The NSW rugby league player, Mitchell Mansfield, was banned from the sports for a period of two years after he was caught for importing steroids concealed as herpes ointment.

Two airmail boxes from Thailand, which were addressed to the Wentworthville Magpies Jim Beam Cup player, were intercepted by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service on July 8, 2009.

From news.smh.com.au:

Customs officers seized the boxes and notified ASADA of the attempted importation of performance-enhancing drugs.

ASADA Chairman Richard Ings said the case against Mansfield was then strengthened after financial transactions linked to the importation were uncovered during investigations.

Based on the evidence collected during the investigation, the NSWRL handed down a two-year ban which means Mansfield cannot play until July, 2011.

“Our partnership with customs and border protection is vital in allowing ASADA to detect forms of doping that would not be detected through traditional testing alone,” ASADA chairman Richard Ings said in a statement.

“Our intelligence and investigations work is a critical component of a comprehensive anti-doping capability.

Liquid in the vials included testosterone and nandrolone, both of which are prohibited substances under the World Anti-Doping Code.

Federal agents have been raiding many companies that were suspected of developing making bodybuilding products sold as over-the-counter dietary supplements and containing steroids.

The FDA has already issued a warning to the customers not to make use of products that are marketed for the purpose of bodybuilding and include steroids or steroidlike substances, or claiming to improve testosterone.

From NYTimes.com:

Under the law, dietary supplements are generally defined as products that contain or are derived from natural foodstuffs like minerals or herbs and do not claim to prevent, mitigate or cure specific illnesses.

But when products marketed as supplements are found to contain pharmaceutical ingredients like steroids, the federal government considers them misbranded — and unapproved illegal drugs.

Testifying on Tuesday at a Senate hearing on bodybuilding products, Travis T. Tygart, chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, estimated that hundreds of illegal products containing steroids were now available in the United States. As evidence of the problem, Mr. Tygart introduced Jareem Gunter, a former college baseball player who said he suffered acute liver failure after taking a bodybuilding product called Superdrol.

“Jareem had no way of knowing that a regulatory scheme designed over 15 years ago for a few companies selling a limited number of simple vitamins and mineral supplements has been hijacked by unscrupulous profiteers,” Mr. Tygart told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs at the hearing on bodybuilding products.

Michael Levy, the director of the F.D.A.’s division of new drugs and labeling compliance, in a phone interview said that the FDA is really urging consumers not to make use of products marketed as including steroids or steroidlike ingredients.

Luke Troy, the Australian club rugby prop, is in limelight but for wrong reasons this time after a two-year ban was imposed on him for steroid orders.

It was reported that Troy, Newcastle Waratahs club prop, ordered two separate types of steroid drugs (21 packets of testosterone-1 a mixture of Androstenes in February 2006 and 100 capsules of DHEA 200 containing 200 mg dehydropepiandrosterone per capsule in August 2006).

The Australian Rugby Union cleared him at the initial stage because the intercepted drugs were not proven to what the packaging revealed and were not collected from the customs in person.

From Brisbanetimes.com.au:

Troy had told ASADA: ”I acknowledge that I may have been naive to order [over the internet] but did so in good faith with no intention of using any prohibited substance. However at no time did I have possession of such items due to them being seized by Australian Customs.”

However the International Rugby Board appealed against the decision of the ARU and asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to decide the matter.

This week the CAS ruled Troy had committed an anti-doping violation by using or attempting to use a prohibited substance. The CAS found that Troy had searched the internet for products, deliberately ordered products believing they contained testosterone and DHEA and that he intended to use those substances personally for ”recovery and meal replacement”.

The CAS said it was not essential that the substances were in fact proven to be prohibited substances.

Troy was banned until May 5, 2011 from playing sports on the accusations of ordering steroids.

The incident is expected to influence other sports drugs tribunal hearings that involve non-analytical evidence.

More and more sportsmen are using anabolic steroids these days to gain a competitive edge and stay ahead of the peers, as evident from the growing number of sportsmen opting for anabolic steroids on the Internet.

However, what many people forget is the fact that steroids do not pose any harm to the users if used under medical advice and help sportsmen delivers dramatic performance on a continuing basis.

From Entertainment.howstuffworks.com:

Anabolic Steroids

A steroid is a chemical substance derived from cholesterol. The body has several major steroid hormones — cortisol and testosterone in the male, estrogen and progesterone in the female. Catabolic steroids break down tissue, and anabolic steroids build up tissue. Anabolic steroids build muscle and bone mass primarily by stimulating the muscle and bone cells to make new protein.

Athletes use anabolic steroids because they increase muscle strength by encouraging new muscle growth. Anabolic steroids are similar in structure to the male sex hormone, testosterone, so they enhance male reproductive and secondary sex characteristics (testicle development, hair growth, thickening of the vocal cords). They allow the athlete to train harder and longer at any given period.

