Panel addresses steroid dangers, By: Donald Emmons
September 20, 2006
Steroids are not the drug of choice among teenagers.
Alcohol is the drug most used by teens and is a leading contributor to injury death, the main cause of death for people under age 21, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).
Nevertheless, growing concerns about steroid use among the 13 to 17-year-old crowd is what prompted a two-hour conference "Steroids and the High School Athlete" yesterday morning at Lourdes College.
"We just see that it is an issue and it's not going away," said Ross Chaban of Compass Corporation for Recovery Services. "It's just not being talked about enough."
Chaban, who is vice president of clinical services for Compass, a full-service alcohol and drug treatment agency in northwest Ohio, believes more public forums addressing the issue of steroid use among teenagers should be taking place.
After all, more instances of steroid use are being revealed at the professional and college levels. School districts across the country have begun implementing drug testing of student-athletes, and the state of New Jersey recently announced it will begin testing for steroids among high school athletes beginning this school year.
USA Today sports columnist and Ottawa Hills native Christine Brennan was on a panel with three local doctors that discussed the potential dangers of steroid use with a crowd of parents, coaches and school administrators.
Brennan, a sports fan long before becoming a nationally recognized sports writer, believes steroid use among athletes has changed the dynamics of sports.
"It's the issue of our lives," she said. "I don't think we can minimize this issue. The role models that kids look up to have to speak up."
Acne, enlarged breasts, premature baldness, and liver and cardiovascular system damage are among the physical side effects of steroid use mentioned by the panelists.
Dr. Lurly Archambeau, medical director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board, said using steroids or any kind of performance-enhancing drugs can also affect an individual mentally and emotionally. Steroid use has been linked to cases of depression.
"Steroids work on the brain," Archambeau said. "They change the chemistry of the brain, the area that determines moods."
Dr. Roger Kruse, who serves as the University of Toledo's head team physician and is director of Sports Care, believes he has been around enough Olympic-caliber athletes during his career to detect steroid users just by looking at their bodies. He has worked as a team physician for the United States during a number of Olympic Games.
"Ben Johnson's eyes were so yellow because he was taking so much testosterone," Kruse said of the Canadian sprinter who was stripped of his 100-meter gold medal after testing positive for steroids at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Dr. Joseph Assenmacher, an orthopedic surgeon, has come across a few cases of steroid use by teens, and he doesn't condone steroid use by any athlete.
"The big deal is it's becoming a national public health crisis for adolescents," Assenmacher said.
Assenmacher, as well as the other panelists, acknowledged the pressure to gain an edge on the competition is partly responsible for athletes using banned substances. The potential for greater financial gain also plays a role in athletes choosing to cheat.
"Money drives all of the drug trade and drug usage," Assenmacher said.
Archambeau offered ways to deter teenagers from considering the use of steroids to get bigger, faster and stronger. He said tell student-athletes the long-term consequences outweigh the short-term advantages. Offer "safe options" to excel on the field of play rather than using steroids. Accentuate the idea that team success comes before attempting to achieve individual glory.
Archambeau makes it clear that dialogue alone will not eliminate the problem.
"Society has to decide what substances we are going to allow in our bodies to maintain an even playing field," he said.
