients of both sexes, the abuse of Testosterone can reduce fertility outcomes in males because the influx of outside steroids reduces the body's ability to produce its sperm and testosterone after the patient has ceased Testosterone Injection, and in women because the flood of Testosterone inhibits the function of Estrogen in the female reproductive cycle. Testosterone abuse can lead to male infertility as well as acne.

Abuse of Steroids can also lead to kidney damage because the body is not optimized to function with an excess of testosterone or other androgens. Steroid abuse is also bad for the heart and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and hardened arteries.

Excess Steroid levels also increase the chance of developing reproductive cancers such as prostate cancer.

Oral steroid consumption is tightly correlated with liver damage because the liver is only designed to handle a particular load of amino acids, and damage begins to build up when the organ processes too much.

A few common anabolic steroids are stanozolol, nandrolone, and androstenedione.

Diuretics and Performance Enhancement

Diuretics are another substance that is banned in many professional and amateur sports. The legitimate medical use of Diuretics is to decrease fluid levels in the body as a treatment for serious medical issues such as liver disease, kidney disease, heart failure, and hypertension.

These drugs are also used to treat issues such as edema, fluid retention, and any medical issue that leads to high levels of swelling. In the most direct of terms, diuretics cause patients to urinate more often to release excess fluid within the body.

Many diuretics are banned substances in professional athletics because they are commonly used to hide the use and abuse of performance-enhancing drugs from drug testing. As time has passed and new techniques have been developed, professional and Olympic drug testing has become more sophisticated, and more and more drugs are testable.

Diuretics reduce concentrations of performance-enhancing drugs in the urine to increase the chances that a player will pass a drug test even when currently using drugs that are banned from the sport.

In sports such as boxing or wrestling, diuretics are often used to drop weight quickly to qualify for lower weight classes. Although Diuretics are not performance-enhancing drugs in and of themselves, their unwarranted presence in the urine or bloodstream of an athlete is an implicit admission that the athlete has something to hide; therefore, in many sports, the use of these drugs is bannable.

Symptoms of Diuretic Abuse

Diuretics can also hurt the body when used in excess. The overuse of these drugs can lead to significant and even life-threatening dehydration.

Our bodies need a significant amount of water to function correctly. Diuretic abuse deprives the body of proper hydration, which prevents the kidneys from performing filtration properly, damaging them severely over the long term.

Heart damage can also result from long-term diuretic abuse because the blood will be under-hydrated and thickened. Over time this can lead to total heart failure.

Diuretics are often banned in Professional, Amateur, and Olympic Sports:

• Triamterene
• Spironalactone
• Mersalyl
• Hydrochlorothiazide
• Mannitol
• Furosemide
• Ethacrynic acid
• Chlorthalidone
• Bumetanide
• Acetazolamide

Human Growth Hormone InjectionsHGH Truths

Aside from Testosterone and other Anabolic Steroids, the Performance Enhancing Drug most discussed in the media today is Human Growth Hormone. Like Testosterone and other androgens, HGH is produced naturally by the human body.

Human Growth Hormone spurs the growth and development of the bones and the muscles and promotes fat breakdown and the synthesis of proteins.

For this reason, it is possible to gain an athletic edge with HGH. Recently, Lance Armstrong came out and admitted that he used Human Growth Hormone Shots to boost performance, which allowed him to become the most well-known cyclist in the world.

HGH Effects

Human Growth Hormone injections increase energy and allow the body to create muscle mass and strength at an enhanced rate. It also helps athletes stay in enhanced physical shape because it efficiently converts unhealthy fat into energy the muscles use to stay active.

Since HGH bolsters cell division and reproduction, it also dramatically reduces downtimes and soreness associated with vigorous exercise, allowing individuals to train more effectively. HGH Anti-Aging effects continue to be uncovered yearly.