Anabolic steroids are mostly testosterone (male sex hormone) and its derivatives. Examples of anabolic steroids include:

* Testosterone

* Dihydrotestosterone

* Androstenedione (Andro)

* Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)

* Clostebol

* Nandrolone

It is, however, of great mention that steroid abuse and sub-standard steroids can result in side effects and must be avoided at all stages.

After federal officials raided the company’s headquarters and their warehouse in Boise, Idaho, chief executive officer of Meridian, Ryan de Luca, said they decided to recall 65 of their products that matched the list in the FDA’s search warrant.

There was no bargain or agreement between the company and the US Food and Drug Administration. De Luca made it clear that the recall has nothing to do with any agreement or with FDA’s suspicions that Bodybuilding.com sells and distributes steroids.

According to de Luca, the company was not aware of the products containing prohibited ingredients. Manufacturers assured them that the products were properly classified as dietary supplements in compliance with federal law.

The company’s main objective was to distribute and sell safe and effective products.

Steroids can cause a list of long-term side effects such as liver damage, kidney abnormalities, cardiovascular problems and even death.

De Luca is proud to say that the company did not suffer much from the recall since Bodybuilding.com sells more than 12,000 products online aside from those recalled products. They also sell protein powder and multivitamins.

According to the company, instructions on how to return products can be seen on their website, Bodybuilding.com. Customers can also contact the company through email at service@bodybuilding.com or through phone by calling 1-866-236-8417.

From Idaho Statesman:

The Meridian online retailer decided to recall 65 products listed in federal search warrants a few days after federal officials raided the company’s headquarters and Boise warehouse, the chief executive officer said Tuesday.

Although steroids can be utilized in legal medical uses, it is still banned to administer the drug for the exclusive intention of working up muscles.

Sometimes, doctors may administer steroids in patients with serious anemia. They may also prescribe the drug in men not creating enough testosterone.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, physicians never prescribe anabolic-androgenic steroids to young, healthy people to aid them in working up their muscles.

Steroids use, particularly for extended periods, could bring about unfavorable results unique to each sex and age group.

In males, it could bring about shriveling of the testicles, low sperm count, sterility, male pattern baldness, breast development or gynecomastia and an elevated risk for prostate cancer.

In females, it could result to noticeable development of facial hair, baldness, shifts or irregularity in the menstrual cycle resulting to total cessation, enlargement of the clitoris and thickening of the voice.

Teenagers may run the danger of sustaining stunted maturation due to early maturation of their skeletal body structures. Puberty changes are rapid, and they may not achieve their utmost stature if they take anabolic steroids before or during their growth spurt.

Taking steroids is never brilliant or sound. It may abbreviate your lives instead of extending it. It could bring about troubles that could injure you for the remainder of your life.

From The Cypress Times:

Steroids do make users bulk up, but the health risks are high. It’s true, on steroids biceps bulge; abs ripple; and quads balloon. But that’s just on the outside. Steroid users may be very pleased when they flex in the mirror, but they may create problems on the inside.

When it comes to a sporting event as lucrative and complete reflection of manhood, it is not a surprise to hear talks and news about the ongoing relationship between drugs, sex, and bodybuilding.

In the past, there have been incidents when these things have been reported together. What is amusing is the fact that this growing relationship has not subdued but grown over a considerable period of time, especially during the last few years.

From SteroidTimes.Com:

Testosterone is likely to be the most commonly used, well recognized drug that earns an “A+” in both athletics and sexual performance.  It’s muscle building and athletic enhancing properties are undeniable and have been commonplace in sports and Hormone Replacement Therapy clinics for decades.  Testosterone is directly responsible for increases in libido and penile erection frequency and easily earns a reputation as the Gold Standard for anyone wanting to thoroughly maximize their potential.

Next on our list are prescription vasodialators such as Viagara, Cialis and Levitra.  Just as the name implies, these drugs cause the arterial blood vessels to dilate and increase blood flow in the body, particularly in tissues with higher metabolic needs, such as working muscles during a workout.  The decrease in blood pressure caused by this group of drugs also helps to maximize cardiovascular output.   During a workout, the user can expect to have a better “pump”  causing more blood, oxygen,  and nutrients to flow to working muscles and in return, allowing the muscles to work harder and recover faster. In the bedroom, vasodialators cause increased blood flow to the penis, which, as the commercials warn, could go so far as to require you to “call your doctor if you experience an erection lasting more than 4 hours”. I doubt anyone will argue that prescription vasodialators earn an “A-” in the bedroom and a “C” in the gym or on the field.

One thing that was easy to identify was the fact that with drugs and bodybuilding joining hands, sex was not too far to join the “league”. After all, all three of them are often interrelated, in a way or two.

