Gym candy, Is your son at risk? - by @frieda

The use of anabolic steroids by schoolboys has serious consequences for the health of these young users. Is your son spending hours of his time at the gym? Has he increased in size in a dramatically short space of time? If it is so, he may be among those young sportsmen who are placing their health at risk by taking 'gym candy' or anabolic steroids.

Youngsters are bullied because of body image, force them to take steroids

Image credit

It has long been known that the use of steroids affects fertility and it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. This innocent sounding name hides a frightening reality that is threatening our schoolboys.
However, for many of our youngsters, these effects do not concern them now and belong to the far distant future. It seems far less important than achieving a place in the first rugby team or of winning a major sporting award. Tragically, many sports coaches turn a blind eye to this situation, or, worse still, some actively encourage young players to take steroids to increase their performance on the playing field.
The use of anabolic steroids can cause both temporary or permanent injury to anyone using them. The bodies of some of the teenagers who are abusing steroids are still developing and they are at heightened risk.

Zac Effron on steroids?

Image credit
Anabolic steroids promote the growth of muscle and the growth of cells. Steroids mimic the actions of the male sex hormone testosterone and maintain or increase male physical characteristics.

It is an open secret that many professional sportsmen break the rules and regularly used banned chemical substances. Youngsters watch their heroes breaking records and earning fame and sometimes vast amounts of money, apparently with no side effects, and these youngsters believe that they too, can ignore the warnings and improve their performance through drugs. Some parents buy these drugs for their sons and further encourage the use thereof. Some parents want to see themselves in the performance of their children because they were unable to achieve themselves academically or on the sports field. It becomes an obsession for them that their son must play in the first rugby team and become a Springbok rugby player one day.

It is estimated that 4,9% of males and 2.4% of females of high school students in the USA have used anabolic steroids at least once in their lives. This amounts to 375,000 young boys and 175,000 young girls.

Some of the side effects of steroids

Image credit
Anabolic steroids are causing various side effects, many of them irreversible. They are having serious side effects on many organ systems, and the damage it causes is not treatable. These include fertility problems, unable to have children of their own one day, impotence, heart and liver damage, abnormalities. High blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Boys may develop the abnormal growth of breast tissue and shrinkage of their testes. Girls naturally will have an irregular menstrual cycle and will develop male characteristics such as abnormal growth of facial and body hair. Both boys and girls may experience mood swings, aggressive behavior which will impact on those taking the steroids and the people around them. They may also suffer from severe acne.

Young guy using too many steroids

Image credit
The time has come that everyone, parents, family members, teachers and coaches responsible for these young schoolboys and girls, to take action against this menace threatening our youngsters.
Education, education and more education about anabolic steroids is of the most importance. Everone can buy these powders and capsules, you find them in shops, supermarkets, and pharmacies. It looks so innocent there on the shelves, but can and will cause permanent damage to our young boys and girls' bodies!

Effects of Steroid Use

Image credit

please follow me @frieda