Guys this blog today is for you and we are going to talk about steroids. Firstly, I am going to start by saying I am not the most avid gym goer. I am also obviously not a man. I do not know the ins and outs of all thing’s fitness, nor do I know the ins and outs of all things being a guy. However, as a nurse I am tasked with making sure my patients of all genders can make informed consent with all things having to do with their bodies and with there being such a massive prevalence of steroid use in the fitness community I believe it needs to be talked about. So, let’s talk about it.
When I was first researching this topic, it really surprised me that over 3 million people in the US are using steroids. It is surprising because there are so many side effects of steroids, some of those being fatal or long-lasting. I do not know anyone who would purposefully put something in their body that is going to harm them. However, we as humans never think something is going to happen to us, until it does.
Our bodies are amazing and can bounce back but they aren’t bullet proof, and steroids can really cause some damage. Steroids affect the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. These brain structures control the vital functions of our bodies including, blood pressure, metabolism, growth, and sexual function. So, if steroids are affecting these structures that are in control of all these different bodily functions, we are going to see issues with the systems in charge of these functions.
You may now be asking what body systems are affected and basically all are. This includes: the reproductive, cardiovascular (heart and vessels), gastro-intestinal, musculoskeletal, nervous, integumentary (skin), endocrine (hormones), urinary, and immune systems. It’s easy to only focus on the one thing we can clearly see steroids doing. But steroids are doing so much more and you need to ask yourself if what you can see is worth hurting what you can’t.
Until next time,
Morgan