Clomid, which is predominantly used in the medical world for treating female infertility, is now extending its reach to bodybuilders and professional athletes. The response of bodybuilders as well as non-bodybuilders to this wonder drug with amazing results has been exceptionally well.

Clomid, which is also known as Clomifene and Clomifert, provides great benefits to bodybuilders when it comes to the restoration of natural producing testosterone, the male sex hormone.

Its primary objective is to block the inhibition of estrogen and not the stimulation of hypothalamus or pituitary besides being useful in increasing the amount of fluid during ejaculation.

From Wikiepdia.org:

Clomifene acts by inhibiting the action of estrogen on the hypothalamus. Zuclomifene, the more active isomer (see below), binds to estrogen receptors and stays bound for long periods of time. This prevents normal receptor recycling and causes an effective reduction in hypothalamic estrogen receptor number. Since estrogen can no longer effectively feedback on the hypothalamus, GnRH secretion becomes more pulsatile, which results in increased pituitary gonadotropin (FSH, LH) release. Increased gonadotropin levels cause growth of the ovarian follicle, followed by follicular rupture, otherwise known as ovulation.

Clomifene can lead to multiple ovulation, and hence increasing the chance of twins (3-5% of births instead of normal ~1%). In comparison to purified FSH, the rate of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is low. There may be an increased risk of ovarian cancer and weight gain.

Clomifene is commonly used by male anabolic steroid users to bind the estrogen receptors in their bodies, thereby blocking the effects of estrogen, i.e., gynecomastia. It also restores the body’s natural production of testosterone. It is commonly used as a “recovery drug” and taken toward the end of a steroid cycle.[citation needed] Some users report that taking Clomid increases the amount of fluid produced during ejaculation.

Recent medical studies have suggested that Clomid is an exceptionally useful steroid when taken at the end of a steroid cycle. This is primarily because of the fact that it considerably reduces the risk of risk of gynecomastia during a steroid cycle due to the employment of aromatizable steroids.

For many years, there have been numerous studies performed on steroids and its effect to the body. It has long been established that the following are the effects of steroids, it lowers body fat and increases strength and lean muscle mass, making it a favorite supplement of bodybuilders.

Aside from these, some negative effects were also found with steroid use. Males usually experience an acceleration in baldness, an overly enlarged pair of breast known as gynecomastia brought about by the increase in estrogen levels. Those steroid users over the age of forty may also experience prostate enlragement which is quite dangerous for males in their middle age. There is also the issue of fertility since the endocrine system stops producing testosterone from the testes due to the influx of artificial testosterone. It disrupts the body’s testosterone production levels and its quality.

A recent study, however, found an interesting revelation about an additional side effect caused by steroid and that is, memory loss. The body experiences something “ incredible” during the initial dose of testosterone. The brain functions are heightened. As soon as testosterone levels drop, this mental edge disappears. Symptoms include memory loss, lack of focus and other telltale signs that points to the decrease in mental strength as the body attempts to recover from the sudden drop in testosterone level.

From Dane Fletcher:

Keep in mind that everything in life – including steroid use - consists of ebbs and flows, highs and lows. Testosterone supplementation is no exception. Enjoy the mental highs, and expect and prepare for the mental and memory lapses, which may follow administration. Remember that just as the body will physically suffer when testosterone administration is halted, the brain will function with less efficiency when testosterone levels are dropped, even briefly.

Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid, which is primarily consumed by athletes to increase body’s capacity to perform optimally, thereby reducing the physical exertion caused because of heavy training. Anabolic steroids are basically synthesized form the male hormone called the testosterone which helps in the building of muscle mass in one’s body. Although the intake of these steroids has been banned by many sports, their precise effect on the human body is still a question of scientific debate.

However, the important issue to be addressed here is whether the tests for the steroid, nandrolone is conclusive or not. Even if the tests reveal that the intake of anabolic steroid is to primarily develop muscle growth and strength in the body, this cannot be held against the athlete who has taken it.

From BBC:

Even though a drug test may indicate that the subject has apparently taken nandrolone to boost muscle growth and increase strength, this does not necessarily prove wrongdoing.

It is possible that the body may naturally create a form of nandrolone, particularly if the subject has eaten large quantities of meat contaminated with the substance.

It is also possible that dietary supplements taken perfectly legally by some athletes are broken down by the body to produce the same substances created when nandrolone is broken down.

This is precisely so because studies reveal that nandrolone can also naturally develop inside the body if one takes in large amount of meat contaminated by this particular steroid. Besides, the compounds into which some dietary supplements are further broken down are also very similar to those formed when nandrolone is synthesized which indeed reveal that the athlete cannot always be held responsible of consuming them.

