Doping, What Is It and Why Is It Dangerous?

We have all heard of athletes dianabol and trenbolone steroids who were disqualified from their sport for doping. Certain Olympic sports such as track and swimming, baseball, football, body building, weight lifting and cycling races have all seen their share of doping scandals. Just what is doping?

In simple terms, doping is the use of drugs or other substances to enhance an athlete’s performance, making them faster, stronger or have more stamina than they normally would. Anabolic steroids are probably the most well-known of the drugs, followed by HGH (human growth hormone). Other drugs and substances have also been used, such as testosterone, Dianabol, Furabol, cocaine, digitalis, amphetamines, ephedrine and even strychnine.

Since the early 1990s, blood doping has also been done using various substances and methods to raise the red blood cell count. Two of the substances used are Erthropoietin and Hypoxia Inducible Factor Stabilizer. The first is normally buy steroids online used in medicine for cancer patients undergoing chemo therapy or radiation. It also promotes faster healing of wounds. The second is used in the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Blood transfusions and blood substitutes (engineered O2 carriers) are two of the methods used to increase the red cell count. Increasing the number of red blood cells enables more oxygen to be carried through the body.