Anabolic Steroids: Got Small Balls?

The movie we watched today in class over anabolic steroids was interesting in all the findings they included. Such as 85% of steroid users mainly use for informal recreation and cosmetics rather than the 15% of athletes who use. I thought it would have been the opposite because of all the media that places places athletes in the spotlight and make a huge ordeal out of their steroid use. Barry Bonds, sets the record for home runs at 73 and it is pretty evident in his body structure when compared to other baseball players that he would be taking something other than the normal supplements. 

It's really sad how our nation looks up to drug users. The Bell brothers grew up loving Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stalone and Arnold Schwarzenegger and although they were young and naive they were amazed at how strong and powerful they were. Captain America and other various comic characters are becoming more and more in shape. And it seems as if the mass media encourages for people to be "fit"and that it's the "norm" to have a six pack by endorsing advertisements for crap products such as Hydroxycut and other various substances. 

The movie talked about what the new goal is for athletics, which is gene doping or genetic alteration to allow people to become faster and stronger. There have been a couple of images here and there in the media where they showed the effects of altering the genes in rats, such as the one seen in class. The movie also talked about how the cow was born with a genetic defect that made it grow with only pure muscle. In human form, we have a kid known as "Little Hercules" who was able to begin training at age TWO!!

It's actually scary how people are willing to go as far as changing their genes solely for career gains. There is bound to be some kind of repercussion for changing the way people are born naturally. In discussion, Scott asked whether or not its okay to choose the gene traits we give to our children. And that genetic research must be done so that genetic diseases can be prevented while the baby is still in the womb. This all makes sense to me, but I know that there are always going to have set rules that are going to be broken and that the next person will always try to push limits. They say that they are going to be able to prevent muscle dystrophy, but then they will just take the research that has already been accomplished and tweak it just a little to allow for more muscle growth. All in all, the whole idea of genetic alteration is scary, but in order to prevent people a lifetime of pain there must be research done to prevent it, and I guess it's just inevitable that people will use that power for their gain.

Ergogenic Aids

First off, I just wanted to say that I was really surprised to find out that Dr. Todd was into lifting weights and was in the Guinness Book of World Records. I just think that's pretty awesome because she was just doing what she loved! But anyways... Ergogenic Aids. Some people are really crazy to eat/inhale/inject all different kinds of things just so they can have better endurance or strength. Honestly, is it really worth cutting your lifespan short just so you can excel in a sport? I guess I can't really say I understand an athlete's point of view because that is their life, and what they do as a living so it must mean a lot more to them and obviously they would do anything to excel. In my opinion, each and every year, there is always going to be a new person who emerges in that sport becomes the new all-star. Granted they aren't going to be as experienced as someone who is older, but they will obviously learn from going to more competitions. I would understand how one would feel threatened when competing and they expect to win gold medals, but instead they end up losing to someone who is a couple of years their junior.

On the other hand, there are parents who are so desperate to live their life through their children that they lie and force them to take steroids. I remember watching an episode of Dr.Phil and it turned out that a father went as far as injecting his 13 year old son with steroids when he was competing in in-line skating. The full story can be found here. Already, one can see that that father doesn't have any morals to go as far as lying to his own son and inject him with "vitamins." As a child, you believe that you can do anything if you only put your mind to it. I have no idea what psychological issues that his son went through after getting disqualified from the event and also kicked off of his team when his goal in life was to become a speed skater.

It's also interesting to learn of how the U.S. government harvested people's pituitary gland from autopsies so that they could get Human Growth Hormones. The case where the girl was allowed to take HGH until she reached 5 feet, I think that it's a little unfair for her to be competing in cycling. Even though she took it so she wouldn't be short, she already has an unfair advantage over other at the age of 16. This isn't even an age where events are that serious about competition. Overall, I think many lines are going to be crossed when you allow people to take HGH, but what about those who are less fortunate? Are they going to have to suffer the consequences of the hand that's dealt to them when they are born or do we help them live a more "normal" life?

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. [Matthew 7:12]"

Dr. Todd brought up the Golden Rule, in which it states that one should "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." After stating this, she asked the class if anyone made decisions based off of this thinking. And I thought to myself that I do, but only sometimes, not always. During class I remember feeling distraught after hearing of the Tuskegee Experiment that occurred from 1932 to 1972. I know for sure that the scientists that participated in this research study did not think of the Golden Rule and how they would have felt if they were in these African-American male's shoes. It boggles my mind that people feel like they are than others merely because of the color of their skin. Just because you are white means that you are entitled to property, and you are able to do whatever you want, how unfair is that? Everyone is born with the same entitlement and the should be treated equally, but I suppose this is how our nation has finally been able to adopt to our morals that we have today. Granted, racism still exists even today, I bet it is no where near as terrible as the early 1900's.
After reading documents about the Tuskegee Experiments I really wonder how in the world this experiment went on for so long without the men being given cures, and after watching the men give the disease to their wife and children, making them suffer as well. This was all in the name of science? I don't think so. I believe it was all a ploy to be able to use science to once again dominant a lower class, since most of the scientists were white. I'm sure they knew the effects they were causing and yet they didn't cease the experiment.
President Clinton ended up delivering a speech in 1997 that said (http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/jul/tuskegee/):

"To the survivors, to the wives and family members, the children and the grandchildren, I say what you know: No power on Earth can give you back the lives lost, the pain suffered, the years of internal torment and anguish.

"What was done cannot be undone. But we can end the silence. We can stop turning our heads away. We can look at you in the eye and finally say, on behalf of the American people: what the United States government did was shameful.

"And I am sorry."

This experiment which degraded human beings into test subjects equivalent to animals ended in the year 1972, why did it take more than 20 years to give a formal apology? Throughout the experiment, people should have known they were wrong, and after the experiment they should have known they were wrong, and also by not giving the test subjects who were still alive, they should have felt ashamed by not being able to save a person's life. Aren't researchers supposed to be searching for a cure? Why did they infect these innocent people with what was then an incurable disease, and then find the cure, and ultimately not give it to them. They just sentenced all of them to death as well as all of their loved ones. I just hope we all learn how much another person's life is worth, and how we wouldn't want to be put in that situation.