Injectable HGH has been proven to be a highly effective therapy in adult patients who suffer from HGH Deficiency. Still, it is illegal for use in the United States without a diagnosed deficiency. Although Human Growth Hormone is incredibly safe for treating HGH Deficiency, several side effects are associated with the abuse of the hormone.

This is because HGH Hormone Replacement Therapy is only intended to restore normal, healthy levels of Human Growth Hormone. Professional athletes who abuse HGH flood their bodies with HGH levels higher than the body can produce.

Side Effects of HGH Abuse

Systematic abuse of Human Growth Hormone can lead to arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and edema. In addition, HGH Abuse can also lead to a disorder known as acromegaly.

Acromegaly is a condition where the bones of the jaw, hands, and feet begin to grow in size outward. The plates of the bones prevent them from growing longer after puberty, so they grow outward instead, creating aesthetic distortions which can lead to joint discomfort, pain, and even eating and breathing difficulties when severe.

EPO for Performance Enhancement

Erythropoietin (also known as EPO) is a performance-enhancing drug most associated with endurance sports such as cross-country skiing and long-distance running. The kidneys naturally secrete this hormone to increase the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream.

Red blood cells are responsible for the circulation of oxygen through the blood. For professional and Olympic athletes that perform in sports that feature a long period of extended exertion, this increases the effectiveness of the blood supply, allowing these athletes to push themselves harder and faster than ever before.

Although most popular among these endurance athletes, there are also lesser advantages to having an increased red blood cell count, which also benefits athletes who perform anaerobically, such as weightlifters and short-distance sprinters.

Symptoms of EPO Abuse

EPO abuse can lead to several circulatory issues, such as hypertension and clogged veins and arteries. EPO abuse can lead to a cardiovascular system that is simply overloaded with red blood cells. This overload can also lead to Brain edema, which can cause seizures, migraines, vision problems, and a number of other disorders associated with increased intracranial pressure.

Beta-Blockers for Performance Enhancement

Whereas most performance-enhancing drugs are associated with increases in alertness, muscle generation, and muscular and cardiovascular amplification, Beta-Blockers are used for a different purpose. The medical purpose of Beta-Blockers is to treat heart disease, high blood pressure, and angina by slowing down the heart rate and reducing the speed at which blood circulates through the body.

For precision athletes such as archers, dart throwers, and target shooters, Beta-Blockers can increase accuracy by reducing trembling and allowing participants to make accurate throws between heartbeats. Abuse of Beta-Blockers has been proven to lead to depression, exhaustion, and heart failure. If blood pressure becomes too low, the body does not have the energy to perform adequately, and the body can simply shut down.

Blood Doping for Performance Enhancement

Although not a drug, blood doping is a common performance enhancement that provides an unfair advantage to unscrupulous athletes. Doping the blood uses red blood cells or products that proliferate red blood cells and increases an athlete's red blood cell count by reintroducing them through injections.

In the most common form of blood doping, athletes have a portion of their red blood cells drawn from their bloodstream and preserved for a later date.

Over time, the athlete's body replenishes its depleted blood cell count. Around one month before they are expected to perform, they have the preserved red blood cells re-injected, which provides an athletic boost compared to EPO.

Symptoms of Blood Doping Abuse

A number of complications and dangers can arise from the procedure. After the red blood cells have been drawn, the body will often react negatively in the form of chills and fatigue.

When the red blood cells are injected back into the body, fever and edema can also result. Blood doping can also result in significant blood infections, which can be life-threatening.

Also, long-term blood doping can result in eventual liver and kidney breakdown. Brain damage can also result. The body is designed for gradual changes in red blood cell count, and drastic changes that occur through frequent and drastic changes through blood doping can significantly affect the body.

We at the Conscious Evolution Institute do not condone using performance-enhancing drugs for athletic performance enhancement. Still, we recognize many practical and legal purposes for treatments such as Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone Replacement Therapy.

If you are interested in the use of Hormone Replacement as a means to correct a hormonal deficiency, our clinic provides all the tools you need to live a longer, happier, healthier life. Call or contact us today if you have any questions!

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