My biggest concern is not who wins the Tour de Qatar. However, you may have read that Lance Armstrong was recently in the Colorado Spring’s Gazette for allegedly “doping”. It turns out he was released of all charges and the investigation was closed. For an athlete, doping, or the use of performance enhancing drugs, is the ultimate slight. Have the drug companies put HGH on the market to make money and not to help people? Anyone with a credit card can buy HGH on the internet and it even comes with a “90 day money back guarantee”. “High Pro”, a website I found when surfing, offers 21 pages of testimonials. Both men and women swear that a homeopathic drug has given them the boost they need because this drug increased their IGH-1 levels. Ofcourse, they are not racing in national competitions where drugs are illegal. Instead, an eighty year old man took the drug so he could keep up with his wife who is twenty-five years his junior. These types of websites are promoting the increase in use of HGH within the past ten years.
As someone who feels like athletes should be treated like everyone else, I can’t help but be concerned that pushing people to “win” is given a higher priority than integrity of the sport. USA Cycling and the USADA Anti-Doping Agency, say they protect the rights of people like Lance Armstrong. At the local level, a site called www.cleancompetition.org provides research and development.
What is is the human growth hormone? More importantly, what are the risks? HGH is a growth hormone used as a perscription drug in medicine used to treat children's growth disorders and adult growth hormone deficiency. According to health professionals, regular injections for people who don't have the deficiency can cause the pituitary gland to become lazy. Possible liver damage, carpal tunnel syndrome, and painful joints can also occur. The most severe side effect could be Acromegaly. Acromegaly causes an unnatural overgrowth of bone in the extremities, forehead, and jaw, as well as other symptoms. There are also studies that show HGH can cause cancer.
If you recall, Armstrong is well known for inspiring others with his story of beating testicular cancer. It seems to me, that he couldn’t be guilty of doping because that would make this American hero a total fraud. Isn’t it more likely that his competition is trying to figure out a way to get around him in the race by slandering his reputation as a competative cyclist? What a poor display of sportsmanship, right?
In 2011, less than ten elite athletes in the cycling world were suspended for using a doping program. Pressure to perform and not on ability itself keeps raising eyebrows. It also leaves the audience somewhat discouraged. In my findings of the subject I stumbled upon a piece of information that the number of cyclists being investigated is going to keep growing.
Comments