When the public hears the word ‘steroid’ they usually think only of the drugs that have strengthening properties like the male hormone testosterone. Anabolic steroids build up muscles and make certain aspects of the body more masculine like deepening of the voice and enlargement of the testes.

Anabolic steroids are not cortisone steroids and work very differently. For the last 30-40 years athletes from all over the world have used anabolic steroids to enhance their abilities to perform in many sports.

Joyous distrust is a sign of health. Everything absolute belongs to pathology.
Nietzsche

The most well known athlete was Lance Armstrong who won many biking championships and medals and was later found guilty of using these outlawed steroids. Most anabolic steroid users, however, are not athletes. It is estimated that up to 3 million people have misused these drugs in attempts to obtain the masculinizing results cited above.

The medical and approved uses of these anabolic steroids are for bone marrow stimulation, growth stimulation, male contraception, stimulation of a leaner body mass, and hormone replacement.

Anabolic steroids have serious side effects including liver problems, growth defects, and tumors of the brain. They create major problems in the cardiovascular system causing strokes, and a whole host of minor problems.