Some known names which have been tested positive for the intake of steroid nandrolone are Merlene Ottey, sprinter, Mark Richardson, swimmer, Linford Christie, sprinter, Korda, Czech, tennis player, Djamel Bouras, judo player and Igor Shalimov, footballer.

Just this weekend, reports came out that Alex Rodriguez had tested positive for testosterone and Primobolan back in 2003. He was still with the Texas Rangers then and that was the season when he first received his Most Valuable Player award and broke 300 career home runs. Of course, there was no sanction for using performance enhancing drugs until 2004 and the samples for those tests were supposedly destroyed and the results kept confidential. Unfortunately, the list came up during the BALCO investigation and the laboratory that did the test still had the samples.

From Washington Post:

According to the report, Rodriguez was one of 104 players on a list of positive tests that year, when baseball instituted “survey” testing to determine the extent of steroid use in the game. Those supposedly anonymous results were seized in April 2004 by federal agents investigating the Balco steroid ring, which did not involve Rodriguez. The legality of that seizure is the subject of a case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in Pasadena, Calif.

A message left for Rodriguez’s publicist yesterday was not returned, but Rodriguez, who has repeatedly denied having used steroids, is quoted by SI.com as declining comment. “You’ll have to ask the union,” he reportedly said. “I’m not saying anything.”

Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball’s executive vice president for labor relations, would not discuss the validity of the story, saying in a statement that the 2003 survey testing was “intended to be non-disciplinary and anonymous.”

While the accuracy of the report is still in question, MLB officials chose not to condemn anyone. For Rodriguez, he won’t be facing any legal charges unlike Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens who are now fighting in court. Nevertheless, many believe that the news of the baseball superstar using steroids could greatly affect his name and status as the highest-earning baseball player in MLB. It can also make people question his MVP award and his chances in the Hall of Fame.

Just a few weeks ago, “Spiral of Denial: Muscle Doping in American Football” was released and had received overwhelming publicity. The writer of the book is Matt Chaney, a journalist who was involved with college football during his younger years. As a student and a would-be athlete, Chaney also had his share of  anabolic steroid use. He took a cycle of testosterone that made him stronger that he had no trouble when doing bench presses. After he suffered a severe knee injury which he later attributed to the steroid use, he became a student assistant coach. As an assistant coach, he helped one of the players get his hands on some performance enhancing drugs. He realized that a good 10 to 20 percent of the players were using steroids and that everyone knew about it. It was an unwritten law to keep quiet. And that was just college football. After he left the sporting world, Chaney became a writer. In his book, he says that even with all the modern drug tests, only little can be done with illegal steroid use. There is no one test that can detect everything and there are still so many steroids that remain undetectable.

From Southeast Missourian

Chaney said he has proposed — along with others — that the only immediate way to help curb the use of steroids is to put a cap on the weights of players based on their height and body type.

“It’s a terrible problem and there is no solution in terms of the absolute,” he said. “There will never be technology or laws that will stop this. One thing we can do is limit the sizes of the players. It’s not my idea, it’s been around. Right now that’s the only immediate prevention anybody knows.”

Chaney said it’s foolish to think coaches on all levels don’t know what’s going on, but as he mentioned earlier, he does not blame coaches — past and present — for the steroids problem in football. In fact, he doesn’t blame anybody, instead calling it a cultural issue.

Chaney wants to point out in his book that steroid use is not the problem of the athlete or the school or the team. It is a problem of that everyone should know about.

Although already well-known by bodybuilders and athletes, 6-OXO Extreme has been made more famous due to the recent scandal involving Phillies reliever, J.C. Romero, who was taking this supplement.

The supplement 6-OXO Extreme is not a steroid although its effects are the same as any regular performance enhancing drugs. The supplement is actually an androstenedione, a hormone stimulant that boosts the production of testosterone in your body. In addition to that, a newer version of the supplement also blocks the effect of the aromatase enzyme therefore blocking the effects of estrogen. These properties will generally give you an extreme elevation of testosterone in the blood.

The manufacturers of 6-OXO Extreme, Proviant Technologies, admitted to putting a warning on the label of the supplement saying, “Use of this product may be banned by some athletic or government associations”. They pointed, however, that no ingredient in the supplement would cause a positive result in anabolic steroid drug tests. There is much information on the supplement that remains unknown such as its safety, if it’s healthy and if it’s natural. Just because it is not FDA-approved, it doesn’t mean that 6-OXO Extreme is illegal. In fact even GNC admitted that it sells the supplement and that “it only sells products that meet all relevant legal and regulatory standards for the nutritional supplement industry”.

With all these facts stated, it makes you wonder why J.C. Romero is now being condemned for the use of 6-OXO. Dr. Bruce Sennet of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania has a theory:

From 6 ABC Action News:

Dr. Sennett says the tests which tripped up J.C. Romero probably picked up elevated testosterone, but not any residues from the supplement itself.